Improvements in Means for Changing Shuttles in Looms on Failure of Weft.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 26th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Changing Shuttles in Looms on Failure
of Weft.
I, HENRI BOURGEOIS, of Authies (Somme) France, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
my
of
My invention relates to the shuttle motion of looms and the object invention
is to avoid stopping the loom when the weft breaks or the shuttle is empty; to
effect this object I employ a shuttle frame which is automatically supplied with
shuttles while the loom is in motion.
To change the shuttle automatically when the weft breaks or the shuttle is
empty I may prolong the shuttle race at one side of the loon and at either side of
the loom I attach to the lathe a frame which carries a number of shuttles; the
lower end of this frame is pivoted on the axis of the rocking shaft which carries the
lathe swords. To supply this shuttle frame with shuttles I employ a suitable
stationary frame which is supplied with filled shuttles from the top, the lower end
of this stationary shuttle frame is in close contact with the end of the first shuttle
frame and by means to be explained hereafter shuttles are automatically moved
from the stationary to the oscillating shuttle frame as required.
At starting a loom the oscillating frame is filled with shuttles and a number of
shuttles are placed in the stationary supply frame; so long as there is unbroken
weft in the acting shuttle no change takes place but when the weft fails or breaks
the weft fork is arranged to act upon one of the pickers and move it out of the
course of the shuttle which allows the shuttle to pass out of the way into the
prolongation of the shuttle race; at the same time a catch is moved which releases
a short rack pivoted to a horizontal arm below the shuttle frames; this rack, when
raised, is pushed into gear with a pinion, a cam (or two cams if preferred) secured
to the tappet or other shaft now acts upon a bowl mounted on the horizontal arm
and depresses it, the rack, meanwhile turning the pinion one revolution, after which
the horizontal arm is returned to its normal position by a spring or weight. On
the shaft of the pinion are secured cams or equivalents arranged to move a shuttle
from the bottom of the supply into the oscillating frame and thereby move the top
shuttle in this frame into the shuttle race where it is propelled across the shed from
either side by the picker as usual.
Arrangements are provided at the top and bottom of the oscillating frame to
allow a shuttle to be moved into it at the bottom and another, one out at the top to
replace the shuttle which was removed from the shuttle box for want of weft or for
a broken weft thread.
As the empty shuttles are filled they are placed into the top of the stationary
frame and they gradually work their way to the shuttle race automatically as
described.
In place of prolonging the shuttle race I may employ the space occupied by the
ordinary shuttle box at the opposite side of the loom to that on which the shuttle
frame is attached for removing the empty shuttles and in this case a special swivel
or movable picker could be dispensed with.
Dated this 25th day of April 1894.
H. B. BARLOW & GILLETT,
Agents for Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Changing Shuttles in Looms on Failure
of Weft.
I, HENRI BOURGEOIS, of Authies (Somme) France, Engineer, 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 shuttle motion of looms for weaving, and the object
of my invention is to avoid stopping the loom when the weft breaks or the shuttle
is empty.
To effect this object I employ a shuttle frame which is automatically supplied
with shuttles while the loom is in motion.
And in order that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying five
sheets of drawings in which
Figures 1 and 2 are side elevations of parts of a loom to which my invention is
applied.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation and Fig. 4 an end view of one shuttle box and the
mechanism for automatically changing the shuttles.
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the other shuttle box at the other side of the loom.
Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional elevations taken on the line X Y, Fig. 5.
Figs. 1 and 2 are drawn upon a smaller scale than the remaining views.
In these views the frame of the loom is marked 2, the crank shaft 3, the tappet
shaft 4, the wheels 5, 6, for gearing said shafts together, the picking shaft 7,
the weft fork 8, the weft hammer lever 9, its fulcrum 10, and the cam 11 for
operating said lever.
The lathe swords are omitted in the drawings in order to avoid undue
complication but the position of the rocking shaft 12 is indicated in Fig. 1,
and part of the lathe 13 with its shuttle boxes 14, 15, is represented in Figs. 3, 45
and 6.
To the lathe 13 is attached a frane 16 which carries any suitable number say
nineteen full shuttles 17, and at its lower end is pivoted on the axis of the rocking
shaft 12.
.
To supply this moving frame 16 with shuttles a stationary hopper or frame 18 is
employed which is supplied with filled shuttles 17' from the top. The bottom
shuttle 17 in the hopper 18 rests upon a sliding piece 19 which is supported on
two rods or guides 20 and is pushed back at the required time by two cams 21 fixed
on a crank shaft 22 to which motion is given intermittently as required by a rack 23
and pinion 24 as hereinafter described.
