Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Oct., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 6th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 11th May, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines.
We EDWARD MILLS, Mechanic, of 29 Park Street, New Lenton, Notts, and
ARTHUR STEPHEN ROGERS, Manager, of Broadgate, Beeston, Notts, and
W. S. THOMSON & CO. LTD. of 112 and 113 Fore Street London E.C. do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to avoid the danger of injury to the circle of
bearded needles when a defect in the knitting occurs, owing either to irregularity
of the thickness of the yarn, or to the formation of a hole in the work. These
defects, as is well known to knitters, are of frequent occurrence, the missing of a
loop or loops producing a hole in the work, and the varying thickness of the yarn
causing an accumulation of thread under the beards of the needles. The occurrence
of holes causes the entanglement in the landing and knocking over wheels of the
work, which is held at tension by a draught weight or winding up apparatus, the
result being injury to the travelling needles, and the disorganisation, for the time
being, of the machine. To prevent the entanglement of the work, it is now
proposed to provide a fixed segment-shaped guard (within the circuit of the work),
which, extending from the landing wheel to the knocking over wheel, will hold up
the work nearly perpendicular (assisted by the tension employed for drawing up the
work), it having been found that it is the inclination inwards of the work which
renders it liable to be caught in the inside wheels, and thereby form an obstruction
to the circular motion of the needles. This guard is carried by a bracket fixed on
the foundation plate inside the machine, and admits of vertical adjustment.
It may be remarked that in machines fitted up as at present, that is, without a
guard, it is very common to have 50 or 100 needles injured when a hole in the work
occurs, but in a machine provided with a guard for supporting the work vertically,
a hole, say two inches in width, will pass safely over the wheels, and, moreover,
the emptied needles will recommence knitting on their next presentation to a
thread layer.
It will be understood that this invention applies not only to small "heads" with
a single thread layer, but it is equally applicable to large "heads," with 2, 3, 4, or
more feeders or thread layers. On a 4-feeder frame, the advantage is obviously
greater than on smaller frames, as the damage to needles, when the wheels get
entangled in a hole, is the more serious in proportion to the number of needles and
feeders in the frame.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Knitting Machines...
We, EDWARD MILLS, Mechanic, of 29 Park Street, New Lenton, Notts, and
ARTHUR STEPHEN ROGERS, Manager, of Broadgate, Beeston, Notts,, and
W. S. THOMSON & Co: LD. of 112 and 113 Fore Street, London, E.C., do
:

page_text: 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:-
The object of this invention is to avoid the danger of injury to the bearded
needles of circular knitting machines, when a defect in the knitting occurs, owing
either to irregularity of the thickness of the yarn, or to the formation of a hole in
the work. These defects in working, as is well known to knitters, are of frequent
occurrence, the missing of a loop or loops producing a hole in the work, and the
varying thickness of the yarn causing an accumulation of thread under the beards
of the needles. The occurrence of holes causes the entanglement in the landing
and knocking over wheels of the work, which is held at tension by a draught
weight or winding-up apparatus, the result being injury to the travelling needles,
and the disorganisation, for the time being, of the machine. To prevent the
entanglement of the work, it is now proposed to provide a segment-shaped guard
(within the circuit of the work), which, extending from the landing-wheel to the
knocking-over wheel, will hold up the work nearly perpendicular (assisted by
the tension employed for drawing the work), it having been found that it is
the inclination inwards of the work which renders it liable to be caught by the
inside wheels, and thereby form an obstruction to the circular motion of the
needles.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 shews in plan a circular knitting machine constructed in the ordinary way
with one feeder, and having the invention applied thereto.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken in the line 1, 2 of Fig. 1, the operating wheels,
and the brackets which carry them, being removed.
In these figures, A is the central stud axle of the machine, on which is loosely
mounted the annular casting or head B, which carries the ring of bearded needles C.
D, D, D are three pillars supporting the outside segmental frame D¹, which carries
the feeder E, the indenter wheel F, the divider G, and the presser wheel H, as
usual. D, is the push-back, bolted. to the frame D¹ and bending over the ring of
needles to reach the back thereof.
Keyed to the central axle A is a plate A', which carries brackets for supporting
the landing wheel I and the knocking-over wheel K, both within the circle of
needles. This plate A¹ also carries a forked bracket for receiving a segment-
shaped guard L, and holding it in a vertically adjustable position. This guard is
shewn detached at Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6, for the purpose of illustrating its peculiar
construction ;
Fig. 3 being an edge view of the guard,
Fig. 4 a plan view, and
Figs. 5 and 6 views of the opposite ends of the guard.
The dotted horizontal line of Fig. 3 indicates the height of the needles in
relation to the guard L, and the arrow indicates the direction of rotation of the
ring of needles. The work, as it is brought round to the front of the guard by the
ring of needles, comes first in contact with the depressed end of the guard, which
rises from the point. I to the highest point 2 (above the needles), and then declines
to the point 3. The guard L, as shewn at Fig. 1, extends longitudinally to cover
both the landing and the knocking-over wheels, I, K, and its acting edge is
concentric with the ring of needles. The duty of this guard (situate within the
circuit of the work) is, as before mentioned, to protect the work, when defective,
from getting entangled in the teeth of the wheels I, K. The way in which this
result is obtained will be clearly understood by reference to the diagram Fig. 7,
where the position of the last loop upon the needle C. as determined by the
pushback, is shewn on the arrival of the loop in front of the landing wheel K.
Supposing now the drawn line extending upward from the loop, and passing the
edge of the guard L. to indicate the work at tension, travelling round with
the ring of needles, it will be seen that there will be little tendency for the work to
be caught by and entangled in the teeth of the landing wheel, so long as it retains

page_text: that position, but assuming the dotted line to indicate the direction of the work, in
the absence of the guard, it will be manifest that the liability of the work to catch
in the landing wheel will be increased. If, however, a hole in the works occurs
before the landing wheel is reached, from a defect in the yarn or otherwise, it is.
manifest that the greater the inclination inwards of the work held at tension, the
greater will be the tendency for the landing wheel to get entangled in the
defective work, and cause the destruction of many of the needles. The action of
the knocking-over wheel will, under like circumstances, also tend to the like..
result.
We may remark, as the outcome of our practical experience, that in machines
fitted up, as at present, that is, without a guard, it is very common to have
50 or 100 needles injured when a hole in the work occurs, but in a machine.
provided with a guard for supporting the work vertically, or nearly so, a hole, say,
two inches in width, will pass safely over the inside wheels, and, moreover, the
emptied needles will recommence knitting on their next presentation to a thread
layer.
From the foregoing explanation it will be understood that our invention applies.
not only to small "beads" with a single thread layer, like that shewn in the
drawing, but that it is equally applicable to "heads" with 2, 3, 4, or more feeders.
or thread layers. On a 4 feeder machine, the advantage of the invention is.
obviously greater than on smaller machines, as the damage to needles, when the
wheels get entangled in a hole, increases in proportion to the number of needles and.
feeders in the machine."
In adapting the invention to 2, 3, or 4 feeders, the form of the guard will
necessarily vary; it must, however, conform to that shewn in Fig. 1, in two.
respects, viz. It must cover the space between and extend beyond, the landing
and knocking-over wheels, and its working edge must be concentric with the ring of
needles. Provision will also be made for adjusting the guard vertically in its
bracket bearing, to suit the character of work in hand.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we-
claim is :-
Adapting to circular knitting machines a concentric guard or guards, for bearing
upon the inner face of the tubular work, and guiding it upwards from the needles,.
in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.
Did this ach to of A: 100%
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants..