IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER LOOMS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Wright, Manager, and Michael Barker
Nairn, Floorcloth Manufacturer, both of Kirkcaldy, in the County of
Fife, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN POWER
LOOMS."
Sealed the 28th April 1868, and dated the 2nd November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Wright and
Michael Barker Nairn at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 2nd November 1867.
We, JOHN WRIGHT, Manager, and MICHAEL BARKER NAIRN, Floorcloth
Manufacturer, both of Kirkcaldy, in the County of Fife, North. Britain,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
POWER LOOMS," to be as follows, that is to say:--
This Invention has principally for its object by an improved construction
to render power looms suitable for weaving very wide and heavy fabrics,
such as floorcloth canvas, of, for example, eight yards in width; and the
features of novelty are, firstly, the actuating of the lathe by cams, which keep

page_text: it back for a length of time sufficient for the passage of the shuttle, and
allow it to beat up by the action of gravitation alone, or combined with
springs; secondly, the actuating of the picking levers also by gravitation by
means of weighted levers which are raised and let fall by cams; thirdly, the
arranging of the driving gearing in duplicate at the two sides of the loom ;
fourthly, the actuating of the lathe or shuttle or both by means of cylinders
and pistons; and, fifthly, the actuating of picking shafts by cams or wipers
on shafts revolving more quickly than the lathe cam shaft.
In practically carrying out the Invention the main framing and arrange-
ments of the lathe and other parts may be like that of ordinary hand looms
for weaving such goods. In one modification the cams for moving back the
lathe are placed in front of it, there being two, one to act on each end. Each
cam is on a shaft in an iron framing at the side, which framing also contains a
low shaft fitted with cams for actuating the heddles and picking levers, and
suitably geared to the lathe cam shaft. The low shaft is continued completely
across the loom, and connects the two sets of gearing. The lathe cams are
each shaped with a spiral part which forces back the lathe, and which passes
At
into a cylindrical part that keeps the lathe back the necessary time.
the end of the cylindrical part the cam is, as it were, cut away to allow the
lathe to return forward by its own weight or by weights or springs applied to
it. The lathe cams may be arranged to beat up twice or oftener between each
pick as is done in the hand looms. The picking cams are similarly shaped,
and raise weighted levers which then fall and strike short bell-crank arms on
the picking levers, which last act in vertical or nearly vertical planes. The
picking levers do not, however, follow the lathe, but are formed with their
upper ends bent forward, so that the drivers or driver straps can slide back-
wards and forwards on them as the lathe vibrates. The heddle cams are like
ordinary ones, excepting that they are each formed with a cylindrical part to
keep the shed open a sufficient length of time. If preferred, the gearing may
be arranged at the back instead of at the front of the lathe, and so as to pull
it back instead of pushing it back, but in any case the lathe must return
forward independently of the cams. It is preferred to obtain the return
forward of the lathe by suspending it above on an axis sufficiently forward
to give it a tendency to swing förward simply by its own gravitation. The
same action may, however, also be got by disposing the axis of the lathe below
instead of overhead.
'
By another modification the lathe is moved backwards by means of one or
two cylinders actuated by steam or compressed air; and if the lathe does

page_text: not beat up with sufficient force by its own gravitating action, as herein-before
described, the beat up may be assisted by the steam or air. The shuttle may.
also be actuated by means of a steam cylinder placed centrally either above
or below the warps, and acting on the shuttle drivers through straps or rods ;.
or the shuttle may be actuated by means of the ordinary vertical picking.
shafts, such shafts being themselves actuated by wipers on a first motion or.
other shaft revolving more quickly than the lathe shaft, instead of being on
a shaft revolving more slowly as in ordinary looms, the object being to obtain.
a smarter stroke. The wipers are moved into their acting positions on the
shaft at the proper times by levers actuated by a cam on the low shaft. The
minor details may obviously be varied according to circumstances.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Wright and Michael Barker Nairn in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 1st May 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN
WRIGHT, Manager, and MICHAEL BARKER NAIRN, Floorcloth Manufac-
turer, both of Kirkcaldy, in the County of Fife, North Britain, send
greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her.
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said John Wright and Michael Barker Nairn, Her special licence that, we,
the said John Wright and Michael Barker Nairn, our executors, adminis-.
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Wright and Michael
Barker Nairn, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any.
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter.
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention: for. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
POWER LOOMS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John
Wright and Michael Barker Nairn, our executors or administrators, by.an,
instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said.
Invention, and in what manner the same was
was to be performed, and

page_text: cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said John Wright and Michael Barker
Nairn, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference being had
to the accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
Our said Invention has principally for its object by an improved construction
to render power looms suitable for weaving very wide and heavy fabrics, such as
floorcloth canvas, of, for example, eight yards in width; and our said Inven-
tion comprises the following principal features of novelty, namely, firstly, the
actuating of the lathe by cams which keep it back for a length of time sufficient
for the passage of the shuttle and allow it to beat up by the action of gravitation
alone or combined with springs; secondly, the actuating of the picking levers
also by gravitation by means of weighted levers which are raised and let fall
by cams; thirdly, the arranging of the driving gearing in duplicate at the two
sides of the loom; fourthly, the actuating of the lathe or shuttle or both by
means of cylinders and pistons; and, fifthly, the actuating. of picking shafts
by cams or wipers on shafts revolving more quickly than the lathe cam.
shaft.
And in order that our said Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, may be properly understood, we have hereunto appended a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing portions
of a loom for weaving floorcloth canvas as provided with our improved arrange-
ments for the application of power thereto.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of one side of the loom, and Figure 2 is a
corresponding side elevation, whilst Figure 3 is a vertical section parallel
to Figure 2, and taken so as to show the cams for actuating the heddle
levers.
In practically carrying out our Invention the main framing A, B, C, D, and
the arrangement of the lathe E and other parts of the loom may be like those
of ordinary hand looms for weaving floorcloth canvas. In the modifieation
represented in the Figures the cams for moving back the lathe E are placed
in front of it, there being two, one to act on each end. Only one, 1, however,
of the two cams is shown. Each cam 1 is on the inner end of a shaft 2 carried
by an iron framing 3 at the side, which framing 3 also carries the end of a
low shaft 4 fitted with cams 5 (Figure 3) and 13 for actuating the heddles F