When the sliding piece 19 has been pushed back clear of the hopper 18 by the
cams 21 the bottom shuttle 17' from the hopper 18 descends and then as the
cams 21 leave the sliding piece 19. it is drawn back by a weight 25 which is
connected to it by cords 26 passing over pulleys 27. In this way the full
shuttle 17' is taken from the bottom of the stationary hopper 18 and pushed along
the guides 20 by the sliding piece 19 outo a frame or cradle 28 below the bottom
of the moving shuttle frame 16. This cradle 28 is connected to sliding plates 29
fitted in slotted guides 30 secured to the sides of the moving frame 16 and the
plates 29 with the cradle 28 are raised by arms 31 connected to the cranks of the
shaft 22. The cradle 28 after a revolution of the crank shaft 22 returns to its
starting position as shown in Fig. 3 leaving its full shuttle in the moving frame 16,
the shuttle passing into the frame through two springs 32 which are shaped as
shown in Fig. 4, so as to yield and allow the shuttle to pass upward into the frame,

page_text: and then to close and support the entire column of superposed shuttles in the
rame 16. The act of introducing a fresh shuttle into the bottom of the moving
frame 16 has the effect of lifting the column of shuttles and raising the top shuttle
into the race of the lathe 13 which is at that moment open to receive the same as
hereinafter described.
The mechanism for thus automatically transferring a full shuttle from the
stationary hopper 18 to the moving frame as described is normally out of action
but it is set into action on the breakage or failure of a weft thread by the following
combination and arrangement of parts:-
In a
The weft fork 8 when a thread is present is supported by it clear of the
reciprocating hammer lever 9 but when a thread fails the weft fork 8 is caught by
the hammer lever 9 and moves with it as the latter is moved by the cam 11.
loom as ordinarily arranged this would have the effect of stopping the working
parts but that is not here the case as the loom fitted with my improved shuttle
motion continues working. This is due to the fact that the weft fork 8 is fixed on
a lever 331 against which comes the end of a lever 33 which is fulcrumed at 34 and
at its lower end is connected by a chain (not shown) to a lever 35 (Fig. 1) fixed
on a short shaft 36 supported in an adjustable bracket 37 so that when the lever 33
is moved by the hammer lever 9 acting against the lever 33¹ the shaft 36 is turned
The effect of this
partly round against the resistance of a coiled spring 38.
movement of the shaft 36 is to withdraw a catch 39 fixed on the shaft 36 from
under a projection on the back of the rack 23 which is pivoted at 40 in a slot at
the end of a lever 41 fulcrumed at 42. To a rod at the end of the rack 23 is
connected one end of a coiled spring 43 the other end of which is attached to au
arm 44 of the lever 40 and to this arm is also connected one end of a spring 45
which is attached at the other end to some stationary part of the loom frame.
When the catch 39 is withdrawn from the projection on the back of the rack 23
the latter is moved on its pivot 40 by the spring 43 out of gear with the pinion 24
and simultaneously the rack 23 is lowered and the other end of the lever 41 is
raised by the spring 45. Then a cam 46 on the tappet shaft 4 depresses one end
of an elbow lever 47 which is fulcrumed at 48 and at the other is connected by a
spring 49 and strap 50 to a rod at the lower end of the rack 23, so that when the
lever 47 is moved by the cam 46 as described the rack 23 is drawn into gear with
the pinion 24. Then another cam 51 on the tappet shaft 4 acting on a bowl 52
depresses that end of the lever 41 and raises the other end with the rack 23
thereby turning the pinion 24 and the crank shaft 22 and feeding a full shuttle
from the stationary hopper 18 into the moving frame 16 as already described.
After the cam 51 has left the bowl 52 and the rack 23 has finished its upward
movement it is latched in the position shown in Fig. 1 by the catch 39 engaging
the projection on the back of the rack, the catch 39 being moved back by the
coiled spring 38 acting on the shaft 36.
To allow an empty shuttle to fall out of the race and a full shuttle to enter from
-the top of the moving frame 16 the following mechanism is arranged
:-
A shaft 53 is supported in brackets (not shown) secured to the lathe swords,
and on this shaft are fixed two pulleys 54 to which are connected straps 55 (Figs. 3
and 4) attached at their other ends by rods to elbow levers 56 fulcrumed on the
lathe 13 at 57. When the shaft 53 is turned in one direction and the straps 55 are
slackened two sliding plates 58 forming part of the shuttle race are withdrawn by
springs 59 and thereby allow the top shuttle from the column in the moving
frame 16, when a full shuttle is introduced at the bottom as previously described
to enter the race, then the shaft 53 being turned in the reverse direction the
straps 55 are tightened and by the elbow levers 56 the sliding plates 58 are closed
under the shuttle 17 which they support as shown in Fig. 4.
At the same end as the shaft 53 is fixed a pulley 60 on the periphery of which
is secured a strap 61 and a spring 62 both connected at their other ends to opposite
sides of the guard or protector 63. On the guard 63 is fixed a curved arm 64 and
a flat piece 65 and this curved arm 64' normally presses the swell 66 into the shuttle

page_text: box against the side of the shuttle 17; but when the shaft 53 is turned in the
direction which allows the sliding plates 58 to be opened the strap 61 turns the
shaft 63 and draws back the arm 64 and so allows the swell 66 to be pulled back
by a spring 67 at the moment when the shuttle is pressed upward into the race
from the moving frame 16. At the reverse movement of the shaft 53 the
spring 62 turns back the shaft 63 and so causes the arm 64 to again press the
swell 66 into the shuttle box.
