Improvements in Circular Knitting Frames.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 6th Dec. 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Frames.
We MAX ALFRED FICKER and CARL GEORG HENTSCHEL, both of Chemnitz Saxony,
Heald Manufacturers, 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 stateinent and accompanying drawings:
Our said invention relates to an improved construction of circular knitting frames.
In the machines of this class which are commonly known as French circular knitting
frames as hitherto constructed each set of working elements has been provided with
looping wheels containing the jack sinkers which latter are disposed outside the row
of needles and are caused to sink between the needles. One disadvantage of such
an arrangement is that when the gauge is rather fine the sinker if slightly bent in
a lateral direction is frequently found to come into contact with one of the needles
instead of passing between. Another drawback is that the looping wheels occupy so
much space as to restrict the number of sets of working elements.
It is therefore far better to dispose the sinkers all round and between the needles
as in the stocking frame but this is only practicable if the sinkers are so arranged as
to be capable of being securely guided and rapidly actuated.
The object of our said invention is to attain this end by the use of the hereinafter
described form and arrangement of sinkers and parts connected therewith.
In order that our said invention may be more readily understood we will proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings in the
different figures of which the same letters refer to the same parts.
In the said drawings only so much of the machine is shown as is necessary to
illustrate our said invention and the parts which are not shown are to be understood
as being constructed as is usual in the machines to which our said invention is
applicable.
Fig. 6 shows a sinker made according to our said invention. The said sinker is
used for the combined purpose of sinking the loops and knocking over instead of
having a separate piece for each of these operations. The blade a is provided at its
upper part with the projecting sinking nose e for the purpose of sinking the loop e¹
as illustrated in Fig. 2. At the lower part of the blade a is a projecting heel which
is depressed by the slur (Figs. 1 and 7) in the operation of sinking the loop. The
part of all the sinkers rests on the rim of the disc h which takes between the
parts d d.
The sinkers are guided on the rim in slits in the shell which is secured to the
needle carrying disc g the whole being so arranged that the sinkers revolve uniformly
with the needles about the central shaft g' of the machine. The sinkers are held so
steadily by the shell as to prevent them from being bent laterally either by their
sliding motion along the rim or by the pressure of the falling bar l.
At the point where the sinking takes place the disc is recessed to suit the form
of the slur as shown in Fig. 7. This recess is made so deep that by a suitable
adjustment of the slur i long loops may be formed.
For the purpose of regulating the depth of the sinking action there is a falling
bar provided with a setting screw o.
A similar setting screw m is also provided for adjusting the slur i. Or in some
cases the falling bar and the slur i may be combined and their position can then be
regulated by a single screw.
We also provide means for the simultaneous and uniform adjustment of the sinking
depth of all the sets of working elements. For this purpose the lower disch h²
(Fig. 1) which carries the rim for the sinkers a as well as the bearers for the slurs i
and the falling bars is made capable of vertical adjustment in the following manner.

page_text: Fitting in the boss and the central shaft g' is a key h'. Below this is a loose
collar and beneath the latter is a nut provided with means for facilitating its rotation
such as handles and having teeth or indentations 1 in its periphery in which takes
a spring 2 for readily determining the extent of the rotation.
If for example the nut.is scrowed upwards the dise h. is raised and at the same
time the whole of the sinkers a, slurs i and lifting bars are lifted. The noses e
(Fig. 1) of the sinkers a are thus raised above the needles and when caused to sink
through the same distance as previously they do not descend to the same extent below
the needles as before the vertical adjustment had taken place and in this manner
shorter loops and denser work is produced.
By twisting the nut downwards by the handles a longer loop and more open work
is produced.
The above described mode of adjusting the whole of the sinkers of a circular
knitting machine is new and greatly facilitates the production of uniform work as it
dispenses with the necessity of adjusting each set of working elements as has heretoforo
been necessary when changing the kind of work to be produced.
When set at the proper height the disc is secured in position by the action of the
clamping screw 3 which binds it firmly against the central shaft g¹.
The shape which we give to the upper end of the sinker adapts it for uso with
harsh yarns because owing to the projecting nose e being much below the throat the
loops are held during the pressure on the needle hook as shown in Figs. 2 to 4. In
Fig. 2 the loop e' is shown sunk. Fig. 3 shows it when pushed forward into the
needle hook while the previously knitted fabric w hangs behind the point of the needle
so that the vertical presser wheel p can press the needle and close the book. Fig. 4
shows the back sinker in a still more advanced position in attaining which the part v
of the sinker has pushed the knitted meshes w on to the needle hook while still
retaining the loop e¹ on the nose e. The sinkers are only raised again after the
action of the presser wheel when the blade strikes off the meshes from the needle as
shown in Fig. 5 at which point the cycle of operations ends.
S
The forward motion of the sinkers is produced by the action of the pusher
(Figs. 1 and 8) which is stepped in such a way that the part s pushes forward the
loop to the position shown in Fig. 3. The part s' passes the loop over the hooks while
the parts effects the knocking over. Each set of working parts when arranged as
herein before described takes up very little space and in addition to the advantage that
more sets of working parts can be applied to the machine than has hitherto been the
case it is possible to work harder or harsher yarn while with the sinkers arranged as
above described they are prevented from striking the needles. A sliding piece 7
provided in the rim of the dise so that the continuity of the circular path may be
broken by withdrawing the sliding piece to enable the sinkers to be taken out.
is
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 :-
1. In a circular knitting frame, the combination of
(a) The sinkers substantially of the form shown in Fig. 6 in which the top.part
is so shaped that when working with a vertical presser wheel the fabric already
knitted is pushed by the part on to the needle hook while retaining the new
loop in the needle hook by means of the part e, the said sinkers being provided
at the bottom part with a sinking beel b.
(B) The cylindrical shell provided with slits through which the sinkers pass
for the purpose of preventing lateral displacement or bending when sinking or
travelling forwards.
(y) The disc with the means for vertically moving and securing the same as
shown in Fig. 1 for the purpose of vertically adjusting the whole of the sinkers
simultaneously
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth and shown in the
accompanying drawings.

page_text: 2. Sinkers substantially of the form shown in Fig. 6 of the accompanying drawings
for use in circular knitting frames.
3. In a circular knitting frame a cylindrical shell with slits for the sinkers
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described and shown.
4. In a circular knitting frame the means shown in Fig. 1 for vertically adjusting
the whole of the sinkers substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this Eighth day of October 1890.
EDWARD TURNER WHITELOW,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for Applicants.