IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Skirving and Samuel Ayland, both of Moston, in
the County of Lancaster, Manufacturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Sealed the 4th April 1879, and dated the 5th December 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Skirving and Samuel
Ayland at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th December
1878.
DAVID SKIRVING and SAMUEL AYLAND, both of Moston, in the County of
Lancaster, Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Our Invention relates principally to looms adapted to be employed in the weaving
of sponge-cloths but is also applicable wholly or in part to handkerchief and towel
looms, and to looms for weaving other descriptions of goods. In the weaving of
sponge cloths, the cloth in some parts is woven as in the weaving of plain cloth,
and in other parts as in the weaving of leno, and our Invention relates, in the first
place, to means for effecting the changes. We employ a rocking plate or frame,
which is formed with two races to act upon a bowl which is carried by a lever
which is connected with the parts which actuate the needles. A hinged switch is
arranged to form one side of each race or of a part of each race when in one or the
other of two positions. The action of the said switch is governed by a chain of
bowls or by a chain of perforated plates actuated by a star-wheel motion or by
any ordinary or suitable arrangement which will move the switch into one position
or the other as required, or one movement of the switch may be effected by means
of a spring. When the switch is in one position the bowl is led into the higher
race and when in the other position into the lower race, and the requisite shedding
movements are thereby imparted to the levers for weaving either one cloth or the
other, according to the position of the switch. We so form the point of the switch
as that one half or thereabouts of the width of the point shall enter a recess in one
race when in one position and the other half a recess in the other race when in the
[Price Gd.]

page_text: other position, whereby we obtain a better junction between the switch and the
races. To take up the cloth we employ a pawl, which is mounted on a rocking
lever and is arranged to take up to the extent of one, two, or more teeth, as
required, being governed in its action by a plate-chain and a stepped "dart," which
is connected with the said pawls. In an alternative arrangement two pawls are
mounted on the pawl lever at different distances from the fulcrum of motion. The
furthest pawl is arranged to be lifted out of or lowered into gear by means of a
lever which is, by preference, curved with a radius struck from about the centre of
the ratchet wheel. The said lever is acted upon by a pattern-chain, which lowers
the furthest pawl into gear, when leno is to be woven and lifts it out when plain
cloth is to be woven. In the arrangement we have adopted the said rocking frame
receives motion from an eccentric or crank on the tappet shaft by means of a
connecting link. The chain wheel which controls the action of the switch and the
taking up pawl receives movement from the tappet shaft by means of a rim-wheel
and star-wheel motion. To actuate the needles, we employ two rocking shafts
which are connected by means of a rod and arms so as to rock in unison. Levers
upon the said shafts are connected with the needle bars. One of the said shafts is
connected by a rod with the lever which, is actuated by the aforesaid rocking frame.
To effect the side movements of the needles we employ a cam upon the tappit shaft,
which acts upon a bowl upon one end or arm of a lever. A stud on the other end
or arm of the lever works in a hole in a plate or part, upon which are mounted
three, four, or more bowls which are in contact with two arms or with the opposite
sides of a slot in a part attached to or formed on the needle-bar. When the needle-
bar is to be moved sideways the cam acts on the said lever, which moves the plate
and bowls sideways, and the movement of the needle bar is thereby effected. We
guide the needles by means of straight rods sliding in bearings. In the production
of some patterns we employ healds to work in conjunction with the said needles to
weave bands of plain cloth. When a cloth is completed it is necessary to draw
forwards a length of warp so as to form a space before commencing the next cloth.
To effect this, we employ a pawl which gears with a wheel upon the taking up
roller axle, and we give motion to this pawl at the required times by means of a
"juggler" or lever which is acted upon by a chain which, when a space is required,
lifts the juggler. The movement is communicated by an arrangement of connecting
rods and levers to the said pawl, which acts upon the said wheel to turn the taking
up roller. At the same time the said "juggler" acts upon a rod which is connected
with the weighted lever of the weighting motion so that the yard beam is eased to
permit the warp to be drawn forwards. To permit the said "juggler" to be lowered
so as to put the weight upon the beam again we drive the chain wheel by means
of a fast key or projection, which permits an amount of forward movement of the
said wheel, so that when the bowl on the "juggler" is raised to its highest point it
acts on an inclined face on the pattern link, and pushing forwards the chain wheel
drops to its lowest position without waiting for the next movement of the chain.
In lieu of this arrangement we may employ an ordinary drop box motion.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said David Skirving and Samuel Ayland in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th June 1879.
DAVID SKIRVING and SAMUEL AYLAND, both of Moston, in the County of
Lancaster, Manufacturers. IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
«
Our Invention relates principally to looms adapted to be employed in the weaving
of sponge-cloths, but is also applicable wholly or in part to handkerchief and towel
looms, and to looms for weaving other descriptions of goods. In the weaving of
sponge-cloths, the cloth in some parts is woven as in the weaving of plain cloth and
in other parts as in the weaving of leno, and our Invention relates, in the first
place, to means for effecting the changes. We employ a rocking plate or frame,
which is formed with two races to act upon a bowl which is carried by a lever
which is connected with the parts which actuate the needles. A hinged switch is
arranged to form one side of each race or of a part of each race when in one or the
other of two positions. The action of the said switch is governed by a chain of
bowls or by a chain of perforated plates actuated by a star-wheel motion or by any
ordinary or suitable arrangement which will move the switch into one position or
the other, as required, or one movement of the switch may be effected by means of
a spring. To take up the cloth we employ a pawl, which is mounted on a rocking
lever and is arranged to take up to the extent of one, two, or more teeth, as
required, being governed in its action by a plate chain and a stepped "dart" which
is connected with the said pawl. In an alternative arrangement two pawls are
mounted on the pawl lever at different distances from the fulcrum of motion. The
furthest pawl is arranged to be lifted out of or lowered into gear by means of a
pattern-chain. To actuate the needles we employ two rocking-shafts, which are
connected by means of a rod and arms so as to rock in unison. Levers upon the
said shafts are connected with the needle bars. One of the said shafts is connected
by a rod with the lever which is actuated by the aforesaid rocking frame. To
effect the end wise movements of the needle bar we employ a cam upon a tappit-
shaft which acts upon a sliding bar or upon a plate or part, upon which are mounted
three, four, or more bowls which are in contact with two arms or with the opposite
sides of a slot in a part attached to or formed on the needle-bar. We guide the
needles by means of straight rods sliding in bearings. In the production of some
patterns we employ healds to work in conjunction with the said needles to weave
bands of plain cloth. When a cloth is completed it is necessary to draw-forwards a
length of warp, so as to form a space before commencing the next cloth. To effect
this, we employ a pawl which gears with a wheel upon the taking-up roller axle,
and we give motion to this pawl, at the required times, by means of a "juggler" or
lever which is acted upon by a chain which, when a space is required, lifts the
juggler. At the same time the said juggler acts upon a rod which is connected
with the weighted lever of the weighting motion so that the yarn beam is eased to
permit the warp to be drawn forwards. To permit the said juggler to be lowered
so as to put the weight upon the beam again, we drive the chain wheel by means
of a fast key or projection which permits an amount of forward movement of the
said wheel so that when the bowl on the juggler is raised to its highest point it
acts on an inclined face on the pattern link, and pushing forwards the chain wheel
drops to its lowest position without waiting for the next movement of the chain.
In lieu of this arrangement we may employ an ordinary drop-box motion.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood we have supplied two
Sheets of Drawings marked with letters of reference, corresponding marks indicating
the same parts in the various Figures.
Referring in this place to the said Drawings, Fig. 1, drawn to a scale of about

page_text: the race.
"
one and a half inches to the foot, represents a front clevation; Fig. 2, an end
elevation; and Fig. 3, a vertical cross section of so much of a loom as is necessary
to the illustration of parts of our Invention. A is the aforesaid rocking plate.
Fig. 4 represents the plate on a larger scale and reversed to shew the interior or
back. The said plate, which is mounted upon a stud secured to the loom end, is
connected by means of an adjustable link a with a crank disc b which is fixed upon
the tappet shaft c. As the said shaft revolves the plate A is caused to rock upon
its stud. In the said plate is formed a curved race d, in which works a bowl upon
a levere which is mounted upon a stud at f, and is connected by means of a link to
a lever which actuates the needle bars and thereby effects the shedding. One end
of the race d is enlarged so as in conjunction with a hinged switch H to form two
races, an upper and a lower race. When the said switch is in the position indicated
by the full lines the upper side of the switch forms the bottom of the upper race,
and the lever c will be raised throughout the movement of the plate in the direction
indicated in Fig. 4, and will be lowered during the return movement of the said
plate, the sheet being thus formed for the production of plain cloth. When the
switch is moved into the position indicated by the dotted lines the underside of the
switch forms the top of the lower race, and when the plate is moved in either
direction the lever e will be raised and lowered, the result being that "leno is
woven instead of plain cloth. We form a recess on the top of the upper race and
on the bottom of the lower race, each recess extending partly across the width of
A portion of the point of the switch is made to fit into both the said
recesses as the switch is moved to and fro. By this method of construction a
better junction between the switch and the race and a stronger point to the switch
are obtained. The arrangement which we have adopted for moving the switch is
represented on an enlarged scale by Fig. 6. The tail of the said switch is connected
with the outer end of a lever h which is arranged to turn upon a centre at i. A
curved lever j is connected with the lever h, and this curved lever is acted upon
when the switch is to be raised by means of an arm which is fixed upon a hollow
sliding shaft 1. The end of the said arm is provided with a bowl which is in
contact or nearly in contact with the lever j, the curve of the said lever being
concentric with the centre of motion of the plate A. When the shaft is slid in
the direction indicated the bowl on the arm presses the lever ; inwards, and a
spiral spring tends to move the shaft in a direction contrary to that indicated.
rod m is arranged to slide inside the said shaft and is formed with a rounded collar.
