IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Lea, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
LOOMS FOR WEAVING,"
Scaled the 24th April. 1866, and dated the 17th February 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Lea at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th
February 1866.
I, HENRY LEA, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Mechanical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates, firstly, to the working of the shuttles of looms, and
consists in working the said shuttles by compressed air in a more simple
manner than has hitherto been accomplished. Hitherto compressed air has
been stored up and employed to propel the shuttle across the loom, necessi-
tating the use of air-condensing pumps with valves, a vessel in which to store
the condensed air and valves worked by levers and cams to admit the con-
densed air to the shuttle box of the loom. My improvements consist in driving
the shuttle across the loom by means of a blast of atmospheric air produced
[Price 8d.]

page_text: by a single stroke or passage of a piston or diaphragm within a hollow cylinder,
which cylinder is in free and open communication with the shuttle box of the
loom without the intervention of a storage vessel, valve box, valves or taps,
and apparatus for actuating the same. I produce the stroke or passage of the
said piston or diaphragm in the following manner, that is to say, by a cam
wiper or crank employed gradually to compress a spring of suitable strength,
which spring is released at the proper moment to drive forward the piston or
diaphragm, the cam wiper or crank drawing back the piston or diaphragm
while compressing the spring.
My Invention consists, secondly, of the following improvements in the
shuttles and shuttle boxes of looms in which the shuttles are worked by com-
pressed air. I make the shuttle box slightly larger internally than the shuttle,
and I place at the mouth of the said shuttle box a collar of leather or other
flexible material made in one or more parts, and of such a shape as to close
upon the shuttle by the pressure of the blast of air so as to form an air-tight
or nearly air-tight joint. I also make the shuttle of a nearly rectangular
section, as usual, but with a solid bottom, and I provide a hinged lid to close
the opening, by which the cop is introduced, my object being to preserve the
surface of the shuttle parallel and unbroken so as to enable the aforesaid
air-tight joint during
collar on the shuttle box to form an air-tight or nearly
the motion of the shuttle within the box. The ends of the shuttle may be
made conical as usual; or I make the aforesaid collar on the shuttle box of
a circular shape internally, and I form upon the body of the shuttle at each
end a cylindrical portion fitting into the aforesaid collar and forming an air-
tight or nearly air-tight joint. The extreme ends of the cylindrical portions
may be made conical and the top and bottom left open in the usual manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Lea in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
August 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
LEA, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Mechanical Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me

page_text: the said Henry Lea, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Lea, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Lea, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR
WEAVING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry
Lea, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Henry Lea, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention relates, firstly, to the working of the shuttles of looms, and
consists, in working the said shuttles by compressed air in a more simple
manner than has hitherto been accomplished. Hitherto compressed air has
been stored up and employed to propel the shuttle across the loom, necessi-
tating the use of air condensing pumps with valves, a vessel in which to store
the condensed air and valves worked by levers and cams to admit the condensed
air to the shuttle box of the loom.
My improvements consist in driving the shuttle across the loom by means
of a blast of atmospheric dir produced by a single stroke or passage of a
piston or diaphragm within a hollow cylinder, which cylinder is in free and
open communication with the shuttle box of the loom without the intervention
of a storage vessel, valve box, valves, or taps and apparatus for actuating the
same. I produce the stroke or passage of the said piston or diaphragm in the
following manner, that is to say, by a cam wiper or crank employed
gradually to compress a spring of suitable strength, which spring is released
at the proper moment to drive forward the piston or diaphragm, the cam
wiper or crank drawing back the piston or diaphragm while compressing the
spring.
My Invention consists, secondly, of the following improvements in the
shuttles and shuttle boxes of looms, in which the shuttles are worked by
compressed air. I make the shuttle box slightly larger internally than the

