Improvements in Machinery for Cutting Pile Fabrics.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 15th June, 1889-Accepted, 20th July, 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Cutting Pile Fabrics.
We, LLOYD HIGGINBOTTOM, Engineer, of 12 Birch Lane, Longsight, Manchester,
ANDREW GODDARD, Warehouse Manager, of Sweaborg Terrace, Stepping Hill,
Stockport, JAMES HOYLE SMITH, Fustian Master Cutter, 1 Healy Terraco, Fairfield,
Manchester, and THOMAS MANNOCK, Engineer, of Derwent House, Heaton Moor,
near Stockport, 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 certain improvements in machinery for cutting pile fabrics,
more particularly applicable to the constructions for which we have obtained Letters
Patent Nos. 11437 of 1887 and 16996 of 1887, but which are also partly applicable
to other constructions of such machinery.
We will proceed to describe our said improvements with reference to the accom-
panying drawings. One of our improvements has for its object more effectual means
for stopping and reversing the inction of the carriage by means of which the pile
fabric is made to travel under the knife. For this purpose instead of effecting the to
and fro motion of the carriage (by means of the wire rope T drum I rack M and
pinion Las described in the Specification to Patent 16996 of 1887, we, according to
our present invention, actuate the carriage C in the manner shown at Figs. 1 and 2
of the drawings, which shew respectively an elevation and plan of part of the pilo
cutting machine. The carriage C, which is of the same construction and action as
described in the said Specification, is connected by a rod or link I to a stud con an
endless belt, cord or chain A passing over the pulleys or sprocket wheels B B¹, of
which B' is driven in any convenient manner so as to impart a continuous travel to
the band. If this is made to travel in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1, it will be
seen that the stud c on the belt A will first be made to travel in that direction when
at the lower part of the belt, and after passing round the pulley B it will travel in
the contrary direction with the upper part of the belt, and consequently it will cause
the carriage to travel backwards and forwards in a corresponding manner, by its
connection through the link D.
Either the wheel B₁ or the wheel B may be driven by a belt and fast and loose
pulleys, with cams and brake for stopping as described with reference to Figs. 4 to 8
of the Specification No. 16996 of 1887.
The driven shaft X Figs. 3 and 4 which extends across the machine carries two
cams E E which act upon two levers F F that are pivotted at the lower end to the
framing, and are connected at their upper ends to two buffers G G.
The motion of the cams is so timed relatively to the carriage that when this, in
arriving at the end of its travel, bears against the buffers and drives these back,
together with the levers F, such backward motion is so governed by the cams during
one half of their revolution as to gradually arrest the motion of the carriage, while
during the other half of their revolution the cams gradually start the carriage in the
contrary direction by pressing forward the levers F and buffers G.
Another improvement relates to the construction of the knife for cutting the pile
fabric.
Figs. 5, 6 and 7 shew respectively sectional elevations and a plan of a construction
of knife which, as regards the arrangement of the blade, is generally the same as
described with reference to Figs. 10 and 11 of the Specification No. 16996 of 1887,
with the exception that the socket 28 which receives the steel blade, is pivotted at H
to the arm K and is held in position when at work by studs II which are supported
by the hooks J J formed in one piece with the fixed side plate in the handle. The
studs are held down by bearing against the underside of the arm K. When this arm

page_text: is released by the trigger device as described in the said former patent, the studs I I
are drawn off the hooks JJ by the twining action of the coiled spring L (which
always tends to turn the knife up into the position shown in dotted lines) whereupon
the blade with its socket 28 is free to turn on the pivots H H and thus frees itself
more easily from the hole it has pierced through the cloth, than in the previous
arrangement.
Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 shew an improved mode of supporting the handle end of the
knife, and of causing the "Level" of the knife to grip the edge of the table sup
porting the same, this arrangement being applicable not only to the construction of
knife described in Patent No. 16996 but also to all other descriptions of knives used
for cutting by machinery. Owing to the uneven nature of the pieces of cloth to be
ent, the race in which the knife is cutting does not run truly in the machine, but
sways from side to side, taking the knife with it. In order to enable the knife to
follow this lateral motion readily we make the front edge of the table carrying the
knife free to travel from side to side with the knife by means of arrangements to be
presently described and we cause the "Level" of the knife to grip the edge of the
iable by the following arrangement.
A book N is pivotted to the back member of the "Level" in such manner as to
fall over and engage with the rib p rivetted to the front edge of the table P. The
back member O vibrates on a pin at its upper end which pin is fixed to the handle of
the knife.
The front member Q or "Level" proper, is pivotted to the handle at its upper end,
and has a projection at the back which bears against the face of the back member O.
