APPARATUS FOR REDUCING OR EQUALIZING THE POWER REQUIRED FOR OPERATING LOOмs
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the firm of Herbert and Company, Patent
Agents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of said Invention for " APPARATUS FOR REDUCING OR
EQUALIZING THE POWER REQUIRED FOR OPERATING LOOмs," and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement of Louis L'hermite :-
The excessive effort required on the part of the weaver for operating most kinds
of weaver's looms, especially for the manufacture of fabrics with a warp requiring
a great tension, causes an extraordinary strain which many weavers are unable to
support.
Whatever can be done to reduce the effort required for working the looms will
consequently render a great service to humanity and permit at the same time tho
weaving of fabrics with a larger number of threads and with warps of greatly
different tension on the same loom and by the same weaver.
The apparatus hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings has for its object to reduce the effort required for working the looms, and
is hereinafter called an alleviating apparatus.
The principle of the Invention consists in lifting (at the closing of the shed;
when the weaver releases the treadle),-a series of arms connected for instance on
one side with the Jacquard mechanism and on the other side with a spring which
expands and relaxes, thus acting on the arms and through them on the Jacquard
mechanism, when the weaver, by pressing on the treadle of the loom, causes the
arms connected with the said mechanism to descend.
Fig. I represents an alleviating apparatus, with all the parts composing the
same, at the moment when it has just assisted in opening the warp by means of
the Jacquard mechanism.
Fig. II represents one mode of attaching the apparatus to the loom and the
manner in which it acts (by the expansion of a spring) on the Jacquard mechanism
at the moment, when the weaver presses on a treadle of the loom, the spring.

page_text: Obstructing the working of the apparatus. A piece having about the samo form as
the first (but which is straight) serves to suspend the apparatus by a pin at the
rear from the ceiling.
For articles made without the Jacquard mechanism the apparatus is placed below
the warp: the rear part near the rear pulley, and the front part below the
mounting, so that the arms of the apparatus press on the treadlo of the loom. In
this case the apparatus is suspended by two small iron trestles, the base of which
is bolted to the floor.
It will be sufficient to place between the arms, and the pin which connects the
same, a small piece of wood of 4 square centimetres, and of a length of
50 centimetres, and which is connected with the treadle. The "faillos' are
produced with one treadle only.
In this case it will be sufficient to adopt Lancelot's system which consists in
a small mechanism acting on the treadle itself and serving to hook alternately one
of the two frames for the purpose of drawing it down by the pressure of the
weaver's foot.
In looms for figured fabrics having light strokes during the weaving, that is to
say strokes which raise the threads but slightly for the purpose of figuring flowers,
one row of the Jacquard mechanism must be reserved, an elastic band being placed
on each lifting wire to be taken up by the figure. The cards are provided with a
suitable number of holes so as to render the sheds equal, after which the apparatus
will greatly reduce the weight and resistance of the same.
It should be observed that whereas there is a slight difference between the
beginning (that is to say the moment when the arms B are approximately parallel
with the beam A) and the continuation of the motion (the figures represent the
shed open), the pulloy of the Jacquard mechanism will have to be displaced from
its centre.
The springs should be nearly relaxed at the moment when the shed is complotely
open, so that they gradually lose their power, while when the shed is closed the
springs are at their highest tension.
It should be remarked, that at the moment when the power of the apparatus
changes its direction the release takes place, in other words: when the arms are in
a horizontal line, the apparatus is powerless at which moment the release takes
place.
The stop J; placed above the bar A of the apparatus, serves to arrest the
development of power in this direction.
A string connected directly with the treadle (A Fig. 2) serves to bring back the
arms, forcing the same to pass beyond this line.
In order to increase the accuracy of the functions, screwthreaded tubes may be
used..
"
UTILITY OF THE APPARATUS.
The apparatus has for its object to reduce the effort required for operating all
looms, to the same amount. Whatever the kind of fabric "figured," "arınure,"
'faille," silk, wool, cotton, the power of this apparatus may be varied in such
manner that the heaviest looms are as easily operated by the weaver, as the lightest
looms, the apparatus equilibrating nine-tenths of the loom's weight.
For instance: a loom having ten thousand warp threads requires on the part of
the weaver a pressure of about 5 kilogrammes for lifting half of these threads;
this apparatus gives pressure for 4 kilogrammes and the weaver need only to give
pressure for 1 kilogramme for the purpose of operating the loom.
If the number of threads is 20,000, it requires a pressure of 10 kilogrammes to
lift half of these threads, in which case the apparatus supplies a pressure equal
to 9 kilogramines and the weaver for 1 kilogrammo and so on.
There are looms requiring a pressure of 50 kilogrammes (and more), in which
case the apparatus supplies pressure for 49 kilogrammes.

page_text: The apparatus facilitates the operation of weaving; the fabric is more accurately
woven, the function of the Jacquard mechanism and the disengaging of the lifting
wires takes place in a faultless manner.
The weaver, being free from strain, is capable to turn out more work. Further-
more, utensils such as the mounting, the mail, the necktwines, etc., will last longer,
the loom working without shocks.
By providing power-looms with alleviating apparatus of this system, the motive
power required for operating the same may be greatly reduced.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The combination of parts constituting the alleviating apparatus, substantially
as described and illustrated by Figs. I and II.
2. The combination of the woodwork of the apparatus with the inclined arms B
and the springs, substantially as described.
3. The application of the alleviating apparatus to weaving-looms.__.
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