IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC LOOMS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Harrison Moreland, of Belfast, in the
County of Antrim, and Kingdom of Ireland, Flax Spinner, 'and
James Conlong, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanic,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Harrison Moreland
and James Conlong at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 26th November 1868.
We, JOHN HARRISON MORELAND, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim,
and Kingdom of Ireland, Flax Spinner, and JAMES CONLONG, of Black-
burn, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC LOOMS," to be as
follows:-
The first part of this Invention consists in making the shuttle boxes
of pneumatic looms more perfectly air-tight with less friction on the
shuttle than hitherto. To this end we form the shuttle boxes with a
lining of corkwood of about one quarter of an inch in thickness, and

page_text: extending for about two-thirds the length of the shuttle. The boxes may
be formed outwardly of wood or iron and fastened to a slay in the usual
manner. If the boxes be of wood we fit wrought-iron straps on having
set screws on the front and top sides for contracting the diameter of the
box to compensate for the diminution of size of the shuttle by friction
in working. In making the boxes of iron we cast lugs or projections
on the outside and fit them with adjusting screws for adjusting the box
to the shuttle.
The second part of this Invention consists in a novel mode of obtaining
the "pick" in pneumatic looms. This is accomplished by fitting on
each end of the crank shaft an additional crank or excentric of about
the same throw as the crank for working the slay, and fitting on the
back of the slay at or near the ends thereof two light metallic cylinders
horizontally, having their outer ends open. To cach crank or excentric
on the crank shaft end we fit a connecting rod and piston to work into
the cylinders on the slay ends. The cranks or excentrics for working
the pistons are set at nearly right angles with the crank for working the
slay, the slay crank leading. In this position the two cranks will give
a full stroke equal to the throw of one crank in one-quarter of a revolu-
tion, thereby forming a sudden pick through the action upon the shuttle
of the air compressed in the cylinder. The cylinders are fitted with pipes
for conveying the air therefrom to their respective shuttle boxes. The
pistons are formed on the principle of an air pump bucket with holes
in the body of the bucket and an india-rubber valve on the face, drawing
out freely and closing when compressing the air. to produce the pick.
In place of cylinders and pistons circular-shaped bellows may be used
for obtaining the compressed air. These we form by placing a series
of rings (by preference of variable diameters) in a casing of leather,
and connecting the casing with the shuttle boxes, and allowing the
bellows to draw in air when expanded, like the pistons of the cylinders.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Harrison Moreland and James Conlong in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th May 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
HARRISON MORELAND, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, and

page_text: Kingdom of Ireland, Flax Spinner, and JAMES CONLONG, of Blackburn,
in the County of Lancaster, Mechanic, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto us, the said John Harrison Moreland and
James Conlong, Her special licence that we, the said John Harrison
Moreland and James Conlong, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said John Harrison Moreland and
James Conlong, our 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, aud Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC LOOMS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said John Harrison Moreland and James
Conlong, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our, 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 John Harrison Moreland, on behalf
of myself and of the said James Conlong, do hereby declare the nature
of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to an improved mode of constructing
the shuttle boxes of pneumatic looms, the object being to render then
more perfectly air-tight, while they offer less friction to the shuttle on
its entrance and exit than heretofore. To this end we line the shuttle
boxes with corkwood of about one-quarter of an inch in thickness, and
extend the lining for about two-thirds the length of the shuttle. The.
boxes may be formed outwardly of wood or iron and fastened to a slay
in the usual manner. If the boxes be of wood we fit wrought-iron
straps on having set screws on the front and top sides for contracting

