Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Cutting Velvets, Cords, and other similar Piled Fabrics.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Jan., 1887
Complete Left, 28th Oct., 1887
Complete Accepted, 27th Jan., 1888
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Cutting Velvets,
Cords, and other similar Piled Fabrics.
I GEORGE ROGER of 9 Orchard Street Warrington in the County of Lancaster
Master Fustian Cutter do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates principally to that class of machinery or apparatus for
cutting the pile of velvets cords and other similar fabrics, wherein the pile is
formed by the weft thread and cut in a longitudinal direction the said fabric being
caused to move or travel towards a knife and guide similar to those used when
cutting the said pile by hand, or it may also be applied to a travelling or moving
knife and guide.
Many machines have been devised for the purpose above mentioned, but they have
failed to work satisfactorily chiefly because the knife and guide have not been made
sufficiently sensitive to stop the machine immediately at a fault say for example when
the point of the guide passes through the "back" of the fabric, or when a knot is
brought against it, or when the said guide runs out of the right race into the "slip'
or when it runs out of the race on the face of the fabric, or when the knife becomes
blunt, and this rendered a constant and vigilant supervision of the operative
absolutely necessary.
My invention is intended to remedy this defect.
22
It will be understood by a practical "fustian cutter" that as the fabric or the
knife moves when the latter is sharp and in the right "race" the threads which are
being cut, offer a certain and very slightly varying resistance to the guide and knife,
but if the former sticks into the cloth or into a knot or runs into "slip" or if the
knife loses its " edge" this resistance is appreciably increased; but when the said
guide flies out of the race on to the face of the cloth the resistance is removed.
I have therefore utilized this variation of resistance by so mounting the knife and
guide that they are sufficiently sensitive to be acted upon thereby and by connecting
them as hereafter described to the "stop-motion" of the machine.
I employ an ordinary fustian cutter's knife and guide or a modification of the same,

page_text: or may employ more than one such knife and guide cutting at the same time, and
I mount the said knife in a carrier upon trunnions or other equivalent device capable
of sliding upon side platos on an adjustable frame or carried in sliding bearings and
held in the centre of the said side plates by a very delicately balanced lever or spring
(either directly or through a connecting link) so that when the knife is sharp and
the guide in the right "race the resistance being consequently normal and constani
(or nearly so) the knife is almost stationary on its bearings.
I may use more than one balanced lever to each knife, or more than one knife in
connection with each lever.
Each balanced lever is connected (preferably in the manner hereafter described) to
the stop motion of the machine and thus when the guide and knife meet too great a
resistance the trunnions (or their equivalent) or the sliding bearings will be moved
back overcoming the action of the balanced lever and causing it to stop the
machine.
When the resistance is removed by the guide and knife "flying out" of the race,
the balanced lever or levers will move forward and actuate the stop motion.
In either case I prefer so to mount the knife that it will immediately drop upon
the cloth and be quite detached from the bearings or supports and thus aggravation
of the fault will be prevented.
This is effected by making the before-named side plates of such length and form
that the trunnions of the knife (or other equivalent) may fall over either end thereof
and by so forming the bearings (when used) of the said trunnions that the latter will
fall from them when they have been carried past either end of the side plates, or
will be lifted by inclined planes (rising from the centre of the said side plates in
either direction) out of their said bearings.
The stop motion which I prefer to employ, when the knife or knives and the guide
or guides are stationary and the cloth is moved beneath them, is constructed as
follows:-
Each of the balanced levers before named is connected by a slotted link and lever
(or otherwise) to a rocking shaft or bar provided with a groove or notch and hence-
forth called the knocking off bar: "A catch is so pivotted to a vertically sliding
bolt, that when the former is in a vertical position it will hold up the latter but as
soon as this position is altered by the movement to the right or left of the knocking
off bar the catch is knocked out of its groove and the sliding bolt falls and (being
in communication with the strap fork) throws the strap onto the loose pulley and
stops the machine.
In some cases I cause the falling of this sliding bolt also to put a break on the
machine.
The cloth or fabric to be cut may be caused to pass beneath the aforesaid knife or
knives in any convenient manner or the cloth may be stationary and the knife
mounted upon a moving carriage.
Dated this 27th day of Iony 1007
GEORGE. DAVIES,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Cutting Velvets,
Cords, and other similar Piled Fabrics.
I GEORGE ROGER of 9 Orchard Street, Warrington in the County of Lancaster
Master Fustian Cutter 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 relates principally to that class of machinery or apparatus for
cutting the pile of velvets cords and other similar fabrics wherein the pile is formed
by the weft thread and cut in a longitudinal direction, the said fabric being caused to
move or travel towards a knife and guide similar to those used when cutting the said
pile by hand, or it may also be applied to a travelling or moving knife and guide.
29
Many machines have been devised for the purpose above mentioned, but they have
failed to work satisfactorily, chiefly because the knife and guide have not been made
sufficiently sensitive to stop the machine immediately at a fault, say for example when
the point of the guide passes through the back of the fabric, or when a knot is
brought against it, or when the said guide runs out of the right race into the "slip"
or when it runs out of the race onto the face of the fabric, or when the knife becomes
blunt, and this defect has rendered a constant and vigilant supervision of the opera-
tive absolutely necessary. Hitherto no machine has been constructed capable of
meeting and successfully dealing with all the above faults.
My invention is intended to remedy this defect.
66
22
It will be understood by a practical "fustian cutter" that as the fabric or the
knife moves, when the latter is sharp and in the right race the threads which
are being cut offer a nearly even and only very slightly varying resistance to the
guide and knife, but if the former sticks into the cloth or into a knob or runs into
slip" or if the knife loses its "edge" this resistance is appreciably increased, and
when the said guide flies out of the race, onto the face of the cloth, the resistance is
diminished.
I have therefore utilized this accidental increase and diminution of resistance by
50 mounting the knife and guide that they are sufficiently sensitive to be acted upon
thereby, and by causing their consequent motion to bring into action or allow to be
brought into action as hereinafter described the "stop-motion" of the machine.
The nature of iny invention and the manner in which the same is to be or may be
performed will be readily understood on reference to the annexed sheet of drawings
of which Fig. 1. is a side elevation and Fig. 2. a front view of my improved
apparatus.
I employ an ordinary fustian cutter's knife a, a and guide or a modification of the
same (or I may employ more than one such knife and guide cutting at the same
time) and I mount the said knife a, a in a carrier b, b upon trunnions c, c or other
equivalent device capable of sliding upon side plates d, d on an adjustable frame e, e,
or carried in sliding bearings; and the trunnions c, c are held in the centre of the

page_text: "
32
said side plates d, d by a very delicately balanced leverf, acted on by a weighted
lever g g or by a spring (either directly or through a connecting link) so that when
the knife a, a is sharp and the guide in the right race the resistance being
consequently normal and constant (or nearly so) the knife is almost stationary on
its bearings.
I may use more than one balanced lever fif to each knife or more than one
knife a, a in connection with each lever and I prefer to make the weighted
lever g, g reversible (as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.) so as to allow of the knife
being reversed if desired.
Each balanced lever f, is connected (preferably in the manner hereafter described)
to the stop motion of the machine and thus when the guide and knife meet too great
a resistance the trunnions c, c or their equivalent, or the sliding bearings will be
moved back overcoming the pressure of the balanced lever ff and causing it to be
forced back and stop the machine.
When the resistance is removed by the guide and knife "flying out" of the race,
the balanced lever or levers, will move forward and actuate the stop motion.
In either case I prefer so to mount the knife that it will immediately drop upon
the cloth and be quite detached from the bearings or supports and thus aggravation of
the fault will be prevented.
This is effected by making the before named side plates d, d of such length and
form that the trunnions c, c of the knife a, a (or other equivalent) may fall over
either end thereof, and by so forming the bearings (when used) of the said trunnions
that the trunnions will fall from the bearings when carried past either end of the
side plates, or that the trunnions will be lifted by inclined planes (rising from the
centre of the said side plates in either direction) out of their said bearings as shown
at diagram Fig. 3.
In this modification the trunnions are carried in movable bearings h, h which are
notched, the ends of the trunnions projecting. As the levers move either backwards
or forwards the ends of the trunnions are lifted out of their notched bearings h, h by
one or other of the fixed inclined planes i, i and are thus released.
The stop motion which I prefer to employ, is an electric stop motion which is
described in an application by Dugald Scott of Manchester, for Letters Patent dated
February 12th 1887, No. 2207, and I would here remark that since filing my
Provisional Specification I have found that the mechanical stop motion described
therein is not sufficiently quick in its action to prevent cutting of the cloth and I
therefore do not wish to claim such mechanical stop motion.
The cloth or fabric to be cut may be caused to pass beneath the aforesaid knife or
knives a, a (as indicated by the arrow on Fig. 1.) in any convenient manner or the
cloth may be stationary and the knife mounted upon a moving carriage.
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
In machinery or apparatus for cutting velvets cords and other similar piled fabrics,
wherein the pile is formed by the weft threads, the combination of knife and guide
with a carrier and trunnions, either with or without bearings, and carried upon side
plates, and with a balanced lever substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore set forth and described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
GEORGE DAVIES,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester,
Agent for the Applicant.