Improved Method of and Means for Weaving Fabrics.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application. 13th July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1890-Accepted, 5th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of and Means for Weaving Fabrics.
I, BERNARD CROSSLEY of 115 Accrington Road, Burnley in the County of
Lancaster, Mill Manager do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the production of fabrics having warp and weft threads
interlaced in the same manner as fabrics woven in a loom and consists in an improved
method of and means for weaving said fabrics.
In an ordinary loom the warp threads are drawn from a beam and connected by
the weft at the fell of the cloth, and the shed is formed by lifting part of the warp
threads and lowering the remaining part by means of healds. The warp threads
being brought together at both ends, a Hy shuttle carrying the weft must he employed.
This shuttle can only contain a cop or pirn of weft of short length, which, especially
when coarse, is soon woven in, when the loom must be stopped for replacing the
empty shuttle by a filled one. With coarse weft yarns these stoppages are very
frequent. The object of my invention is to prevent these stoppages and replacements
of shuttles and to render the use of a long length of weft yarn possible, which I
effect in the following manner :
I beam upon a warp beam one part of the warp threads, for instance the 1st 3d 5th
7th and so on, of the cloth to be woven. This warp beam is placed into the machine
or loom, and the warp is conducted past a guide roller to the cloth roller in a vertical
direction. This warp receives a longitudinal motion only as the cloth is woven but
the threads are not passed through healds or their equivalents and do not receive
any lateral or shedding motion, and are hereinafter called the stationary warp. The
other warp threads, the 2nd, 4th, 6th, etc. in the cloth to be forined are each wound
upon a flat spool, which is placed into a suitable thin carrier provided with a tension
spring. These carriers are of sectoral shape curved to an arc of a circle at the
bottom, and slide in similarly shaped guides, the circle being struck from the fell of
the cloth as a centre. The guides are arranged on each side of the stationary warp
with a space between them for said warp to pass through. The carriers are formed
with a notch at each end, into which a pusher bar connected to arms and actuated by
tappets can be entered. The carriers being at first on one side of the stationary warp
at their greatest distance from the same, the warp threads from the spools, herein-
after called the shedding warp, connected to the fell of the cloth form a shed, into
which a weft thread is inserted and beaten up in the manner hereinafter described.
The pusher bar is then moved by tappets so as to push the carriers through between
the stationary warp threads till they are midway, when by suitable mechanism the
pusher bar on that side is lifted out of the notches of the carriers and a similar
pusher bar arranged on the opposite side of the stationary warp enters the notches at
the other end of the carrier and pulls them over to the other side, so that a shed is
formed on the opposite side of the stationary warp, into which a weft thread is inserted
and beaten up. The shedding warp is then returned in a similar way to its original
position. In this way a shed is formed alternately on left and right of the stationary
warp.
The arrangement of stationary and shedding warp with carriers, guides and pushers
is similar to that used in lace looms, but the guides are stationary and not shifted for
twisting the warp threads round each other.
The weft yarn is wound upon a large bobbin or beam and conducted thence to a
carriage with a vertical finger or spindle reaching near to the fell of the cloth. The
carriage rides on suitable continuous guides and is attached to an endless chain or
ts equivalent driven by chainwheels or their equivalent actuated from the driving

page_text: of the same.
shaft of the loom. The carriage and guides are arranged below the stationary warp
beams and pass round the ends of the same, the weft spindle being by preference
curved or cranked so as to clear the warp beam ends and to pass between the guides
for the warp spool carriers into the shed. The weft is taken from below through
the weft spindle carriage and suitable guides on the weft spindle to an eye at the top
After the shed has been formed on one side of the stationary warp,
the carriage is run along that side of the warp beam and a weft thread inserted to
the shed. While the carriage and spindle pass round the end of the warp beam, the
shed is changed and formed on the other side of the stationary warp and the carriage
returns along that side and the spindle inserts the weft into this shed. While it
passes round the end of the warp beam, the shed is reformed as at first and the
action repeated. In this way the weft thread is deposited alternately on each
side of the stationary warp and a cloth formed similar to that woven in an ordinary
loom.
The weft is beaten up by a comb the dents of which are open at one end, so that
they can pass between the warp threads, the comb receiving a vibrating motion as
required. Two such combs, one on each side of the stationary warp and working
alternately may be used.
