IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MECHANISM OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Gedge, of No. 4, Wellington Street,
Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MECHANISM OF LOOMS FOR
WEAVING." A Communication.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said John Gedge at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 25th November 1852, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
I, JOHN GEDGE, of No. 4, Wellington Street, Strand, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention (communicated to me by a certain Foreigner
residing abroad) of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MECHANISM OF LOOMS FOR
WEAVING" to be as follows:-
I will first proceed to describe the framework of the loom; and I
would observe, that similar letters of reference are placed upon and
denote similar parts, where such parts can be seen in the Drawing
hereunto annexed respectively.
The framework, which is entirely of wood, is composed of four
uprights A, A, A1, A¹, and nine horizontal cross pieces B, B, B1, B¹,

page_text: C, C, C, C, and d, which unite them. The upright A, A, which
corresponds with the front of the loom, possesses two bearings a, a¹,
to support the cloth roll D¹; the upright A, A', which corresponds
with the back of the loom, has two projecting pieces, a¹¹, all,
(Figures 1, and 2,) in the shape of brackets, intended to support
the roll D, of the warp.
Disposition of the warp:-The warp passes triangularly from the
back to the front of the loom, through the coats or lams b, b, and the
slay beam b¹; the cloth is made at 11, and the warp then, furnished with
its weft, rolls on the cane roll E, to descend and unroll on the cloth
roll D. But beside these operations, it is necessary that the warp and
the cloth be always kept stretched to the degree required during the
entire operation. This is explained in the following description :-The
cane roll D, of the warp is, as usual, a wooden cylinder, and rests at
each end upon a bracket a¹¹; near each of these extremities it carries
two large wide and square wooden rollers E¹, E", with deep and
wide recesses. On the roller E¹, passes a rope C, which goes twice
round it, and carries on its inner end a counterpoise C¹; and on its
outer end a weight F, which is heavier than that at C'. On the roller
E, a rope C, C₁!, passes in a similar manner, but is at its outer end
attached to the cross piece C', (Figure 2), while on its inner end it
carries a lever F¹, (Figure 1), the fulcrum of which is at d, the
resistance at d¹, and the power at d". The buckle d', forming the
resisting power, is part of the rope, which enrolls itself twice round
the roller E, and the end of which is fixed to the cross piece C¹.
This rope causes a greater or lesser friction on the pulley E",
according to the lesser or greater heaviness of the weight F", and
its longer or shorter distance from the point of resistance, having
regard to the distance which seperates it from the fulcrum d. When
the warp is rolled on the cane roll D", and after having passed on
the roll E, it is detained on the cane roll D, of the cloth, by means
of the ratchet wheel G, and two catches e, e, (Figure 2), it is plain
that, from the difference between the lever, F', and its weight F", it
is always endeavouring to augment or diminish the friction of the
cord upon the roller E¹¹; and consequently to give it a greater or

page_text: ;
lesser degree of tension; and it will be seen that, in leaving the
counterpoise C, always the same, it is sufficient, to augment or
diminish the weight F, to increase or lessen its elasticity. The
cloth roll D', is of wood furnished with iron pivots at its two ends,
which turn loosely in the brackets a, a¹; and one of them, the left
one, is extended outwards to carry the ratchet wheel G, (Figure 2).
A lever H, turning round the bolt c¹, carries at its extreme end the
jointed traction catch e", the tooth of which plays in the teeth of the
ratchet wheel G; this lever carries a weight H¹, and at its upper end
is pushed by a pulley, of which carries the one of the fly wheels H",
which is on that side. When the slay beam b, returns near the
lams or coats b, b, the pulley f, allows the upper end of the lever H,
to descend and forces it to turn on its axis e; the lower end comes
forward at the same time, the traction catch e¹¹, is pushed, and its
tooth slides upon the teeth of the rochet wheel G; but when the
slay beam b, recedes from the lams or coats b, b, for the purpose of
beating up the shoot of weft, the pulley f, entirely leaves the lever
H, and abandons it to itself; the weight H, then produces its effect;
it causes the lever H, to rotate in a certain degree; the traction
catch e, acted upon by the entire strain of the weight H', turns
the ratchet wheel G, and consequently the cloth roll D; this strain
goes on increasing as the weight H, approaches the horizontal line
of the fulcrum e¹. When the weight H, has acted, the warp begins
to reopen itself, when the two stop catches e, e, prevent the unroll-
ing of the cloth; and it is at this moment that the warp unrolls, the
weight F, is forced to descend, and the counterpoise C, descends,
touching the ground; the weight rope then slides slightly in the
throat of the wheel or roller E, while by the friction of the rope C",
on the pulley Eu, the tension of the warp becomes still greater. It
is thus that the warp always remains stretched, and the lever F¹,
and weight F, merely undergo slight vibrations from top to bottom,
and vice versa, while the warp is unrolling.
Movement of the lams:-The lams or coats are made as usual;
ff, (at Figure 2,) is the front lam, and f,f, the back one. The