page_text: shuttle, and I place at the mouth of the said shuttle box a collar of leather or
other flexible material made in one or more parts, and of such a shape as to close
upon the shuttle by the pressure of the blast of air so as to form an air-tight or
nearly air-tight joint. I also make the shuttle of a nearly rectangular section
as usual, but with a solid bottom, and I provide a hinged. lid to close the open-
ing by which the cop is introduced, my object being to preserve the surface of
the shuttle parallel and unbroken so as to enable the aforesaid collar on the
shuttle box to form an air-tight or nearly air-tight joint during the motion of
the shuttle within the box. The ends of the shuttle may be made conical as
usual; or I make the aforesaid collar on the shuttle box of a circular shape
internally, and 1 form upon the body of the shuttle at each end a cylindrical
portion fitting into the aforesaid collar and forming an air-tight or nearly air-
tight joint. The extreme ends of the cylindrical portions may be made
conical and the top and bottom left open in the usual manner.
Having explained the nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying Drawing the manner in which the same is
to be performed.
Figure 1 represents an end elevation (partly in section), and Figure 2 a
front elevation (partly in section), of a portion of a loom constructed according
to my Invention, in which the shuttle is propelled by means of a blast of air
produced by a single stroke or passage of a piston, the said piston being.
actuated by a crank. The same letters indicate the same parts in both
Figures.
A is one of the end frames of the loom carrying the upper crank shaft B,
and the lower shaft C in bearings in the usual manner. a and are the pinion
and wheel by which the shaft C is driven; D is the lathe or sley beam; and E
is one of the swords which support the lathe D and vibrate with it when put in
motion by the crank c and connecting rods d (see Figure 1). To the end
frame AI attach a bracket F carrying a bearing G for one end of the hollow
shaft H to work in; the other end of the said shaft H being carried in
a bearing I attached directly to the end frame A. K is an upright
standard vibrating upon the pin e, which is capable of adjustment by the
bracket upon the bracket F, so as to be set in the same line of centre as the
bar g, to which are bolted the swords E. Upon the top of the standard K is
bolted a hollow cylinder L, which may be cast in one with its various flanges,
or be formed of a piece of drawn tube of brass, iron, or steel, as shown in the
Drawing, held firmly between the cylinder cover and the standard K by
means of the long bolts i. M is the body of the piston, which for the sake of
lightness I prefer to make of hard wood or other light material. The piston

page_text: is made air-tight by means of a flexible cupped packing k pressed outwards
by a light circular or hoop spring inserted within the said packing. The
packing is held down by a cover I screwed to the body of the piston M. A
hollow metal socket m is let into the body of the piston M and forms the
bearing for the hemisphere n at the end of the light rod o. N is a coiled
spring slightly recessed into the body of the piston M, and also recessed into
the cross bracket p, which is bolted to the standard K, and forms the fixed
abutment from which the said coiled spring acts. A slot q is formed in the
bracket p to allow of the vibration of the rod o. The spring N is so adjusted
as when uninfluenced by the rod o to press the piston slightly against the
cylinder cover h. The adjustable socket r at the lower end of the rod o is
attached to the pins of the crank 2, which crank is formed in one piece with
its shaft t, and the said shaft t revolves freely within the before-mentioned
hollow shaft H. The said hollow shaft H has a crank O fixed upon its end
into which is fixed a short stud or pin u, which pin u carries round the loose
crank when the shaft H is caused to revolve by the wheels P, P, one of
which is keyed upon the lower shaft C. The crank t* being caused to descend
by the stud u pulls down the piston M and compresses the spring N, but
when the crank t has slightly passed its lower dead centre the said spring N
is at liberty suddenly to raise the piston M, rod o, and crank t. The Drawing
illustrates the spring almost fully compressed, and the crank approaching its
lower dead centre. The volume of air contained in the hollow cylinder L
above the piston M is thus violently expelled through the short flexible
tube V into the shuttle box W (herein-after described), and the shuttle is
propelled from the said shuttle box into the opposite shuttle box. In the
further revolution of the crank O the stud u overtakes the now stationary
crank, and the operation described is repeated. The rod o is adjusted so
as just to prevent the piston M from touching the cylinder cover h when
pressed upwards by the spring N. In order to permit of the ready access of
air to the cylinder L when the piston is drawn to its lowest position a series
of holes is made in the cylinder just above the point which the piston occupies
when it is in its lowest position; these holes are shown in the cylinder L,
Figure 2, and also in the cylinder 1, Figure 5. In order that the lathe D
may cause the vibration of the cylinder L and of the standard K without
strain upon the flexible tube V two vertical clips w are formed upon the
cylinder cover ht, against one or other of which the lathe presses in its
vibration from right to left, or the reverse As the pinion a is only half the
diameter of the wheel b, and as the two wheels P, P, are of equal diameters,
it follows that the crank O revolves once only to every two revolutions of the

