Improvements in Shuttles for Looms.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 10th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 12th Jan.. 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shuttles for Looms.
I, HENRY CRUSE of 70 Market Street Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to shuttles for looms, and its objects are to increase their
durability, to reduce the risk of the shuttle flying from the loom during work, to
prevent the entanglement or snarling of the weft within the shuttle, and to simplify
their construction.
According to these improvements I cast the body of the shuttle from aluminium
or from an alloy of that metal as may be determined in each case, the chief
determining factors being the required strength and weight of the shuttle.
Unless an exceptionally hard alloy of aluminium be used I form the tips of the
shuttles from steel or other hard metal and cast them in their places. To effect
the more perfect connection between these hard tips and the body of the shuttle !
form on the tips screwed serrated bulbous notched or irregularly formed tails, and
in some cases these tails may extend into the hollow part of the shuttle and be
terminated by a hook or eye. The tips may be additionally secured by transverse
pins or rivets.
The shuttle may or may not have cast in it either or both a yarn bridge and a
tongue bridge. These, when they are used, are cast transversely, and tend also to
strengthen the shuttle.
The tongue bridge may be slotted or recessed to form a guide or support for the
tongue or for the cop bobbin or pirn. It is preferred to construct the tongue of
two bowed pieces of spring metal of semi-circular cross section the outer ends of
which are secured together to form the point of the tongue whilst their other ends
are semi-circularly recessed opposite to each other so as to form a tubular part to
contain two paps or projections cast upon the interior of the shuttle and upon which
the tongue is pivoted. The pivot end of the tongue is preferably extended to
engage with a spring and thus to ensure the tongue being held in either the closed
or the open position. A convenient form of spring consists of a metal strip
encircling the tongue bridge, one end engaging with the tongue and the other with
two studs or projections formed upon the shuttle.
The yarn bridge is cast at the opposite end of the shuttle to the tongue bridge
and may be perforated or slit either transversely or vertically for the passage of
the weft and may be provided with suitable tension or drag springs or devices.
The eye through which the weft leaves the shuttle may consist of a simple
perforation in which an eyelet may be inserted. The perforation is formed at any
suitable angle in the side of the shuttle which may at this point be thickened or
furnished with an internal projection. The eyelet is secured in this perforation
and its outer end is suitably countersunk or recessed so as not to drag on
the yarn.
Dated this 9th day of February A.D. 1894
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Shuttles for Looms.
I, HENRY CRUSE of 79 Park Road, Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, 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 relates to shuttles for looms and its objects are to increase their
durability, to reduce the risk of the shuttle flying from the loom during work, to
prevent the entanglement or snarling of the weft in the shuttle, and to simplify its
construction.
According to this invention I cast or form the body of the shuttle from aluminium
or from an alloy of that metal in which the aluminium predominates as may be
determined in each case, the determining factors being the required strength and
weight of the shuttle.
Unless an exceptionally hard alloy of aluminium be used, I form the tips of the
shuttles from steel or other hard metal, and, when the shuttle is cast, I cast them
in their places. To effect the more perfect connection between these hard tips
and the body of the shuttle, I forin upon the tips screwed, bulbous, notched, or
irregularly formed tails, and in some cases these tails may extend into the hollow
part of the shuttle and be terminated there by a hook or eye. If desired, the tips
may be additionally secured by means of a transverse pin passing through the tail
of each tip.
The shuttle may or may not have cast in it either or both a yarn bridge and a
tongue bridge. These, when they are used, are arranged transversely and tend also
to strengthen the shuttle.
The tongue bridge may be slotted or recessed to form a guide and support for
the tongue or for the cop bobbin or pirn.
It is preferred to construct the tongue from two bowed pieces of spring metal
having a semi-circular cross section the outer ends of which are drawn and secured
together to form the point, while their other ends are semi-circularly curved or
recessed opposite to each other so as to form a tubular part to contain two paps or
projections formed on the inside walls of the shuttle and upon which the tongue is
pivoted. The pivot end of the tongue is extended to engage with a spring and
thus to ensure the tongue being held in either the closed or open position. A
convenient form of spring consists of a metal strip encircling the tongue bridge,
one end engaging with the tongue and the other with a stud or studs or projections
formed within the shuttle.