page_text: rod of the first lam is fixed at the top by two wires, terminating
with two narrow leather straps or bands g¹¹, gl, (Figure 1), the
ends of which are nailed upon the wooden rollers g¹, g¹; the rod
of the second lam is similarly attached, and these two pulleys arc
fastened on the iron shaft I, which is upheld at each end by the
pieces of iron, h, h, screwed on to the cross piece D. The lams
are also attached at their lower ends, by means of wires, to the
strong iron rulers J, J, in the middle of which iron tringles or
rules are bolted, which join in the treadles J¹, J¹. It will now
be shewn in what manner the treadles J¹, J¹, rise and fall, and
how they at the same time elevate and lower the lams: - At
Figure 1, a piece K, will be seen fixed against and beneath the
cross piece C¹, and which carries at its lower end the iron axle i;
it is on this axle that the treadles J, J, are mounted, and may move
without getting displaced; but the better to assure their movement,
they are guided at their ends in the iron slots 1, 2, 21, 211, 11, 21.
It results from this arrangement, that in measure, as the treadle
J, lowers to descend the first lam, the treadle J', must neces-
sarily rise, because the straps or bands 9, J, cannot unroll on
their pulleys, unless the straps g', g', unroll upon theirs, and rc-
ciprocally thus in measure as one lam descends, the other must
remount. To open the warp alternately in one way and the other,
all that is required is to lower successively each of the treadles,
which is done by means of two pulleys K, K, which are alternately
pressed by an eccentric, of which I will herein-after describe the
action.
Movement of the slay: - The slay oscillates upon a wooden
axle K¹, which nearly touches the ground, each end of which is
furnished with an iron spindle, which rests in the bearings K¹, K¹³,
screwed against the cross pieces B¹, B¹; the two swords or wooden
balances L, L, fixed near the extremities of the axle K¹, rise to
the height of the upper part of the lams; at a certain height
these balances widen, and at their back bands offer the two pro-
jecting joints 1, (Figure 2,) to the two balances, which are to give

page_text: them motion a little above these joints; each of the balances carry
in front the piece of wood L', (Figures 1, and 2,) which forms the
upper cross piece of the slay, and which is also bolted to the
balances; lastly, at their extreme top the balances are slit through
their width to receive the wooden cross piece L", also fixed by two
bolts passing through the slit or groove, so that to withdraw the
cross piece L, it is only necessary to unscrew the nuts. The comb
61, (Figure 1,) is placed in the interval between the cross piece L¹,
and L¹¹.
Movement of the shuttle: - The cross piece L, extends on each
side over the balances, and it is on these extensions, which are
formed right and left, that the boxes in which the shuttle lodges
are placed; the two shuttle drivers 1, 111, are of wood, and slide freely
in their boxes m, m; they receive the end of the thread which puts
them in motion to drive the shuttle, and the tail block M, which
draws the thread to make it act.
It only remains to be seen how the tail block is put in motion.
The two counter cross pieces M³, fixed to the cross pieces C¹, C¹,
support a wooden frame M"; this frame in its turn carries in two
bearings the axle N, to which the tail block M, is adapted, and
it carries at the same time a wooden pulley N¹; on this pulley
the double band or strap N, is fastened by the middle of its length,
and its two ends pass through the bolt heads n¹, and n¹, and
receive the ends of the two levers 0, 0, which are placed on cach
side of the treadles J, J, and which are, like them, moveable
round the axle i, and alternately lowered by the eccentrics.
is plain that one of these levers being rapidly lowered by the
action of the eccentric, the strap or band turns the pulley, which
works the axle N, and this axle oscilates rapidly the tail block M,
which draws the thread on one side or the other, removes the
wedge and lances, the shuttle, and at the same time that one of
these levers descends, the other is forced back to its place, being
drawn upwards by the strap or band. But at the lower end of
the tail block, two other threads are attached, O, O, which pass
It