In order to allow the weft spindle to pass round the ends of the warp beam, the
flanges of the beam have bored bosses with which they run upon stationary journals.
The journals are each supported by two square bars that enter square sockets in the
same and can slide in guides fixed to the machine frame. The bars are actuated by
tappets producing the following motion: When the weft spindle in turning round
the end of the warp beam approaches the bar next to it, the bar is drawn back and
the spindle passes into the space between the two bars. The first bar is then inserted
again into the journal and the second bar drawn out, so that the weft spindle can pass
on round the end of the warp beam, and the second bar is then pushed into the
journal again. This arrangement is of course applied at each end of the warp beam.
The warp guide roller is carried in a similar manner and the weft spindle passes round
it in the same way. I do not confine myself to this arrangement, but other suitable
means for allowing the spindle to pass round the ends of the beams may be used.
In some cases instead of using one carriage and weft spindle passing continually
round the stationary warp, I arrange two carriages in suitable guides one on each
side of the stationary warp, and use two weft hobbins or beams supplying the weft.
After the shed has been formed on one side of the stationary warp, the carriage on
that side is run across the loom and a weft inserted and beaten up. This carriage
then remains stationary while the shed is formed on the other side of the stationary
warp and the second carriage on that side is run across and a weft thread inserted,
and this carriage remains stationary while the shed is again formed as at first and
the first carriage run back. The weft carriages in this way proceed to work
alternately and each inserts the weft thread carried by it on the same side of the
stationary warp backward and forward across the same forming a tissue, with two
weft yarns with an interlacement of threads similar to the previous one, but a
different kind of selvedge. The warp beam and guide roller are in this case
arranged in ordinary bearings. The carriages are actuated by suitable mechanism
producing the required alternate reciprocating motion.
Dated this 10th day of July 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Method of and Means for Weaving Fabrics.
I BERNARD CROSSLEY of 115 Accrington Road, Burnley in the County of
Lancaster 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 :-
My invention relates to the production of fabrics having warp and weft threads

page_text: interlaced in the same manner as fabrics woven in an ordinary loom and consists in
an improved method of and means for weaving said fabrics.
On the two sheets of drawings appended hereunto
Figure 1 shows a sectional front elevation of my improved machine or loom.
Figure 2 a sectional plan shewing the weft motion.
Figure 3 a cross section of the machine or loom sectioned along the centre line
of Figure 1.
Figure 4 a cross section near to one frame side.
Figure 5 the comb and taking up motion.
Figures 6 and 7 details.
Diagrams I II III and IV the picking motion in different positions.
In an ordinary loom the warp threads are drawn from a beam and connected
by the weft at the fell of the cloth, and the shed is formed by lifting part of the
warp threads and lowering the remainder by means of healds. The warp threads
being brought together at both ends, a Hy shuttle carrying the weft must be
employed. This shuttle can only contain a cop or pirn of weft of short length,
which especially when coarse is soon woven in, when the loom must be stopped
for replacing the empty shuttle by a filled one. With coarse weft yarns these
stoppages are very frequent. The object of my invention is to prevent these
stoppages and replacement of shuttles and to render the use of a long length of
weft yarn possible, which I effect in the following manner :-
I beam upon a warp beam a part of the warp threads, for instance the 1st 3rd
5th 7th thread and so on of the cloth to be woven. This warp beam is placed
into brackets a fixed to the side frames of the machine and is braked as
usual by means of chains or ropes a² attached to studs as which chains or ropes
are passed round the ruffles at of the warp beam and attached to weighted levers a³
at their other ends. The warp is conducted from the beam a past rods or rollers c
and c to the sand roller in a vertical direction.
This warp receives a longitudinal motion only as the cloth is woven, but the threads
are not passed through healds or their equivalents and do not receive any shedding
motion, and are hereinafter called the stationary warp.
The other warp threads, the 2nd 4th 6th etc. in the cloth to be formed, are each
wound upon a flat spool d (Figure 7) consisting of a boss with a thin plate at each
side. Each spool is placed into a narrow carriage formed with a recess for
receiving the spool and having a spring attached to its inner side which spring
fits loosely between the ends of the spool and holds it in the carriage, and at the
same time presses upon the thread wound upon the spool to give the necessary
tension to the warp. The threads are drawn from the spools through holes d³ in
the top of the carriages and pass thence to the fell of the cloth and sand roller c³.
