Improvements in Looms for Producing Coir Yarn Mats and similar Fabrics.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 24th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 24th April, 1891-Accepted, 24th July. 1391
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Looms for Producing Coir Yarn Mats and similar
Fabrics.
.
We WILLIAM BRITAIN Junr. of 28 Lambton Road Hornsey Rise London and
FRED GOODACRE of Ceylon Mills Queens Road Victoria Docks London
Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
We employ a loom similar to those at present used for making coir-yarn matting.
but with much longer reeds in the baton. In front of the gears we make two
frames with a slight backward and forward motion, and also a slight side-way
motion, and in each of these frames we make another frame to slide up and down,
carrying arms or brackets, which are in the form of thin plates, and pass between
the reeds of the baton, and reach forward nearly to where the fabric is being
produced. We make the arms hollow, and with the necessary rollers inside so that
the yarn to form the pile may enter them at the back below the gears and travel
We make each alternate
up and forward and out at the front end near the fabric.
arm attached to the same frame so that one half of them are fixed to one frame;
and the other half to the other frame; and each arm passes between the reeds of
the baton with the thread of the warp with which it is associated. We make a
number of hooks arranged in a row just above where the fabric is being formed to
hold up the pile to the required height; and a knife to slide over the hooks (which
makes with each hook a small pair of shears) to cut the pile when it is formed.
Upon one of the main axles of the machine we make a drum with a spiral thread
running round it, uniform for some distance, then the drum is reduced to a much
smaller size, and continues for a short distance, is again reduced, and then rises to
the second size for a short distance. it then rises to a medium size for a short
distance; and then rises again considerably larger than the main portion of the
drum, and terminates abruptly. The thread follows all the variations of the drum,
so that a wheel on the end of a lever will follow all the ups and downs from one
We make a lever free to
end to the other as the drum revolves with the axle.
follow all the movements of the drum from one end to the other, and return with
a spring, and working on the same axle as a second lever that can only rise and fall
with the irregularities of the drum, as the other lever follows it along. These we
call the changing levers. We make an adjustable stop so that the spring can only
carry the lever back as far as may be desired to regulate the length of the mat.
We make these levers act upon catches that stop the action of the frames carrying
the arms, upon the levers moving the pile hooks, and the knife, also upon the feed.
We make the machine feed the work through, by a cam acting upon a lever which
returns by a spring; so that it can take any length of stroke according to where it
is stopped in its return stroke, and we make the levers connected with the drum,
stop its return according to what is wanted. Now, supposing the machine is
working, the action is as follows:-
Suppose the arms all to be up on the right side of their respective threads of the
warp, then the frame, and arms whose turn it is to make the next row of pile, move
a little forward, and the other a little backward, the hooks then rise and catch the
forward threads, and return to their places. The frame then descends until the
arms are free from their own warp threads, and move across to the left side and
rise again to their places. Each bundle of threads from this frame to make the
pile rises from the fabric already woven, turns over its respective hook, down, and
under its respective warp thread, up the other side, and into the end of the arm.
The shuttle is then thrown across under all the arms, and all is beaten up tight.

page_text: The knife then slides across the hooks cutting the pile, and releasing the hooks,
which rise and take up the next row.
The feed of course having moved the work along a sufficient distance meanwhile.
When enough of this is done to make a mat the changing lever slides off the end
of the main drum on to the reduced part, and in so doing releases catches that stop
the arms, hooks, and cutter from working, and reduces the play of the feed. The
other part of the machine then goes on making a plain fabric without pile, until
sufficient is done to make the finish of the mat. Then the lever drops to a still
smaller place on the drum, which causes it to release the feed, which then takes one
long stroke of several inches. The lever then rises again to the second position,
and makes a little more plain fabric to start another mat. The lever then rises to
a position between the first and second, which releases the pile arms, but not the
cutter & hooks, and allows the feed to take its normal stroke. While all this
changing has been going on, the threads to form the pile, have been pulled tight
over the plain fabric and open space from their last rows of pile; they now take
one turn each, down and up again, and the drum raises the lever to its normal
position and allows the hooks to act again. After this the extra high place on the
drum raises the lever an extra distance and holds it until it is caught and held
there by the next throw of the feed, when the drum terminates suddenly, and the
spring carries the swing portion of the lever back over the length of the drum
without touching any of it, to the stop. Then, the next time the feed acts, it
again releases the lever which falls into the thread on the drum, and starts all over
again.