A spring inside the shaft tends to draw the said rod inwards. A link n is mounted
upon the pin of a crank which is upon the end of a crank-shaft. The lower end
of this link is made of two widths. As the link descends, the wider part is pushed
between the collar on the said rod and a similar collar on the end of the shaft l,
whereby the two collars are separated, the rod sliding outwardly within the shaft.
An intermittent rotatory movement is imparted by means of a star-wheel motion p
to a barrel q, upon which is mounted a pattern chain consisting of perforated plates.
When a perforation is presented opposite the outer end of the rod m the said end
enters the perforation, when it slides outwardly as aforesaid. When a perforation
is not so presented the outward movement of the said rod is arrested, the conse-
quence being that the shaft 7 is caused to slide, whereby the switch is raised in the
inanner hereinbefore indicated. A modification in the method of moving the said
switch is indicated in Fig. 5. In this example, a pattern chain a² is mounted upon
a stud which is fixed to a part of the rocking plate A, and acts upon a lever b2
which is connected with the lever which operates upon the switch. The pattern
chain barrel is fixed to a star-wheel which is acted upon by a rim wheel d²
which revolves on the centre of motion of the plate A, so that the rocking move-
ment of the said plate and as a consequence the movement of the said star-wheel
do not interrupt the connection of the two wheels. A spur-wheel attached to the
said rim-wheel receives motion from a spur pinion e which is fixed on the tappet
shaft. A modification in the method of actuating the plate A is also represented.
A

page_text: The said plate is actuated by means of an excentric f which is driven by a train of
gearing in connection with the wheel on the said star-wheel. The taking up
motion is represented in Fig. 2 and also partly in Figs. 6 and 7. The taking up
pawl is fixed to a rocking spindler which is mounted in the upper end of the
taking up levers which is actuated in any ordinary or suitable manner. Upon the
spindle s is fixed a finger t which is jointed to one end of a dart u.
The pattern
chain on the barrel q is formed with a special set of perforations to suit the taking
up motion.
When the pawl lever is moving back, the dart u is slid back, and if
its end does not enter a perforation in the chain the other end of the dart forms a
fulcrum for the finger t, and the spindle & turns in its bearing, whereby the pawl is
raised from contact with the ratchet-wheel. The free end of the dart is formed of
two diameters. The adjustment is or may be such as that when the dart does not
enter a perforation the ratchet is turned to the extent of one tooth only. When
the dart enters a small perforation up to the shoulder the wheel is moved two
teeth, and when the dart enters a large perforation the wheel is moved three teeth.
Other variations may be made by using more than two sizes or shapes of perfora-
tions, or the pawl may miss taking-up when the dart does not enter a perforation.
Fig. 7* represents the modification wherein two pawls are used. The upper pawl
moves the ratchet, say, two teeth, and the lower pawl, say, one tooth. When the
wheel is to be moved one tooth only, a pattern chain or barrel suitably arranged
raises one end of the lever w¹, and the other curved end thereof lifts the upper
pawl out of gear with the ratchet wheel. The needles are actuated by means of
the two rocking shafts B and C, seen in Fig. 1. Upon the shaft B is fixed the
lever which is connected with the rocking plate A, as hereinbefore described..
Upon the shafts B and C are fixed arms v, v, which are connected together by
means of a rod so that the two shafts rock in unison. Upon the shaft C are fixed
levers x, x, which are connected by means of links y, y, to rods g' which slide
vertically in bearings, and in which the lower needle bar z is mounted, and upon
the shaft B are fixed levers a¹, a', which are connected by means of rods b¹, b¹,
which also slide vertically in bearings with the upper needle bar c'. It will be
seen that by means of the arrangement indicated the movements of the needles are
controlled by the rocking frame A so that both plain cloth and leno can be woven
at the required times. The arrangement for imparting the endwise or horizontal
movements to the lower needle bar are indicated in Fig. 1 and are separately
represented on a larger scale by Figs. 8 and 9. Upon the tappet shaft c is fixed a
cam'D which acts upon a bowl which is mounted upon one end of a lever d¹ which
is arranged to vibrate upon a stud fixed at e¹. Upon a stud at the other end of
the said lever is mounted a frame f, upon which are mounted four anti-friction
bowls, which work between the two cheeks of a frame g² which is secured to the
lower needle bar. The ends of the said needle bar are arranged to slide horizon-
tally in bearings formed in the rods g¹, which are caused to slide vertically by the
means herein before indicated. The cam D causes the lever to rock in one
direction or the other, as required, and the said lever acting upon the frame f¹ and
thereby upon the needle bar through the frame g² causes the said needle bar to be
moved endwise at the times and in the directions required. An alternative
arrangement for obtaining the same effect is indicated in Fig. 10, Sheet 2. In this
example the lever d' imparts a horizontal sliding movement to a rod g³, which is
formed at each end with a vertical face, against which works a bowl which is
mounted upon a frame h² which is secured to the needle bar. It will be seen that
the arrangement permits the vertical movements of the needle bar, and at the same
time the horizontal movements thereof are controlled by the cam.
