Processes for the Manufacture of Plush Goods or Looped Fabrics by means of Lamb's Knitting Machine.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Jan., 1893-Accepted, 16th Dec., 1893
Processes for the Manufacture of Plush Goods or Looped Fabrics by
means of Lamb's Knitting Machine.
I, GUSTAV FRIEDRICH GROSSER, Manufacturer, of Markersdorf, near Leipzig,
Germany, 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 :-
Up to the present time plush goods have been manufactured on knitting machines
by simultaneously producing two pieces of fabric hanging together by the inlaid
plush threads, Fig. 23, and then cutting the plush threads in the middle.
In this way it was not, however, possible to obtain looped fabrics of the kind
usually called "Astrachan or "crim lamb skin," or plush goods with patterns, in
which plush changes with double faced (reversible) or plain pieces.
My invention has for its object, to work astrachan (uncut plush), as well as to
produce cut plush and double faced or plain looped fabric with the most different
designs, together side by side, so that the most varied patterns may be obtained.
In the following description, reference will be made to the accompanying
drawings, of which
Figs. 1 to 5 are partial vertical sections through the two inclined needle beds
showing the needles in 5 consecutive positions.
Figs. 6 and 7 are face views of the needle operating mechanism or lock, and a
number of needles in two different positions, showing in what manner the said
mechanisms act on the needles.
Figs. 8 and 9 are plans showing two rows of needles (front and back row) on a
larger scale.
Figs. 10 to 17 are face views of the needle locks in different positions or stages
of operation.
Figs. 18 and 19 are sections through a needle bed and corresponding needle
operating mechanism.
Fig. 20 is a separate view of a latch needle.
Figs. 21 and 22 are plans of two rows of needles operating together, in different
positions.
Fig. 23 is a vertical section through the upper part of the needle beds and
cutting apparatus.
Plain uncut plush, usually called astrachan, without pattern, is produced by the
employment of the mechanism or locks represented in Figs. 6 and 7, in the following
manner:
Suppose the needles n of the front needle beds all have loops, and the slide or
carriage of the machine is moving to the right in the direction of the arrow
(Figs. 6 and 8), then the needles n will only be raised half the height by the
middle piece h, so that they catch the threads well enough, but do not let the
loops m come behind the latch; the needles n' of the back needle-bed work at
full height and form stitches ¹ with the threads, and the needles n have double
loops in their hooks (Figs. 8 and 3).
By the subsequent motion from right to left in the direction of the arrow (Figs. 7
and 9) the needles of the front bed are raised to their highest position (Figs. 4
and 9); they catch thread and draw the same through both the loops m' and m²
suspended from the needles, which loops now drop off (Figs. 5 and 9).
When this has taken place, the needles of the rear needle bed are lifted to their
highest position and again drawn back, without being offered any thread, so that
the loops are left free to drop off the same (Fig. 9).
If it is desired, to cut the plush loops open, then needles provided with knives
(Figs. 19 and 20) are employed in the rear needle bed, which cut the loops open.

page_text: If in this operation certain needles are not lifted fully, so that the loop does not
touch the knife (Fig. 18), or if a few needles are not provided with knives, then
astrachan and plush are obtained at the same time.
If, however, several needles of the rear needle bed are entirely omitted, then a
piece of plain fabric is obtained there. This may be attained also, by setting in
action the lock represented in Figs. 6 and 7 by dotted lines, the lifting and lowering
devices of the same being lifted out of the lock plate and brought within the reach
of the upper lock, which are to produce "crim lamb skin" or plush. For this
operation, however, the upper middle part a must be drawn back. Figs. 18 and 19
represent a cross-section through the needle bed B. C is the well known Jacquard
prism, over which is laid the chain K formed of perforated sheet metal strips.
If the prism C is lifted, the springs F lift within the reach of the lock a, a, those
needles n, whose springs F do not meet with a hole of the chain K, while those
needles, whose springs F enter a hole of the Jacquard chain, remain with their
rear feet low, but their front feet are not lifted by the needle lifter a to such an
extent, that the knife s could cut the loop open (Fig. 18).
The construction of the needle operating apparatus (or of the lock) will be
understood from Figs. 6 and 7.
The needle lifters or middle triangles a, a a and b are provided with releasing
flaps df and h, by which in one direction of the motion (from left to right) the
needles of the front needle bed are only lifted half way (Fig. 6), while the needles
of the rear needle bed rise to the top; by the motion from right to left, however,
the needles of the front needle bar are lifted to the top, and those of the rear
needle bed are not lifted at all by a (Fig. 7).
With the object of letting also the back needles drop or throw off their loops,
after the front needle bed has knitted off, I have applied another lifter c, which
forces the needles up, after they have passed the ordinary lock, whereupon they are
drawn back by the drawing-off piece 6.
The needles may also be acted upon twice at every stroke of the slide, so that
plush loops are thrown off at every stroke of the slide, if a double action machine
is employed, that is, a machine which has on each side of the slide two locks one
after the other.
If, for instance, short and long or generally two kinds of needles, are used and
the one kind is acted upon by the lower lock in such a way, that by every motion
of the carriage or slide they catch threads and form meshes, while the others only
form loops, then the fabric situated between the astrachan or plush will be
reversible or double faced.
With the aid of any of the known Jacquard mechanisms it is possible, to produce
from any design patterns with the most varied effects, by making either plain one
sided or reversible work, or plush and Astrachan loops, in which case the lock
construction shown in Figs. 10 to 17 on Sheets II and III would be used.
The lock of the rear needle bed consists of the needle lifters a, a a, c, e c, and dd
provided with controlling flaps or race openers, as well as the drawing off
pieces 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The lifting pieces c and d d, force the needles-the one
during the left hand motion and the other during the right hand motion-so high
up, that the loops hanging on the needles are cut open.
All the needles are provided with two feet, the lower one of which normally lies
in the bed of the needle, and is 'pressed upwards by a Jacquard apparatus of known
construction, as soon as it is required to be acted upon by parts of the lower
locks.
In Figs. 10 to 17 (Sheets II and III) the Astrachan needles are indicated
with circles (o), the plush needles with a, and the rest of the needles without any
mark.
The different combinations of fabrics or work are produced with these locks in
conjunction with the lock of the front needle bed represented in Figs. 6 and 7, in the
manner hereinafter specified.
1. Double faced or reversible fabric with astrachan is produced with the position

