Improvements in Woven Fabrics for Wearing Apparel and Technical Use.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Woven Fabrics for Wearing Apparel and
Technical Use.
We, FRIEDRICH WEVER and CARL SEEL, both Manufacturers, of Barmen,
Oberdörnerstrasse No. 61, Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :-
Our invention relates to a new fabric of woven stuff which possesses new and
peculiar qualities making the same especially adapted for such wearing apparel, which
have an irregular form, such as corsets for instance, and which therefore are made
hitherto or combined of various pieces cut out in such shape that, by sewing them
together, they approximately make a close covering of the irregular form of the body.
Now our new article, without being in reality elastic in the sens of elastic woven
stuffs, as shoe elastics for instance, has the quality of adjusting itself to a certain
degree to various shapes, because its warp threads are longer at the sides of the fabric
than in the middle and its weft threads instead of being in a straight line form
curves, but in such a peculiar manner, that with regard to any one weft thread
considered as neutral thread and which is stretched out in a straight line the other
weft threads, right and left of said neutral thread, or before and behind the same
form symetrically arranged curves, with their convex sides facing the neutral
thread.
The annexed drawing will assist to explain more fully the nature of our invention.
Figures 1 and two show two views of a piece of stuff laid flat; the manner of
binding or weaving is irrelevant; it may be made in any suitable and known
manner.
.
The threads marked a, b, c represent the warp threads and those marked + 1, 2, 3
12 and 1, 2, 3
12 are the weft threads.
Now from Figure 1 it will be seen that with regard to a central warp thread xx the
others c-c, b-b, a-a get gradually longer towards the edges, they form in reality
curves of very large diameter. The weft threads (Figure 1) form, with regard to a
thread o o stretched out in a straight line, and which I call the neutral thread,
curves above and below said thread like hyperbolas, the neutral thread being the axis
thus +1-1; + 2-2 ;¯
+ 11—11; +12-12
curved with the convex side lying downwards and the threads
−11-11; – 12--12
with their convex side upwards.
-
1-1;
are
2-2;
form similar curves arranged symetrically
Now the characteristic peculiarity of our fabric is that if one takes any other weft
thread say 6-6 (Fig. 2) and stretches this out in a straight line, it being now the
"neutral thread," all the other weft threads above and below it, including the thread oo
that in the first case formed the neutral and straight thread, form similar symetrically
arranged curves with regard to the straight thread.
We can therefore define our new woven fabric as a woven produce in which a piece

page_text: cut out along two curvilinear weft threads, shows warp threads which get gradually
longer towards the selvedges.
Improvements in Woven Fabrics for Wearing Apparel and
Technical Use.
We, FRIEDRICH WEVER and CARL SEEL, both Manufacturers, of Barmen,
Oberdörnerstrasse 61, Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to a new tissue or fabric of woven stuff, which possesses new
and peculiar qualities making the same especially adapted for such wearing apparel,
which have an irregular form, such as corsets for instance, caps, so called "volants"
or.ruffles serving for decorating purposes and the like and which therefore have been
made hitherto of various pieces cut out from a whole piece of stuff and sewn together
to give them the shape required approximately so as to make a close covering of the
irregular form of the body as near as possible.
Now our new article receives the shape of the covering of an irregularly formed
body direct by weaving it in the loom, by giving its warp threads the varying length
required to answer said condition and by placing also the weft threads in such a
manner, that they, like the warp threads, form curves or combinations of curves and
straight lines, but in one uninterrupted continuity; and of this peculiar manner, that
with regard to any one weft thread considered as neutral thread, and which being
stretched out in a straight line, the other weft threads right and left of said neutral
thread or before and behind the same form symetrically arranged curves or lines com-
posed of curves and straight lines or of combinations of some of them. The shape of
these curves or combination of lines of the weft threads varies according to the shape
of the breast beam over which the finished stuff is pulled or, more correctly, upon
which the weft is beaten into the warp as will be more fully explained hereafter; said
breast beam corresponding always in shape to the shape of the body to which the
covering or fabric to be made shall be alike. The accompanying drawing shows in
several examples the character of the new product and the following description will.
explain its nature and how it is produced so much as to give a clear explanation of it
in any form in which the same may be produced.
