IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PILED FABRICS AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN SUCH MANUFACTURE
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, HAROLD LEE of Sunnyside Mills Bolton in the County of Lancaster Manu-
facturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF PILED FABRICS AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED
IN SUCH MANUFACTURE to be as follows:-
This invention relates first to a method of weaving piled fabrics whereby the
cutting of the pile of such fabrics by automatic means (either in the loom or after
its removal therefrom) is rendered practicable, and secondly to the construction of
the apparatus for cutting the pile of such fabrics when so woven.
"
The invention applies to that class of piled fabrics wherein the pile is formed
from the weft threads and the "
races or "furrows" for cutting the pile run
longitudinally or in the direction of the warp threads from end to end of
the piece.
"
"
In weaving the improved piled fabric, in addition to the ordinary warp I employ
what 1 call a guider" warp which I wind on a separate beam and draw in
through special "mails" in the harness (where a Jacquard "is used in pattern
weaving) or through a special heald in plain weaving. It is also drawn in through
the reed with the other warp.
Between the reed and the breast rail the whole double warp is carried under
a rail (where the cutting is effected as hereinafter described) and the guider warp
being liberated is raised up and passes over a rod or roller above the cloth and is
wound on to a beam by itself.
•
The number of "guider" warp threads employed will depend upon the pattern
required, the "guiders" being so arranged that thero are two of them in each
float, these "guiders" forming the first and last threads over which the weft
thread floats.
It will be understood that the "guiders" are never interwoven with the ground
or back of the fabric .but lie upon the face thereof underneath those weft threads
only which when cut are to form the pile of the fabric, the "guiders" being always
raised up excepting when the floats are made; and hence it will be evident that
when the pile threads are severed the "guiders" will be released entirely from
the cloth.

page_text: Immediately in front of the cutting. rail, under which the cloth passes between
the reed and the breast-rail, I mount in suitable bearings a shaft upon which
I thread loosely a series of thin steel cutters of a discoidal form with sharpened
edges, and this shaft, with its cutters, is caused to revolve rapidly by means of
an endless band or other suitable gearing from any convenient shaft of the loom.
At this point, as before stated, the "guiders" are raised and passed over a rod or
roller; above and between this rod or roller and the cutting rail each "guider
passes between two of the cutters.
"
"
The cutters are so mounted that they will not reach the back of the cloth but as
the "guiders" rise upwards they lift the pile threads up against the edge of the
revolving cutters and they become thereby severed and liberate the "guiders
entirely, the cut piled fabric passing over the breast rail on to the cloth beam in
the usual manner.
The "guiders" are held in place by the floating weft threads under which they
pass, and they in turn keep cach knife in the centre of its float by passing each
between two knives as above stated.
In figure weaving, especially where it is desired to produce a cut piled fabric
upon a satin, damask, or other ground, my improved system obviates all difficulties
of cutting, because the "guider" warp threads will carry and guide the knives or
cutters unerringly from the " race of ono piled figure to the centre of the opposite
race of the next piled figure whatever the distance across the ground from one
figure to the other may be.
И
I would here remark that although I have herein described the cutting apparatus
as applied to the loom .and.automatically cutting the pile as it is woven, I do not
intend to confine myself to this combination as it will be evident that the fabric
inay be woven in the ordinary loom with the "guider" warps beneath the floats
as above described and the pile may then be cut by the same apparatus con-
structed as above described but placed in a separate frame, which in some
cases might be preferable as the cutting would then be performed much more
rapidly.
Dated this nineteenth day of March 1884.

page_text: I HAROLD LEE of Sunnyside Mills Bolton in the County of Lancaster Manu-
facturer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF PILED FABRICS AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED
IN SUCH MANUFACTURE" 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 first to a method of weaving piled fabrics whereby the
cutting of the pile of such fabrics by automatic means (either in the loom, or after
its removal therefrom) is rendered practicable, and secondly to the construction of
the apparatus for cutting the pile of such fabrics when so woven.
The invention applies to that class of piled fabrics wherein the pile is formed
from the weft threads, and the " ม
races or furrows for cutting the pile run longi-
tudinally or in the direction of the warp threads, from end to end of the piece and
will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying drawing and the
following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1. is a section of so much of a loom as is necessary to illustrate my
invention a, a being the framing, b, b the crankshaft and c, c the lathe or slay,
In weaving the improved piled fabric in addition to the ordinary warp d, d
I employ what I call a "guider" warp e, e which I wind on a separate beam ff and
draw in through special "mails" in the harness g, 9 (where a "jacquard" is used in
pattern weaving) or through a special heald in plain weaving. It is also drawn in
througli the reed h, h with the other warp.
"
Between the reed h, h and the breast rail i, i the whole double warp is carried
under a rail k, (where the cutting is effected as hereinafter described) and the
guider" warp e, e being liberated is raised up and passes over a rod or roller 1,
above the cloth and is wound on to a beam m m by itself.
The number of "guider" warp threads c, e employed will depend upon the
pattern required, the "guiders" being so arranged that there are two of them in
each float, these guiders forming the first and last warp threads over which the
weft thread floats as shown magnified and exaggerated in the diagram Fig. 2.
в
It will be understood that these "guiders" c, e are never interwoven with the
ground or back of the fabric but lie upon the face thereof underneath those weft
threads only which when cut, are to form the pile of the fabric, the "guiders”.
being always raised up, excepting when the floats are made, and hence it will be
evident that when the pile threads are severed, the "guiders" will be released
entirely from the cloth.
'
Immediately in front of the cutting rail k, k under which the cloth passes
between the reed and the breast rail I mount in suitable bearings a shaft o, o (see
also full size section Fig. 3.) upon which I thread loosely a scries of thin stecl
cutters 2, p of a discoidal form with sharpened edges, and this shaft o, o with its
cutters 2, is caused to revolve rapidly by means of a strap 7, r or other suitable
gearing from any convenient shaft of the loom.
At this point (as before stated) the "guiders" e, e are raised and passed over a
rod or roller l, above and between this rod or roller and the cutting rail k, each
'guider" passes between two of the cutters p, p.
The cutters p, p are so mounted and adjustable by set screws that they will not
reach the back of the cloth but as the "guiders" e, e rise upwards they lift the
pile threads up against the edge of the revolving cutters and they become thereby
severed and liberato the "guiders" entirely as seen clearly at Fig 3. the cut piled
fabric n, n passing over the breast rail, on to the cloth beam 8, 8 in the usual
manner,

page_text: The "guiders" are held in place by the floating weft threads under which they
pass see Fig. 2 and they in turn keep each knife p, p in the centre of its float by
passing each between two knives as above stated.
In some cases however where spots or stripes are being woven and the races are
some distance (say from 3 to 1/2 inch) apart, I modify the construction of the
bar k, in order the more effectually to keep the guider warps e, e in place as
shown by the plan view Fig. 4. Instead of the bar k, k a bar k¹ ke' is placed on
the other side of the shaft o, o, and to it are fixed a series of needles ", " through
which the "guider" warps e, e are threaded. These warps c, e guide their floats
over the point of the needles kl, as shown which are slotted to admit of the
knives or cutters p, p and the guide warps e, e being brought up again through
those slots cannot get out of place.
In figure weaving, especially where it is desired to produce a cut piled figure
upon a satin, damask or other ground, my improved system obviates all difficulties
of cutting because the "guider" warp threads e, e will carry and guide the knives
or cutters p, p unerringly from the "race" of one piled figure to the centre of the
opposite "race "of the next piled figure whatever the distance across the ground
from one figure to the other may be.
I would here remark that although I have herein described the cutting apparatus
as applied to the loom and automatically cutting the pile as it is woven I do not
intend to confine myself to this combination as it will be evident that the fabric
may be woven in the ordinary loom with the "guider" warps beneath the floats
as above described and the pile may then be cut by the same apparatus constructed
as above described, but placed in a separate frame which in some cases might be
preferable as the cutting would then be performed much more rapidly.
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
First. In the manufacture of piled fabrics the combination with the ordinary
warp threads, of "guider" warp threads not interwoven with the body of the cloth
but lying between the samo and the weft floats which are to form the pile when
cut, so that these "guider" warps being raised up will raise the "floats" into a
position to be automatically cut substantially as hereinbefore described.
Secondly. In a loom for weaving piled fabrics, with a loose "guider" warp
underlying the weft pilo floats as hereinbefore described, the combination of a
cutter rail, and a series of revolving disc cutters, together with a raised rail or
roller over which latter and between the cutters, the "guider" warps pass, so that
the guider warps keep the cutters in the centre of the floats until roleased, sub-
stantially in the manner and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth and illustrated
by the drawings annexed.
Thirdly. The combination (apart from the loom) of the cutter rail, revolving disc
cutters, and raised rail or roller for cutting the pile of fabrics woven with " guider
warps underlying the weft floats constructed and operating substantially as herein-
bofore described and referred to.