page_text: of locks shown in Fig. 14, where only the part a together with f, c c, 3, 4, 5, and 7
is in working position, while the other pieces shown dotted are drawn back into
the lockplate.
The lower feet of the Astrachan needles (o) are lifted up (Fig. 18), while the
lower feet of the other needles remain embedded in the lockplate.
When the carriage moves to the right, the needles of both needle beds take up
threads, as in Figs. 2 and 6, and when it moves to the left, only the needles of the
front needle bed take up threads, as in Figs. 7 and 5, while in the rear needle bed
only the needles o are lifted at their lower feet by the piece c c, and then drawn
away by piece 7, and the Astrachan loops hanging on the same are thrown off
(Fig. 9), while the rest of the needles keep their loop, and in the next motion to the
right draw new threads through and form loops.
2. Reversible fabric with plush is worked by means of the position of locks, as
represented in Fig. 10 for motion to the left, and in Fig. 11 for motion to the
right.
During the motion to the left, all needles of the rear needle bed remain in their
lowest position, and during the subsequent motion to the right, before the lower
feet of the needles indicated by (a) have begun to be lifted up within the reach of
the locks, the needles (x) are lifted by the lifting block so high, that they, with
their knives s (Figs. 18 and 19), cut open the loops hanging on the same, and after
these plush needles are again drawn back into their lowest position by the drawing
off piece 3, all needles are lifted by the lifting lock a, and again drawn down by the
drawing off pieces 4 and 5 respectively.
3. Wrongsided plain loops changing with astrachan are obtained by the position
of locks represented in Fig. 12.
During the motion to the right those needles are forced up by the controlling
flap, whose feet are raised to the reach of the lock; they take up thread and,
being drawn downwards by the pieces 4 and 5, they form the same into loops,
which they throw off as Astrachan loops in the motion to the left, during which
they are forced up by the part c c and drawn back by the part 7.
4. Wrongsided plain loops changing with plush are obtained by the position of
locks shown in Fig. 13.
During the motion of the lock to the right, the needles are actuated exactly as
specified under 3; but during the motion to the left all needles are lifted by the
lifting part e to such a height that the needles cut through the loops hanging on
the same, whereupon part 6 again draws the needles back.
5. Wrongsided plain fabric changing with astrachan and plush are produced by
the employment of the lock position represented in Fig. 15.
During the motion to the right, the needles indicated by a and o, whose lower
feet are lifted out, are forced up by the lock part h, and taking up thread, they are
again drawn downwards by part 5 (Fig. 21).
During the motion to the left, only those Astrachan needles (a) are lifted out,
and being driven up and down by cc and 7, they throw off their loops, whereupon
all needles are moved up and down by the lock parts c and 6, so that the plush
needles (x) cut open their loops ¹ (Fig. 22).
6. Double faced or reversible fabric changing with astrachan and plush is
produced by the position of locks shown in Figs. 16 and 17.
When during the preceding right hand motion of the carriage, all needles have
taken up threads, the Astrachan needles, which were lifted out before the beginning
of the left hand motion represented by Fig. 16, throw off their loops by this motion,
being driven up and down by the parts
c and 7. Before the beginning of the
next right hand motion either the Astrachan needles and the plush needles, or the
plush needles alone, are lifted out of the needle bed, so that the lifting part d d forces
the same up, and the loops of the needles are cut open, whereupon all loops again
take up threads.
Fig. 20 shows a needle n¹ serving to cut open the Astrachan loops. This needle
is sharpened at s, and a knife s' is so rivetted on to the needle, that its cutting edge

page_text: forms with the sharp edges of the needle an acute angle. When the needle is
drawn back, while the looped fabric remains suspended from the needle bed B, the
knives s and s' cut the loop h¹ open like a pair of scissors.
The parti (Fig. 6) is only used, if it is desired to produce with this machine
plain looped fabric, as on any ordinary machine; in this case the part is lifted up,
but for producing plush and astrachan, it remains depressed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The process for the manufacture of plush goods by means of Lamb's knitting
machine, which consists in causing the needles to operate in the following manner;
while the needles n of the front needle bed (or row of needles) produce plain fabric,
the needles n' of the rear needle bed only form loops and drop them without drawing
a fresh loop through the same, during which operation some of the rear needles may.
be allowed to rest, or set out of action, in order to obtain between the plush meshes
one sided plain fabric in portions arranged according to the pattern, substantially
as described.
2. The process specified above, modified by lifting the needles provided with
cutting edges s, sufficiently to cut open the loops hanging on the said needles,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. The process or processes specified above, modified by causing certain needles
of the rear needle bed to retain their loops during the second stroke of the carriage
or slide, (instead of dropping them) so that during the third stroke of the carriage
or slide the said rear needles in conjunction with the corresponding front needles
produce reversible fabric, substantially as described.
G. F. GROSSER,
By Fairfax & Wetter,
433, Strand, London, Agents.