Improvements in or Connected with Power-looms for Weaving.
Year: 1888

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Connected with Power-looms for Weaving.
I, JACOB JUCKER of 60 Peter Street, Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanical 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 powerlooms for weaving and consists in novel apparatus
or combination of mechanism for changing the shuttle in a loom selfactingly when
the weft breaks or is absent, and in improvements relating to the weft fork motion
and to the pickers and picker guides, these latter improvements being rendered
requisite by the arrangement of the said shuttle changing apparatus but being also
applicable to looms not fitted with said apparatus. On the four sheets of drawings
appended hereunto
Fig. 1 shows a sectional elevation of the shuttle changing apparatus.
Fig. 2 an end view and
Fig. 3 a front view of the same.
Fig. 4 a front view of the slay end.
Fig. 5 an end view of my improved picker.
Fig. 6 a side view as seen from the inside of the loom and
Fig. 7 a plan of the weft fork motion.
Fig. 8, 9, 10 and 11 details of the apparatus.
Fig. 12, 13, 14, and 17 enlarged front view plan end view a cross section of the
shuttle frame hereinafter described.
Fig. 15 and 16 an elevation and plan of a modified form of weft fork and
connections.
Fig. 18 a side view.
Fig. 19 a sectional view.
Fig. 20 a front view and
Fig. 21 a plan of the mechanism in the lower part of the loom actuating the shuttle
changing apparatus.
The shuttle changing apparatus is shewn as applied to a loom with double shuttle
boxes for which letters patent were granted to me numbered 16970 dated the
CD

page_text: •
28th December 1886 but the arrangement of the apparatus when applied to an ordinary
powerloom does not differ from that shewn on the drawings except by the lower shuttle
box a fig. 1 being absent in that case.
In carrying out my invention I arrange at that end of the loom where the weft fork
motion is placed a loose frame b (fig. 1, 2, 4) on the slay a¹ instead of a fast shuttle
box. This frame herein after called shuttle frame, is shewn on an enlarged scale by
figs. 12, 13, 14 and 17 Sheet III. It may be considered as formed of the front part 6¹
of the usual shuttle box to which two webs with back pieces 64 65 are bolted or
attached, between which back pieces an opening is left for the back swell c to work
through. The web 63 on the inside of the loom passes above the shuttle, while that on
the outer end passes below in order to clear the picker. Tail pieces 68 67 curved to a
radius struck from the centre of the rocking rail on which the slay oscillates are formed
on or attached to the back pieces and slide in grooves of the shuttle box bottom y
which is fixed to the slay a. The shuttle frame is held in its place while the loom is
working at the front by two triggers dd sliding in slots of the slay bottom a¹ and
having pins d' at their bottom ends by which they rest upon levers e on a shaft e¹ carried
by brackets attached to the back of the slay bottom a¹. A second shaft d' is supported
by brackets d fixed to the underside of the slay bottom at the front and has fixed upon
in two levers d d which pass above the pins d fixed in the triggers d d. The shafts e¹
and have other levers e and d fixed upon them respectively connected at their
ends by a spring e which by pulling them together causes the levers e e to hold up
the pins d' against the levers d d and thereby hold up the triggers d d. At the back
of the slay two other triggers et et are arranged sliding in guides ee and connected
by a crossbar e. These triggers et et are formed with slots through which the tail
pieces 66 67 of the shuttle frame pass, and the latter are formed with notches 68 69
(figs. 14 and 17) into which the upper parts of said slots in the triggers et e fit when
these are in their lower position as shewn by figures 1 and 2. The triggers et et have
pins efixed to their sides at the lower end, which are embraced by slots in levers e e
fixed upon the shaft e¹ and the triggers et et are thereby held down and the shuttle
frame is in this way secured by two triggers at the front and two at the back. Another
lever de figs. 1 and 4 is fixed upon the shaft d' or formed in one piece with the inner
lever d' having a shoe d' at the end which rides on the curved slide f being held down
upon the same by the spring e. The slide is curved to a circle struck from the
centre of the rocking rail to which the slay swords are attached, so that the backward
and forward movement of the slay does not produce any movement of the shafts
and e¹ or the levers and triggers connected therewith while the loom is weaving.
