IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE SHEDDING APPARATUS OF WEAVING LOOMS
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Skinner at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 6th February 1877.
JOHN SKINNER, of Kirkcaldy, in the County of Fife, North Britain. " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE SHEDDING APPARATUS OF WEAVING LOOMS."
This Invention has for its object to improve the construction and action of the
shedding apparatus of weaving looms, the improved apparatus being advantageously
applicable for weaving various kinds of dice, twill, diaper, or other more or less
ornamental textures of a regular kind obtainable by means of various numbers of
heddle leaves.
The improved apparatus acts by raising the heddle leaves as required, the leaves
being taken down by springs in an ordinary way. The lamms or upper bars of the
heddles have cords attached to them which pass over pulleys on the top rail of the
loom to looped wires forming part of the improved apparatus; or these wires may
be connected to bell-crank levers which are connected to the heddles. The
wires and other parts are carried by two pendent levers centred at their upper ends
on horns on a bracket bolted to a vertical frame piece which inay be bolted to the
top rail of the loom or to a special bracket. The shedding apparatus is situated to
one side of the loom so that oil drops may not drop on the warps, and it is worked
by a crank or eccentric on the end of the crank shaft, and connected to a lever on a
short rocking shaft carried by the vertical frame piece. The rocking shaft has on
it a double crank, the two ends of which are connected by short links to the
pendent levers in such a way that these levers are made to recede from and approach
to each other.
When the pendent levers are nearest to each other the double crank is vertical,
and as it is made to turn through about a quarter of a circle, there is a dwelling or
retardation in the motion of the levers when they are separated, which although
derived in a simple and direct manner froin the revolving shaft is peculiarly suitable
for the purpose in view.
One of the pendent levers carries a jacquard barrel (hereinafter termed the large
barrel) and the other pendent lever carries a number of eyed needles operating in
connection with the large barrel, and acting on bell-crauk levers, vertical arms on
which are entered into their eyes. The horizontal arms of the bell-crank levers
are formed with holes or notches to engage with hooks formed on the outer ends of

page_text: the wires connected to the heddles whenever such horizontal arms are raised by the
action of the large barrel, and the outward movement of the outer pendent
lever raises those heddle leaves, the hooked wires of which are engaged at
the time.
"
For working certain patterns such as dice," the large barrel has fixed on its
four or other number of sides "cards" consisting of metal plates formed with two
rows of holes, and the needles are held opposite the higher or lower holes on the
side of the large barrel acting at the time by a bar, plate, or board, through holes
in which they pass. The large barrel is turned step by step in the ordinary way by
a hook jointed to the outer pendent lever. The needle bar is fixed to a spindle
passing up through a bearing attached to the outer pendent lever, and is raised
or lowered by the action of a helical cam which has two needles attached to it.
The needles of the helical cam are acted on by a small jacquard barrel, carried by
arms attached to the inner pendent lever and extending out beyond the other
pendent lever. The small barrel operates with an endless chain of small metal
"cards" perforated to suit the pattern, and by acting on the needles of the helical
cam cause it to turn partly round in one direction or the other, and thereby raise or
lower the needle bar and needles down below. The cards of the small barrel are
by preference made with a second set of holes for what is termed "bordering," and
it is changed from one set of holes to the other by moving the barrel on end.
In working dice the small barrel is turned to the extent of a card only once for
every completo turn of the large barrel, the turning catch being held clear, except
when it is to act by a bell crank-lever, one arm of which rosts against a cam or
pulloy on the spindle of the large barrel, and falls into a depression on such cam
at the periods when the catch is to act.
In weaving some textures the small barrel may be put out of gear, and an endless
chain of cards may be put on the large barrel. When the small and large barrels
are combined, as herein-before described, the number of cards required is much
less than are ordinarily used, and the whole arrangement is compact and works
with little friction and wear and tear.