page_text: crank shaft B. A similar arrangement of cylinder, spring, and parts described
is applied to the other end of the loom, and the two similar cranks O are set
exactly opposite to each other, that is, when one is up the other is down.
The springs at either end of the loom are thus alternately compressed and
released, and the shuttle is thrown across the loom once for each revolution of
the crank shaft B, and the throw always takes place at the same point of
revolution of the said shaft B, as in the case of the ordinary picking motion
of a power loom. I do not limit myself to the positions of the cylinders
represented, as the said cylinders may be placed in other positions with the
same effect.
The shuttle and shuttle box before referred to are represented in sectional
elevation in Figure 6. and plan in Figure 7 of the Drawing. A is the body
of the shuttle, and a is the cop spindle with its usual pins and springs; c is the
closed bottom of the shuttle, and d is a lid kept shut by a spring e in order to
preserve a parallel unbroken surface of shuttle, against which the flexible
collar may bear and form an air-tight or nearly air-tight joint, while the
shuttle is leaving the box. The lid d may be hinged to the shuttle at either
end, or the lid d may be fixed to the hinged end of the cop spindle, so that
the lid and the cop spindle may simultaneously be opened or closed, and one
spring and one hinge pin may serve for both the cop spindle and the lid; or
I make only the bottom of the shuttle solid, as has hitherto been done in
pneumatic looms, but instead of causing the shuttle to run upon its solid
bottom during its course to and fro I turn the shuttle over, so that what was
previously the solid bottom has now become the top of the shuttle, and the
open cop hole of the shuttle lies upon and is closed by the bottom plate of the
shuttle box. By this means I am enabled fully to utilize the blast of air
which propels the shuttle, which cannot be done if the cop hole is next the
top of the shuttle box, because when the shuttle is put in motion by the blast
of air the leading end of the cop hole passes from under the lid of the shuttle
box and allows the blast of air to pass to waste through the cop hole of the
shuttle, whereas by turning the cop hole downwards the waste of air is
prevented on account of the bottom of the shuttle box being so much longer
than the top of the shuttle box. The flexible collar may be made to bear
on all sides of the shuttle if required, but it is not found necessary to apply
it to the bottom of the shuttle as a sufficiently air-tight joint is formed by the
shuttle lying upon the iron plate forming the bottom of the shuttle box. The
inlet pipe for the blast is shown upon the top of the shuttle box as required
for the arrangement represented in Figure 5, and herein-after described; but
it is obvious that the inlet pipe may be placed in any position required by the