We have described our invention applied to a mat loom, where two sets of arms
are used, but one set only need be used, where a different sort of mat is wanted,
and then, rods may be laid in to make the pile instead of hooks; or the arms may
all be used, but divided into more sets.
Our invention may also be applied to the manufacture of any pile fabric for
which it is suitable.
Dated this 24th day of July 1800
W. BRITAIN, JUNR.
FRED
GOODACRE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Looms for Producing Coir Yarn Mats and similar
Fabrics.
We, WILLIAM BRITAIN Junr., of 28 Lambton Road, Hornsey Rise, London,
and FRED GOODACRE, of Ceylon Mills, Queens Road, Victoria Docks, London,
Manufacturers, 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 has for its object improvements in looms for producing coir
yarn mats and similar fabrics.
Figure 1 of the drawing annexed shews a vertical section of a loom having our
improvements embodied in it.
Figure 2 shews separately some of the mechanism for automatically controlling
the length of mats made.
Figure 3 shews part of the pile cutting mechanism.
Figure 4 shews separately one of the pile warp carriers.
The loom is so constructed that the tufts of pile are looped around the ground
warps instead of being caught by the weft as in ordinary pile fabrics.
We employ a loom similar to those at present used for making coir yarn matting
but with much longer reeds 2 in the batten 1. In front of the gears or ground
warp headles 3 we place two frames 4 and 5 which can be moved backwards and

page_text: forwards alternately and also moved sidewise a short distance to and fro. Within
these frames we place other frames 6 or 7 to slide up and down.
These latter frames carry hollow arms 8 and 9 through which the pile warps 12
are led. The hollow arms pass between the reeds of the batten and reach forward
nearly to where the fabric is being produced. Each alternate arm is attached to
the same frame so that one half of them are attached to one frame and the other
half to the other frame and each arm passes between the reeds of the batten with
the thread of the ground warp 13 with which it is associated.
By the upward and downward movement of the frames 6 and 7 the pile warp is
carried upward and downward between the ground warps.
By the sideway movement of the frames and 5 each hollow arm or pile warp
carrier can after it has been moved downwards below the ground warp with which
it works be shogged sidewise a distance so that when it is again made to rise it
rises up on the opposite side of the ground warp.
The pile warp carriers are as shewn at Figure 4 made hollow and with the
necessary rollers inside so that the pile yarn may enter them at the back and
travel forward and out at the front end near the fabric.
In Figure 4b is part of the main body of one of the arms it is composed of a
thin plate secured at its lower end to the cross bar of one or other of the
frames 6 or 7 and at its upper end divided into two portions which are held
together at front and back by side plates c c on each side of it. ee are pile warps
and d d rollers over and under which the pile warps pass.
The backward and forward movement is given to the frames 4 and 5 by the
upper ends of the frames being connected by links to opposite arms of a lever A
another arm of which is coupled by a rod to a lever B acted upon by a cam on the
shaft C.
The sideway movement is given to the frames by an arm D on a vertical axis E
another arm on which is coupled by a rod with a lever F a truck on which is acted
upon by a cam on the shaft 16-thus when the vertical axis is rocked the frames
are shifted sidewise along the rods which form the fulcrum on which the frames
rock backwards and forwards.
The upward and downward movement is given to the frames 6 and 7 by levers G
acted on by cams on the shaft C.