When the curved slide is lifted on the breakage or absence of the weft in the manner
herein after described, the shoe de is lifted thereby and turns the shaft d backwards
whereby the levers d d are caused to depress the pins d' d' and pull the triggers d d
downwards. At the same time the pins d' d' press the levers ee down and thereby
turn the shaft e¹ forward. This causes the levers e² e to lift the triggers e² e out of
notches of the tail pieces 66 when the shuttle frame is liberated so that it can
be drawn out of the slay in the manner herein after described. When it has been
reinserted and the curved slide f drops to its former position, the shafts e¹ and d-and
the triggers d d and et e* are also returned to the positions shewn on figs. 1 and 2 by
the action of the spring e³ and the shuttle frame is locked again in the slay.
To the front of the shuttle frame two crutch bolts g are screwed which during the
beating up of the slay enter two swan-neck brackets g¹ fixed upon a bracket h which
is bolted to the loom side h¹ (figs. 2 and 3). Two other brackets g³ g² fixed the
upon
bracket support a shaft herein after called hookshaft upon which outside said
brackets hooks g*g* (figs. 1, 2, and 7) are fixed. When the hookshaft g' is turned
towards the front by the weft fork motion herein after described the hooks are brought
up and hold the crutch bolts in the swan-necks. To the hook 9 the slide f¹ is connected
by an adjustable link f' and guided by the bush /* fixed to the loom side h. The
slide is formed in one piece with the curved slide f so that when the hook g is
lifted, the curved slide f is lifted at the same time and thereby the shuttle frame is
liberated in the manner before described and is drawn out of the slay as the latter

page_text: moves backwards, when the shuttle contained in it drops down in front of the slay and.
slides along the inclined plate a² and is directed by the inclined guide a fixed to
the latter upon a cloth a', which is attached at one end to the bent frame a' (figs. 2
and 4) fixed to the plate a³ and at the other end to the frame a fixed to the bracket h
(figs. 2 and 3) from which cloth it can be removed by the weaver at his convenience.
When drawn out of the slay the shuttle frame rests in front on the crutch bolts g in
the swan-necks g' and rides at the back on the tail-pieces and in grooves in the
shuttle box bottom.
The weft fork motion is shewn more particularly on sheet II (figs. 6 and 7) and on
sheet I fig. 3 and arranged as follows:-
The rod which carries the weft fork slides in the bush of a bracket fixed upon
the front of the loom. The rod i is connected by the fork and a pin to the bent
lever which can vibrate horizontally on a stud fixed in a lug 2 on the bracket h.
On the lever a slide k is arranged riding on the lover by grooved projections k¹ k³
and is held in the position shewn on the drawings by a spring blade fixed to the
slide k which by fitting into a recess in the lever forms a stop against which the
spring fixed at one end to the slide k and at the other to the boss of the lever ³ pulls
the slide k towards the right (fig. 3). The projection A¹ on slide is prolonged so as
to form a hook which fits over a nose on the lever g' cast in one with the hook g* so
that when the rod i is moved to the front on the breakage or failure of the weft the
lever is turned round the pivot towards the front and the slide k with hook k¹
pulls the lever g towards the front thereby turning the hookshaft g* forward and
lifting the hooks g and g. In ordinary looms the weft fork is carried on a stud fixed
at the side of the rod i or of a lever and is formed with a projection or hook which is
caught by the hammer when the weft fails to hold the fork up. This arrangement
would be incapable of standing the considerable strain thrown upon the weft fork by
the arrangements herein before described, it having to lift the hooks g* 9° and to with-
draw the triggers holding the shuttle frame and I have therefore applied an improved
arrangement of the weft fork and its attachments, which is also applicable to ordinary
looms not fitted with my shuttle changing motion. I form on or attach to the rod i
an open frame the end of which contains the pin on which the weft fork vibrates.