The carriages are of sectoral shape curved at the bottom to an are of a circle
with a radius equal to the distance of their underside from the fell of the cloth a
and are thinned down at their undersides to form tongues d'. The carriagos slide
in and on similarly curved guides e arranged on each side of the machine (see
figures 3 and 7). The guides are bolted to cross rails e¹ e² fixed to the frame
ends so that the carriages are opposite to the spaces between the stationary warp
threads, as shewn by Figure 1, and a space is left between the two rows of guides
for the stationary warp to pass through. The carriages are formed with a notch d
at each end into which pusher bars can enter. These are square bars having a
downward projecting ledge which fits into the notches of the carriages d. The
bars are formed with pivots at each end upon which rollers f² are mounted
running in curved grooved bar guides fa bolted to the frame sides (Figures 4
and 6). Clips * are fitted upon the bars near to their ends to which forked
links fare bolted. These links are curved as shewn on Figure 4 and have studs fo
fixed in their other ends upon which rollers are mounted running in the curved
guides and the bars are thus held in position. Upon the studs links 9 g' are
hinged connected to the rods g2 g which are guided in brackets 9" 9° and carry
bowls at their lower ends entering grooves in the tappets g° 9' fixed upon the

page_text: main shaft of the machine. By means of these tappets links and bars the
carriages are passed to and fro through the stationary warp, the ends of the
carriages being tapered for this purpose, and the threads from the spools form a
shed alternately on one side and the other of the stationary warp. In Figure 3 the
carriages dare shewn in their mid position, both pusher bars entering the notches
of the carriages, and Figure 4 shows the corresponding position of the tappets rods
and links actuating the bars.
As the shaft continues to turn in the direction of the arrow the tappet g will
push the back rod g² and the links and 5 connected to it upwards and draw the
pusher bar and carriages to the back. At the same time the tappet g' pulls the front
rod g and the links connected to it further down and causes the pushor bar to
approach nearer to the centre when the rollers at its ends running up the short
inclines in the bar guides on the front will lift the bar out of the notches of the
carriages and liberate them so that they can move to the back into the position shewn
in dotted lines on Figure 3 and the threads from the bobbins hereinafter called
shedding warp form with the stationary warp a shed into which a weft thread is
inserted and beaten up in the manner hereinafter described.
The tappet is sc shaped that when the carriages d and back pusher bar have
reached their extreme position at the back they remain stationary or approximately
stationary for about a quarter of a revolution of the shaft & during which time the
weft is inserted.
The further movement of the tappet go then draws the bar and carriages down
again into the central position.
During this time the front pusher bar has remained stationary in its extreme
position next to the centre, the tappet being so shaped as to leave the bar in this
position for about half a revolution of the shaft until the front notches of tho
carriages have passed under the ledge of the front bar f, when the tappet begins to
lift the rod g' and moves the bar towards the front. In consequence the rollers at the
end of the bar slide down the incline and the bar seizes the carriages while the bar
at the back being pushed nearer to the centre is lifted by the corresponding inclines
of the bar guides out of the notches of the carriages and releases them. The play
of parts is then repeated on the front side and a shed at the front formed between
the shedding and stationary warp threads for the insertion of a weft thread. The
arrangement of stationary and shedding warps with carriages guides and pusher bars
is similar to that used in lace looms but the warp threads are not twisted round each
other by a lateral motion as in such looms but only pass each other in the same way
as in ordinary looms for weaving.
The weft yarn is wound upon two large beams and which rest upon two
drums 23 fixed upon the shaft and are rotated by contact with them. The weft
beams are held on the drums in any suitable manner, for instance their pivots may
be held in notches of links h h hinged upon the studs a³ as shewn. The size of
the drums ³ ³ is such that during one revolution of the shaft a length of yarn
equal to that required for passing once across the cloth is wound off each beam h
and 7. Two cross rails m m are arranged below the guides e for the bobbin
carriages on which rails two weft carriers m² m³ hereinafter called shuttles roll or
slide. By preference the lower parts of the shuttles are fitted with rollers as shewn
by Figures 1 and 3 so as to move easily on the rails m m³, and the upper part
consists of bent fingers reaching as near as may be into the corners of the sheds
formed by the warp thread. The weft from the front beam is taken over a guide
rod n and through guides on the shuttle m to the top of its finger where it passes
between a pair of grooved rollers or equivalent thread guide.