If now the knife has been entered in the race and slid forward until the hook has
engaged with the front rib of the table, then on the machine being started the
resistance offered by the cloth to tho knife tends to force the knife handle backwards,
but the hook having hold of the rib p, draws the back member O into the position
shewn in Fig. ; and thereby causes it to press the front member or
" Level," Q
tightly against the back of the rib p, so that the knife handle holds firmly on to the
table and causes this to partake of its lateral motion. In order to release the knife
and "Level" from the table, the handle is pushed forward, thereby disengaging the
hook N from the rib p and allowing the handle to be withdrawn as indicated at
Fig. 6.
At Figs. 5, 7 and 8 is shewn one arrangement of the table for allowing it to follow
freely the lateral movements of the knife. Fig. 5 shews a sectional elevation Fig. 7
a plan and Fig. 8 a front view of the table. In this arrangement the table P is
mounted upon its supporting frame S with the interposition of rollers R (by preference
of spherical form) one roller being placed at each corner of the table and made to
bear against pianed edges fixed on the framing of the machine and against pieces
rivetted to the underside of the table, thus allowing the table perfect freedom to move
laterally in either direction to the extent of about two inches from the central position.
Fig. 9 shews an arrangement in which the table P is suspended by two or more cords T
from the ceiling or any convenient part of the machine; Fig. 10 shows an arrange
ment in which the table P is carried upon swinging armis U and U pivotted at their
upper ends to the underside of the table while the lower ends are free to slide up and
down in the fixed slots V V₁, the arms being connected by pins at their middle to
pendulum arms W W₁ the upper ends of which are pivotted to the framing of the
machine at XX, so that these arms support the table P, and maintain it in one and
the same plane while it swings to and fro laterally on the arms U U', the pivots of
which offer very little resistance to such motion.
Any liability of the table to be pushed in the direction of the cloth's travel by the
resistance offered to the knife in cutting, may be counteracted either by another pair
of horizontal radial arms pivotted thereto or by horizontal cords, or other means.
The table may also be controlled by a combination of the arrangements shewn at
Figs. 9 and 10.
We are aware that an arrangen.ent of knife table bas been proposed in which the
table is capable of being traversed laterally by screw gear; also that a construction of

page_text: knife table has been used which is supported upon the rollers that carry the cloth and
which has side cheeks bearing against the edges of the cloth, so as to have any lateral
motion of the latter imparted to it, but these arrangements are different from, and do
not accomplish the object of, our invention, as in neither of them is the table free to
follow the lateral motions of the knife alone.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for cutting pile fabrics, effecting the to and fro motion of the
carriage that causes the cloth to travel alternately in opposite directions, by connecting
the said carriage by a pivotted link to a pin on a horizontal endless belt, cord or
chain that travels continuously in the same direction over wheels or pullies, so that
when the pin is travelling with the lower part of the belt, it draws the carriage in
one direction, and when it travels with the higher part it pushes the carriage in the
opposite direction, substantially as herein described.
2. In combination with the reciprocating travelling carriage of a machine for
cutting pile fabrics the use of sliding buffers at each end of the machine against which
the carriage bears towards the end of its travel the motion of such buffers being so
controlled by revolving cams that the latter permit of their gradual backward motion
so as to arrest the carriage, and then gradually move them forward again so as to
start the carriage in the contrary direction, substantially as herein described.
3. In knives for cutting pile fabrics, mounting the socket of the knife blade on
pivots on the arm K acted upon by a trigger device, and by a spring L, and holding
the blade in position by means of studs II on the socket, that are supported by
hooks J J and that bear against the underside of the arm K, so that on the release of
the blade and arın K by the trigger device, the spring L can effect the turning of
these parts, substantially as and for the purposes herein described with reference to
Figs. 5 and 7 of the drawings.
4. In knives for cutting pile fabrics, the combination with the handle of the knife
of a "Level" composed of a pivotted back member O to which is connected a hook N
adapted to hook on to a rib p on the table, and a pivotted front member Q which is
made to nip the rib p between it and the hook N by the pull exercised by the latter
on the back member O, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 5, 6 and 7
of the drawings.
5. So arranging the tables of machines for cutting pile fabrics upon rollers or
equivalent supports, that any lateral movements imparted to the knife by the race in
which it is cutting is imparted directly thereby to the table independently of the lateral
motion of the cloth, substantially as and for the purposes herein described.
6. The several arrangements herein described with reference to Figs. 7, 8, 9
and 10 of the drawings for enabling the knife and table to move freely to and fro
in a lateral direction.
CT
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.