The need for tension control

Let us use another analogy involving some of our day-to-day activities, which will make you realize that tension control is not too complicated. Just imagine a rubber band or a small piece of thread. If we pull it with a small force, then the rubber band elongates, which is visible to the naked eye, whereas a thread does elongate to a certain extent, although it might not be visible. However, what would happen if we applied more force in opposite directions? The rubber band, as well as the thread, might snap and break, which we do not wish for.

This brings us to the point of applying the right tension to a material and maintaining it so that the material does not break, and a planned process can be carried out on it. Like all control problems, the solution consists of measuring the control variable – in this case, the material tension – and trying to increase or decrease the tension so that it approaches the set point. Thus, tension control...