Improvements in the Manufacture of Chenille Fabrics.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application. 21st June, 1892-Accepted, 13th Aug., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Chenille Fabrics.
I, DAVID S. WILLIAMS, Draughtsman, of 2539 Franklin Street Philadelphia,
in the County of Philadelphia State of Pennsylvania, United States of
America, 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 :-
Figure 1 is a plan view of the web ordinarily used for this purpose.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the web embodying my improvement.
Figure 3 is a section on the line x-x of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a section on the line y-y of Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a plan view of a piece of chenille weft cut from the ordinary and
finished web.
Figure 6 is a plan view of a piece of chenille weft cut from the improved and
finished web.
Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the method of weaving material from'
my improved weft.
Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the method of adjusting the picks
of weft.
Figure 9 is an enlarged edge view of a piece of chenille weft as cut from
the web.
Figure 10 is an enlarged side view of a piece of chenille weft before being.
finished.
This invention relates to an improvement in the art of manufacturing figured
fabrics, more especially those known as "Smyrna rugs" wherein a vari-coloured
chenille weft is employed. As is well known, in the ordinary manufacture of
this character of fabric, the relative order and positions of the various colours
in the chenille weft, are determined by the prescribed pattern or figure for the
rug in view; and it is equally well known that during the weaving of the rug,
each pick of the weft, immediately before it is "beat up," is adjusted by the
operator so as to bring into alignment a prescribed colour or colours forming
the guide-mark in the successive picks; such adjustment covering the accuracy
These guide marks being, perforce,
or symmetry of the figures in the rug.
disposed at or near each edge of the rug, it follows that there always appear
in the latter marginal lines which in some cases may disfigure the main design.
Moreover this method necessitates that the accuracy and correctness of the
pattern shall depend entirely upon the of the operator.
eye
The object more particularly of my improvement is to obviate the use of such
guide marks or colours for the adjustment of the weft picks, and this I attain
by providing the weft at predetermined intervals, in lieu of such coloured guide
marks, with threads stiffer or more rigid than the intermediate threads of the
chenille, which stiff or rigid threads, during the weaving of the fabric, are
adapted to be disposed in a peculiar relation to each other for a purpose
to that of the colour marks aforesaid, as will be hereinafter explained.
similar
In the annexed drawings I have illustrated my improvement in what appears
to be the best and simplest way of practising the same; that is to say, the usual
chenille web a is provided at regular intervals with weft threads b, which are
stiffer or more rigid than the threads comprising the body of the web. Such
threads b in the present instance being arranged at intervals of, say, 40 picks.
Thus, when the weft is divided longitudinally between respective warp threads c,
the resulting strips of ch nille have formed therein, at fixed points, comparatively
hard or stiff sections (see Figures 2, 4 and 6). The divisions of these rigid or stiff
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page_text: 4
threads in respect to the pattern colours of the chenille is such that during the
weaving of the rug, if the stiff or rigid threads in the successive picks be brought
into alignment at or near the edges-of the web, the colours of the chenille will
be so disposed as ultimately to form a prescribed pattern or figure in the rug
(see Figures 7, 8, 11 and 12). As the rigid or stiff threads & may be coloured
similarly to the adjacent parts of the chenille, the appearance of the design upon
the rug need not be affected by undesirable marginal lines. I sometimes use, in
connection with the line of rigid or stiff threads at the edges, a median line of
similar rigid or stiff threads 2 (Figures 7, 8, 11 and 12), whereby the accuracy
of the pattern may be more effectually preserved during the weaving of the: rug.
Instead of providing the chenille strips with a series of single rigid. or stiff threads,
as above described, I may sometimes provide the same with a series of double rigid or
stiff threads whereby there may be secured in some special instances greater accuracy
in the adjustment of the successive picks or wefts during the weaving of the rug...In
this latter construction, the adjacent rigid or stiff threads in the successive picks
will be brought into direct contact with each other along the lateral edges, as
seen in Figures 7 and 8. By the use of this chenille weft provided at intervals
with threads stiffer or more rigid than the intermediate threads in weaving the
chenille fabric, the operator is enabled to carry out the pattern and design. by
bringing these stiff threads or sections to a certain prearranged position in the
loom. The operator may do this himself by hand; and the use of this chenille
will enable the pattern to be carried out by the means shown in Figures 7 and 8,
instead of by means which would depend upon the eye of the operator; that is,
the operator will have a certain guide irrespective of colour. Again, the stiffer" or
more rigid sections of chenille may be coloured so as to conform with the pattern,
and they may be placed at any particular point in the chenille, and need not
always be in such position that when the weft is thrown they will be at or near
the edge or margin of the fabric, but may be arranged so as to occur at any
portion in the width of the fabric, it being only necessary for the operator to
know at what place, or in relation to what warp thread, or in what portion of the
fell of the fabric, said stiff thread or section shall occur.
