IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEDDING MOTIONS OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING FABRICS
Year: 1885

page_text: Fabrics.
SAMUEL WALKER, Radcliffe near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, GEORGE LEEK, Radcliffe, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Manager do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SHEDDING MOTIONS OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING FABRICS" to be as follows:-
This invention is designed for the purpose of effecting a uniform perfect cross
shed with each change of the warp threads when shedding & combining therewith.
a dwell that will enable the shed to remain open one third of the stroke of the..
crank, a third being taken up in opening the shed, and a third in closing the shed,
or a longer dwell may be obtained if necessary, by lengthening or shortening the
links or tappets And consists of any number of links or tappets to weave any
number to the round, or any number of shafts from two and upwards. These
links or tappets are so constructed in a chain as to raise and fall the treadles which
forms the shed. This chain is carried round on a barrel which is fitted with two
barrel washers, one at each end of the barrel, these barrel washers are notched out
to receive the ends of the chain, pins for the purpose of carrying the chain round.
This barrel receives its motion from a pair of bevil wheels which are driven from a
vertical shaft connected with a bevil wheel on the end crank shaft of the loom,
thereby receiving a continuous rotary motion to revolve the links or tappets
working on the barrel.
This invention can have spiral springs attached if desired to the bottom treadles
or jacks, to assist in closing the shed.

page_text: Improvements in Shedding Motions of Looms for Weaving
Fabrics.
.
We SAMUEL WALKER and GEORGE LEEK of the Atlas Works Radcliffe near
Manchester in the County of Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEDDING MOTIONS OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING
FABRICS and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying
drawings:
13
Our Invention relates to the shedding motions of looms for weaving and has for
its principal object to obtain by simple means an uniform shed which can be kept
open for a time suitable to the nature or width of the fabric. This we accomplish
by employing a chain of tappets to act upon the jacks the links of the chain being
changeable according to the pattern required and the chain being variable both in
length and breadth.
Our Invention will be more clearly understood when described with reference to
the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 Sheet 1 is a front elevation Fig. 2 an
end elevation and Fig. 3 a plan of our improved motion. The drawings on Sheet 2
are corresponding views illustrative of a modification which is more positive in its
action than the example illustrated on Sheet 1. In the Figs. on Sheet 1. a. a¹ are
the jacks and b. is the pattern chain. The said chain is composed of tappet links b.
and connecting links b¹ the said links being connected together by means of pins
which can be removed in order to vary the length and composition of the chain as
in the case of the Diggles or drop-box chain. The said chain is mounted upon a
chain barrel c. which is fixed upon a shaft d. which is fitted to revolve in bearings
in standards e. which are secured to the ordinary framing of the loom. In the
example only a few links of the chain are shown as the chain will vary considerably
in length according to the pattern which is required to be woven. The shaft d. is
provided with a bevel wheel f. with which gears a bevel pinion g. which is fixed
upon a vertical shaft h. and the said vertical shaft is connected by means of mitre
wheels with the ordinary crank shaft of the loom. Each jack is provided with
an anti-friction bowl as which rests upon the link which at the time may be
uppermost and the speed of the chain barrel is such as that the uppermost link is
changed at each pick of the loom as will be readily understood. When a tappet
link b. is brought below the bowl a² the jack is moved into the position of a¹ the
warp ends being lowered and when a simple connecting link b³ is brought below
the bowl the jack is moved into the position of the jack a. and the warp ends are
lifted. By making the acting face of each tappet link longer or shorter the shed
may be kept open for a proportionately longer or shorter time. To keep the bowls
in contact with the chain a spring k. is connected with each jack and tends to
draw down the outer end of the jack. The number of jacks may vary according
to the requirements the width of the chain being made to correspond so that there
shall be as many pattern links in the width of the chain as there are jacks. It will
be seen that when the chain is made up of pattern links and connecting links
disposed in accordance with the required pattern the healds will be raised and

page_text: lowered in the required order. It will be understood that the jacks a. a¹ are con-
nected with the healds and with bottom jacks in the ordinary or in a suitable
manner. In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 in Sheet 2 the springs k. are dispensed with and two
chains are employed one on each side of the fulcrum l. of the jacks. Each jack is
provided with two anti-friction bowls one for each chain and each chain is the
converse of the other so that when the two chain barrels are revolved in unison
there will always be a pattern link brought below the bowl upon a jack at the
same time as a connecting link is brought below the other bowl upon the same
jack. The jacks thus receive both their movements positively from the chains.
The chain barrel shafts are connected together by spur wheels m of equal diameters
so that the chains move in unison. One of the chain barrels is connected with the
crank shaft by means of a train of spur gearing n. n. in lieu of the bevel gearing
employed in the first example. If preferred spur gearing may be employed for the
same purpose in the example illustrated in Sheet 1 but any suitable means for
giving motion to the chain barrel may be used and the motion. may be applied
either above or below the crank shaft or at the side of the loom or in any suitable
position.
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 :
1. The combination of parts forming the shedding motions for looms arranged
and acting substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated hereinbefore
and in and by the accompanying drawings.
2. A shedding motion for looms having a pattern chain composed of changeable
links to act upon the jacks, treadles or levers which actuate the healds substantially
as set forth and indicated.
3. A shedding motion for looms having two such pattern chains arranged one on
each side of the fulcrum of the jacks or treadles substantially as and for the purpose
set forth and indicated. .