The weft from the back beam is taken in a similar manner over a guide rod n
to the back shuttle m³.
These shuttles are moved alternately across the loom from one side to the other
and insert the weft into the shed. On the back shed being formed or opened
the back shuttle is moved say from the left to the right side of the loom and
stops there while the front shed is formed and the front shuttle moved from the

page_text: left to the right. The latter then remains at rest while the back shed is formed
again and the back shuttle returned from the right to the left side, and after tho
second formation of the front shed the front shutilo is returned to the left side,
the back shuttle remaining at rest during this period. As two sheds are formed
during each revolution of the shaft the complete cycle of the shuttle movements
requires two revolutions of this shaft. The alternate movements of the weft carriers
or shuttles are effected in the following manner: To the shuttle m³ an endless band o
is attached passing round the guide pulleys of 02 03 04 and fixed to a slide o which
slides on a bar o attached to brackets fixed to the frame sides.
The slide has a projecting pin with a roller on it which enters into a slot of the
picking stick o
In a similar manner the shuttle m³ is attached to an endless band p
passing round guide pulleys pl p²²p and fixed to a slide sliding on a bar
and having a pin with roller projecting into a slot of the picking stick p'. The
picking stick o' is fixed upon a rocking shaft » supported in bearings attached
to the cross rails 263 of the frame.
The picking stick p' is fixed upon a sleeves mounted loosely upon the shaft r.
The sleeve s carries a crossbars with projecting pegs, and another crossbar l
with pegs is fixed upon the shaft r. Upon the shaft a wheel is keyed
driving a wheel of equal size upon a side shaft 2. A pinion fixed upon the
latter drives a plate wheel trixed upon a sleeve t turning loosely upon the shaft b
and having fixed upon it a disc to. The plate wheel is double the size of the
pinion so that the sleeve and parts fixed to it make one revolution for every two
revolutions of the driving shaft 6. Two pegs uu are fixed in the disc to and two
similar pegs in the plate wheel the pegs being set at angles of 90 degrees
relatively to each other and at such distances from the centre that the pegs u and v
encounter the pegs but pass clear inside of the pegs, while the pegs u¹
and pass clear outside of the cross bar but encounter the pegs. On the
drawings both carriages are shewn on the left and the picking sticks on the right
side of the loom. The corresponding position of the different pegs is shown by
diagram I in which and the other diagrams the pegs in the plate wheel are
shewn sectioned and the pegs u u¹ in the disc t with open circles. The parts of the
cross levers and standing towards the plate wheel and pegs or the
right side of the loom are sectioned, while those standing towards the disc " and
pegs uu or the left side of the loom are shewn in full. As the shaft and sleeve to
turn in the direction of the arrow the back shed is first formed after which the peg v1
strikes the pegs from below and carrying it along turns the cross lever and
sleeves, thereby moving the picking stick p to the left and drawing the back
shuttle m³ to the right through the shed, the parts taking the positions shown in
diagram II. At an interval of a quarter revolution of the sleeve from the striking
of on the peg u strikes the peg from above (diagram II) and carrying it down
turns the shaft and picking stick o' to the left so that the front shuttle is drawn to
the right the parts being brought into the position shown on diagram III.
another quarter revolution the peg a strikes the pegs from below (diagram III) and
turns the sleeves and picking stick p' back to the right drawing the back shuttle to
the left, bringing the parts into the position shewn on diagram IV.
After
Lastly the peg v strikes the peg from above (diagram 1V) and turns the shaft r
to the right drawing the front shuttle to the left and returns the parts to the position
shewn on diagram I.
The play of the part then repeats itself. The lengths of the pegs and their radii
are so adjusted that the shuttle motion takes place during about one eighth of a
revolution of the sleeve t and parts attached to it or a quarter revolution of the
shaft during which time the sheds are kept open or nearly so.
