IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1877

page_text: - LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Burns, of Motherwell, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Burns at the Office.
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st May 1877.
ALEXANDER BURNS, of Motherwell, in the County of Lanark, North Britain.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
This Invention, which relates to improvements in looms for weaving, has for its.
object to enable the weft of textile fabrics to be beaten up more: firmly or closely
into the shed of the warp than at present, so as to produce closer or firmer cloth,
or in other words to get a greater number of shots of weft into any given length of
warp. This object is effected by causing the warp beam to be firmly gripped or
held fast at the time when the beating-up action of the lay of the loom takes place,
so as to prevent the yielding of the warp beam by the blow of the lay, which obtains
in looms as at present constructed.
The Invention consists in the application to the warp beam of a brake, strap, or
the equivalent thereof, which is operated by a lever actuated by an eccentric, or
tappets, or the equivalent thereof, from the crank or wiper shaft, or other revolving
or moving part of the loom. The position of the eccentric, tappets, or their equiva-
lent, is such as to operate on the lever and tighten the brake or strap shortly before
the blow of the lay takes place, and to relieve the warp beam from being braked or
retarded shortly after the said blow has taken place, thereby enabling the change
of the shed of the warp to be easily effected.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Burns in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th November
1877.
ALEXANDER BURNS, of Motherwell, in the County of Lanark, North Britain.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
My said Invention relates to improvements in looms for weaving, and has for its
object to enable the wefts of textile fabrics to be beaten up more firmly or closely
into the shed of the warp than at present, so as to produce closer or firmer cloth by
getting a greater number of shots of weft into any given length of warp. This
object is effected by causing the warp or yarn beam to be firmly gripped or held
fast at the time when the beating-up action of the lay of the loom takes place, so as
to prevent the yielding of the warp beam by the blow of the lay, which obtains in
looms as at present constructed.
In order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I now proceed more
particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is
or may be used, or practically carried into effect, reference being had to the annexed
sheets of Drawings and to. the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say,-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a loom provided with mechanism
according to my Invention, for effecting the herein-before mentioned gripping or
holding fast of the warp or yarn beam, and Figure 2 is a front elevation of the
same.
The main driving shaft of the loom is marked A; the warp or yarn beam is marked
.B; the horizontal rail is marked C. Over a wheel or pace pulley D, passes a friction
strap E, the said strap being fastened at its end e to the horizontal rail C, or other
fixed part of the loom, and at its other end e¹ to one arm ƒ of a lever F, turning
upon the fulcrum G, on the framing of the loom. Upon the main shaft A is fixed
a tappet, cam, or wiper H, in such a position that shortly before the blow of the lay..
takes place, the said tappet, cam, or wiper H, by the revolution of the shaft A, bears
upon the arm f' of the lever F, and causes the other arm f of the said lever to be
so moved as to tighten the strap E over the wheel or pulley D, whereby the warp.
or yarn beam is held fast at the time when the beating-up action of the lay of the
loom takes place, and is thereby prevented from yielding to the blow of the lay.
By the further revolution of the shaft A, the cam or wiper H is withdrawn from
contact with the lever F, and the warp or yarn beam is consequently released shortly
after the blow of the lay has taken place, thereby enabling the change of the shed
of the warp to be easily effected without too much straining of the warp.
In cases where there is not room upon the main shaft for the tappet, cam, or
wiper H, the said tappet, cam, or wiper may be fixed upon the wiper shaft, as shewn
in Figure 3, in which the wiper shaft is marked I, and other parts which correspond
with parts shewn in Figures 1 and 2 are marked with the same letters of reference.
As the wiper shaft revolves but once to two revolutions of the main shaft, in this
arrangement, the tappet, cam, or wiper H must be a double one, so as to act twice
on the lever F during each revolution of the said wiper shaft.
1
In place of operating my apparatus from a revolving part of the loom, as herein-
before described, it may be operated from a reciprocating part, as shewn in Figure 4 of
the accompanying Drawings, which represents part of the framing of a loom (as seen
from the inside) in which the raising of the arm f¹ of the lever F, to tighten the
strap E on the pace pulley, is effected from the sword of the lay through an inter-
mediate lever J, turning on a stud k, on a standard K, or on other support for the
said stud. Upon a stud l, on the sword L, is mounted an antifriction roller M,
which, when the beating-up action of the lay takes place, bears against the incline
on the arm 2 of the lever J, and by depressing the said arm raises the other armij¹,
which in its turn raises the arm f¹ of the lever F, and therefore tightens the strap

page_text: E, as herein-before described. On the backward movement of the lay, after the blow,
the antifriction roller M leaves the inclined part of the arm j², and the warp or yarn
beam is consequently released.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or may be
used, or practically carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the mechanism to be applied to
looms for weaving, consisting of a friction strap or belt which (by tappets, cams, or
wipers upon a revolving or reciprocating part of the loom) is caused to grip or hold
fast the warp or pace beam at the time when the beating-up action of the lay of the
loom takes place, and to release it afterwards, essentially as herein-before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Burns, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Nineteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.