Instead of a hook underneath the tail of the weft fork I form the latter with a Tee
shaped end which when the fork is allowed by the absence of the weft to drop into
the position shewn on the drawings lies against projections on the frame.
I form the hammerhead 10 with a groove in the top into which the tail of the weft
fork can drop, so that the Tee shaped end forms a distance piece which is pressed
between the hammerhead and the frame when the hammer moves forward and thus
transfers the motion of the hammerhead 10 to the rod i without any strain upon the
weft fork or the pins on which it oscillates. In order to insure this relief of the weft
fork and pin more effectually, I prefer to curve the tail of the fork as shewn on fig. 16
so that the Tee shaped end can give way or spring a little when the hammerhead
comes against it, instead of making the tail straight as shown on figure 6. This
arrangement and construction of weft fork and carrier is also applicable to ordinary
looms and is much more durable than the ordinary arrangement.
The frame may
be in this case formed on or attached to a lever instead of the sliding rod i.
The nose actuating the hammer is so formed that the hammerhead remains in its
foremost position during a complete revolution of the crank shaft, so that the parts
actuated by the weft fork motion retain their positions during the next backward and
next forward motion of the slay.
Opposite the shuttle frame a long boss is placed upon the shaft g³ between the
brackets gg. This boss has cast upon it arins and PP, upon the former of
which two plates n n are fixed while to the latter two bars n' n' are attached. The
shuttles mm² m³ are placed between these bars and held in their positions by racks o o
shewn separately by figs. 8 and 9, Sheet II. When the shuttle frame b has been drawn
out of the slay by the backward movement of the latter as herein before described, the
shuttle carriers n n n' n' are drawn downwards from the position shewn on the drawings
into a horizontal position by the rod attached to the arms in the manner herein

page_text: after described. The formost shuttle m¹ is thereby inserted into the shuttle frame,
the bars n' n¹ passing into the slots 101 (figs. 4, 12, and 13) formed in the front b
of the shuttle frame. The latter is pushed into the exact position required for the
reception of the shuttle by levers with inclined projections (fig. 2) cast or formed
on the boss l. As the weft fork motion operating on the absence of the weft in the
manner herein before described when the slay beats up, requires a certain small
amount of time for its action, the slots in the swan-necks g¹ are made elongated and
the hooks og arranged to seize the crutch bolts g. g near the open end of the swan-
necks, so that the slay may make a small backward movement before this takes place
and time for the operations of the different mechanisms be afforded thereby. As the
shuttle carriers move downwards the inclines 1, one of which is arranged on the
inside of each swan-neck on the opposite side of the hooks gg, pass behind the crutch
of the bolts g g and draw the shuttle frame forward holding the crutches between
themselves and the lugs which are fitted with india rubber pads, and thereby secure
the correct position of the shuttle frame for the reception of the shuttle. As the slay
moves forward, at the next beat, the bars n' n enter grooves formed in the shuttle
box bottom y fixed to the slay, and when the shuttle frame has been inserted into the
slay again, the hammer lever drops off the nose actuating it and releases the woft
fork carrier and the lover and the hookshaft, which is pulled back into the position
shewn on the drawings by a cam as herein after described. At the same time the
incline drops down into the position shewn on the drawings and the triggers d d
and eelock the shuttle frame in the slay, so that it moves back with the latter, and
by this movement the shuttle inserted in the frame is drawn out of the holders and
the weaving can proceed. While the slay moves back with the shuttle and shuttle
frame, the holders n n n¹ n¹ are returned to their original position by the mechanism
herein after described, and by this movement the two shuttles m² and m³ left in the
holders are advanced, leaving room for a fresh shuttle to be inserted between the
holders. This is effected in the following manner:-The racks o o figs. 8 and 9 are
connected by crossbars o' o' which rest upon the plates n n, the racks o o
fitting into
slots of the plates n n, so that the teeth 02 03 02 project below the plates. Upon the
bracket a curved bracket p is fixed between the plates n n the boss of which holds
