IE45315L - Cutting loop pile fabric - Google Patents

Abstract

1514455 Cutting loop pile fabric MILLIKEN RESEARCH CORP 19 July 1977 [13 Aug 1976 11 Aug 1976] 30284/77 Heading D1S Apparatus for cutting a loop pile fabric 10 with a selvedge comprises a rotor 12 or 14 with a plurality of rows of cutters 50, Figs. 2 and 4, arranged in operation, to rotate against the pile face of the fabric and cut the pile loops, a selvedge protector 48 at at least one end of the rotor and comprising protecting elements 54 extending between the rows of cutters 50 for holding the margin of the fabric away from the cutters, means 46 for sensing an edge of the fabric, and a servo-mechanism responsive to the means 46 automatically to adjust the position of the protector 48 in the axial direction of the rotor. As shown in Fig. 1, the fabric 10 is fed over two cutting rotors 12, 14 by rolls 18, 20 driven by a motor 16, the rotors 12, 14 being driven by separate motors 34, 36. Each rotor 12, 14 is cleaned by a brush 38 driven by a motor 40. Selvedge protector fingers 54, Figs. 2 and 4, each having a toothed surface 56 to provide a lateral pull on the selvedge, are positioned between each row of cutting blades 50 and are slidably mounted in notches in a collar 58 at each end of each rotor. Projections 92 on the fingers 54 prevent the fabric falling between the fingers 54 and the blades 50. At each end of their respective rotor, the fingers 54 are connected to a circular ring 52 engaged with the collar 58 and driven with the rotor. The ring 52 rotates about a stub shaft 60 movable coaxially of a shaft 64 by a hydraulic actuator (66), Fig. 3 (not shown), to move the protector 48 inwardly and outwardly. The edge sensor 46 is mounted on a bracket 80 on a member 74 movable with the shaft 60. If the fabric has a pile-free margin adjacent the selvedge thereof, the sensor 46 senses the selvedge when the width of the margin is less than a predetermined amount and, when the width of the margin exceeds this amount, the sensor 46 senses the edge of the pile. The sensor 46, Fig. 6, comprises pivotal flag members 120, 122 for sensing the selvedge and the pile edge, respectively, and jointly controlling the pressure of a fluid controlling the servomechanism. The back of the margin of the fabric runs against a plate 124 and the members 122 pivots in dependence upon the extent to which a feeler 128 thereon rides up the edge of the pile and thus moves away from the plate 124. [GB1514455A]