The yarn bridge is formed at the opposite end of the shuttle and may be
perforated or slit either transversely, or vertically for the passage of the weft and
may be provided with suitable tension or drag springs or devices. The eye through
which the weft leaves the shuttle may consist of a simple perforation in which an
eyelet may be inserted. The perforation is formed at any suitable angle in the side
of the shuttle which may at this point be furnished with an internal pap through
which the perforation is made.
I will more particularly describe my said invention with reference to the accom-
panying drawings in which :-
Figure 1 is a plan,
Figure 2 a longitudinal section,
Figure 3 a transverse section along the line a-y, Figure 1.
Figure 4 is the same section shewing the tension device in position.
Figures 5 and 6 represent longitudinal sections through the tip of the shuttle
and illustrate modifications in form.
A is the shuttle body, which, being formed of metal may have thinner walls than

page_text: the ordinary wooden shuttles, and consequently will take a larger cop bobbin or
pirn and involve less waste of time and material. It may be strengthened by the
cross piece a in the bottom of the shuttle. B is the tongue which is constructed of
two slightly bowed strips of steel each having a curved cross section, drawn out
and united by brazing or otherwise to form the tip. The two strips are arranged
with their concave parts opposed and are flattened at the butt to about the width
of the inside of the shuttle. Each flat part of the butt has a semicircular
concavity formed in it, the two concavities forming a tubular part b which
embraces two pivotal projections C upon which the tongue can be turned in
opening and closing. The two parts of the butt of the tongue may be secured
together by a screw rivet or the like. The butt extends beyond the tubular part
at D to form an abutment for the spring E, which has one end looped round two
projections e from the wall of the shuttle, passes round the bridge G and thence to
the projection D from the butt against which it presses. By this means the
accidental opening or closing of the tongue and its lateral motion are prevented.
The tongue bridge is slotted for the reception of the tongue when closed and to
enable the spring to be folded round it under the tongue.
When pirns or bobbins are to be used in the shuttle, there may be formed in the
inner walls the two projecting parts F F, or one such part, to engage with the
bottom of the pirn or bobbin.
The yarn bridge, as preferred to be constructed and as illustrated by the
drawings, consists of two parallel transverse partitions connected at the bottom so
as to form a kind of transverse trough the walls of which are slit or may be
perforated for the passage of the yarn. If the walls are simply perforated, a
narrow slit may be cut diagonally from the top of the wall into the perforation for
the introduction of the weft. To produce any desired amount of drag or tension on
the weft, the trough T may be packed with strips of felt or other suitable material
to a sufficient height to compel the yarn to deviate from a straight line over it
from the tip of the tongue to the eye, and thus produce the desired amount of
drag. Various means may be adopted if desired for retaining the felt in the
trough. For example, the inner walls of the trough may have horizontal grooves
formed upon them in which the detaining spring pieces s are fitted, one on each
side of the weft path. The eye of the shuttle is formed in the usual position,
through the wall of the shuttle and a pap P formed inside it to bring the inner
end of the eye in line with the tongue and to strengthen the perforated part.
The yarn bridge may, when it is not desired to produce a variable drag or tension
in the weft, consist simply of a slotted or perforated transverse partition, which is
represented as constituting one side of the trough in the drawings.
The tips R are cast in the ends of the shuttle as represented by Figures 5 and 6.
The exposed part of the tips may be of the usual conical form and they are secured
in place by a tail or equivalent part t which may be bulbous serrated notched or
provided with a head. A very useful form is represented by Figure 6. In this
case the tip is hollow so that the metal runs into the inside forming a perfect key,
whilst it may be slotted and its tail part surrounded by the metal forming the end
of the body, thus providing additional security.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. A loom shuttle constructed substantially as hereinbefore described and as
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
2. In a loom shuttle, a tongue and a tongue spring, constructed and arranged
substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
3. In a loom shuttle, a yarn bridge consisting of a slotted or perforated trans-
verse partition or partitions, constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 4. In a loom shuttle, a body constructed of aluminium or of an alloy of aluminium
in which that metal predominates and having cast therein hard metallic tips,
substantially as bereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 8th day of December A.D. 1894.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.