Improvements in or relating to Hydraulic Driving Mechanism for Knitting Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 19th July, 1897-Accepted, 25th Sept., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Hydraulic Driving Mechanism for
Knitting Machines.
I, HEINRICH VERGES, of Mühlhausen, Thüringen in the Empire of Germany,
Manager, 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 has for its object a direct hydraulic driving device for knitting
machines having tumbler-needles and reciprocating beds. The direct connection of
the slide of the knitting machine, with the connecting rod or. piston of a hydraulic
motor effected according to the present invention has the following advantages:
1, The machine can be driven at any desired speed according to the nature of
fabric to be knitted, the speed being regulated at any moment by adjusting the
inlet for water under pressure.
2, The machine can have any desired extent of stroke, thus it can work on the
whole with or on any desired width whether in the centre or on one side.
3, The knitting machine can be quickly and safely stopped either by hand or,
after any desired number of courses, by means of a counting mechanism or by
special apparatus, such as safety stop devices etc. which become operative when a
thread breaks or a knot is formed..
4, The slide of the knitting machine can be driven at a greater speed and the
output correspondingly increased as compared to the usual methods of driving, as
the slide is caused to make a uniform straight movement and not a crank-movement
with alternate increase and decrease of speed.
5, The driving power can be regulated so that it is just sufficient to drive the
slide when the knitting machine works in a regular manner, but when anything gets
out of order, for instance when a needle breaks or parts get in the way of the lock,
or when owing to defective tumbler-needles loops become collected in heaps on some
needles, the driving power is not sufficient to overcome these additional obstacles
and cannot move the slide, whereby any destruction of needle-bed, parts of the lock
or needles is avoided.
The accompanying drawing illustrates the improved direct hydraulic driving
mechanism according to the present invention.
Figure 1 shows the apparatus in elevation, the knitting machine being.
omitted.
Figure 2 is a cross-section of the device, the knitting machine being shown in
side-elevation.
Figure 3 a horizontal cross-section through the cylinder of the motor.
The driving piston a¹ working in the cylinder a is connected to the slide A of the
Behind the cylinder a
knitting machine by means of a piston-rod a² and a pin a³.
there is arranged the distributing cylinder or chamber with the two distributing
pistons or valves 61 and 62 on the rod 6³. Water under pressure enters the
distributing cylinder between the two distributing pistons, and the exhaust takes
place on both sides through branches h and h¹, and double bend h². The chambers f
and fare in communication with the ends of the motor-cylinder a through
nines a and a¹.

page_text: In the position indicated in Fig. 3 water under pressure enters through f¹ and g'
behind the piston. The water in front of the piston, which has already spent its
force, can leave the cylinder through the passages gfh and h². The piston therefore
under the pressure of the incoming fluid moves towards the left hand side. At the
end of the stroke the arm at strikes against an adjustable stop c¹ on the rod c and
thus causes the rod c to move also towards the left. This rod c also moves a lever d
provided with a weight d¹ and at the same time a lever d² arranged behind the
lever d over the distributing cylinder and connected to the lever d. The lever d
moves a lever e acting on the piston rod 63, so that both distributing pistons are also
caused to move to the left. Owing to this the driving fluid is then introduced
through the passages ƒ and g to the front of the piston, the water which is at this
moment behind the piston being allowed to escape through the passages g1f'h
and . The piston therefore moves towards the right hand side and then causes the
reverse distribution by striking against the right-hand stop c².
Above the motor is placed a valve-chamber i having a conical valve i¹. Its
spindle 2 passes through a laterally screw-threaded nut 3 arranged at the end of
a double-armed lever held in its highest position by a pivotted catch engaging
with a pin k In this position the cone still remains on its seat even when
the spindle 2 is completely screwed down, whereby the motor is rendered
inoperative. By turning a hand-wheel it to the left, the valve ¹ can be opened
to a desired extent and thus any desired speed given to the motor.
As soon
however as the hook releases the lever k, the core falls back on to its seat,
and the machine is thus instantly stopped. When on the contrary the lever
is raised again by pressing on the knob k² so that the hook engages again
with the pin, the machine continues to work at the same speed to which it was
adjusted before. The valve cone i¹ may be released either by means of a handle
or by means of a cord or chain m' connected to a counting. mechanism B or by
means of a chain or cord m. connected to a safety stop mechanism. The counting
mechanism can be started directly from the machine by means of a rod n
connected with the lever e.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim
is;-
1. Hydraulic driving mechanism for knitting machines provided with a reciprocating
slide, comprising a driving piston, as a¹, connected to the slide of the knitting
machine by means of the piston rod and a distributing rod, as c, moved with the
piston rod, for the purpose of regulating the speed of the knitting machine by
regulating the inlet of the driving fluid, the stroke of the slide being adjustable by
altering the stroke of the piston, and means for stopping the slide of the knitting
machine upon an accident or obstruction occurring by regulating the pressure of the
driving fluid, substantially as described.
2. A construction of the hydraulic driving device for knitting machines, of the
character described in which the spindle of the inlet valve il is adjustable on a
pivotted lever k, which is normally held up by a catch engaging a pin kel on said
lever for the purpose of allowing the sudden descent of the valve il to produce
a sudden stoppage of the machine when the catch is released by means of a counting
device or by hand or by a safety stop mechanism, substantially as described.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete hydraulic
driving device for knitting machines of the character described, substantially as
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 19th day of July 1897.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.