IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES
Year: 1885

page_text: We, EDWIN HEWITT, of 63 Derby Road, in the town and county of the town of
Nottingham, Hosiery Machinist, and JOSHUA MARRIOTT and HENRY PERRONS, both
in the employment of the said Edwin Hewitt, do hereby declare the nature of
our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES to be as
follows:-
Each machine consists of an ordinary circular head for producing ribbed looped
fabrics, with the addition of apparatus arranged to produce a slack course and welt
in conjunction with two perfect selvages.
The said apparatus consists of the following parts:-Two adjustable clearing
cams each alternately pressed down by a double ended spring, each clearing cam
is alternately raised by a cam bit carried by a ring which encirles the top cover
ring, which encloses the frame needle cylinder, the cam bit ring slides upon a flange
projecting from the top cover ring, and is provided with two projecting studs one
on each side the cam bit each of these studs are alternately struck with and
carried partly round by a stud projecting from the frame needle cylinder, below
the flange above mentioned and lying between the clearing cams are two right
angled spring plates, each of which is alternately pressed outwards by the frame
needle bits while the other spring plate holds the needle bits down while the loops
are knocked over the heads of the machine needles, the top cover plate between
the clearing cams is provided with an adjustable double inclined frame needle bit
knocking over cam capable of adjustment in the usual way, over the cam bit first
mentioned is a double pointed rocking thread guide.
The top sley of the machine needle bits carries a projecting stud which lies over
the stud projecting from the frame needle cylinder, the stud on the sley ring
alternately strikes the ends of a plate which is secured to the lower side of a
sliding cam bit, which operates alternately two machine needle bit clearing cams,
each cam bit being alternately held out of work by a double ended spring. The
sliding cam bit moves to and fro in a race forming the segment of a circle, the
said race itself also slides towards and from the centre of the machine head, being
operated by a welting lever and cam in the usual way, a slack course being also
made by a lever and cam of the usual construction. Instead of a fixed and
adjustable machine knocking over cam. We employ an adjustable and sliding
knocking over cam which slides alternately to the right and left being moved by
the upper prolonged ends of the machine needle bits, and being carried by another
D

page_text: cam under the top cover of the machine head and which operates the machine
needle bits. A double acting welting cam is carried by the frame needle cylinder
under the flange of the frame cover plate. The machine needle bit sley is provided
with an arm which connects it with the machine knocking over sley below which
it projects so as to reach and clip the back of the stud which projects from the
frame needle cylinder.
The bottom of the machine head pipe through which the work passes as made,
is provided with a cam for clearing the fabric, to prevent it. rising, as the frame
selvage needles rise. The machine knocking over sley is provided with a projecting
stud next each machine selvage needlà. These selvage needles and the frame
selvage needles have each a slight projection at the back of the head to prevent the
selvage loops from turning off.
5
To obtain an alternately reversed partial revolution of the heads, the stem of the
frame cylinder carries a toothed wheel, which gears into a rack, which is moved to
and fro by a link hinged to it, the link being operated by a crank pin carried by a
toothed bevel wheel driven by a similar wheel on the driving shaft, the whole
being carried by a suitable stand or framing.
By a machine constructed as above described we are enabled to produce double
selvaged ribbed fabrics with a welt and slack course at a greater speed than can be
produced on a straight bar knitting machine.
Dated this seventeenth day of June 1885

page_text: The corresponding parts in each Figure are indicated by the same letters where
necessary.
Each machine consists of an ordinary circular head for producing ribbed looped
fabrics with the addition of appartus arranged to produce a slack course and welt
in conjunction with two perfect selvages.
The said apparatus consists of the following parts")
'see Figures 3, 4 and 5"
Two adjustable clearing cams A which slide in the cover ring A¹ which encloses
the frame needle cylinder, each cam is secured to the lower end of a vertical
bolt A' from which a pin projects, each being alternately pressed down by a double
ended spring B, each cam is alternately raised by a cam bit C "shown by dotted
lines on the outside view Figure 4" the cam bit C is carried by a ring C' which
encircles the upper part of the cover ring A¹ which is provided with a flange upon
which the ring C₁ slides, the ring C is provided with two projecting studs D one
on each side of the cam bit C each of these studs are alternately struck with and
carried partly round by a stud D¹ which projects from the frame needle cylinder,
shown at Figure 2, the upper portion of the cover ring is provided inside with an
adjustable double inclined frame needle bit knocking over cam E placed above but
midway between the two clearing cams A these three cams are shown in their
relative positions on the inside of a portion of the cover ring laid out flat at
Figure 5" the cam E is adjusted in the same way as an ordinary knocking over
cam, over the cam bit C is a double pointed rocking thread guide E shown ab
Figures 4 and 5.
"
The top sley of the machine needle bits carries a projecting stud F which lies
over the stud D¹ which projects from the frame needle cylinder "shown at Figure 2
and in plan at Figure 8," the stud F alternately strikes the ends of a U shaped
plate F which is secured to a stud projecting from the lower side of a sliding cam
bit F which operates alternately two machine needle bit clearing cams FS one of
which has a block on its lower side and the other has a pin F7 passed through it,
each cam is alternately held out of work by a double ended spring. F.

page_text: The sliding cam bit moves to and fro in a race G forming the segment of a circle,
the bottom of the race is slotted to allow of the passage of the stud which carries
the plate F1 and the sides of the race are grooved, in these grooves the clearing
cams F slide, the cam bit F' is held down by a double ended spring F5 which is
secured to the lower side of a plate G₁ "shown at Figure 1" this plate covers the
race G and holds down the cams F³.
The race cam bits and springs with the cover plate removed is shown seperately
in plan at Figure 6, when the cover plate is secured to the race the whole is caused
to slide towards and from the centre of the machine upon two parallel projections G*
which form part of the top cover of the machine, the sliding being effected by
hinging the race G to the upper end of a welting lever G³ rocking on the axle of a
welting apparatus of the usual construction carried by a bracket secured under the
flange of the frame cover plate, the welting lever being operated by a cam in the
usual way.
Instead of a fixed and adjustable machine knocking over cam we employ a
aliding knocking over cam H secured to a plate H which slides in a circular race
cut in the plate H2 under the top cover of the machine head, the sliding of the
plate H in the race being effected by the upper prolonged ends of the machine
needle bits H³ outside each selvage alternately striking the sides of the cam H and
moving it to the end of its traverse and then passing over it being followed by the
whole of the machine needle jacks.
The machine needle bit sley is provided with an arm I " shown at Figure 2"
which connects the machine knocking over sley with it and thus prevents the sley
from straining the machine needles.
The bottom of the machine head pipe H* through which the fabric as it is made
passes is cut to the shape shown at Figure 9 to form a cam for clearing the fabric
and prevent it rising as the frame selvage needles rise.
The machine knocking over sley is provided with two projecting studs H³ shown
at Figure 9 next each machine selvage needle the machine needle bit H³ outside
each selvage being broken away to make room for the studs which prevents the
fabric rising on the selvage needles.
To obtain an alternately reversed partial revolution of the machine and frame
heads simultaneously they are geared together in the usual way, but in addition
thereto, the frame cylinder is provided with a toothed wheel J shown at Figure 2
and partially by dotted lines at Figure 1 this wheel gears into a rack J which is
moved to and fro by the inner end of a link K being hinged to it, the outer end of
the link being carried and operated by a crank pin carried by a toothed bevel
wheel K¹ driven by a smaller bevel wheel K' on the main driving shaft which
revolves in bearings on the underside of brackets L which are secured to the bed
carrying the requisite number of heads, the top side of each bracket being provided
with an axle upon which the wheel K revolves.
The top cover of the machine head is provided with a thread guiding loop
attached to a coiled spring F which takes up the slack of the feeding thread at
the commencement of each partial revolution of the head so as to ensure good
selvages.
The movements collectively are as follows-At the termination of each partial
revolution, the frame selvage needle knocks its loop over on the leaf of the frame
cylinder, and then previous to the return motion it rises through the fabric and at
the commencement of the return motion it is thrown up by the clearing cam,
receives its thread, is lowered and knocks its loop over again "each needle in its
turn" and the movements are repeated. The needles in the machine head knock
over on the machine verge when the frame needles are at their lowest point
between the frame knock over cam and the frame clearing cam and the movements
are repeated for each course, to produce a one and one ribbed fabric with a slack
course, welt, and two perfect selvages.
To make a royal ribbed fabric, the pin F in one of the cams FS being withdrawn
the cam bit F will not operate it thus causing the machine needles to tuck as they

page_text: move from left to right but knocking both loops over as they move from right to
left the tuck stitch being made by the cam Fs being held out by the spring.
By means of a machine constructed and operating as above described we are
enabled to produce double selvaged ribbed fabrics with a welt and slack course at
a greater speed than can be produced on a straight bar knitting machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :
The construction and employment of the segmental race G, plate G³, the
projections G forming part of the top cover of the machine, projecting stud F,
Ushaped plate F¹ sliding cam bit F2 clearing cams F3 and double ended
springs F, F, the whole working in conjunction with the usual slack course and
welting apparatus in combination with the other parts described to produce a one
and one ribbed fabric, and a royal ribbed fabric with a slack course, welt and two
perfect selvages, substantially as described and illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
Dated this sixteenth dow of March 1886
EDWIN HEWITT.
JOSHUA MARRIOTT.
HENERY
PERRONS.