Fig. 1 and 14 of the accompanying drawing show in an enlarged scale a piece
of the new stuff forming the covering of a wave like shaped body, say the bust of a
human body and used for making corsets for instance and made by means of a wave
shaped breast beam..
Fig. 2 shows a similar view of a piece of stuff, partly cut along certain warp threads
and apparently forming 5 strips; three straight ones and two being of the shape. of
so called conical webs; this piece is made by means of a breast beam having the
shape of a dish in section.
Fig. 3 is the representation of a piece of staff according to our invention, of frilled
shape, partly cut lengthways and apparently composed of several pieces of conically
woven strips.
Figs. 4, and 6 show so much of a loom in two longitudinal sections and in plan
as will be necessary to explain how the new stuff is being made;

page_text: .
Fig. 4 snowing the reed ariven forwards;
Fig. 5 showing it in back position in the shedding;
Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively front views of Figs. 4 and 5;
Fig. 7 shows the reed required for making wave like stuff according to Fig. 1;
Fig. 8 shows the corresponding shafts and heddles;
Figs. 9-12 show various forms of breast beams for producing weavings of
corresponding shape; Figs. 10 and 11 being those required for making those shown
in Figs. 2 and 3.
The essential particular or characteristic of our invention and of the new fabric
consists in this, that in any piece of stuff made according to the same, and which is
cut off a whole piece along two weft threads forming now the edges of the two ends
of the piece, these weft threads form curves or broken lines or combinations of
straight and curved lines resembling in shape to the profile or to the outline of the
breast beam on which it was made and in which piece all the weft threads, with
respect to any one of them, which is pulled or stretched out to form a straight line,
form symetrically arranged curves or combinations of lines on both sides of said
straight thread, which might be called a neutral thread, having either their convex
or concave side looking towards the neutral thread, depending upon the shape of the
breast beam, over which the stuff has been woven. The warp threads corresponding
in such weavings always in length to that part of the breast beam over which
they run; thus on a thick part of the breast beam the warp threads are longer
and on a thin part they are relatively shorter. The manner of binding or weaving
is irrelevant; it may be made in any suitable and known manner.
-
-
In Figure 1 the threads marked a, b, c represent the warp threads and those
marked +1, 2, 3 . . . + 12 and
1, 2, 3
12 are the weft threads. Now
it will be seen that with regard to a central warp thread x the others c c, bb, a a get
gradually longer towards the edges because the part near the edges was woven over a
breast beam of the shape of that shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6.
The weft threads form with regard to a thread oo which is shown as being stretched
out in a straight line, and which in the present case forms the said neutral thread,
curves above and below said thread o o like hyperbolas, the neutral thread being the
axis. . . . . Thus 1,1; +2, 2; + 3, 3 . . . are curved with the convex side
lying downwards and the threads
1, 13 2, 2; 3, 3.... form similar
curves arranged symetrically and with their convex sides upwards.
-
-
-
If we pull out straight any other weft thread, say 6, 6 to form the neutral thread,
those above and below it 7, 7; 8, 8; 9, 9... . on the one side and 5, 5; 4, 4;
3, 3. ... 1, 1 and also o o now form curves having in this case their convex sides
directed upwards; the other weft threads - 1, 1; 2,2; 3, 3.... keeping
the same shape, but as it were of a sharper curve than before. This however is not
exactly the case, it only seems so and is partly due to the difficulty of properly
representing the weaving in an even plane, because in reality it forms a warped
plane.
Fig. 2 is an other example of the new fabric. This is woven over a breast beam like
that shown in Fig. 10. Here again with regard to any weft thread stretched out in a
straight line m m the others above and below it take similar symetrical positions, but
they are not curves in this case, the outline of the breast beam being also not a curve,
but a broken line of the two outside cylinders M³, M³, the two cones M², M² and the
central small cylinder M³.
