IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WEAVING, AND FOR DIVIDING DOUBLE CLOTH TO MAKE PILE FABRICS
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jerome André Drieu, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WEAVING, AND FOR DIVIDING DOUBLE CLOTH
TO MAKE PILE FABRICS."
Sealed the 30th April 1853, and dated the 2nd November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jerome André
Drieu at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 2nd November 1852.
I, JEROME ANDRE DRIEU, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WEAVING, AND FOR DIVIDING DOUBLE
CLOTH TO MAKE PILE FABRICS," to be as follows:-
First, in an improved mode of making or mounting the healds of
looms for weaving double fabrics. It has hitherto been customary to
set the healds in such wise that all the eyelet holes are in the same
plane when the shed is closed, and as it requires generally five or more
sets of healds for weaving a double fabric, it is evident that the warps
are very much crowded. My improvement consists in placing the
eyelet holes of the healds for weaving the upper part of the double
fabric about two inches above those required for the lower part of the

page_text: fabric, by this means much of the crowding is avoided, less injury will
be done to the warps, and the distance between the pieces is maintained
with greater exactitude.
Secondly, in an improved mode of lowering the healds after they
have been raised to form the shed. In ordinary weaving it is customary
to make the healds of two pieces of wood or "shafts" connected by the
threads in which the eyelet holes are fixed or made; these shafts are
elevated by the top jacks to open the shed, and depressed by the bottoni
jacks to close the shed. My improvement consists in making healds
without the lower shaft, and attaching a weight to each thread con-
taining an eyelet hole, by this means only one set of jacks are required
to open the stud which closes again by the weight of the heald as soon
as the lever is elevated, by this means a shed of any convenient depth
may be made without difficulty.
Thirdly, in an improved letting off motion, particularly applicable to
looms for weaving double fabric, connected by a pile warp, which
is afterwards cut asunder. This improvement consists in attaching
a ratchet wheel to the warp beam; this ratchet wheel is set in
motion by a catch hinged to a lever acted upon by a cam fixed to
a shaft, to which motion is given by a pinion on the crank shaft
acting on a wheel fixed to the cam shaft. The amount of pile warp
let off the beam must be equal to the distance between the upper
and lower fabrics, and when three picks are given for binding in the
pile warp, the pinion on the crank shaft must be one third the diameter
of the wheel on the cam shaft. The position of the cam must be so
regulated as to act on the ratchet wheel at the proper time for letting
off the pile warp when it is required. If more than three picks are
given to bind in the pile warp then the proportion between the
diameters of the pinion on the crank shaft and wheel on the cam shaft
must be proportionately increased. The warp beam must be furnished
with a second ratchet wheel for the holding on pall to take in. Any
other combination of parts for letting off a definite quantity of pile
warp may be substituted for that above described.
Fourthly, in improved machinery for cutting double fabrics asunder
in order to make pile fabrics. The fabric to be cut asunder is

page_text: brought on the taking up beam as it comes from the loom, and
after passing over suitable stretching rails is conveyed between two
gauge boards; the distance between the insides of the boards at
the points near the knife must be equal to the distance between the
upper and lower fabrics. In front of the gauge boards is mounted
a large circular knife, which revolves at a great speed, and cuts
the pile warp asunder as the fabric advances. The upper portion
of the fabric is carried above the knife, and wound on a roller, and
the under portion is wound on another roller below. The knife is
made of separate segments or blades screwed on a disk; and in order
to keep the cutting edge of the knife exactly in the centre, between
the
upper and under portions of the double fabric, I place under and
over the cutting blades a ring of metal, which is rounded off and placed
near the circumference of the knife, so that the pile warp may always
be kept in a state of tention. The diameter of the knife must be some-
what larger than the breadth of the fabric to be cut, in order that the
whole breadth of the fabric may be cut without imparting a traversing
in addition to a revolving motion to the knife.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Jerome André Drieu in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 2nd May 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JEROME ANDRÉ DRIEU, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Jerome André Drieu, Her special licence that
I, the said Jerome André Drieu, my executors, administrators, and as-
signs, or such others as I, the said Jerome André Drieu, my executors,
administrators; and assigns,. should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term

page_text: therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR WEAVING, AND FOR DIVIDING DOUBLE CLOTH TO MAKE PILE
FABRICS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jerome
André Drieu, by an instrument in writing under my hand and scal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
sanic to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jerome André Drieu; do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, that is to say:
My Invention consists, first, in an improved combination of ma-
chinery applicable to looms for weaving, for letting off the yarn for the
warp beam, and in improved combinations of machinery for dividing or
cutting asunder the pile warp of double fabrics. And in order that my
Invention may be fully understood, and readily carried into effect, I will
proceed to describe the means pursued by me, reference being had to
the annexed Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, is an elevation of part of a loom to which is applied my
letting off motion. Figure 2, another clevation of the same. a, is the
crank shaft, and b, the tappet shaft, to which is fixed a double cam b',
acting on the lever c, this lever has the click d, jointed to it, which
takes into the ratchet wheel e, fixed in the warp beam f. Another
ratchet wheel 9, is fixed to the warp beam for the retaining catch h.
This letting off motion is particularly applicable to looms for weaving
double fabric to be made into plush. When three picks are given for
binding in the pile warp it is essential to let off the requisite amount
of warp at every third pick; this is accomplished when a double cam b',
is used, by making the wheel and pinion on the tappet and crank shafts

page_text: in the proportion of six to one. If more than three picks are required
for binding in the pile warp, then the wheel and pinion must be altered
in proportion, so that the yarn may be let off as soon as the binding in
picks have been thrown across the shed. Figure 3, is a transverse
section, and Figure 4, a front elevation of a machine for dividing or
cutting asunder the pile warp of double fabrics. A, is a beam, as it
comes from the loom, on which the double fabric is wound. B. B, are
a pair of guide rollers between which the double fabric is guided before
it enters between the gauge boards C, C; these boards are made so
that the distance between them can be adjusted to suit the length of
the pile warp connecting the double fabric to be cut asunder. The
upper edges of the gauge boards are bevelled off' to admit the knife D,
which is sufficiently large to cut the whole width of the fabric at once;
and near the edge of the knife is a double bead, seen best in Figure 5,
which presses against the fabric after it is cut asunder, and maintains
the edge of the knife in the centre between the double fabric, the backs
of the double fabric being held against the bevelled edge of the gauge
board by the beads in the knife. E, E, are two guide rollers, over
which the pile fabrics are conveyed before they are wound on the
taking up rollers F, F. I prefer to make the knife of a circular metal
plate fixed to the shaft D', by washers, and to attach the cutting blades
to the plate in segments, as shewn in the Drawing. I also propose to
make the knife revolve two hundred revolutions in a minute, but the
inode of constructing the knife, and the speed at which it revolves, can
be varied according to circumstances. The beam A, is provided with a
weighted cord in order to prevent it letting off the fabric too fast.
When the machine is in operation the motion imparted to the taking
up rollers F, F, by the shafts and wheel work, shewn in red, or in any
other convenient manner, draws the double fabric off the beam A; it
then goes between the rollers B, and gauge boards C, as shewn by the
blue lines, and after the pile warp has been divided by the revolving
knife D, each portion of the double fabric is carried over one of the
rollers E, and wound on one of the taking up rollers F.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim as of my Invention the

page_text: improved combination of machinery for letting the yarn off the warp
beam, and the improved machinery for dividing double cloth to make
pile fabrics, as herein-before described, by means of a circular knife of
sufficient diameter to divide the double fabric throughout its entire
width without changing the position of the knife.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jerome André Drieu, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Thirtieth day of April, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-three.