A New or Improved Weft Brake for Looms for Stopping the Loom when the Weft Breaks or is Finished.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Aug., 1887
Complete Left, 8th May, 1888
Complete Accepted, 8th June, 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Weft Brake for Looms for Stopping the Loom
when the Weft Breaks or is Finished.
I, ELI FIELDEN, weaving master, of Miraflores in the state of Mexico in the
Republic of Mexico do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to brakes for looms coming into operation when the weft
breaks or is finished for the purpose of arresting the loom and consists in an improved
arrangement of brake for effecting the stoppage of the loom more rapidly and certainly
than with the arrangements ordinarily used.
When the weft breaks or is finished, the ordinary weft fork motion comes into
operation when the shuttle has entered the shuttle box on that side of the loom on
which the weft fork is applied, and the starting lever is liberated and shifts the strap
upon the loose pulley, while at the same time a brake is applied to the flywheel for
arresting the loom. This brake ordinarily consists of a segmental block lined with
leather and connected with a weighted lever held up by a rod in such a manner, that
when the weft fork motion comes into action the said rod is left free to drop and the
lever brings the block against the rim of the flywheel. The power of this brake
however is ordinarily insufficient to arrest the motion of the loom quickly and the
crank shaft usually makes one or more revolutions before the loom stops. My
improvement consists in attaching a brake band consisting of hoop iron bent to the
shape of the flywheel and covered with leather where it comes against the flywheel
to the upper end of the existing brake block which is supported on a stud fixed to
the loom side so that it can swivel and be brought into contact with the flywheel. The
other end of the brake band I attach to a bolt passing through an eye or its equivalent
in the brake lever and fitted with nuts or set hoops to regulate the distance of the

page_text: brake band and block from the rim of the flywheel while the brake lever is held up
by the rod at the front. When the rod is liberated by the weft fork motion coming
into action, the lever drops and pulls the brake band and the brake block tight upon
the rim of the flywheel and thereby arrests the latter quickly while the shuttle still
remains in the box. By adjusting the brake band the loom can be stopped with the
crank at the back centre or at the top centre as may be desired and no weights or
springs are required for the brake lever. In some cases I attach the brake band to a
stud fixed at the back of the flywheel to the loom side instead to the brake block.
Dated this 8th day of August 1887.

page_text: A New or Improved Weft Brake for Looms for Stopping the Loom
when the Weft Breaks or is Finished.
I, ELI FIELDEN, weaving master, of Miraflores, in the State of Mexico in the
Republic of Mexico 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 brakes for stopping looms when the weft breaks or is
finished and consists in an improved arrangement of brake for effecting the stoppage
of the loom with greater certainty than is done with the arrangement ordinarily
used.
On the sheet of drawings appended hereunto my improved brake is shown in a side
view in full lines, the ordinary arrangement being represented in dotted lines, all other
parts of the loom being omitted.
When the weft breaks or is finished, the ordinary weft fork motion comes into
operation when the shuttle has entered the shuttle box on that side of the loom on
which the weft fork is applied, and the starting lever is liberated and shifts the strap
upon the loose pulley, while at the same time a brake is applied to the flywheel for
arresting the loom. This brake ordinarily consists of a segmental block a lined with
leather and supported on a lever b weighted at its other end by a weight c and held
up by a rod d in such a manner, that when the weft fork motion comes into operation
the said rod d is left free to drop and the weight c brings the block a against the rim
of the flywheel e. This produces a violent shock against the flywheel, and shaft,
causing much wear and resulting in frequent breakages of the teeth, and the action of
the brake is uncertain, the crankshaft making one or more revolutions before the loom
stops.
There is ordinarily in fast reed looms also another brake block farranged at the
back of the loom connected with the frog. My improvement consists in attaching a
brake band g, consisting of hoop iron bent to the shape of the flywheel rim and lined
with leather where it comes against the flywheel e, to the upper end of the existing
brake block for to a similar brake block specially arranged in the same way if the
loom should not be supplied with this kind of back brake. This block is supported
on a stud i fixed to the loom side so that it can swivel and be brought into contact
with the flywheel e. The other end of the brake band g is attached to a bent bolt k
fixed in the brake lever b, the end of the brake band having a series of holes in close
proximity to each other through which the bolt k can be passed and the distance of
the brake band g and block f from the flywheel while the lever 6 is held up by rod d
regulated. Instead of this arrangement the end of the brakeband may be attached to
a bolt passing through an eye or its equivalent formed on or attached to the lever b
and fitted with nuts or set hoops for regulating the said distance, or equivalent means

page_text: for this purpose may be used. I take off the brake block a and weight c when my
brake is applied to existing looms, and in the case of new loons arrange the parts as
shewn in full lines on the drawings and herein before described.
When the rod d is liberated by the weft fork motion coming into action, the lever b
drops and pulls the brakeband g upon the flywheel without any heavy shock and the
friction of the flywheel on the brakeband draws the latter and the block f tight against
the rim of the flywheel and stops the latter rapidly. By adjusting the distance
between the brakeband and the flywheel rim while the lever d is held up, the time in
which the loom is stopped from the moment the weft fork motion comes into operation
can be regulated, and the loom can be stopped with the crank at the back centre or
the top centre as may be desired, and no weights or springs are required for the
brake lever.
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 arrangement or construction of brakes for looms substantially as herein
before described and illustrated.
Secondly, the combination of a brake band g, lever b and brake block f, substantially
as herein before described and illustrated.
Dated this 7th day of May 1888