Tension control algorithms used in electrical wire manufacturing processes: a systematic review

Abstract

Most manufactured electrical cables suffer from reductions in their physical, mechanical and electrical properties. These setbacks are mainly attributed to the improper control of wire tension during the cable manufacturing process. Hence, this paper systematically reviewed different control algorithms involved in controlling tension in moving webs, which include conventional control, advanced control, observer-based control, artificial intelligence-based control and hybrid control techniques. Thus, the review provided information about existing tension control techniques in moving webs, including their strengths and weaknesses. It was observed in this review that although a significant research effort has been made on web tension control systems, a thorough literature review is still lacking. It was concluded that controller optimisation using hybrid control algorithms is gaining popularity in web tension control due to their improved control response. Hence, its application in wire tension control can better help cable manufacturers improve the quality of manufactured cables.

Keywords:

• Cable manufacturing
• control algorithms
• motor drive
• parameter variations
• tension control

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Qingsong Ai, Wuhan University of Technology, China

SUBJECTS:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Systems & Control Engineering
• Electrical & Electronic Engineering

Data availability statement

Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

Acknowledgement

The authors thank Jiangsu University, China for providing the resources needed to finish this research work.

Disclosure statement

The authors affirm that they have no apparent conflicts of interest that would have affected the research presented in this study.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robert Agyare Ofosu

Robert Agyare Ofosu holds the degrees of BSc Electrical and Electronic Engineering from University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Ghana and MSc Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Control Engineering Option) from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya. He is currently a PhD candidate in Control Science and Engineering at Jiangsu University, China. He is a member of IEEE. His research interests include control engineering, artificial intelligence and electric drives.

Huangqiu Zhu

Huangqiu Zhu received the B.S. degree in automation from the School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China, in 1987, the M.S. degree in management from Jiangsu University in 1993, and the Ph.D. degree from the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China, in 2000. From 2002 to 2003, he was a Visiting Scholar with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland. He is currently a Professor with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Jiangsu University. His research interests include magnetic bearings, magnetic suspension (bearingless) motors, and motors and movement control.