At the other end of the shaft 53 is a clutch box 68, 69, of which the part 69 is
fixed on the shaft and the part 68 is loose but is normally held in gear with the
part 69 by a coiled spring 70 compressed between it and a collar 71 fixed on the
shaft 53 and to an arm cast with the collar 71 is connected one end of a coiled
spring 72, which is attached at the other end to some stationary part of the frame.
To the sliding part 68 are connected two straps 73 attached to arms 74 on rods 75
on which are fixed other arms 76 which close sliding plates 77 against the resistance
of springs, not shown, in substantially the same manner as that described with
reference to the sliding plates 58 at the other end of the lathe 13. When the
sliding plates 77 are closed the shuttle cannot leave the race but when the straps 73
are slackened the springs open the sliding plates 77 and allow the empty shuttle to
fall through them down into a box 78 placed below.
The opening of the two sets of sliding plates 58 and 77 takes place when
the weft in the shuttle breaks or fails because of the following connections from
the lever 33.
Above a recessed projection 79 on the sliding part 68 of the clutch is a rod 80
pivoted on a stud 81 and supported above by a spring 82 attached to the framing;
this rod 80 is connected below to the bottom of the lever 33 by a spring
connection 83 passing round pulleys 84. When therefore the lever 33 is moved
by the action of the hammer lever 9, the spring connection 83 draws down the
rod 80 into the path of the projection 79 on the sliding part of the clutch 68 but
at the moment when the lathe is at its back position. Then as the lathe moves
forward the projection 79 moving with it meets the rod 80 which causes the
escapement of the sliding part 68 of the clutch, slackens the straps 73 and allows
the springs to open the sliding plates 77 so that at the next pick the empty shuttle
falls out of the race through the open plates 77 into the box 78.
To check and receive the shock of the empty shuttle a piece of leather or
other suitable material 85 is placed at the end of and below the race in the shuttle
box 15.
When the lever 33 is moved by the action of the hammer lever 9 as previously
<described it dwells in that position for a little, until moved further back this dwell
and further movement being caused by the peculiar shape of the cam 11, then as
the lever 33 is moved further back the shaft 36 is turned, the catch 39 withdrawn,
the rack 23 released, and the lever 41 is raised by the spring 45. This movement
of the lever 41 slackens a strap 86 which is connected at one end to the arm 44 of
the lever 41 and at the other end to a pulley 87 fixed on the shaft 53 passing under
an intermediate guide or tension pulley 88 which is mounted on an adjustable
stud 89 in a bracket 90. When the strap 86 is slackened the spring 72 acting on
the arm of the collar 71 turns' the shaft 53 in the direction to slacken the straps 55
and allow the springs to open the sliding plates 58 and also the spring 67 to with-
draw the swell 66 and the introduction of the full shuttle from the top of the
column in the frame 16 into the race through the open plates 58 takes place. The
right hand side picker then picks once for nothing there being no shuttle in the box
on that side; but the weft fork 8 is held up (whilst the sliding plates 77 are open)
by a wire 91 carried in eye bolts secured to the sliding plates 77. The weft
fork 8 is therefore not caught by the hammer lever 9 so that the cain 51 depresses
the lever 41 and raises the rack 23, and the connected strap 86 being drawn tight
turns back the shaft 53 and so tightens the straps 55 and 73 and closes the sliding
plates 58 and 77.
To ensure the crank shaft 22 being always in its true starting position there is a

page_text: wheel 92 with a flat place in its periphery fixed on the shaft and a strong plate
spring 93 is arranged to press against the flat place on the wheel 92 and lock the
crauk shaft 22 whilst the rack 23 is out of gear with the pinion 24.
It will be readily understood that the details of the mechanism employed may be
varied or modified without departing from the nature and principle of my invention,
the essential feature of which consists in so arranging and combining the parts
that an empty shuttle or a shuttle the weft of which has broken can be
automatically replaced by a full shuttle without stopping the loom.
Having now particularly.described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A loom for weaving having its working parts so arranged and combined that
in the event of the weft from a shuttle breaking or failing that shuttle will be
discharged and a fresh shuttle substituted, automatically and without stoppage.
2. The combination with a stationary hopper or frame containing full shuttles,
of a moving frame oscillating with and upon the same axis as the lathe, and means
for automatically transferring a shuttle from the stationary hopper to the moving
frame, and introducing the same into the shuttle box.
3. The general construction combination and arrangement of parts embodying
my improvements in the shuttle motion of looms substantially as and for the
purposes described and as shown.
Dated this 25th day of January 1895.
H. B. BARLOW & GILLETT,
17, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for Applicant.