CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING, AND IN MA- CHINERY FOR WEAVING HAT PLUSH AND OTHER CUT-PILED FABRICS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Peacock, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in
the County of Lancaster, Hat and Silk Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING, AND IN MA-
CHINERY FOR WEAVING HAT PLUSH AND OTHER CUT-PILED FABRICS."
Sealed the 2nd August 1853, and dated the 5th February 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Peacock
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Peti-
tion, on the 5th February 1853.
I, THOMAS PEACOCK, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of
Lancaster, Hat and Silk Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING, AND IN
MACHINERY FOR WEAVING HAT PLUSH AND OTHER CUT-PILED FABRICS," to
be as follows:-
My Invention consists, firstly, in placing the warp beams A, and
B, (sec the sketch annexed hereto,) almost close to each other, so
that the upper beam A delivers its yarn at the under side; half the
threads passing under the first rod c, and over the second rod d, are
then carried through the healds to form a portion of the upper cloth,

page_text: while the yarn on the lower beam comes off at the upper side, hal
the threads being carried over the rod c, and under the rod d
through the healds, & forms a portion of the lower cloth, the other
portions of the threads from each beam pass in opposite directions
in each case, and form the remaining part of the warp threads in
each piece of cloth. By this arrangement I am enabled to ensure a
uniform distance between the two cloths, as shewn by the lines e,
and f, passing from the rod d to the guage g, representing half of
each set of warp threads, betwixt which the length of pile (in red
lines) is regulated, the pile yarn being woven in in the usual way,
coming from the pile yarn beam S.
Secondly, in the machinery or apparatus for working the taking
up roller h, for the cloth by means of a bell crank i, ratched wheel
J, worm K, wheel I, all actuated by the levers and rods from the
lay m.
Thirdly, in the apparatus for working the knife for cutting the
pieces asunder, which consists in a vibrating arm moving the cord n,
which passes over the pullies o, o, and being actuated by the feet of
the weaver cause the cutter P to traverse across the cloth and cut
the pile midway as the cloth advances and passes over the cloth
beam.
Fourthly, in the arrangement of the apparatus for giving a signal
or for stopping the loom when a warp thread breaks; it consists of a
series of needles q, hung upon the warp threads, and when any
thread breaks the needle shall descend and bring in contact with
the slay a lever which can be made either to ring a bell or instantly
arrest the moving of the slay.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Thomas Peacock in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 4th August 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
THOMAS PEACOCK, of Ashton-under-Lyne, in the County of Lan-
caster, Hat and Silk Manufacturer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Peacock, Her especial
licence that I, the said Thomas Peacock, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Peacock,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agrec
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term 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 In-
vention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN WEAVING, AND IN MACHINERY
FOR WEAVING HAT PLUSH AND OTHER CUT-PILED FABRICS," upon con-
dition (amongst others) that the said Thomas Peacock, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly.
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same 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 Thomas Peacock, 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):
The novelty of my improvements in the weaving of cut-piled
fabrics consists in a peculiar mode of arranging the warp thread
when such fabrics are woven double and afterwards separated by
cutting the pile common to both pieces, the object of which improve-
ment is that of forming the sheds with less strain upon the warp
threads, and to obtain a more certain uniformity in the distance
between the warps, and thus a more uniform length of pile. To
accomplish the latter purpose would be easy, by bringing the two
warps parallel and at the required distance, according to the length
of the pile required; but it would be obvious to a weaver that the
sheds could not be properly formed without an undue strain upon

