IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Henry Johnson at the Office
A communication
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd April 1880.
from abroad by Ernst Nicolaus Fries, of Greiz, in the Empire of Germany.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING." A communication from
abroad by Ernst Nicolaus Fries, of Greiz, in the Empire of Germany.
This Invention relates to looms for weaving, and consists in certain improve-
ments in the construction and arrangement of the mechanism for actuating the
leaves of the healds or heddles, as hereinafter described.
In carrying out this Invention the healds or heddles are actuated by means of
mechanism supported by standards secured to a bearer, which is connected at each
extremity to the framing of the loom by means of curved supports.
Motion is imparted to the mechanism by two cams fast on the end of the crank
shaft of the lathe.
One cam consists of a ring fast upon a disc, and arranged in contact with four
friction rollers, the three former of which work against the external periphery of
the ring, whilst the other roller works against the internal periphery of the same.
These four rollers are carried by a plate forming part of a frame attached to a
connecting rod. The frame consists of two plates capable of sliding vertically upon
a guide block working in grooves between the said plates. The guide block is
loose upon the shaft, and causes the frame to travel in a vertical direction when
acted on by the cam. The other cam, which is of a heart shape, acts upon a
reciprocating rod provided with a ledge or wiper resting on the cam, whereby the
rod is caused to move in a vertical direction similarly to the frame before referred
to, being provided with a pendent slotted prolongation, which embraces the shaft
and acts as a guide. This rod actuates the horizontal arm of a bell crank lever
working on a pivot, and carrying a card cylinder at the extremity of its vertical
arm. The cord cylinder is thus caused to approach or recede from the needles by
the motion of the cam. The reciprocating rod is formed in two parts, connected
together by a set screw passing through a slot in one of the parts to admit of the
length of the rod being adjusted in order to regulato the movement of the cylinder
in relation to the needles.
The needles work in holes in two bars, one of which bars is fastened directly

page_text: to the frame of the heddle mechanism, whilst the other is supported between nuts
working on two projecting screws.
When the cam last referred to is in its lowest position the reciprocating rod
also descends by gravitation to its lowest position, thereby causing the card
cylinder to recede from the needles. The card cylinder is provided with cards
corresponding to the pattern to be produced; a detent or catch and brake are
provided for producing the requisite intermittent rotary motion of the card cylinder,
and are of the usual construction.
The other cam then acts through the intervention of a connecting rod provided
with an adjusting device upon one extremity of the horizontal arm of a lever fast
on one extremity of a shaft, and also provided with an arm projecting upwards
and a pendent arm, a two armed lever corresponding to the two latter arms on
the three armed lever is fast on the opposite end of the shaft at the other side of
the apparatus.
The connecting rod is connected to the horizontal arm of the three armed lever
by a screw passing through a slot in the said arm; the ends of one set of arms of
the two armed levers are connected by rods to two lovers on opposite sides of the
apparatus. These two levers are of equal length, and are mounted loosely upon an
axis, which also carries two levers connected by rods to the oxtremities of tho
other arms of the two armed levers on opposite sides of the apparatus. By means
of these connecting rods and levers motion is imparted to levers which actuate the
leaves of the beddles, as hereinafter described.
The levers before referred to for actuating the levers last mentioned on opposite
sides of the apparatus are each connected together by two, horizontal rods
respectively, which rods are free to move in curved slots in the frame. The two
lower rods also work in curved slots formed in the levers actuating the heddles,
and which are arranged side by side in a vertical position upon an axis.
The card cylinder with its cards controls the movements of the heddle levers, as
hereinafter described. Sixteen three armed levers are mounted loosely upon a
fixed axis secured at its extremities in slots in the frame to admit of a slight
vertical adjustment.
Now when the corresponding cam reaches the highest point of its throw the
respective rods will have brought the heddle levers in line in a vertical position.
The jacquard cylinder is then moved towards the needles; springs are provided,
which tend to press through the intervention of the needles, upon which they are
placed against the three armed levers last mentioned, and these levers, by means
of prolongations with which they are provided, consequently cause a certain
number of catches to engage with a certain number of the levers of the heddles,
and at the same time, by means of prolongations on the opposite side, disengage
corresponding catches from the same levers. The needles which have been pushed
back by the card however compress the springs and disengage the catches corre-
sponding to these needles, and bring a corresponding number of catches into action
on the opposite side. The prolongations thus serve to lift and control the catches.
When the cam has performed half a revolution it will havo brought down-the
connecting rod corresponding to the said cam and before referred to, thereby
moving the levers for actuating the heddle lovers away from each other.
The catches are carried by and turn upon rods connecting the ends of the levers
which actuate the heddle levers, and passing through slots in the frame, as herein-
before described.
Other levers for actuating the leaves of the heddles, and which move to the left
to open the shed, elevates the corresponding leaves through the intervention of
other levers, whilst other and similar levers depress corresponding leaves through
the intervention of counter levers. The shed is now open, the shuttle is thrown,
and after the lathe has performed its stroke the motions are reversed, and the shed
again closes the lovers for operating the leaves, again returning to the-same
vertical plane.

page_text: It should be observed that the counter levers may be carried upon a bearer
supported by the two side frames of the loom. They are constructed of cast iron,
so that the rapid wearing out of the wooden levers heretofore employed is
avoided.
In these machines the shed is so arranged that the leaves may be brought into a
higher or lower position corresponding to the dimensions and angle of the
shed. A clean shed is thus obtained, and the size or angle of the shed is capable
of being adjusted as required by lengthening or shortening one of the lever
arms.