Improvements in Weaving Two-ply or Double-weight Fabrics.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Weaving Two-ply or Double-weight Fabrics.
I, ABRAM DAVID EMERY, of Taunton, in the county of Bristol and State of
Massachusetts, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists in the production of wide two ply or double weight fabrics in
a narrow loon by weaving them in two parts side by side in a loom forming two
selvages on one side of the loom and centre of fabric on other side.
I use two shuttles
and two weft threads which are simultaneously passed, one through each part at all
times, weaving fabrics twice the width of the loom. I may weave the two parts one
over the other in a horizontal loom or side by side in a vertical loom as desired, and
may weave one or both parts less than the full width of loom as desired. I may keep
one weft thread on the face and one on the back continuously or may pass them from
face to hack or back to face, to form figured fabrics as desired.
In figures 1-25-26-54, making the fabric first mentioned, two weft
threads 5-4 (shown as shaded and plain in color to represent the face and backing
threads respectively) simultaneously pass from the stationary shuttle boxes, located at
one side of the loom, say the rear, to the reversible boxes 14-15 on the other
side of loom, say the front, the face thread 5 in lower half of chain threads
and under the series of chain threads designated as 1 and over threads 2 and 3, and
backing thread 4 in upper half under threads 1-2 and over thread 3.
The words " over and "under as used in this connection here as elsewhere in
the specification, refer to position of threads with reference to face of fabric opened
out flat.
The wefts being beaten up form first half pick, weft 5 being on the face in lower
half and weft 4 being on back in upper half, as seen in Figure 54, in which as in other
fabrics shown in the Figures, the right hand side corresponds to upper half as formod
in the loom. Boxes 14-15 are then reversed in position, top for bottom, Figure 2,
by appropriate mechanism such say as to give them movement of revolution about a
common axis and passing the shaded thread next the cloth in this as in all subsequent
roversals which latter movement, here as always, whether the shaded thread passes
upward from below or downward from above, places the said shaded or face thread
over backing thread at the turn, Figures 2-27-54, and in position to continue on
the face in the other half of fabric at next shedding. At the second double shedding,
Figures 2-27-28-55, the wefts simultaneously pass to the stationary boxes,
thread 5 still on the face but in top half under threads 1 and over threads 2-3 as
before (this path being virtually a continuation of that formed at first shedding) and
thread 4 still on the back but in bottom half under thread 3 and over threads 1-2
as before; the effect of the two sheddings being precisely as though the wefts were
passed through two unbroken paths in a flat fabric at one shedding. This is shown
in Figure 13 showing the first whole pick or layer of weft, as formed in the
loom and Figure 19 showing the same opened out flat.
At third double shedding Figures 3-29-30-56, the wefts return to the front,
weft 5 on the face and in top half as before under the next series of threads 2
and over 1-3, thus passing around selvage edge chain thread at rear of loom,
forming one selvage and weft 4 on the back and in bottom half as before under
threads 2-3 and over thread 1, thus passing around rear selvage edge chain thread,
forming the other selvage edge. This forms the first half of the second pick as
seen in Figure 56. The boxes 14-15 are then reversed as before to the position
shown in Figure 4, passing the face thread next the cloth as before and over backing
thread at the turn as seen in Figures 4-16-31.

page_text: The wefts are then returned to their initial positions through the fourth shedding,
Figures 4-31-32, face thread in lower half under thread 2 and over 1-3, as at
last shedding and backing thread in top half under threads 2-3 and over 1, forming
the second layer of weft, Figures 14-20-57.
This completes the sequence of movements of the weft threads. In the fifth
shedding, Figures 5-38-34, the wefts pass to the front of the loom, face thread in
lower half under threads 3 and over threads 1 and 2 and around edge thread forming
selvage and backing thread in upper half over thread 2 and under 1-3. The wefts
are then reversed and at sixth shedding, Figures 6-35-36, pass to the rear of
loom, face thread in top half and backing thread in bottom and between same threads
as before. This completes the sequence of chain threads, all the heddles having been
worked over and the threads having occupied all positions in the fabric and returned
to their initial positions as seen in Figures 51-53, showing the course of the chain
threads in six sheddings.
The sequence of the positions of the weft threads being four sheddings and of the
chain threads being six sheddings, the completion of the two sequences will first
coincide at their least common multiple, that is at the twelfth shedding.
At the end of the sixth shedding or third pick, Figures 15 and 21, the chain
threads are in their initial position but the wefts are in the wrong halves as
compared with the first shedding,-compare Figures 1 and 6. The order of the two
shoddings forming each of the next three picks is therefore reversed, the seventh
shedding, Figure 7, corresponding to the second shedding, Figure 2 and the
eighth shedding, Figure 8 corresponding to first shedding, Figure 1 and so on,
shedding 9 being shedding 4, shedding 10 being shedding 3 etc., as seen in Figs. 7
to 12 and 37 to 48, forming picks, Figures 16 to 18 and 22 to 24.
The fabric is seen face and back, Figures 49-50).
I have shown the method with the chain threads in sets of three as the least possible
number with which double weight goods can be made. The number of chain threads
may however be increased without departing from the spirit of my invention, one
thread being shed for face and one for back and the remaining threads being between
the weft threads. The wefts threads may be of the same or different color and either
side may be face or back as desired.
In weaving the two ply figured fabric, by my_method, the general arrangement of
the loom remains as before, Figures 58-59. Two weft threads, figure and ground
make four passages and two reversals completing the sequence of operations. The
shedding is modified so that the wefts pass from face to back and back to face as required
by the pattern. The figure weft thread is always between the chain threads 1-3,
constituting the figure ply and ground thread is always between threads 2-4,
constituting the ground ply. The chain threads are notated in opposite directions
in the two halves to preserve the sequence of over and under across the fabric.
Four chain threads form one square of pattern; at the first shedding Figs. 60 & 61,
the wefts pass from the stationary boxes at the rear of loom to the front, figure
thread in the top half around selvage chain thread 8 and on the face for two
squares from the selvage, under threads 1 and over 3-2-4, then on the back
for two squares under threads 1-2-4 and over 3, then for one square at the turn
on the face under 1 and over 3-2—4. At the same time the ground thread, in the
bottom half passes around selvage thread 7 and is on the back for two squares under
threads 1-2-3, and over 4, then on the face for two squares, under 2 and over
1-3-4, then on the back for one squaro at the turn, under threads 1-2-3 and
over 4. This forms the first half pick seen in Figure 68-84-85. The weft
threads are then reversed in position, the figure thread passing next the cloth, the
pattern requiring the said thread to be on the face of the fabric at this point.
At the next double shedding, Figures 62-63, the wefts pass to the rear of the loom,
figure thread in the bottom half and on the face for one square under 1 and
over 2-3-4 and then on the back for two squares under 1-2-4 and over 3, then
on face for two squares under 1 and over 2-3-4, at the same time the ground

page_text: thread in the top half continues on the back for one square under 1-2-3 and over 4,
then on the face for two squares under 2 and over 1-3-4, then on back under
1-2-3 and over 4. This forms first whole pick, Figures 69-86-87. At the third
shedding, Figures 64 & 65, the wefts return to the front in the same halves, Figure
thread in the bottom, passing around selvage chain thread 7 and continuing for two
squares on the face under thread 3 and over 1-2-4, then for two squares on back
under 2-3-4 and over 1, then for one square at the turn on face under 3 and over
1-2-4; at the same time the ground thread in the top half passing around selvage
chain thread 8 and continues for two squares on back under 1-3-4 and over 2, then
on face for two squares under 4 and over 1-2-3, then on back for one square
under 1-3-4 and over 2. This makes the third half pick, Figure 70-88-89.
Reversing the weft threads as before with the figure thread next the cloth, the wefts
are then passed to the rear of the loom through the fourth shedding, Figures 66-67,
figure thread in top half and on the face for one square, under 3 and over 1-2-4,
then on the back for two squares, under 2-3-4 and over 1, then on the face for two
squares under 3 and over 1-2-4. This forms the fourth half pick and completes
the second full pick, Figures 71-90–91.
This completes the sequence of operations, the weft threads having returned to their
initial positions and the chain threads having each been over and under their respective
weft threads in their respective plys in the successive sheddings, that is 1 having been
over and 3 under in the first two sheddings making the first whole pick and 3 having
been over and 1 under in the second whole pick, the same being true of the ground
ply chain threads 2 and 4.
The operation is repeated indefinitely as described, except when there is a change
of color at the turn.
In Figures 72-83 and 92-99, I have illustrated four sheddings and two whole
picks wherein the ground thread is on the face at the turn. This is accomplished by
passing the ground thread next the cloth in reversing the position of the wefts,
Figures 75-79-81-83, the principle being that passing a weft thread next the
cloth in reversing, whether from an upper or lower position, places that thread on the
face of the fabric. The operations are otherwise the same as before.
When the pattern is a running figure or small figures that incline in one direction
across the fabric, then in the opposite halves as arranged, the figures would point in
opposite directions in the two halves and in this case separate sets of harness throads
and needles are required for each chain thread as in Figure 1, but when the two parts
are alike though opposite, a single harness cord may operate the chain threads in
each half.
The fabric formed is a two ply figured fabric, double the width of the loom, the
outsides of the two halvos as formed in the loom being the face of the fabric. The
two wefts pass from selvage to selvage in opposite directions, passing each other at
the centre of the fabric. One weft thread is laid first in one half and the other is first
in the other half, so that where they pass each other in the complete pick, in passing
from face to back and back to face, one thread will be in front in one half and behind
in the other half, as seen in Figs. 69-87.
This only shows on the face of the fabric as oblique line indicating the passage of
one thread in front and one behind, see all Figures showing plan views of fabrics.
As one weft thread is in front of the other in one half and behind in the other, the
weft threads necessarily cross each other horizontally between the two vertical
crossings indicated at 20-201, Figures 86-87. This only shows on the face by
direction of oblique lines at said vertical crossings, as per example, in Figure 86, the
vertical line at the point 20 indicates that figure thread passes behind ground weft
thread in that half and the line at point 201, indicates that figure weft passes in front
of ground weft, so that the figure weft may be considered as having crossed over
from behind the ground weft to front of same.
The rule is that the weft passing from centre to selvage lies in front of the other
and vice versa.

page_text: 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-The method of weaving double weight or two ply goods in two parts, forming
two selvage edges on one side of the loom and the centre of the fabric on the other
side and using two weft threads, which are simultaneously passed through different
parts of the fabric at all times.
2-In such a method, the four passages and two reversals of the weft threads,
returning said threads to their initial position at opposite selvages.
3-Passing the weft threads as just mentioned, in connection with successive
sheddings of the chain threads, which will place one weft thread continuously on the
face and one continuously on the back of the same.
4-The same passages of weft threads in connection with sheddings which will pass
said wefts from face to back and back to face as required by the pattern to be
woven.
5-The sequence of twelve sheddings as explained in reference to Figures 1-12,
25-47.
6-The method of reversing the weft threads to place one or the other on the face
of the double weight or two ply fabric as desired.
7-The sequence of sheddings as explained in reference to Figures 60-79, for
passing wefts from face to back and back to face and always in the same ply.
8-A two ply fabric in which one weft is in front of the other in passing from one
side to the other in one half of the fabric and is behind the other in the other
half.
(a) The same with the thread passing from centre to selvage in front of the
other weft in that half and the reverse.
(b) The same with the wefts crossed horizontally between points 20 and 20', as
explained in reference to Figure 86.
9 The arrangement of heddles and harness cords as shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Dated this Twenty second day of October 1889.
ADD X T RMODY
ABRAM D. EMERY.
Abel & Inuray,
Agents for the Applicant.