Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus employed in Cutting Weft Pile Fabrics.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Aug, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 27th May, 1895-4ccepted, 24th Aug., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus employed in Cutting
Weft Pile Fabrics.
I JOHN JAMES MANN of Cheadle Hulme, in the County of Chester, Electrician,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to machines employed in cutting weft pile fabrics, the
object being to cut the pile in short lengths of the piece without reciprocating
motion.
According to my invention I employ a pair of chains (or their equivalent)
mounted upon two pairs of chain pulleys revolving upon suitable studs. These
chains carry a series of transverse bars forming a lattice upon which is stretched a
length of the piece of fabric the pile of which is to be cut.
Each end of the fabric is rolled upon a suitable roller within the loop of fabric
stretched on the lattice, the said rollers being mounted in a suitable frame capable
of motion as hereafter described.
The lattice is provided with a suitable tension device so that the fabric to be cut
may be stretched thereon as desired; one or both pairs of the said chain pulleys
being driven, and a suitable knife having been set in the first race, the cloth will
be caused to travel beneath the said knife until the "setting in comes round to
the starting point again, when the apparatus is stopped, and the knife is set in the
cut the next race.
"
It will be seen that the machine will not require to be reversed to bring it to the
starting point again, the interval between each cut being required only for setting-in
the knife into the next race.
The frame carrying the roll or rolls of the piece not stretched upon the lattice is
caused by chain or other gearing to turn over once for each motion or stroke of
the said lattice, and slide to and fro for a suitable distance following the motion of
the tension device, or the said frame need not slide, in which case if found necessary
rollers or bars on weighted levers, or travelling "tension" bars, or other equivalent
means may be employed to maintain a suitable tension on the fabric between the
said roll or rolls and the tension device above described.
The transverse bars which form the lattice are cranked downwards or otherwise
so formed that those on the upper part of the chain can hang down or be depressed
and leave the fabric to be cut, thereby forming a cutting flat.
The bars are raised again to pass round the pulley by means of suitable
inclines.
In some cases I propose to mount the tension device upon a separate pair of
chains, the lattice being formed by another pair of chains running upon freely
revolving wheels or drums and in this case the lattice may be formed of straight
bars or rollers and it is depressed by rollers or otherwise at the part where the
cutting flat is required.
The lattice is or may be attached to the frame of the tension device or otherwise
suitably attached to and actuated by the chain which carries the tension device.
The tension device is so made that the knife leaves the cloth at a slightly higher
level than it is set-in, and the said cloth is depressed slightly at the cutting flat by
passing under rollers.

page_text: These depressing rollers may be mounted in spring bearings and raised by cams
to allow the tension device to pass freely beneath them.
Dated this 27th day of August 1894.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus employed in Cutting
Weft Pile Fabrics.
I JOHN JAMES MANN of Cheadle Hulme, in the County of Chester, Electrician,
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 :-
This invention relates to machines employed in cutting weft pile fabrics, the
object being to cut the pile in short lengths of the piece without reciprocating
motion.
My invention will be readily understood from the following description on
reference to the five sheets of drawings, of which
Fig. 1 is a section through the driving end of a machine constructed according
to my invention, shewing about one half thereof. Fig. 1 is a similar view of the
remaining portion of the said machine,
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the part shewn on Fig. 1 ;
Figs. 3 and 4 are detached parts hereafter more particularly referred to, and
Figs. 1, 1, 5 and 6 are diagrams drawn to a smaller scale illustrative of
modifications hereafter described.
According to my invention I employ a pair of chains a (or their equivalent)
mounted upon two pairs of chain pulleys & revolving upon suitable studs c. These
chains a carry a series of transverse bars a' of suitable material forming a lattice
upon which is stretched a length of the piece of fabric the pile of which is to be
cut, as shewn by the dot aud dash line d on Fig. 1 or the fine lines d on Figs. 5
and 6.
Each end of the fabric is rolled upon a suitable roller e e² within the loop d of
fabric stretched on the lattice a' a', the said rollers being mounted in a suitable
frame capable of motion as hereafter described.
The lattice a' is provided with a suitable tension device so that the fabric to be
cut may be stretched thereou as desired.
This device consists, or may consist of a split roller g mounted on side plates or
brackets carried by the chains a (see Fig. 14). The parts d+ of the cloth
coming from the rollers el are passed through the split roller g to form the
loop and are tightened to the desired extent by the ratchet g² and spring
catch g; one end of the loop d is guided by the bar g' fixed to or forming part
the brackets gl and the other end by the roller g³ carried by the said brackets g¹
(see also detached plan view Fig. 3).
of
One pair (or both pairs) of the said chain pulleys 6 being driven from the
shaft hand gearing 4', or otherwise, and a suitable knife having been set in the
first case, the cloth will be caused to travel beneath the said knife until
the "setting-in" comes round to the starting point again (that is about the position
shewn on Fig. 1A) when the apparatus is stopped, and the knife is set in to cut the
next race.
It will be seen that the machine will not require to be reversed to bring it to the
starting point again, the interval between each cut being required only for setting.in
the-knife into the next race.
The frame ƒ carrying the roll or rolls of the piece not stretched upon the

page_text: lattice a a¹ (see Fig. 1) is caused by the chain i or other gearing to turn over
gradually as the lattice travels, once for each motion or stroke of the said lattice
as seen by the two diagrams Figs. 1B, 1°, (Sheet 4) which shews the lattice in two
positions as it travels from and to the position shown on Figs. 1 and 14; and
rollers or bars on weighted levers (or travelling tension bars or other equivalent
means) are by preference employed to maintain a suitable tension on the fabric d+
between the said roll or rolls and the tension device 9 g g above described.
I prefer to use for this purpose a pair of travelling bars rollers or rods k (see
Figs. 1, 1, 1), carried by a pair of chains & driven at such a speed that the slack
of the parts d+ of the cloth which pass between the bars rollers or rods k is taken
up or given off as required by the motion of the tension device g g², g³, as it travels
with the lattice a a' with regard to the frame as it rotates as will be readily seen
from the Figs. 1, 1B, and 1°.
The transverse bars which form the lattice a a¹ are cranked downwards or
mounted on short hanging arms a² as shewn also on the detached cross section of
the lattice Fig. 4, or the bars may be otherwise so formed that those on the upper
part of the chain can hang down or be depressed and leave the fabric d to be cut
(see Fig. 14,) thereby forming a cutting flat.
The bars a are raised again to pass round the pulley by means of suitable
inclines a (see Fig. 1A).
In some cases I propose to mount the tension roller g and its adjuncts upon a
separate pair of chains at as seen at Fig. 5, (Sheet 5) and driven as before
described, the lattice a¹ being formed by another pair of chains running upon
freely revolving wheels or drums a and in this case the lattice a' may be formed of
straight bars or rollers and it is depressed by rollers or otherwise at the part æ
where the cutting flat is required.
The lattice a is or may be attached to the frame of the tension device or
suitably attached by a link a or otherwise to the chain at which carries the
tension device and by which the lattice a¹ will be also carried around on the
wheels a*.
The tension device is so made that the knife leaves the cloth d at the roller gå
(Fig. 1) at a slightly higher level than it is set-in, and the said cloth d is
depressed slightly at the cutting flat by passing under rollers mm².
These depressing rollers may be mounted in spring bearings n n', as seen at
Figs. 1 and 14, and raised by cams or eccentrics o o' to allow the tension device
above described to pass freely beneath them.
As this raising of the rollers m m' slightly raises the cutting level, I propose
to alter the level of the cutting table p by mounting it on a pivot at p¹ and
tilting it at the required periods by a side lever (or levers) på depressed by the
eccentric (or eccentrics) p³ thereby raising the edge pt of the said table p.
I prefer also to guide the chain a and lattice a between the pulleys or wheels b
in grooves r in the said framing of the machine (see Figs. 1, 14, and 4).
I sometimes pass the lattice chains a or at around more than one pair of pulleys
as indicated by the diagram Fig. 6.
It will be understood from the above arrangement that when the whole of the
races in the length that has been stretched upon the bars a' have been cut, the
machine is stopped and the cut cloth is then wound upon the roller e thereby
unwinding an unent length of fabric from the roller e³. This length is then
treated as the preceding length and so on throughout the piece, which is thus cut
as above described in short lengths, and without reciprocating motion such as was
necessary in the machines described by the Specification of British Letters Patents
Nos. 16996 of 1887, 16509 of 1889, and 14684 of 1891.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An endless lattice upon which a loop of the cloth to be cut is stretched and

page_text: caused to travel intermittently but always in the same direction, the cloth not
being cut being carried by rollers in a frame within the loop formed by the lattice
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The combination of the endless chains, pulleys or wheels, tension device,
lattice, and rotating frame, substantially as herein before described and illustrated
by the annexed drawings.
3. The combination of the endless chains, pulleys, or wheels tension device,
lattice rotating frame, and means for taking up or disposing of the slack of the
cloth between the tension device and the rotating frame, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the annexed drawings.
4. The general construction and arrangement of mechanism forming a machine
for cutting weft pile fabrics substantially as herein before described and illustrated
by the annexed drawings.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.