page_text: arrangement of the other parts of the apparatus. Two adjustable guides h
and i are placed so as to compel the shuttle to enter the box.
Figures 8 and 9 represent in elevation a modification of the shuttle. In
this case one of the cylindrical ends only enters the shuttle box, which is
made of a circular section and contains a flexible collar at its mouth, similar
to that represented in Figures 6 and 7, except that the collar is made circular
instead of rectangular in cross section, and completely embraces the circum-
ference of the cylindrical portion of the shuttle, instead of pressing against
the shuttle upon the top and two sides only. The shuttle box used with the
last described shuttle, Figures 8 and 9, is made much shorter than that
represented in Figures 6 and 7, and the capacity of the hollow cylinder is
diminished and the strength of the spring is increased so as to give an
increased condensing power on a smaller volume of air, and thereby to cause
a greater intensity of pressure.
Figures 3, 4, 5, and 5 represent two other ways of applying the blast pro-
ducing apparatus to the loom. In Figures 3 and 4 the lower shaft C
(Figure 1) is removed to the position marked C in Figures 3 and 4, the
heddle levers 1, wc, being worked from cams y, y, upon it in the ordinary
manner, except that the heddle levers are jointed to the front bar R of the
loom instead of to the bar at the back of the loom. The shaft C may be
made hollow as represented for lightness, and should be long enough to extend
from the bearing S to the corresponding bearing at the other end of the loom.
The fast crank T is secured upon the end of the shaft C (as in the case of the.
shaft H in Figures 1 and 2), and part of the short shaft of the loose crank is
shown at fin Figure 4. z is a set screw entering into a groove in the shaft f
to prevent end play. The other parts of this arrangement are similar to those
represented in Figures 1 and 2.
:
By the last described arrangement three toothed wheels only are required
instead of six; these are marked a, b, and U, the latter being an interme-
diate pinion running upon a stud affixed to the frame, and used only for the
purpose of reducing the diameters of the other wheel and pinion. The swords
E will require to be cranked at V in order to clear the shaft C:
Figures 5 and 5 represent an arrangement in which the piston is actuated
by a cam. The cylinder 1 (which is here shown cast in one piece) is attached
to the frame by the bracket 2, and does not vibrate ias in the previously
described arrangements. The piston rod 3 passes through a square socket 4,
to which it is secured by a set screw 5, passing through a boss 5, forming
part of the socket 4. The square socket 4 carries upon its side the friction
roller 6, and is made long enough to slide in the fixed guide 7, by which it is

page_text: prevented from turning round; a cam 8 is fixed upon a wheel 9, and is of
such a shape as gradually to withdraw the piston and compress the spring by
means of the roller 6 and rod 3, and then to allow of the sudden return of
the piston under the action of the spring. The wheel 9 runs upon a fixed
stud 10, and is put in motion by the pinion 11. In this arrangement the
connection between the cylinder 1 and the shuttle box 12 is made by a piece
of flexible tube 13 of sufficient length to allow of the vibration of the shuttle
box with the lathe E¹.
My Invention may be modified in other ways than those which I have
described; for example, the cylinder and piston may be replaced by a shallow
cylinder, and an air-tight flexible diaphragm attached thereto, the said
diaphragm being acted upon by the spring in same manner as the piston in the
arrangements described; or the compressing or condensing mechanism may
be made in the form of a small pair of bellows. Although I have described
and represented the best arrangements with which I am acquainted of giving
motion to the piston, or diaphragm, or bellows, yet I wish it to be understood
that the said piston, diaphragm, or bellows may be actuated by a cam wiper or
crank acting directly upon the said piston, diaphragm, or bellows, without the
intervention of a spring, but I consider this method is much inferior to that
in which a spring is used. Rapid impulse must of necessity be given to the
piston, or diaphragm, or bellows, and if the impulse be given directly by a cam
a very injurious throb and strain is caused throughout all the working
portions of the loom at the moment of such impulse, which sudden strain is
entirely avoided by the use of the gradually compressed spring.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise details herein described, and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from
the nature of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention,-
Firstly, the improvements in driving the shuttles of looms by compressed
air herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that
is to say, driving the shuttle across the loom by means of a blast of atmo-
spheric air produced by a single stroke or passage of a piston or diaphragm
within a hollow cylinder, or by the single stroke of a pair of bellows, which
cylinder or bellows is in free and open communication with the shuttle box
of the loom, thereby dispensing with a storage vessel, valve box, valves, or
taps, and apparatus for actuating the same.
Secondly, the improvements in the shuttles and shuttle-boxes of looms in
which compressed air is employed to drive the shuttle herein-before described

page_text: and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, that is to say, applying a self-
closing flexible collar to the mouths of the shuttle boxes, and making the
shuttles either rectangular and closed at the top and bottom or cylindrical for
a certain portion of their length at each end.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Lea, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
HENRY LEA. (L.S.)