Improvements in Circular Rib-knitting Frames.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 20th June, 1891-Accepted, 8th Aug., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Circular Rib-knitting Frames.
I ALBIN ROSCHER of Chemnitz, Saxony, Machine Maker, 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 :-
My said invention relates to improvements in machines for producing knitted
fabrics commonly known as circular or round rib frames. Machines of this type
are as is well understood provided with two sets of needles crossing each other at
right angles in the manner shown in Fig. 9 of the accompanying sheet of drawings
the thread being knocked over from one row of needles to the other alternately;
the fabrics produced in this manner are commonly known as ribbed goods which
possess the property of only ravelling out from one side when cut.
For example referring to Fig. 9 if the fabric is cut through in the direction of
the arrow a a firm edge will be left at y. In order to give a better appearance to
the goods it is often required to form a welt from this edge inwards.
Hitherto such a welt has only been produced with single courses of loops.
The usual method as hitherto employed for producing such a welt has been to
stop the horizontal needles and to allow the upright needles alone to operate so as
to produce a few rows of loops as a plain fabric. All the needles have then been put
into operation so as to again produce ribbed fabric. When however a welt is produced
in this manner the loops remain hung on one row of needles and are only produced
on the other row. This prevents the fabric being drawn off so that after three or
four rows of plain fabric have been knitted the knocking over of these loops is no
longer possible and the width of welt which can be produced is very limited.
The object of my said invention is to obviate the before-mentioned difficulty and
to provide means whereby welts of any desired width may be produced not only
with a single set of loops but with double or multiple sets of loops.
Referring to the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a circular or round rib machine arranged
according to my said invention. The needles a and b crossing each other at right
angles therein slide in grooves in the usual manner. The cylinder or needle
drum B is rotated by a worm and worm-wheel C C' in a sleeve D secured to the
base plate E on which is also secured the lock frame containing the locks for
operating the upright needles.
The disc A carrying the horizontal or ribbing needles is mounted on a vertical
shaft F which rotates along with the bush F in a bearing G forming part of the
cross bracket.
Motion is imparted to the vertical shaft F through the toothed gearing
wheels H2 H' H.
Over the ribbing disc A are the locks K for operating the ribbing needles.
These are secured to the part G by the screw bolts K.
The essential feature of my said invention relates to the arrangement and com-
bined operation of the locks for operating the needles. I provide two locks
(ribbing locks) shown in plan in Fig. 7 for operating the ribbing needles a a of
Fig. 1 and also two locks (Fig. 4) for operating the upright needles on the drum or
cylinder. Each ribbing lock works in conjunction with a corresponding lock for
the vertical needles so that each thread passing through the thread guides L or L'
is operated upon by both the horizontal and upright needles as shown by the top
row cof Fig. 9.
To form a welt one lock for the horizontal and one for the upright needles can
be so set as to leave the needles idle. To enable this to be accomplished the lock
for the upright needles is constructed as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 which for

page_text: facility of description represent the cylindrical surfaces as having been flattened
out. Fig. 4 represents the lock as seen from the inside, Fig. 6 as seen from the
outside, while Fig. 5 is a section through I II of Fig. 4.
One lock (the left one) consists of the movable wards f g h while the right hand
lock only contains the movable ward i. The wards and are slid up and down
by the rotation of the ring & Fig. 6 containing oblique slots into which the studs of
the wards project. By this means the length of the loops is determined.
The studs g of the wards f g project outwards and rest on the part 1 having a
step depression at so arranged that the studs of the two wards lie in the position
indicated by dotted lines at Fig. 4 when the ring is moved in the direction of
When in this position the needles are no longer raised and the thread
the arrow z.
is not seized.
Supposing the wards to be in the dotted position last described and the ring
to be rotated in the opposite direction the stud 2 and the ward will rise on
to the step and be in a position for seizing the thread. Such a position will
correspond to that shewn for the ribbing needle a in Fig. 2 that is to say the
loop remains on the tongue of the needle. On the ring 7 Fig. 6 being further.
rotated in the same direction both the wards and grise, the ward bringing
the needle into position for seizing the thread while the ward lifts the needle
completely up so that the loop falls behind the tongue. The object of providing
these double wards fand g will be explained when referring to the ribbing lock.
g
The construction of the horizontal or ribbing lock corresponds to the one for
the upright needles. The right hand lock has the three movable wards f g h
while the left hand one only has the ward i. In the ribbing lock the wards
corresponding to and i are shifted by the rotation of an annular plate n
Fig. having oblique slots while the wards corresponding to ƒ and g (see Fig. 7)
are operated by stepped projections m' in the plate m (Fig. 8).
When both the wards and g (Fig. 7) are drawn back the needles are idle but
on their being pushed forward the same thing occurs as described in reference to
Fig. 6, that is to say the ward g brings the needle into position for seizing the yarn
as in Fig. 2. The movements described are necessary since if the needle is at once
pushed right out it is liable to take the fabric with it and lying under the thread
guide (Fig. 3) and being unable to open it cannot receive the thread.
The lock M of the ribbing needles (Fig. 7) works in conjunction with the lock M
of the upright needles (Fig. 4) while the lock N (Fig. 7) works along with N1
(Fig. 4). In this manner two threads p and q are knitted into ribbed fabric having
two rows of loops at each revolution of the frame.
In order to form a welt the wards and g of the locks of both the horizontal and
vertical needles are withdrawn. Then at the left hand the thread p is only seized
by the remaining horizontal needles and at the right hand by the remaining vertical
needles. Each side thus produces a plain fabric or tube one being inside the other,
having no connection with each other, until after having knitted a number of rows
corresponding to the width of the welt the whole of the wards come into play
when the two threads are united to form a ribbed fabric.
The diagram at Fig. 10 which represents a section through the welt clearly
illustrates the process.
indicates a length of ribbed fabric: from the junction of
the part with the parts each side produces plain fabric with a space between,
then to produce the part t all the needles come into action and again produce ribbed
fabric. If the part is cut through at dd which as hereinbefore explained is
practicable with ribbed goods a broad hollow welt s closed with a firm edge
remains. Fig. 9 shows the formation of the loops in producing such a welt. In
this figure there are only shown three rows of plain fabric 1, 2, 3, connected by
the row c.
In order to simplify the description I have only described the action of two locks
but I do not limit myself to the employment of only a single pair of locks as it is
evident that four six or any other even number of such locks may be used and
operated in the manner herein before described.

page_text: I make no claim to the particular construction of locks as hereinbefore described
by way of example which may be varied. For instance an adjustable ribbing lock
may work with a non-adjustable lock for the upright needles or a non-adjustable
ribbing lock may work with an adjustable lock for the upright needles.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a circular rib knitting frame the use of locks combined actuated and
operating substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.
2. In a circular rib knitting frame the use combination and arrangement of locks
working in pairs in the manner substantially as hereinbefore set forth for the
purpose of stopping the action of part of the needles in alternate courses in order to
produce two separate plain fabrics to be united so as to form a welt of any desired
width by the whole of the needles being brought into action.
Dated this Thirteenth day of June 1891.
EDWARD TURNER WHITELOW,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.