a pin which enters on each side into slots in the lugs o³ ³ formed on the rack. Upon
each plate n two inclined slides n² n² are fastened by studs n³ ³ so that they can
swivel on these studs and are pressed against the racks oo by springs n n. One
of these slides n³ is shewn on an enlarged scale by figs. 10 and 11. Besides the
incline n at the end, it has a lateral incline ne formed on the side under the top
plato n As the shuttle holders or plates n n move into a horizontal position, the
pin in bracket p holding the racks by the lugs o³ ³ causes the racks to slide towards
the front of the loom on the plates. This causes the pins of of formed on the racks
to slide up the inclines n° and thereby lift the racks clear of the shuttles m² m³ and
to pass thein over the shuttles_until the pins of of drop off the slides_n at the front,
when the front teeth of the racks drop behind the second shuttle m² in the holder, and
the middle teeth of the rack behind the third shuttle m³. When the shuttle holders
and plates nn rise again to their original position, the pin in bracket p acting on
the lugs oo moves the racks back again into the position shewn on the drawings
and thereby pushes the second shuttle to the front, and the third shuttle to the
middle, leaving room for the insertion of a fresh shuttle between the holders n n n'n'.
In moving forward the pins of o pass under the top plates n' on the slides n² and
acting upon the inclines ne turn the slides n' outwards against the pressure of the
springs n n and are thus enabled to pass them. Fixed to the bracket p is a
guard pl for the front shuttle. The other two shuttles are held laterally by levers 1° 1°
hinged to the levers with inclines * and the shuttles are further secured between the
bars n¹n and spring-blades p² p² so adjusted that they grip them with an elastic
pressure themselves and the plates n¹ n'.
The downward and upward movement of the shuttle holders n n n¹ n' is effected by
mechanism shewn on sheet IV of the drawings. The slide f' (figs. 1 and 2) is
connected by a rod f' to a lever g having its fulcrum on a bracket q¹ fixed to the

page_text: loom side. The arm q' of the lever is forked and embraces a shaft between a disc >¹
fixed upon the shaft and a star wheel pinion s which can slide on the shaft on a
keys. The shaft r is driven from the loom gearing so as to make one revolution
for every two revolutions of the loom crankshaft or every. two beats of the slay and
rotates in a pedestal at one end and in the boss of a pinion t running in a
pedestal at the other end. A star wheel cast in one or fixed upon a toothed
wheel can rotate on a shaft s supported in a bracket . The star wheel pinion s
has two driving cogs 7 and is, while the loom is weaving out of gear with the
starwheel and in the position shewn on the drawings. When the weft fails and
the weft fork motion acts as hereinbefore described, the slide f' and with it
the rod is lifted and the arm moves towards the loomside and brings the star-
wheel pinion s. into gear with the star wheel s². The cog & then encounters the
teeth of the star wheel and moves the latter by one tooth. The wheel s³ connected
with the star wheel is in gear with the pinion t and the numbers of teeth of the wheel
and pinion are such that the movement of the star wheel by one tooth causes the
pinion t to make half a revolution. A crank t¹ is cast in one piece with the pinion t
and carries a crank pin t² adjustable in a slot of the crank t¹. To this crank pin the
rod 13 is attached at one end and at the other end to the arm on the boss (fig. 1)
carrying the shuttle holders, so that by the half revolution of the pinion t and crank t¹
the shuttle holders are drawn into a horizontal position, and remain in this position
until the second cog s of the star wheel pinion s¹ comes against another tooth of the
star wheel and thereby turns it for another tooth and the pinion and crank & for
another half revolution whereby the shuttle holders are raised up to their original
position. The cogs & and s' are diametrically opposite to each other, so that half
a revolution of the shaft r or an entire revolution of the loom crank shaft takes
place between the commencement of the downward and that of the upward movement
of the shuttle holders during which time the slay beats up and seizes the shuttle
frame with the inserted shuttle as herein before described. When the slay reaches
its former position, the cam on the disc ¹ comes against the arm q3 and quickly
raises it thereby moving the lever q. and the rod f downwards whereby the hooks g
are pulled down and the shuttle frame is locked in the slay in the manner before
described.
