Patent GB-808203-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in methods and mechanisms for making a loop fabric
IPC: D04B1/06
Filed: 1954-01-26
Abstract: 808,203. Making looped fabrics. TURNER, B. M. Jan. 26, 1955 [Jan. 26, 1954], No. 2347/54. Class 74 (11. Apparatus for making the interlocked loop fabric of Fig. 1 includes coplanar guide needles 14 each of which lays its separate yarn 17 in a loop around two adjoining ones of coplanar receiving needles 1 each, in turn, supplied with a separate yarn 8, upper and lower hooks 21, 22 which give each run of the loop, where it passes through the receiving needle bed, an additional turn around the associated one of the said two receiving needles, and means for removing the yarns 17, 18 from the receiving needles, so that the two sets of yarns form respectively alternate and intervening courses of the fabric, which simulates a knitted fabric, the yarn forming each loop in a course passing always behind one leg of the immediately preceding loop in the same wale and in front of its other leg, and no two adjoining legs of a loop in any one course being engaged by the yarn of the adjoining course either both from in front or both from behind, but alternately from in front and behind. The guide needles are carried in a box 13 which is made to move so that each guide needle is translated laterally on the surface of an imaginary cylinder 24 around a pair of adjoining receiving needles 1. Bars 19, 20 carry, respectively, the hooks 21, 22 and are made to move so that each hook is translated laterally in an elliptical path 25 around one receiving needle 1, the major axis of the ellipse being equal to the diameter of the cylinder 24 and the minor axis being equal to the receiving needle pitch, and is, at the same time, reciprocated towards and away from the ends of the receiving needles. As each needle 14 lays its thread 17 under two receiving needles 1 and 1<SP>1</SP>, a lower hook 22, whilst reciprocating, takes and later releases the thread 17 and, whilst it holds it, forms from it a turn around needle 1<SP>1</SP>. The needle 14, continuing in its path, lays the thread 17 across the top of the needles 1 and 1<SP>1</SP>, and an upper hook 21 similarly makes from it a turn around the needle 1. As turns or loops of guide needle thread are thus formed, they are pulled back along the receiving needles by grooved rollers 2, 2<SP>1</SP>, an endless belt 5, and a bar 9 bearing course end retaining members 12 such as clips and traversed by worm and worm wheel. Loop formation now ceases and the direction of rotation of the rollers 2, 2<SP>1</SP> is reversed, as is that of travel of the belt 5 and bar 9. Consequently, the loops are forced off the receiving needles and the receiving needle yarns 8 are pushed out in the form of loops from beneath the receiving needle ends. These loops and guide needle yarns are clamped and pulled slowly away from the receiving needles. An appropriate tension applied to the fabric in a wale-wise direction serves to open out the loops of the intervening courses, drawing receiving needle yarns from their reels 7. An additional transverse grooved roller having teeth between each two receiving needle yarns is preferably provided, to push the guide needle loops out of the plane in which they lie and draw off more receiving needle yarn for development into loops.