page_text: one part of the threads, at the same time leaving the other part
slack, as it is necessary in forming a shed that the rising and falling
healds shall pass through equal distances from the centre line; to
obviate this difficulty I arrange the warp threads so that part of the
threads from each warp beam shall form part of the warp of each
piece, and so that the healds through which these threads pass have
corresponding motions, that is, they are both drawn equal dis-
tances from the centre line. I have also found that when the pile
warp is all on one beam it is advantageous to divide the threads
which pass to each of the pile healds, so that the required tension
can be put upon the threads by means of rollers connected with
spiral springs, which spiral springs enable the threads to give way
to the motion of the healds, and thus avoid any undue strain.
My Invention also relates to the mechanism for weaving cut-piled
fabrics, the novelty of which does not consist in the parts separately
considered, but in the general arrangement of the whole.
B
And that the whole of my Invention may be clearly understood I
will now proceed to describe the Drawing annexed hereto, the same
letters being used to denote the same parts in each of the Figures.
Fig. 1, is an end sectional elevation, and Fig. 2, the front elevation of
an hand loom for weaving cut-piled fabrics. A, A, A, is the framing of
the loom; B, and C, the warp beams, sustained in brackets screwed
on each side of the framing of the loom; one half the threads from
pass under and the other half over the rod D, and then each half
pass respectively over and under the rod E, formning one half of the
warp of the upper and lower pieces. I will suppose these threads to
be those represented by the straight lines a, a. The threads from the
warp
beam C pass in like manner under and over the rods D, and E,
and is represented by the lines b, b; each thread is passed through its
proper heald, and through the reed in the ordinary manner, then
through the guage C, (which regulates the length of the pile,) above
and below the hollow rod in which the pile cutter knife slides, and
partly round the taking up roller, which is covered with small sharp
pins or spikes, so as to take hold of both fabrics, and then drops in
folds. The pile beam F is suspended in bearings from the framing

page_text: at F. The threads are shewn in Fig. 1 to be divided into four
parts, and dare shewn to pass from the beam F under their respective
rollers at d, 1, 2, 3, and 4, and then under the roller d³, (which
rests on the threads, and is tied to the framing A by iron rods do,)
to the pile healds and reed as usual. The axis of the rollers (d, 1, 2, 3,
and 4,) revolve in hooks or eye holes, which are connected with the
spiral springs e, 1, 2, 3, and 4, (attached to the framing A, as shewn,)
which keep the required amount of tension on the threads, but give
way to the motion of the healds, when the strain would be greater
than the amount required; the lines a, a, and b, b, as shewn in the
Drawing, represent the "sheds" when fully formed ready for both
shuttles, to be driven through the lower one passing along the shuttle
race, as in the ordinary manner, with a single piece, and the upper one
is supported in its passage from box to box solely by the warp threads.
I need not add anything further in explanation of the process
of weaving cut-pile fabrics in the manner referred to, as the novelty
of my Invention only relates to the arrangement of the warp threads
in the loom, the process afterwards being in the ordinary manner,
and is well understood, but I shall go on to describe my arrange-
ment of the mechanism. G, is the slay of the loom oscillating from
the top of the framing at the point G¹. H, H, are the slay swords.
H is an arm attached to and partaking of the motion, of the
sword H, to which is attached a rod H2, also attached to one arm
of a bell crank lever I, which has its centre fixed on the side of
the framing A; to the other arm of the bell crank lever another
rod J is attached, which connects it with a short radial arm J2
having its fulcrum on the framing A at J³; to the end of the
radial arm J2 is jointed a pawl J4, which takes, into the ratchet
wheel K, which revolves on an axis K¹ secured to the framing;
on the end of the axis K¹ is fixed the worm K2, which takes into a
wheel K³ on the taking up beam L; this mechanism (from the
motion of the slay sword) effects the taking up of the fabric as it
is woven. M, are the treddles which have their fulcrums at M¹.
N, N, two levers, having their fulcrums fixed in the side framing A,
which receive motion by connecting bands from the treddles, which
.

page_text: is transmitted by bands N¹, N¹, to corresponding levers N2, N2;
these levers are connected by bands N³, N³, with the segment of a
pulley O, which has its axis fixed on the framing at 01; upon this
axis is fixed the rod P, the end of which is connected by a short
band with the band P'; this band passes over the pullies Q, Q, fixed
on the top of the framing, and then descends, passes under the
pullies Q¹, Q', and both ends are attached to the pile cutter knife R,
which is fixed in a piece of wood about two inches long, which is
attached to a finger projecting from a bolt which slides in the
slotted tubes; this slotted tube serves as a guide to the knife R, when
passing across the cloth from one side to the other. When the
treddles are worked an oscillatory motion is imparted to the arm P,
from side to side, which traverses the band P¹ one way and then
the other, which draws the knife from one side of the cloth to the
other, cutting the pile as it is woven. On one side of the loom a small
wet stone is fixed, upon which the edge of the knife is made to rub
each time it has passed across the loom, which keeps it sharp. T,
are the healds, which are mounted and worked in the ordinary
manner. u, u, are weights for the purpose of effecting the neces-
sary tension on the warp threads, as is well understood.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Peacock, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Third day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
THOMAS PEACOCK. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered, being
first duly stamped, by the within-
named Tho Peacock, in the pre-
sence of
PETER J. LIVSEY,
of Manchester.