page_text: the diameter of the box to compensate for the diminution of size of the
shuttle by friction in working.
66
The Invention relates, secondly, to a novel mode of obtaining the
pick" in pneumatic looms. This object we attain by fitting on cach
end of the crank shaft an additional crank or excentric of about the
same throw as the crank used for working the slay, and fitting on the
back of the slay at or near the ends thereof two light metallic cylinders
which communicate with the shuttle boxes, and in which work pistons
connected respectively to the cranks or excentrics on the crank shaft
ends. These pistons and cylinders act like air pumps, and thus impart
the required reciprocating motion to the shuttle.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 shews in end elevation so much
of a loom with the improvements applied thereto as will serve to explain
the nature of our Invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a portion
of the upper part of the slay, shewing some of its fittings, the section
being taken through the middle of the shuttle box; Fig. 3 is a trans-
verse section on an enlarged scale of the shuttle box; and Fig. 4 is a
view illustrating the mode of preparing the cork lining to increase its
natural elasticity.
In the Drawing the shuttle boxes (one only being shewn) are supposed
to be made of iron. Fitted to the top of the slay beam A is an angular
plate B, which is secured in place by means of screws, as shewn at Fig. 1.
This slay plate B forms the bottom and inner side of the shuttle boxes, and
it is cast with flanged openings B', which are intended to admit com-
pressed air from the cylinders to the shuttle boxes in rear of the shuttle
to be propelled through the open shed. The outside or front of the
shuttle boxes is formed by plates B² cast with lugs or projections on their
outside to receive screws b which pass through cap plates B³ that form the
top of the shuttle boxes and enter tapped holes in the slay plate B. By
giving these screws play in the lugs or projections, as shewn at Fig. 3, the
plates B admit of being advanced to contract the capacity of the boxes
and adjusts them to the wear of the shuttle. The shuttle boxes are
lined at top and on one side with slabs of cork, which are held in place
by pressure, and to increase the natural elasticity of the cork so as to
allow of its readily yielding to the shuttle it is scored with grooves
running at right angles to each other on its inner or back face, as shewn
best at Fig. 4. Referring now to Fig. 1 it will be seen that over the
openings B' in the slay plate are fixed the cylinders C by means of

page_text: screws which pass through the partially closed ends of the cylinders
and enter the flanges round the openings B'. The cylinders it will be
seen are open at their other ends, and they are set at such an angle on
the slay that the arms A' of the slay being in a vertical position the
axis of the cylinders would if extended cut (or nearly so) the axis of
the crank shaft D which operates the slay through a rod connected with
the crank D. The pistons of the cylinders C (one of which is shewn
at E, Fig. 1) are formed on the principle of the air pump bucket, that
is to say, they are pierced with holes to permit of air passing through
them, and these holes are covered by elastic valves which bed on the
piston and close the holes at the propelling stroke, but rise as the piston
recedes to allow the air to pass and prevent it acting to retard the
traverse of the piston in the cylinder. Each piston E carries a central
guide rod e which works through a guide e¹ fitted to the open end of the
cylinder. Jointed to each piston is a forked link F, which is also
jointed to a crank or excentric D2 near the end of the crank shaft D.
These links are forked in order that they may work over or past the
guide rods e. The cranks D, to which the links F are jointed, it will
be understood are for working the pistons, and they are set at nearly
right angles with the crank D¹ for working the slay, the 'slay crank
leading. By this arrangement the cranks D', D, will give a full effective
stroke equal to the throw of one crank in one quarter of a revolution
of the crank shaft, and thereby produce a sudden pick through the
action upon the shuttle of the air compressed in the cylinder. It will
be understood that although the two pistons act simultaneously, yet it
is alternately that they will be doing efficient work; they may, however,
if thought desirable, be caused to compress the air alternately and force
it into their respective shuttle boxes.
In place of employing cylinders and pistons for injecting the com-
pressed air in rear of the shuttle, as described, circular-shaped bellows
may be used for obtaining the compressed air. These we form by placing
a series of rings (by preference of variable diameters) in a casing of
leather, and mounting them on the slay and connecting them with the
shuttle boxes. The bellows will draw in air when expanded like the
pistons of the cylinders, and when compressed by means similar to
that explained for actuating the pistons they will discharge air into the
shuttle boxes and operate the shuttle.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of improvements in

page_text: pneumatic looms, and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, we wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent we claim,--
First. Constructing the shuttle boxes of pneumatic looms in the
manner and for the purpose above described.
Secondly. The means above described for obtaining the compression
of the air and the injection of the same into the shuttle boxes.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Harrison Moreland, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-nine.
JOHN HARRISON MORELAND. (L.S.)