Taken separately to each of these five parts corresponds a part of the stuff of special
character, namely the two out side parts (Fig. 2) M¹ M¹ being ordinary flat woven
strips, the two adjoining parts M² M² form, what is generally termed conically woven
strips, because the parts of the breast beam over which these two strips are woven,
form cones, and the central piece M³ again forms a strip of ordinary straight
weaving.
These five strips however do not come separately from the loom, but they form one
coherent piece, the weft threads running right through as usual from edge to edge,
and it is therefore not possible to lay the piece flat and we call attention to the fact,

page_text: that in the drawing also the part shown complete and flat in reality has the form of
the section line Figure 2A; only when cut and divided along the warp threads n n as
indicated in Figure 2, the separate strips can be placed flat, but then only the
strips M', M and M³ run parallel and have straight edges; the two other
pieces M², M² are curved (conical as it is generally called), the concave sides of both
curves looking towards each other.
This sample of our new product is especially adapted for making caps of the shape
of Figure 2 C; the piece of stuff being cut in two along the centre of the middle
strip M³ and out of the strip M' a circular piece is cut out forming the bottom of the
cap as will be easily understood.
Figure 3 gives a third example of a product made after our invention. This is
woven by means of a breast beam shown in Figure 11. This pattern may be used for
decorating or trimming purposes, making frills running in a horizontal direction
round a dress for instance, which if made by the means known hitherto, would cause
a great deal of waste of stuff and require much labour, because the single strips would
have to be cut out of a whole piece all in circular form and then they would require
sewing together.
In Figure 3 the strips are partly cut along the warp threads forming as we may say
the ridge of each roof and then each strip thus separated from the others forms a
curved piece of weaving when laid flat.
From the examples described and shown it will be easy for any weaver to produce
other shapes and other patterns. In every case the breast beam must correspond to
the shape which it is intended to-give to the finished product. Figures 9 and 12
show two further examples of such breast beams. According to the one shown by
Figure 9 we can produce a piece of weaving the sides of which are of similar shape
to that produced by the breast beam of Figure 6, that is, like Figure 1 and the
central part is like that shown by Figure 3 and produced by the breast beam
Figure 11.
Figure 12 shows an other configuration of a breast beam. This would give a stuff
serving for trimming purposes, with a half circular moulding in the middle, two flat
strips above and below it and ending above and below in round mouldings.
In order that our invention may be fully understood, we will now explain the
manner of weaving and so far as here necessary the special arrangements of the loom.
Let us suppose that a piece of weaving for making corsets shall be produced. We
use a breast beam A, resembling the shape of the human bust; in curve corresponding
with the outline of the breast beam are placed the eyes B in the heddles C, so that
the warp threads passed through them from the heddles to the breast beam lie in a
curved surface of same shape when no shedding is made; a reed D shaped at its
lower side accordingly is used, and this reed is so mounted in the loom independent
of the batten, that it can be pulled forward, right up to the line where the warp
threads touch the breast beam so that all the weft threads laid in will always be beaten
tight in a plane laid through the axis of the breast beam or in the cutting line of
said plane and the profile of the breast beam; this is the gist of the invention. To
this we may add the peculiar path of the shuttle into which the warp threads forming
the lower shed are raised so as to make a clean shed. This is however only necessary
where the shed is not high enough for the shuttle to pass through freely.
It will now be understood that every weft thread laid in, follows closely the outline
of the breast beam and that the warp threads are pulled out in the same ratio as the
diameter of the breast beam in its respective place, consequently that the weaving
made forms a close envelope or wrapper of the breast beam or, what will be the same,
of the body to which the finished stuff or pieces cut thereof are to fit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
Woven fabrics forming the envelope of rotary bodies of any shape, exept true
cylinders and true cones, and the weft threads of which weavings cross with the

page_text: warp threads laid round the circumference of the breast beam in the section line of
the profile of the breast beam and of a plane laid diametrically through the axis of
the same; said fabrics being further distinguished by their having warp threads
of various lengths and by their weft threads forming symetrical figures with regard
to any weft thread that has been stretched out in a straight line.
FRIEDRICH WEVER.
CARL SEEL.
Per Karl J. Mayer, Agent.