| There’s a term we use around the office to describe what can happen to nylon and polypropylene brushes during the line process. We call it the “spaghetti effect." The behavior of bristle filament on a brush is much like that of spaghetti. When we pull out a stick of pasta, it is fairly solid and straight. But when we suspend it in a pot of hot water, that once rigid stick of spaghetti turns into a mush noodle. This is what happens to a bristle brush operating in a 140 + degree environment. Nylon and polypropylene brushes soften in response to heat and water. This is particularly important if the bristle brush is operating in an alkali solution. Of course, brushes will be exposed to heat and water on the line, so what can be done to make sure they retain their ability to produce friction on the surface of the metal sheet to get it clean? Knowing that this is happening inside your brush machine is half the battle. The science of this is important to remember. |  |
Brushes clean strip through the friction of the bristle tip making contact with the metal surface. The bristle needs to remain hard and stiff in order to create substantial pressure against the sheet. If the bristles become noodles from the heat, you won’t have pressure and the sheet won’t be clean. Soft spaghetti filament offers little resistance on the strip, which means little cleaning. Because the environment effects how the filament in a bristle brush engages with the surface of the strip, you would see a huge difference in cleanliness of the strip if you changed only one variable in your brush machine: the temperature.
What usually happens as a result of the spaghetti effect? In response, many operators increase the load, thinking this will increase the friction and they’ll get the results they need. Instead, when brush is lowered, the bristles, softened from the elevated temperatures, become crushed against the strip. Crushed bristles can’t clean strip, and at this point, you have bigger problems. Because the program load can’t be obtained, the brush continues to be adjusted toward the strip until it crushes the bristles and causes massive fallout. The result is premature brush damage and ruined strip.
The problem in this whole scenario isn't limited to the temperature. It's also a result of the incorrect brush being used for the job. The best way to avoid the spaghetti effect is to choose the correct bristle brush for your application. You need a brush with bristles that have been specifically engineered for the process you’re going to demand from it, one that will hold up under the operating temperature of your line.
Otherwise, you're going to have a situation like this one, which creates the problems below:
What usually happens as a result of the spaghetti effect? In response, many operators increase the load, thinking this will increase the friction and they’ll get the results they need. Instead, when brush is lowered, the bristles, softened from the elevated temperatures, become crushed against the strip. Crushed bristles can’t clean strip, and at this point, you have bigger problems. Because the program load can’t be obtained, the brush continues to be adjusted toward the strip until it crushes the bristles and causes massive fallout. The result is premature brush damage and ruined strip.
The problem in this whole scenario isn't limited to the temperature. It's also a result of the incorrect brush being used for the job. The best way to avoid the spaghetti effect is to choose the correct bristle brush for your application. You need a brush with bristles that have been specifically engineered for the process you’re going to demand from it, one that will hold up under the operating temperature of your line.
Otherwise, you're going to have a situation like this one, which creates the problems below:
- The tips of your bristle brush don’t engage with the metal surface. Instead of hitting the strip from the tip of the filament, it folds and the sides of the filament graze across the strip, which won’t clean the strip and can damage it.
- Bristles act sporadically. Bristles move in a circular motion, causing an irregular pattern on the strip, rather than cleaning the surface.
- Bristles fall from the brush: Brushes prematurely age and you find yourself pulling rogue bristles from the system filter.
- Brush is crushed into the back-up roller: The machine never reaches the correct kW value, and crushes the brush as it searches for a load point.
- You lose time and money.
What's the solution? As Sherlock Holmes would say, “It’s elementary:” The solution is science and engineering.
To avoid the spaghetti effect, invest in a brush with bristles that have been specifically engineered for the job. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting time trying to get results it’s not physically (or scientifically) possible to achieve. You’ll also be wasting a lot of money, because the bristles will start falling out of your brushes, and you’ll have to replace them more often.
This is a battle you can win easily when you have the right tools. Give us a call if you have questions about what bristle brush would work best in your machine so you don't lose time and money with the Spaghetti Effect.
Dave Thieman
To avoid the spaghetti effect, invest in a brush with bristles that have been specifically engineered for the job. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting time trying to get results it’s not physically (or scientifically) possible to achieve. You’ll also be wasting a lot of money, because the bristles will start falling out of your brushes, and you’ll have to replace them more often.
This is a battle you can win easily when you have the right tools. Give us a call if you have questions about what bristle brush would work best in your machine so you don't lose time and money with the Spaghetti Effect.
Dave Thieman