The arrange-
ment for drawing forwards a length of warp at the completion of a cloth are
indicated in Figs. 11 to 13, Sheet 2. Upon one axle of the taking-up beam is
mounted a lever k¹, which carries a pawl which engages with a ratchet wheel upon
the said axle. The lever k¹ is connected by a rod with one arm of a lever l, and

page_text: the other arm of this lever is connected by a rod with a juggler or lever m¹ which
is mounted upon a stud at n'. The last named lever is lifted when the cloth is to
be drawn forwards, and the Drawings indicate two methods for effecting this lifting.
In Fig. 11 a pattern chain is employed to act upon a bowl upon the said lever.
The chain barrel is attached to a star-wheel which is driven by a rim wheel o¹,
which receives a revolving motion through any suitable arrangement of gearing in
connection with the tappet or crank-shaft. In Figs. 12 and 13, a cam p¹², also
actuated by means of a star and rim wheel motion is employed. In each case, the
chain barrel or the cam is driven by means of a fixed key which engages with a
slot in the part to be driven.. This slot is much wider than the key, as indicated in
black in Fig. 12, so that the said key has an amount of play in the slot. The
lifting links of the chain and the lifting parts of the cam are so formed as that the
bowl has passed the highest point before the lifting link or part has completed its
movement. The movement of the link or part having brought the said bowl'on to
the declining face of the link or part the pressure of the bowl then tends to push
the chain barrel or cam round so that its movement is accelerated and completed by
the pressure of the said bowl, and the lever m¹ descends without having to wait for
the next movement of the chain barrel or cam. A chain connects the juggler or
lever m² with the weighting lever or other weighting appliance, indicated by s¹,
so that when the said juggler is lifted as aforesaid the load upon the warp beam is
eased to permit the warp to be drawn forwards more readily. Fig. 14 illustrates
an arrangement which may be substituted for the ratchet-wheel and pawl. A
friction wheel t¹ is fixed upon the axle of the cloth-beam instead of the ratchet
wheel, and upon a lever u³ which is mounted upon the said axle is mounted a
nipping lever vl which is connected with the aforesaid lever . The effect of this
arrangement is that when the end of the lever l rises the hold of the nipping lever
is slackened and it slips upon the friction-wheel, but when the lever l¹ descends the
the said nipping lever is tightened upon the friction wheel and the cloth beam is
rotated. The lower end of the lever is formed or provided with a balance weight
which prevents the upper end from being drawn downwards until the nipping
lever has taken hold of the wheel.
Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of our said Invention, and
means whereby the same may be carried into effect, we would have it to be under-
stood that we do not confine ourselves to the use of the various movements herein
described in combination, as they may be separately used in weaving operations
with advantage, and that we claim,-
First. The combination and arrangement of parts substantially as and for the
purposes set forth and indicated hereinbefore, and in and by the accompanying
Drawings.
Secondly. The arrangement substantially as and for the purpose set forth with
reference to Figs. 4, 5, and 6 of the Drawings.
Thirdly. The rocking plate or frame fitted with a movable switch, substantially
as and for the purposes set forth and indicated.
Fourthly. The methods of obtaining a variable take-up, substantially as set forth
and indicated hereinbefore and with reference to Fig. 7 and 7* of the Drawings.
Fifthly. Actuating the needle-bar by means of two connected rocking shafts,
substantially as set forth and indicated.
Sixthly. The arrangements for imparting the endwise movements to the needle-
bars, substantially as set forth and indicated with reference to Figs 8, 9, and 10 of
the Drawings.
Seventhly. The arrangements substantially as and for the purpose set forth and
indicated hereinbefore, and with reference to Figs. 11 to 13 of the Drawings.
And Lastly. The arrangement whereby the bowl on a juggler or lever accelerates
the movement of the cam or part which acts on the said bowl, whereby the descent

page_text: of the said juggler or lever is caused to take place earlier or more quickly, substan-
tially as set forth and indicated.
.
In witness whereof, we, the said David Skirving and Samuel Ayland, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Third day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
Signed and sealed by the
said David Skirving and
Samuel Ayland in the
presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON.
DAVID SKIRVING.
SAMUEL AYLAND.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)