Improvements in Positive Shuttle Motions for Looms.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Oct., 1894-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Positive Shuttle Motions for Looms.
I, EDMUND HUGH GRAHAM, of 120 South Street, Biddeford, in the County of
York, and State of Maine, United States of America, Machinist, 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:-
This invention is intended to be an improvement in positive shuttle motions for
looms of the general style illustrated and described in British Letters Patent
numbered 16,283 of 1893. The principal object of this improvement is to render
the warp-threads less liable to break, such breakage being found in practice, to.
sometimes occur by reason of the friction produced by the contact of the threads
with the rack illustrated in said Letters Patent.
In my present invention, a spiral spring is employed extending substantially.
from one end of the lay to the other and over the traveller, such spring being held
by the traveller up into a recess in the under side of the shuttle, and conforming
substantially to the shape of such recess, allowing the shuttle to be propelled by
the traveller. The warp-threads pass between the coils of the spring, with the
effect that the friction, and hence the breakage of the threads, is reduced to a
minimum. Moreover, means are provided for keeping the spring in its proper
position, preventing lateral motion and vibration thereof and unequal stretching
and expansion of the coils.
The nature of my invention is fully described below, and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings, in which,-
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a sufficient portion of a loom to illustrate the
invention, portions of the frame being shown in vertical section, and a part of the
box or frame containing the spring being represented as broken out.
Figure 2 is an enlarged detail in front elevation, showing the shuttle,
carrier, &c.
Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view, taken centrally and vertically with
the parts in position shown in Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a detail in front elevation, showing the relation of the pins to the
spring in the frame or tray.
Figure 5 is a cross vertical section of the same.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A represents portions of the frame of the loom, B the lay swords, and C the lay.
proper or lower rail of the lay. D is the upper rail, e is the reed, E is the shuttle
which runs between the two rails and is guided at its top by a row of pins d which
project downward from the under side of a guide bar Di adjustably secured at d¹ to
the upper rail. dare tongues secured to the lower edge of the guide bar in line.
with the pins, both pins and tongues entering a groove in the upper side of the
sbuttle as it moves along. F is the cop. H is the traveller sliding in the lower
rail, and provided with the screw 1' by means of which the rope I is secured. to
said traveller, said rope imparting motion to the traveller through connection with
a pulley J in the block K and with the pulleys J' J" supported by the lay. By
means of the perforated lower extension K', the block slides horizontally on the.
rod I supported by the lay-swords. The arrangement of the rope, and the arrange-
ment and construction of all the parts above named are fully set forth and described
in the Specification of the Letters Patent above referred to, and hence-need-no;

page_text: further detailed description here, except as they are affected by the nature and
application of my improvement, which I will now proceed to describe.
The rack shown in said Letters Patent is omitted in this improvement, and no
pinion is provided for engagement of the shuttle with the rack. The under side
of the shuttle E is provided with a recess E¹ (Figure 3) and a spiral spring N is
stretched from one end of the lay to the other, and has its ends adjustably secured
thereto at n in any desired manner. This spring is for its entire length, excepting
when it approaches the shuttle, horizontal, but as the shuttle is approached it
extends under guide rolls L' supported within the traveller H and thence abruptly
over the central roll L also supported within the traveller. This roll L is the one
which holds the spring up into the recess E¹. By passing the spring under instead
of over the rolls L', it is held perfectly horizontal until it is deflected abruptly
up to the recess. The effect is, to impart motion to the shuttle and carry it in
spite of or through the intervening spring, which conforms to the shape of the
recess above it.
Of course as the shuttle is moving, there is always a major portion of the spring
which is horizontal. This is protected from lateral motion, such as swaying or
vibration, as well as from sagging, by means of the long box or tray P which is
secured to the lay as shown, and extends the length of the spring. This box is
necessarily open at the top to allow the spring to extend from it to the shuttle.
Extending up from the bottom of the tray or trough P are numerous vertical
pins S. These extend between the coils of said spring and prevent stretching, so
that the spring is kept of even tension throughout.
The traveller H moves in ways T (Figures 2 and 3) which touch said traveller
at top and bottom, the centre of said ways being out of contact with the traveller by
reason of the concave. or hollowed out shape shown at T', said plate and ways
being secured to the lay.
It will be noticed that the spring is protected for its entire length, as when
it leaves the box or tray it passes to the rollers which are inside the traveller.
The object attained is the prevention of the breakage of threads by providing
the spring whose coils they pass between, said spring being substituted for the
rack and pinion illustrated in the Letters Patent above referred to.
Anti-friction rolls U have their bearings in the shuttle and are located on each
side of the recess E' above the spring and in contact with the upper side thereof
so that the shuttle may be driven without the presence of friction in the recess, the
bearing of the spring being directly on the rolls.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. In a positive shuttle-motion for looms, the combination with the shuttle and
traveller, of a spiral spring stretched substantially horizontally between the shuttle
and traveller and pressed against the under side of said shuttle, said traveller
imparting motion to the shuttle through said intermediate spring, substantially as
set forth.
2. In a positive-shuttle motion for looms, the combination of the shuttle provided
with a recess on its under side, the traveller provided with a roll corresponding
with said recess, and a spiral spring stretched substantially horizontally between
said shuttle and traveller and adapted to be pressed into said recess by said roll,
substantially as described.
3. In a positive sbuttle-motion for looms, in combination, the shuttle and
traveller, the spiral spring stretched horizontally between said shuttle and traveller
and pressed against the under side of the shuttle, and the box or tray secured to
the lay and open at the top, said box or tray extending under and Hanking the
sides of the spring, substantially as set forth.
4. In a positive shuttle-motion for looms, in combination, the shuttle provided
with the recess E', the traveller provided internally with the rolls L L¹, and the

page_text: spring N extending through the traveller under the end rolls L' and over the
central roll L, said spring being horizontal until the rolls are reached and then
turning upward to the recess in the shuttle, substantially as described.
5. In a positive shuttle-motion for looms, the combination with a spiral spring
stretched between the shuttle and the traveller, of a series of pins extending from
the stationary portion of the machine between the coils of said spring, substan-
tially as set forth.
6. In a positive shuttle-motion for looms, in combination, a spiral spring
stretched hetween the shuttle and traveller, a trough or box open at the top and
placed under and flanking said spring, and a series of pins extending from said box
between the coils of said spring, substantially as described.
7. In a positive shuttle-motion for looms, in combination, the shuttle provided
with the recess E', the traveller, a spring stretched between said shuttle and
traveller and forced up into a recess in the former, and rolls supported by the
shuttle on opposite sides of the recess intermediate with the shuttle and spring,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of September 1894.
EDMUND HUGH GRAHAM.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.