IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING RIBBONS AND OTHER NARROW FABRICS, AND IN LOOMS OR APPARATUS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert Flude at the Office of the
i Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th September
1864.
I, ROBERT FLUDE, of the Town and County of Leicester, Loom Builder,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WEAVING RIBBONS AND OTHER NARROW FABRICS, AND IN LOOMS OR APPARATUS FOR
THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to a method or methods of weaving or manufacturing
narrow fabrics, and to machinery or apparatus applicable thereto, and consists
in an improved arrangement of machinery whereby different articles, such as
elastic webs, ribbons, tapes, edgings, and other narrow fabrics, may be manu-
factured with increased dispatch and in less room than by machinery -in
common use for such purposes:
The chief point in which my improved method of weaving narrow fabrics
differs from those commonly adopted is, that the operation of weaving is
performed in a vertical position, that is to say, the shuttle is disposed with its
length in a vertical direction, and moves up and down through the shed, the
breadth of the warp being necessarily in a vertical direction also. In working
one shuttle to each piece, I prefer to divide the warp into three parts, one of
which remains stationary, and forms two sheds at each crossing of the thread;
the sheds being formed the shuttle is elevated through one of them, so that the
lower end is just above the warp threads; the batten is then caused to moyo.
slightly, whereby the shuttle is carried off the lifter and over the next shed,

page_text: through which it falls immediately, the elevator being lowered at the same
time is ready to receive the shuttle, so as to repeat the same motion. From
the above it will be seen that one shuttle has inserted two weft threads
between each change of the warp threads; arrangements are made to beat up
the weft between each change of the warp threads; the batten may also be so
constructed as to work two or more shuttles abreast, thereby if necessary
inserting weft of two different kinds or colors in same web; in this case after
the shuttles are raised to the required height, they are held in that position by
catches during the crossing of the warp threads and then released and allowed
to fall; the threads are again crossed at the time the shuttles are down. I
combino a number of battens and other parts in duplicate in the breadth of a
loom or machine, so as to weave a number of webs at same time, as in ordinary
narrow fabric looms, and further, if necessary, I can repeat tho duplicate parts
so as to form two or more rows of webs in the height of the loom if necessary.
In the production of ornamental or fancy fabrics it may be found necessary
where different portions of the warp are required to be of different thicknesses
or different degrees of tonsion, instead of the warp roller I employ soveral;
the heddles also instead of being divided into two sets, each half of them
moving together as required for some patterns, a separate and independent
movement for each heddle may be adopted, according to the peculiarity of the
patterns; in this case it will be found requisite to place the cams which
actuate the heddles upon an additional spindle or shaft, whose rotation shall
be as many times slower than the driving shaft as there are beats or picks in
the whole course of the pattern to bo produced.
In the machine or loom first herein-before described one shaft, having
suitable cams and tappets upon it, is sufficient to impart the several motions
required to the different moving parts to produco a number of webs.