page_text: and picking levers 6, and suitably geared to the lathe cam shaft 2. The low
shaft 4 is continued completely across the front of the loom and connects the
two sets of gearing. The lathe cam shaft 2 has fast on it a spur wheel 7,
which is in gear with a pinion on a first-motion shaft 8 having on it fast and
loose pulleys for a driving belt. There is also fast on the lathe cam shaft 2
a pinion 9 that is in gear with a spur wheel on an intermediate shaft 10, and
the spur wheel on this latter shaft is also in gear with a spur wheel on the
low sbaft 4. Each lathe cam 1 is shaped with a spiral part 11, which forces
back the lathe E, and which passes into a cylindrical part that keeps the lathe
back for the necessary time. At the end 12 of the cylindrical part each cam.
is as it were cut away to allow the lathe E to return forward by its own weight
aided by weights 13 (or springs) applied to it. The lathe cams 1 may be
arranged to beat up twice or oftener between each pick, as is done in the
band looms. The picking cams 13 on the low shaft 4 are similarly shaped
and raise weighted or heavy levers 14, which then fall and act through cords:
or straps 15 on short bell-crank arms 16 fast on short spindles 17 on which.
the picking levers 6 are fixed. We formerly proposed to mount the picking.
levers 6 apart from the lathe, but we now prefer to arrange them as shown,.
the spindles 17 which carry them being held in bearings attached to the lathe
swords G. The picking levers 6 are connected by straps H to the drivers I
in the ordinary way, and they are recovered after each stroke by the action of.
counterweights 18 fixed on each spindle 17. The heddle cams 5, Figure 3,
are like ordinary ones, excepting that they are each formed with a cylindrical,
or nearly cylindrical part 19 to keep the shed open a sufficient length of time.
If preferred the gearing may be arranged at the back instead of at the front
of the lathe, and so as to pull it back instead of pushing it back; but in any
case the lathe E must return forward independently of the cams 1. We,
prefer to obtain the return forward of the lathe E by suspending it above
in the ordinary way, as shown, on an axis sufficiently forward to give it a;
tendency to swing forward simply by its own gravitation. The same action
may, however, also-be got by disposing the axis of the lathe Ẹ below instead
of overhead.
By another modification the lathe E is moved backwards by means of one
or two cylinders actuated by steam or compressed air, and if the lathe does:
not beat up with sufficient force by its own gravitating action, as herein-before
described, the beat-up may be assisted by admitting the steam or air to act.
upon the backs of the pistons. For example, if two cylinders are used they
may each be of about four inches in diameter to be worked by steam or com-

page_text: pressed air of a pressure of about twenty-five pounds per square inch. Such
cylinders may be conveniently situated in the positions occupied by the cams 1
in the Drawing, and their valves may be worked from the low shaft 4, which
must be driven in the ordinary way. The shuttle may also be actuated by
means of a steam cylinder placed centrally and in a horizontal position either
above or below the warps and acting on the shuttle drivers through straps or
rods. The valves of the shuttle cylinder are to be actuated also from the low
shaft 4, and the cylinder should be of from three to four inches in diameter
for a pressure of twenty-five pounds per square inch. The valves in both the
lathe cylinders and the shuttle cylinder should be set to cut off early in the
stroke, so that the latter and larger portion of the stroke may be performed
by the expansion. The shuttle may be actuated by means of the ordinary
vertical picking shafts, such shafts being themselves actuated by wipers on a
first-motion or other shaft revolving more quickly than the lathe shaft 2,
instead of being on a shaft 4 revolving more slowly, as in ordinary looms, the
object being to obtain a smarter stroke. An arrangement of the kind indicated
is shown in Figures 4 and 5, which are sectional elevations at right angles to
each other. The vertical picking lever shaft 17 is actuated from the first-
motion shaft 8 by a wiper 20 arranged to slide on a feather on the shaft, and
formed with a grooved boss to which is applied the fork of a lever 21. This
lever 21 is acted on by a grooved cam 22 on the low shaft 4 so as to put the
wiper 20 into its acting position at the proper times. Similar parts are of
course arranged at both sides of the loom, but with the grooved cams 22
disposed so as to act alternately.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we have to state that we do not restrict
ourselves to the precise details herein described or delineated; but that what
we believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention secured to us
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
1. The actuating of the lathe by cams arranged to allow it to beat up
by gravitation alone or combined with springs, substantially as herein-before
described.
2. The actuating of the picking levers by weighted levers raised and let fall
by cams, substantially as herein-before described.
3. The arranging of the driving gearing in duplicate at the two sides of the
loom, substantially as berein-before described.
4. The actuating of the lathe or shuttle or both by means of cylinders and
pistons, substantially as herein-before described.

page_text: And, 5. The actuating of picking shafts by cams or wipers on shafts revolving
more quickly than the lathe cam shaft, substantially as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Wright, on behalf of myself and
the said Michael Barker Nairn, have hereunto set my hand and seal,
this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
JOHN WRIGHT. (L.S.)