After the crankpin has been returned to the positions shewn on the drawings, a
nose on the plate of the starwheel pinion s comes against an incline on a bar u²
fixed to the pedestal and the starwheel pinion s is thereby pushed again to the
left and thrown out of gear with the standard wheel s². The pinion s is made with
a broad rim so as to remain in contact with the concave top of the starwheel
teeth when thrown out of gear in order to secure the latter and thereby the crank
pin t' and the parts connected to the same in their positions.
I sometimes use only one shuttle m¹ placed between the holders n n² at their end
and omit the mechanism herein before described for bringing the shuttles forward in
the holders. In that case it is necessary to throw the shuttle change motion out of
action after it has once operated until the weaver has inserted a fresh shuttle into the
holders and put the motion into gear again, and to cause the weft fork to actuate the
stop rod in the ordinary manner so that the driving strap is shifted upon the loose
pulley when the weft breaks while the shuttle change motion is thrown out of action.
This is effected by the following arrangements:
The long boss supporting the shuttle holders has a small cam fixed or formed on
it opposite the little bolt k figs. 6 and 7, which can slide on the lever . The head
of the bolt bears against the blade k³ which forms the stop for the slide k. When
the lever is pushed to the front by the weft fork motion, the cam on boss I can
pass the bolt without touching it, so that the bolt and blade s retain their
positions while the boss is turned downwards and lowers the shuttle into the shuttle
frame. Before it is turned up again, the weft fork has been released and the lever
and parts connected with it have been returned to their original position. When the
boss is now returned towards the front in the manner herein before described,
the cam
on boss meets the bolt * and presses it against the blade k³ and

page_text: lifts the latter out of the recess of lever into the position shewn in dotted lines on
fig. 7, when the spring pulls the slide k to the right whereby the hook k¹ is moved
off the lever ge so that if the weft breaks while, the parts are in this position the weft
fork motion does not actuate the hook shaft g³ and the shuttle changing motion is
thrown out of gear. In moving to the right, the part A (fig. 3) on slide k comes
between the lever and a projection to¹ on the bar to fig. 1 provided with handle
the end of which bars is formed with pins entering a slot in the lever a on the
shaft.
If the weft breaks while the parts are in this position the weft fork motion
by moving the lever is to the front draws the bar w to and turns the rod towards
the front. This rod is connected to the starting lever of the loom in the ordinary
manner so that by the rod being turned towards the front the starting lever is
liberated and shifts the strap from the fast to the loose pulley and stops the loom.
The weft fork motion thus acts as in ordinary looms till the weaver shifts the slide k
again to the left by the handle k when the shuttle change motion will act again on
the breakage or absence of the weft. As there is no shuttle in the loom while the
change is being effected, in fast reed looms the reed protector motion would operate,
and stop the loom unless thrown out of action. This is done by a pin e fixed in the
cross plate e (fig. 1). A hole is drilled into the back-swell lever c opposite this pin so
that while the loom is weaving the pin can pass into this hole and does not interfere
with the action of the lever c, but when the triggers et e¹ are raised to liberate the
shuttle frame the pin comes opposite a solid part of the lover c and thereby prevents
the lever from vibrating forwards and holds the pawl c¹ clear of the frog c
The arrangement of the shuttle change motion has been shewn as applied to an over
pick loom but is equally applicable to underpick looms.
The bottom y of the shuttle box contains four cross grooves, two for the tail-
pieces of the shuttle frame and two for the shuttle holders n' n'. This makes the
ordinary arrangement of overpick pickers with a projecting guide guided in a
longitudinal groove of the shuttle box bottom impracticable as the picker would not
have sufficient guidance in crossing the cross grooves and the corners formed by the
longitudinal and cross grooves would rapidly wear the picker by abrasion. To obviate
these difficulties, I make the picker for over pick looms in the form shown on figs. 4
and 5 without a bottom guide and from the shuttle box bottom without a longitudinal
groove. The picker v is guided by the round picker bar v³ and a square bar alsove,
and is formed with open slots v¹ at the top fitting the square bar. The bars are
pushed through the end of the shuttle box and held in their places by the plate with
screw and expansion spring v. This form of picker and picker guides has proved
very satisfactory and is applicable also to ordinary overpick looms not fitted with the
shuttle changing motion.
so
While the shuttle changing motion operates, the taking up motion must be arrested
which may be done in any suitable manner ordinarily employed for this purpose for
instance by connecting the holding back click of the take up ratchet to the lever
that it is lifted out of gear when the lever is moved to the front by the weft fork.
Where the shuttle changing motion is applied to an ordinary loom with one shuttle
only, the picking motion must be thrown out of gear while the changing motion acts,
which may be arranged in any suitable way, for instance by driving the picking nose
by means of a clutch box and putting the same out of and into gear by means of a
similar starwheel uechanism as that herein before described for actuating the shuttle
holders. In looms arranged with two shuttles according to my specification
No. 16970 of 1886, this is not necessary, as the picking motion acts only at every
fourth beat of the lay. In looms of this kind a shuttle changing motion for the
upper shuttle is arranged at one side of the loom and another changing motion for the
lower shuttle at the other side of the loom.
The action of the shuttle change motion now proceeds as follows: As the slay
beats up with the wet broken or absent, the weft fork is actuated by the hammer, and
turns the lever with slide k forward, thereby turning the hookshaft towards the
front, and bringing up the hooks g₁ g³ which pass behind the crutches on bolts g. At
the same time the side f¹ is raised and thereby liberates the shuttle frame, and the

page_text: lever q² throws the star wheel and pinion into gear. As the slay recedes it leaves the
shuttle frame in the swan-necks g' and the shuttle drops out, after which the crank-
pin & pulls down the shuttle holders n n n¹ n' and a fresh shuttle is thereby inserted
into the frame. As. the slay next beats up, the weft fork is released by the hammer
and the hookshaft pulled backwards by the cam acting upon the lever q³ the slide f¹
being lowered at the same time, whereby the shuttle frame is locked again in the
loom slay, which recedes with a shuttle in the frame. While it does 50, the starwheel
mechanism lifts the shuttle holders up again by the crank pin t² after which it is
thrown out of action by the nose u and incline u. The movement of the shuttle
holders causes the second shuttle to advance to the front. I prefer to use three shuttles
as shown, so that there is a second and if need be a third shuttle ready in the holders
if the woft should break again before the weaver has had time to put fresh shuttles into
the holders. The arrangement herein before described for throwing the change motion
out of action may be omitted in this case. 1 do not confine myself to the several details
of construction or means of effecting the different motions, which may be varied and
replaced by their mechanical equivalents.
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
Firstly. The general arrangement of shuttle changing apparatus for power looms
substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
Secondly. The arrangement of a shuttle frame open at the bottom held in the slay
by triggers combined with mechanism for liberating and re-locking said shuttle framo,
substantially as herein before described and illustrated.
Thirdly. The arrangement of moveable shuttle holders in front of the shuttle frame
combined with mechanism for lowering them for the insertion of a shuttle into said
shuttle frame and raising them again after such insertion, substantially as herein
before described and illustrated.
Fourthly. The arrangement of racks and slides for advancing the shuttles towards
the end of the holders, substantially as described and illustrated.
Fifthly. The construction or form of weft fork weft fork holder i' and grooved
hammerhead 10 substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the
drawings.
Sixthly. The construction or form of picker with slots and guide bars v² and v³
substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated this 16th day of Janu1988
EMMOTT & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.