Improvements in Looms for Weaving.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th May, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 4th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Looms for Weaving.
I, ROBERT WIGHTON MONCRIEFF Engineer of "Brookhurst," Demesne Road,
Alexandra Park, Manchester, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows: —
My invention consists of improvements in looms for weaving and has reference
more particularly to the reeds.
I construct the reeds with the wires set in two or more rows placed one in front
of the other in such manner that the wires of one row shall be opposite the gaps
of the other row or rows. Or I combine two or more ordinary reeds in a similar
manner.
I can thus employ in weaving, reeds having the splits or dents one half wider, or
double, triple, &c., the usual width, according to the number of rows of wires
employed, or for certain qualities of cloth I may use two or more reeds having the
dents of the ordinary width.
.
The front row of wires or front reed, being that nearest to the weaver beats up
the weft and retains certain of the warp threads in position while those behind retain ;.
the other warp threads in their proper position and, as there is no strain on these
back rows, can be constructed of round wires.
There is consequently less friction on the warp threads, thereby lessening the
number of breakages and enabling softer twisted and lower quality yarns to be
wrought, whilst "reed marking" or threads in the same split running together is
entirely prevented in fabrics liable to this fault. Overscer's time is saved and a
more perfect cloth is produced.
In weaving many fabrics in order to prevent the threads that are drawn through
one dent from running together or "reedmarking" it is customary to raise the front
or breast rail and the back or yarn rail of the loom so that the threads forming the
upper half of the shed may hang slack while the weft is being beaten up, thus
allowing the slack threads to spread uniformly across the web, while the shed is
held fully open and the sley is at its farthest forward point, but this necessarily
causes an excessive strain on the warp threads and involves breakages of same,
besides being only partially successful when there are tight and slack parts in the
beaming.
When there is no risk of "reedmarking" it is not requisite that the shed shall
be full open until the sley has receded to the position it occupies when the cranks
are on the top or bottom centres (according to the direction in which the loom is
driven) or just in time to allow the shuttle to have a clear entrance into the shed;
nor do the aforesaid breast and yarn rails require to be raised.
Now as my compound reeds retain all the warp threads in their proper positions
during all the movements of the loom, I am enabled to set the before mentioned
rails in such positions as shall thoroughly equalize and reduce to a minimum the
strain on the upper and lower halves of the shed, and I am also enabled to employ
shedding wipers of such form that the shedding is performed more slowly and
gently, the time occupied in "dwelling "being reduced to what is requisite to allow
of the shuttle passing across the loom, while on the other hand the time occupied
in "shedding "is proportionately increased, allowing this important action to be
performed gently and without jerk, thus saving breakages, reducing faults in the
cloth, and permitting the speed of the loom to be accelerated.
Dated this 5th day of Nov 1805
:
:
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Looms for Weaving.
I, ROBERT WIGHTON MONCRIEFF Engineer of "Brookhurst," Demesne Road,
Alexandra Park, Manchester, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention consists of improvements in looms for weaving and has reference
more particularly to the reeds.
I construct the reeds with the wires set in two or more rows placed one in front
of another in such manner that the wires of one row shall be opposite the gaps of
the other row or rows. Or I combine two or more ordinary reeds in a similar
manner.
I can thus employ in weaving, reeds having the splits or dents one half wider, or
double, triple &c. the usual width, according to the number of rows of wires
employed, or for certain qualities of cloth I may use two or more reeds having the
dents of the ordinary width.
The front row of wires or front reed, being that nearest to the weaver beats up
the weft, and retains certain of the warp threads in position while those behind retain
the other warp threads in their proper position and, as there is no strain on these
back rows, can be constructed of round wires.
There is consequently less friction on the warp threads, thereby lessening the
number of breakages and enabling softer twisted and lower quality yarns to be
wrought, whilst "reed marking" or threads in the same split running together is
entirely prevented in fabrics liable to this fault. Overseer's time is saved and a
more perfect cloth is produced.
In weaving many fabrics in order to prevent the threads that are drawn through
one dent from running together or "reed marking," it is customary to raise the
front or breast rail and the back or yarn rail of the loom so that the threads
forming the upper half of the shed may hang slack while the weft is being beaten
up thus allowing the slack threads to spread uniformly across the web, while the
shed is held fully open and the sley is at its farthest forward point, but this
necessarily causes an excessive strain on the warp threads and involves breakages
of same, besides being only partially successful when there are tight and slack parts
in the beaming.
When there is no risk of "reed marking" which as has been already herein
stated is entirely prevented by means of my invention it is not requisite that the
shed shall be full open until the sley has receded to the position it occupies when
the cranks are on the top or bottom centres (according to the direction in which the
loom is driven) or just in time to allow the shuttle to have a clear entrance into
the shed; nor do the aforesaid breast and yarn rails require to be raised.
Now as my improved reeds retain all the warp threads in their proper positions
during all the movements of the loom, I am enabled to set the before mentioned
rails in such positions as shall thoroughly equalize and reduce to a minimum the
strain on the upper and lower halves. of the shed, and I am also enabled to employ
shedding wipers of such form that the shedding is performed more slowly and
gently, the time occupied in "dwelling "being reduced to what is requisite to allow
of the shuttle passing across the loom, while on the other hand the time occupied
in "shedding" is proportionately increased, allowing this important action to be
performed gently and without jerk, thus saving breakages, reducing faults in the
cloth, and permitting the speed of the loom to be accelerated.
The accompanying drawings represent a reed constructed according to my
invention.
Figure 1 is a front (or back view), Figure 2 a section on the line ax, and Figure 3
a section on the line y y of Figure 1..

page_text: a a are the top and bottom parallel bars which carry the wires or dents. 6b is the
front row of wires and cc the back row. It will be seen that the two rows are set
in such manner that the wires of one row are opposite the gaps of the other row.
The front row of wires 6 are of the flat form usually employed in reeds but the
back row are made round as no strain comes upon them.
As has been already described there may be more than two rows of wires in the
same reed arranged in a similar manner. Or there may be two or more ordinary
reeds combined in the loom so that the wires in one reed shall be opposite the gaps
between the wires in the other reed or reeds.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim in respect of looms for weaving is :-
1. A reed having wires set in two or more rows placed one in front of another
in such manner that the wires of one row shall be opposite the gaps of the other
row or rows, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The combination of two or more ordinary reeds one in front of another in
such manner that the wires in one reed shall be opposite the gaps between the wires
in the other reed or reeds, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 4th day of February 1893.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.