After the weft has been inserted it is beaten up by means of combs ww. These
consist of narrow dents or blades fixed on bosses mounted upon cross shafts 20² 20³
passing through the frame sides. Outside of these levers 120° are fixed upon the
shafts to w³ and connected by rods w w to treadles w³ w oscillating on stud brackets w¹º

page_text: fixed to the frame side and carrying bowls w w engaging into the grooves of
the tappets w¹ fixed upon the driving shaft. These are so set that they actuato
the coimbs alternately after the weft has been inserted on the side of the stationary
warp next to them while the shed is closing and forming on the opposite side.
To one of the levers w² or w³ a rod is connected actuating a pawl lever ' which
advances the ratchet wheel when the rod is pulled down. The motion of the ratchet
is transmitted by change wheels to the wheel fixed upon the said roller c²
which is thus intermittently rotated and takes up the cloth and winds it upon the cloth
roller y.
The latter rests against the sand roller by its weight, its ends rolling on
inclines y fixed to the frame sides. Instead of actuating the take up motion from the
lever to or wit may be actuated by a separate tappet so as to take up at every pick.
One comb acting twice during each revolution of the shaft 6' may be used instead of
two combs acting alternately.
The shaft is rotated by pulley.
I do not confine myself to the special arrangements of tappets rods and links or
combinations of mechanism herein before described for actuating the spool carriages d
or the shuttles m² m³ or other parts but other suitable means may be used for effecting
the different motions in the same sequence. Another arrangement for making the
fabric with a single weft thread and shuttle described in my provisional specification
has been omitted from this complete specification as it could only be worked at a
slow speed and to less advantage than the arrangement with two shuttles herein before
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
Firstly. The method of producing fabrics with a rectangular interlacement of warp
and weft threads by winding part of the warp threads upon and drawing them off
spools passed alternately to the back and front of the remaining warp threads wound
upon and drawn from a beam so as to form a shed alternately at the front and back
of this stationary warp, and inserting two weft threads wound upon and unrolled
from weft beams into the sheds by means of weft carriers or shuttles moved alternately
across the loom, and beating up the weft thus inserted, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
Secondly. A machine or loom for weaving in which part of the warp threads herein
called stationary warp are drawn from a warp beam (a) over guide rods or rollers to
a sand beam (c) without receiving a lateral or shedding motion and the remainder of
the warp threads are each drawn from a separate spool (d) held in a carriage (d')
which is passed on curved guides (e) backwards and forwards through the threads
drawn from the beam (a), while two weft threads are unrolled from weft beams (h)
and alternately inserted into the sheds formed on each side of the stationary warp by
means of weft carriers or shuttles (m² m³) moved across the sheds and beaten up by
means of one or two combs and the fabric thus produced taken up and wound upon
a cloth beam (y) substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the
drawings.
Thirdly. In a machine or loom for weaving the arrangement of a warp beam (a)
supported in bearings and retained by a brake and containing the stationary warp
threads which are drawn from the beam by a sand roller (e²), spools (d) containing
the remaining shedding warp threads and held in carriages (a) passed backwards
and forwards through the stationary warp so as to form alternately sheds in front
and at the back of the said stationary warp, weft beams ( and ¹) resting upon
revolving drums and rotated by contact with the same from each of which beams a
weft thread is guided to a shuttle (m³ m³) moveable on a rail (m m³) and provided
with a finger reaching near to the corner of the shed, one or two open combs (ww¹)
for beating up the weft, in combination with mechanism for moving the said car-
riages backwards and forwards through the stationary warp, driving the said shuttles
alternately through the shed when it is open, actuating the said combs, rotating the

page_text: said drums and intermittently rotating the said sand roller, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the drawings.
Fourthly. In a loom in which sheds are formed so that the warp threads are joined
together at the fell of the cloth only, the arrangement of two weft beams rotated so
as gradually to unwind the lengths of weft woven into the cloth and two weft carriers
or shuttles moved alternately across the sheds for inserting the said weft into them,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
Fifthly. The general arrangement of a machine or loom for weaving fabrics with
rectangular interlacement of warp and weft threads substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawings.
D
151
CL 1900
EMMOTT & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.