Instead of a sideway movement being given to the pile warp carriers to carry
the pile warps first to one side of the ground warps with which they are associated
and then to the opposite side of these warps the pile warp carriers might simply
be raised and lowered and the ground warps shifted sidewise to effect the same
object. The sideway movement may be given to the ground warps by shifting
sidewise the harness 3 through which they are led.
Just above where the fabric is being formed we mount a number of hooks 14
arranged in a row to hold up the pile to the required height. 15 is a knife to slide
over the hooks and cut the pile when it is formed-the knife making with each
hook a small pair of shears."
The hooks are mounted upon a bar H which can be rocked on an axis I. The
rocking motion is given to the axis in one direction by a spring not shewn and in
the opposite direction by an arm upon the axis which has coupled to it a rod 28
which is notched so as to catch over a pin K' carried by a lever K which is acted
upon by a cam on the shaft L. A sideway movement is also given to the bar H
by an arm on a vertical shaft M another arm at the lower end of which is by a rod
connected to a lever arm N which is acted on by a cam on the shaft 16.
This sideway movement is given to the hooks after they have been swung
backward and caused to enter between the pile warps so that as the hooks return
they catch the warps and draw them forwards with them.
The knife has movement given to it from a rod O jointed to an arm on a
vertical axis P which at its lower end has another arm upon it coupled by a rod to
a lever arm which is acted on by a cam on the cam shaft L.
The take up mechanism shewn in the drawing is an endless spiked belt, the

page_text: .
lower roller around which the belt passes has a ratchet wheel upon it which is
moved step by step by a pawl carried by a lever 29 which is rocked to and fro by
being coupled by a rod to the lever 31 acted on by a cam on the cam shaft L.
The batten is worked from a crank on the shaft L--the shuttle race where
would come against the take up belt is cut away and the shuttle as it passes across
from one side of the loom to the other is supported by the warps only.
For controlling the working of the loom we employ the following arrangement.
Upon one of the main axles 16 of the machine we make a drum 17 see Figure 2
with a spiral thread running round it, uniform at 18 for some distance then the
drum is reduced to a much smaller size 19 and continues for a short distance, is
again reduced as at 20 and then rises to the second size 19 for a short distance, it
then rises to a medium size 21 for a short distance; and then at 22 rises again
considerably larger than the main portion of the drum, and terminates abruptly.
The spiral thread follows all the variations of the drum, a wheel 23 on the end
of a lever 24 engages with the spiral thread. The lever 24 is free to turn around
a vertical fulcrum which projects from the boss of a lever 25 that can turn around
a horizontal fulcrum R. The wheel 23 on the lever 24 will as the drum revolves
be traversed sidewise and will in addition follow all the ups and downs in the
varying size of the drum. When the wheel 23 arrives at the end of the drum the
lever 24 is brought back by a spring as herein after explained and then again
commences to travel along the drum as before. The extent of backward movement
so given to the lever 24 is limited by an adjustable stop 26 the length of mats
woven can in this way be regulated. The lever 25 which only moves up and down
together with the lever 24 carries an irregularly shaped stop surface which serves
to control the amount of take up and at each movement draw forward the woven
mat a shorter or longer distance as required. A pin 32 upon the lever arm 31
strikes against this stop surface. The lever 25 also has coupled to it a rod 27
which at its upper end is coupled to the rod 28. Consequently when the lever 25
is lifted the rod 28 is lifted also so that the pin K' on the lever K then ceases to
cause the hooks 14 to be swung to and fro. A second arm on the lever 25 is also
connected as shewn at Figure 2 with a hook 33 and when the lever arm is raised
it moves this hook into position to come under pins 34 on the lever arms G which
cause the pile warp carriers 8 and 9 to be raised and lowered and in this way both
sets of pile warp carriers are held up in their highest position and remain out of
action.