page_text: triangularly the pulleys O¹, O¹, and which are in their turn at-
tached to the shuttle drivers 1, 111, in such way that each oscillation
of the tail block withdraws the shuttle drivers, and allows the
shuttle to enter. the boxes.
Stop apparatus: The loom being put in motion by the man's
hand P, (Figure 2,) it is necessary, in certain cases, that it
should be stopped; for example, when it happens that the shuttle
catches in the warp, it is plain that the workman's hand can
never be sufficiently prompt to prevent the slay from giving its
stroke in pushing the shuttle before it, consequently breaking the
threads of the warp or the teeth of the comb. Thus it is neces-
sary to adapt some mechanism to the loom, by means of which
it will stop of itself under such circumstances; and it is such
mechanism that will now be described.
At Figures 1, and 2, will be seen an axle O", O", the two ends
of which are supported by the iron pieces p, (Figure 2,) which are
themselves fixed beneath the upper cross piece L', of of the slay;
this axle carries at its two ends a crank lever; the branch p¹, rises
at the back of the shuttle box and fixes itself under a spring,
whereas the branch p", advances horizontally; the branches p',
cach carry a projection g, which enters the shuttle box; when the
shuttle q, arrives in its box, it should push back the lever p¹, and
make it project inwards, and consequently push back the branch p",
of the crank lever; thus the shuttle cannot enter its box without
turning to a certain degree the axle O", and without elevating the
horizontal branch p"; cach time that this result is obtained, the
branch p¹¹, meets with no impediment during the movement of the
slay, and the loom works with its accustomed velocity; but when
the shuttle does not arrive in its box the axle O", does not revolve,
the branch p, is not lifted, and comes in contact with the flap ",
to stop the loom the moment the slay begins to return. This flap
is adapted to the cross piece of C, the frame work.
Communication of motion :-The working or driving shaft Q, Q,
(Figure 1, and 2,) which is put in motion by the workman's arm

page_text: P, puts in play the entire machinery of the loom. It will be seen
that it is supported by the upper cross pieces C, C, of the two ends
of the framework, and that it projects outwards to support on the
right the toothed wheel q, and on each side the fly wheel Hi, H¹¹¹‚
inside the framework, opposite the balances L, L, of the slay, it
offers two cranks R, R, both in the same direction, and on the same
principle, in the middle of which the connecting rods, 71, 71, adjust
and afterwards join into the two balances L, L; consequently, it is
evident that, at each revolution of the fly wheel, the slay makes an
entire oscillation, and strikes forcibly the shoot of weft at the same
point; if this fly wheel makes 80 revolutions per minute, it is
necessary the shuttle should pass 80 times to give 80 shoots of weft
to the slay. The toothed wheel 7, (Fig. 1,) makes as many re-
volutions as the fly wheels, but as it gears into the toothed wheel
S, which is double the diameter, the latter makes but half a turn
for each revolution of the fly wheels; the toothed wheel S, is
mounted upon one end of the eccentric shaft S₁, which shaft has its
fulcrum upon the cross pieces M', and S. The eccentrics s, s, are
mounted upon the shaft S', and turn with it to press alternately the
treadles J, J, and levers O, O; an exact idea may be formed of the
effect they produce, in first remarking that they have exactly the
same curve and are diametrically opposite. It will now be easily
seen how the moment is fixed at which the tail block M, is to lance
the shuttle; as thus, the two levers O, O, which alternately strike
the tail block, are worked by the two shuffle boards (galets) t, t,
attached to eccentrics s, s; and diametrically opposite these levers,
in about the middle of their length, it will be seen that their upper
surface offers an arch u, of th in circumference, which is the same
radius as the largest arch of the eccentrics; it is there only that they
are pressed by the shuffle boards (galets) t, t, the which they are
sharply at the moment that the shuffle board (galets comes in
contact with the first end a, of this arch, in such way that the
lever is instantaneously lowered as far as it is intended to be, and
during the entire time that the shuffle board (galets) is passing the

page_text: rest of the arch of the lever it merely maintains it at the same point
of depression.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal,.
this Twenty-third day of November, One thousand eight.
hundred and fifty-two.