My improved chenille weft may be manufactured during the formation of the
chenille web, as shown in Figures I and 2, by throwing in, at certain predetermined
intervals, one or more wefts, b, firmer, stiffer or more rigid than the intermediate
threads, a; or these threads, b, may be of a different material than the intermediate
threads, a, being stiffer, firmer, or more rigid than the intermediate threads, a; or
they may be threads of the same material as the intermediate threads, a, stiffened;
or they may be threads of different material than threads, a, stiffened, preferably
by sizing which, when the weft is cut in the ordinary manner, will produce
chenille weft, provided at predetermined intervals, with thread or threads stiffer or
more rigid than the intermediate chenille weft, as shown in section, Figures 4, 6
and 9. My chenille weft may also be manufactured by weaving the chenille in the
ordinary manner, and after said web is constructed, stiffening one or more threads
comprising said web, preferably by sizing, so that the chenille weft will have,
at predetermined intervals, a thread or threads, stiffer, firmer or more rigid than
the intermediate threads of the chenille. The stiffening of the web may occur
while the web is on the loom, or after the web has been cut up into chenille weft,
and the operator may, after the weft desired to be stiffened, has been thrown' in
the formation of the chenille web, stiffen said weft by passing a rule or brush
containing said sizing over said thread; or the operator may stiffen the chenille
at predetermined intervals after it has been cut up into strips. In Figures 3 and 5,
the chenille is shown of the same character as the chenille web is now woven, and
in Figures 4 and 6 weft or wefts, b, are shown stiffened. This may be done before
the chenille is cut into strips by sizing one or more threads, b, either' directly after
said threads are thrown, or after the entire web is formed. In Figure 4 is
shown the ordinary chenille, and Figure 6 shows certain sections 61 of the chenille
stiffened, which is accomplished by weaving the chenille wefts in the ordinary

page_text: manner, then cutting it into the longitudinal strips of the chenille, then certain
sections of said chenille are stiffened, preferably by sizing; in both these last
cases the chenille is provided with a certain thread or threads stiffer, firmer, or
more rigid, than the intermediate threads forming the chenille, and the method or
process just described of accomplishing this is by stiffening certain threads after
the threads to be stiffened have been thrown in to form the web, and either before
or after said web has been cut into chenille strips.
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. A new and improved chenille weft, which consists of the ordinary chenille
weft provided at intervals with threads stiffer, firmer, or more rigid than the
intermediate chenille threads.
2. A new and improved chenille weft which consists of the ordinary chenille weft
provided at intervals with stiffened thread or threads.
3. The hereinbefore described process of manufacturing an improved chenille
weft, which consists in interweaving weft and warp to form the chenille web, and
during the formation of the chenille web at predetermined intervals interweaving
one or more picks firmer, stiffer, or more rigid than the intermediate weft forming
the chenille web, and then cutting said web into longitudinal strips in the ordinary
manner.
4. In the herein before described process of manufacturing an improved chenille
weft, throwing in, during the formation of the chenille web, at predetermined
intervals, one or more threads sized or otherwise stiffened.
5. The hereinbefore described method of manufacturing an improved chenille
weft, which consists in weaving the chenille web in the ordinary manner and then
sizing or otherwise stiffening predetermined threads of the chenille web after said
threads have been thrown, either before or after said chenille web has been cut up
into strips.
6. The herein before described method of manufacturing an improved chenille
weft, which consists in weaving the chenille web in the ordinary manner, then
cutting said chenille web into strips, and then sizing or otherwise stiffening one or
more threads of said chenille at predetermined intervals.
7. The hereinbefore described method of manufacturing chenille weft, which
consists in weaving the chenille web in the ordinary manner, and then stiffening, at
predetermined intervals, threads of the chenille web after the said threads have
been thrown, and then cutting the web into strips.
8. The improvement in the art of manufacturing a figured fabric, which
consists in providing a vari-coloured weft at predetermined intervals with thread
or threads stiffer or more rigid than the intermediate threads of the chenille weft,
interweaving said weft with the warp threads in the usual manner, and as the
weaving proceeds, relatively disposing the stiff or rigid threads in the several picks
of weft, substantially as described.
9. The improvement in the art of manufacturing figured fabrics, which consists
in providing a vari-coloured weft, at predetermined intervals, with threads stiffer
or more rigid than the intermediate threads of the chenille weft, interweaving
said weft with the warp threads in the usual manner, and as the weaving proceeds,
disposing the adjacent stiff or rigid threads in the successive picks along the lateral
edges of the web, substantially as described.
Dated this 07th dow of Mon A D 1805
DAVID S. WILLIAMS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.