Now, supposing the machine is working the action is as follows:—
Suppose the arms 8 and 9 all to be up on the right side of their respective
threads of the warp 13 then the frame and arms whose turn it is to make the next
row of pile, move a little forward, and the other a little backward. The hooks
then are swung back and pass between the forward pile threads and are then
moved sidewise so as to catch them and then move forward to their former position
carrying the pile threads with them. The frame then descends until the arms are
free from their own warp threads, and move across to the left side and rise again
to their places. Each bundle of threads from this frame to make the pile rises
therefore from the fabric already woven, turns over its respective hook, down,
and under its respective warp thread, and up the other side, and into the end of
the arm.
The shuttle is then thrown across under all the arms, and all is beaten up tight.
The knife 15 then slides across the hooks cutting the pile, and releasing the hooks,
which rise and take up the next row. The feed of course having moved the work
along a sufficient distance meanwhile. When enough of this is done to make a
mat the changing lever slides off the end of the main drum 18 on to the reduced
part 19 and in so doing causes the hook catches 33 to hold up both levers G
and to keep both sets of pile warp carriers out of action. The rod 27 is also
raised and lifts the rear end of the rod 28 so that the hooks 14 also remain out of
action the play of the feed is also reduced. The other part of the machine then
goes on making a plain fabric without pile, until sufficient is done to make the

page_text: finish of the mat. Then the lever drops to a still smaller place 20 on the drum
which causes the stop on the lever 25 to be moved entirely out of the way of the
pin 32 on the lever 31 and the feed, then takes one long stroke of several inches.
The lever then rises again to the second position, and makes a little more plain
fabric to start another mat. The lever then rises to a position 21 between the
first and second, which releases the pile arms but does not bring the hooks into
action, and allows the feed to take its normal stroke. While all this changing has
been going on the threads to form the pile, have been pulled tight over the plain
fabric and open space from their last rows of pile; they now take one turn each,
down and up again and the drum raises the lever to its normal position and allows
the hooks to act again.
After this the extra high place 22 on the drum depresses the lever an extra
distance and holds it until it is caught and held by the pin 32 on the feed lever 31,
the drum then terminates suddenly, and the spring carries the lever 24 back over
the length of the drum, without touching any of it, to the stop 26. Then the
next time the feed acts, it again releases the lever which falls into the thread on
the drum, and starts all over again.
We have described our invention applied to a mat loom, where two sets of arms
are used, but one set only need be used, where a different sort of mat is wanted,
and then, rods may be laid in to make the pile instead of hooks; or the arms may
all be used, but divided into more sets. Our invention may also be applied to the
manufacture of any pile fabric for which it is suitable. We have also described
the loom as being provided with mechanism for automatically controlling the
length of the mats woven in the loom but the looms might be made without such
automatic control mechanism.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A loom for weaving coir yarn mats and similar articles so constructed that
the pile is formed from pile warps which are caught up into loops above all the
ground warps when the shed is open and are then made to pass below the top
ground warps and up on the other side of them before the weft is thrown so that
cach tuft of pile is bent around a ground warp substantially as described.
2. The combination of the pile yarn carriers passing between the reed blades of
the batten and extending nearly to where the fabric is being produced together
with means for causing each carrier to come alternately on opposite sides of
the ground warp which passes between the same rear blades substantially as
described.
3. The employment of pile yarn carriers for carrying the pile yarns up and
down between the ground warps and which have also a sideway motion given to
them to bring them first to one side of the ground warps and then to the other
side.
4. The combination of the pile yarn carriers passing between the reed blades,
means for bringing each carrier first to one side and then to the opposite side of
the ground warp which passes through the same dent in the reed, the hooks for
catching the pile yarns and holding them in loops of the required length above the
ground warps and the knife for severing the pile loops.
5. The combination of mechanism for automatically controlling the length of
mats woven in the loom.
6. The construction of looms for weaving mats and other pile fabrics substantially
as hereinbefore described.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents.