Improvements in Warp Operating Mechanism for Cross Weaving.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 9th June, 1891-Accepted, 29th Aug., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Warp Operating Mechanism for Cross Weaving.
I, WILLIAM TALBOT, a Citizen of the United States, residing at 3258 North
Fifth Street, in the City of Philadelphia, in the County of Philadelphia, and State
of Pennsylvania, Weaver, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN WARP OPERATING MECHANISM FOR CROSS WEAVING, and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statements :-
My invention relates to simple, durable and efficient apparatus for rapidly
weaving fine threads into a gauze fabric, especially adapted for use in the pro-
duction of chenille, yet nevertheless applicable to other purposes.
It is well known that in plain weaving the threads of the warp, whether raised or
sunk alternately, or at intervals, remain always parallel to each other, and without
crossing. But in gauze weaving, the two threads of warp which pass between the
same dents of the reed, are crossed over each other and are twined to the right and
to the left, alternately, like a cord, and cach pick of weft preserves the twine which
the warp has received. A. species of yarn which is commonly called chenille, and
which is well adapted for use as wefts in the rug, carpet and shawl manufacture,
prepared from a gauze fabric woven in the manner above described by cutting the
same into strips (by means of a suitable machine,) in the center between the dent-
fuls of warp.
Heretofore it has been customary in gauze weaving to employ a harness com-
prising positively actuated leaves and other leaves which were lifted or sunk by
the warp, and to interloop the heddles of these leaves in order to cross the two
threads of the warp. Although excellent gauze fabrics were produced by the
employment of such leaves, still the harness was difficult and expensive to mount
and in use the interlooped heddles constantly rubbed upon one another and soon
wore out. Many attempts have been made to improve upon and simplify the above
described mounting by dispensing with the crossed or looped heddles and sub-
stituting other appliances therefor, for example, two oppositely disposed combs
having eyes formed in the extremities of the teeth thereof, for the reception of the
warp threads in lieu of the crossed heddles. In use these combs were lifted and
sunk in the same manner as the leaves of a harness are usually lifted and sunk, and
one of these combs was also intermittently shifted cross-wise of the loom in order to
lift the threads which passed through the eyes thereof from one dent of the other
comb into the next dent thereof, and back again to the first dent, thereby crossing
the warp threads. In practice beneficial results were attained by the employment
of such combs in weaving coarse threads into open fabrics, but it was very difficult
even at a low rate of speed and impossible at a high rate of speed to prevent the
oscillating comb from being shifted so far that certain of the warp threads were
lifted from one dent of the other comb into a second or third dent thereof, instead
of being lifted into the adjacent dent, whereby the warp was tangled and broken.
Moreover, the teeth of one of these combs were necessarily plunged into a portion
of the warp at each operation of the loom, thereby tending to break and otherwise
injure the threads thereof. In order to prevent the threads from being lifted into
the wrong dents, when one of the combs was accidentally shifted too far, it has been
customary to combine the other coinb, with a reed in such manner that the teeth of
the comb were located in the dents of the reed. Of course the speed of the loom
could be somewhat increased when such a combined reed and comb were employed,
but the teeth of the other comb were plunged into a portion of the warp in the
manner above described and broke and otherwise injured the latter, unless it was

page_text: composed of coarse and strong yarn and unless the loom was run at a low rate of
speed.
In my invention the comb is replaced by a shifting bar provided with eyes and
having a smooth lower edge and this shifting bar is employed in connection with a
combined reed and comb as is hereinafter fully described. The warp is divided
into two portions in the usual manner, and one of these portions is led in beneath
the lower edge of the shifting bar and through the eyes of the teeth of the combined
comb and reed and the other portion is led in through the eyes of the shifting bar
and through the dents of the combined recã and comb, so that the edge of the
shifting bar contacts with a portion of the warp and depresses the same without
breaking or otherwise disturbing the threads thereof in contra-distinction to the
undesirable effects produced by repeatedly plunging the teeth of a comb into the
warp consequently in my invention very fine threads may be advantageously
employed and the loom may be driven as rapidly as requirements demand.
The principal objects of the present invention are first, to dispense with the
employment of crossed or looped heddles and to obviate the disadvantages incident
to their use; and second, to provide simple, durable and efficient mechanism for
rapidly weaving fine threads into a gauze fabric without breaking or otherwise
injuring the warp.
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described and particularly
pointed out in the claims.
The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more fully under-
stood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying
drawings forming part hereof; and in which
Figure 1, is a transverse section of a loom embodying features of my invention
and provided with warp tension controlling mechanism and showing also one portion
of the warp depressed by means of the shifting-bar, while the other portion of the
warp is slackened by said warp tension controlling mechanism and elevated by a
combined reed and comb.
Fig. 2, is a similar view showing the shifting bar lifted and a portion of the warp
tightened and sunk by the combined reed and comb.
Fig. 3, is a front 'elevation of the loom showing mechanism for reciprocating the
shifting-bar transversely of the loom; and
Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views on an enlarged scale of portions of the
shifting-bar and combined reed and comb showing the relative positions of the
threads during the operations of the loom.
In the drawings, a is a yarn beam. a' is a whip-beam over which a portion of
the warp yarn passes in its progress through the loom. a² is a cloth roller. a³ is
a cloth beam upon which the finished fabric is wound. e and e, are lease-rods for
separating the warp into two portions; a' and as, are the lay and batten-reed for
striking in or beating up each successive pick. a, are working beams keyed or
otherwise secured to a shaft A, provided at the respective extremities thereof
with arms a. This shaft A is oscillated by means of a fink a pivotally attached to
one of the arms as or in any other preferred manner. a, is a link attached at its
respective extremities to the other arm and to an arm a pivotally attached to
the whip beam a. a" is a whip-roller supported by the arm a and by an arm a
so that the oscillations of the beam a, cause the whip-roller a", to be shifted back
and forth in order to tighten and loosen the portion of the warp which passes over
it. The shifting-bar b, is attached to one arm of the working beam a, by means of
cords or rods a³, and the combined reed and comb c, is attached to the other arm of
the working beam by means of a rod or cord a", so that when the working beam a
is turned, for example, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the combined reed and comb c, is
elevated and the shifting-bar b, is sunk; and when the working beam a, is turned
in the other direction Fig. 2, the shifting bar b, is raised and the combined reed and
comb c, is sunk. sands, are spiral springs for drawing the shifting-bar b, and
the combined reed and comb c, downwards. a, Fig. 3, is a positively driven shaft
provided with a double grooved cam a". a", is an arm pivotally supported at or

page_text: near its center and having one extremity thereof in engagement with the cam a¹6,
and the other extremity thereof connected with the shifting bar b, by means of a
link as, so that the revolutions of the shaft a, cause the shifting-bar b, to be
reciprocated transversely of the loom, and the number of such reciprocations may
be increased or diminished by varying the speed of rotation of the shaft a¹.
In Figs. 4 and 5, the shifting-bar b, is preferably composed of a strip of wood b¹,
provided with a depending metal strip 62. This metal strip 62, is provided with a
series of eyes 63, adapted for the reception of a portion of the warp and with a
smooth and slightly rounded lower edge b', adapted to contact with and depress the
other portions of the warp, without breaking or otherwise injuring the same.
The combined comb and reed c, is composed of upper and lower capes and c²,
with cross-bars c³, connecting said capes and forming dents e, adapted for the
reception of the warps, which pass through the eyes 63 of, the shifting-bar b.
care teeth located in the dents, and extending upward to the middle thereof.
c, are eyes formed in the extremities of the teeth, and adapted for the reception
In use the
of the portion of the warp which passes beneath the shifting-bar b.
warp is divided into two portions and the threads 1 of one portion are led in over
the stationary whip beam a', through the eyes 3, of the shifting-bar b, and through
the dents c, of the combined reed and comb c. The threads 2, of the other portion
of the warp are led in over the adjustable whip-roller a", beneath the smooth
edge of the shifting-bar b, and through the eyes c of the teeth of the combined
reed and comb.
The mode of operation of the mechanism hereinbefore described is as follows:-
Referring to Figs. 1 and 4, the whip-roller a", is shifted towards the right,
the shifting-bar b, is sunk and the combined reed and comb e is elevated, (by
oscillating the working-beam a³, or in any other preferred manner,) so that the
threads 1, occupy positions behind the teeth (Fig. 4) of the combined reed
and comb and near the lower cape c, and rods c³, thereof, and the threads 2,
are slackened and depressed by the lower edge 6, of the shifting bar b, and
lifted by the teeth e. One or more wefts or woofs are then thrown into the
shed and beaten up in the usual manner. The combined reed and comb is then
sunk and the whip-roller a", is shifted to the left Figs. 2 and 5, and the shifting-
bar b, is lifted (Fig. 5) by means of the working beam a°, in any preferred
manner, so that the threads 2 are tightened and sunk, and the threads 1, are lifted.
One or more wefts or woofs are then thrown in, in the usual manner, and the
shifting-bar b, is shifted towards the left (Fig. 3,) by means of the shaft a",
cam a and bar a", or in any other preferred manner, so that the threads 1, are
crossed over the threads 2, and will occupy positions in front of the teeth c³, and
near the lower cape c³, and bars c, when the shifting-bar b, is again lowered. By
a repetition of the above described operations the process of weaving is made con-
tinuous and may be conducted as rapidly as required for the reason that the
shifting-bar b, does not tend to break the threads of the warp and for other reasons,
which will be readily understood by those skilled in the art of weaving without
further description.
It is obvious that modifications may be made as to some of the details of the
machine hereinbefore described without departing from the spirit of the invention,
and hence I do not limit myself to the exact construction hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and objects of my
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with al gauze loom provided with warp slackening
mechanism, of a shifting bar having a straight lower edge provided with eyes,
a comb, mechanism for lifting and sinking the comb and means for reciprocating
the bar transversely of the loom, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. The combination, in a loom provided with automatic warp slackening

page_text: mechanism, of a shifting-bar provided with eyes, a comb provided with eyes,
mechanism for lifting and sinking said comb and bar and means for shifting said
bar transversely of the loom, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. The combination, in a loom having warp tension adjusting mechanism, of a
shifting-bar provided with eyes, a combined comb and reed, mechanism for alter-
nately lifting and sinking said shifting-bar and combined comb and reed and means
for shifting said bar transversely of the loom, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
4. The combination, in a loom provided with a fixed whip-beam and an
adjustable whip-roller, of a shifting bar provided with eyes, a comb provided with
teeth having eyes therein, mechanism for alternately lifting and sinking said bar
and comb and means for shifting said bar transversely of the loom, substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
5. The combination, in a loom provided with a fixed whip-beam and an adjustable
whip-roller, of a shifting-bar having a smooth lower edge provided with eyes, a
combined reed and comb, mechanism for lifting and sinking said combined reed and
comb and said shifting-bar, and means for shifting said bar transversely of the loom,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated 18th day of May A.D. 1891.
WILLIAM TALBOT.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.