US2180201A - Pitch band reed - Google Patents

Description

w. H. Flsl-lA PITCH BAND REED Nov. 14, 1939.

Filed Nov. 19, 1956 Patented Nov. 14, 1939 f anni eAraNr orties'- 'rrrnfsAND nanny" `Central Falls,l R. I., assigner to-,mieigican .Supply Company@ Central Falls,

l My invention v relates ltoA improvements in pitch lgardic'eeds'.'` f l' #Pitchband reeds are the-oldest type' of'loom reeds. TheyT originated in old-fashioned hand looms where each4 dent was actually a-reed and pitch impregnated cordvr was employed .to hold the' reeds `together at yspaced distances;v Eventually metal strips'displ'aced the use Vof reeds as 4,

dents as 'shown in -f Patent No.Iv 315,599 to E. Adamson" in `1885. 'The substitution of Vmetal strips for reeds ias, dentsis substantially thev only important imp'ro'v'ement'l that has taken place in pitch band' reeds'v for centuries 4up "to my present invention. These 'pitch 'band' reedsl' l'lave'f4 been usually usedlir'i th'ef` weaving 'of cotton? or woo-len fabrics? fand Shave jbeen'"relatively 'cheapt as -distinguished'ffrorn -thesocallc'edall-metal rleeds, lin

which f there hasv been a considerable' developm'entgbut iwhif'ih are much more expensive 'andar-e:

used for'the weavingofsilk and raynfad -fine Sil ' A great 'diflicultywith thel standard-type of pitchband lreed has been'that the edgesfof'the dents'have rested againstth'e inner wooden surfacesoftthe semi-.cylindrical wooden ribs, two of which fwithi pitch impregnate'd' :cordl haveinade' up eachtpitch band, tand-fon thevi'brationwhich occurs use,1theseed'ges have had a' tendency to become imbedded Tin. the .non-homogeneous? wond.v Pitch impregnated yarn..` orf cord' has.: 'been :gen-

dents. If, however, the dent ends become imbedded into the wood, this ready resilient axial expansibility and contractability of the pitch band shell is considerably lessened if not prevented. The imbedding of said dent edges in the wood has had the following disadvantageous results, namely, (l) that as the wood construction is always full of knots or other irregularities, the f alignment and the spaces between the individual dents have tended to become varied due to the fact that one dent iinds a softer spot in the wood than another or may have to move around a knot to nd such a soft spot, (2) the edges of the dents .ifflpaiisneeonfanderem 'f application November-T19, 193e, serai` No. 111,635

' claims (C1. 1.9.9;192J.

have `become so imbedded in the wood as to impair the axial expansibility and'contractability of the pitch band reed inA use, and (3) as-.they have become imbedded into the woodvthey have :dat-Y tened the tubular pitch impregnated cord into ,-5 ellipsoidal shape, thereby tending to-loosen the pitch impregnated cord and break up the tubular rigid vshell formed throughoutv the. length of 'the' reed'.

To prevent the edges of the dents frombecom `10 ing imbedded in the woodl therefore provide means, in my preferred embodiment comprising flat protective'strips of hard material of sub- -stantially the widthof said pitch bands 'or the latvinner surfaces of said wooden ribs, interis` posed between said at inner surfaces of said ribs and the dent edges'. It is `apparent that this means also provides bearing meansv to insure a somewhat evenly distributed axial lexpansibfility and contractability .of the dents throughout the 20 length of the pitch band.

Employing my invention, it is apparent that the reeds are not onlystrengthened, but that they-function better in use, andthat the life of each reed is very greatly prolonged. Inasmuch 25 asfopposite ,edges of the dents are clamped be-` tween vlongitudinally extending hard surfaces, they maintain an even alignment of the dents and-insure against any one individual forwardly projecting dent striking the shuttle andl tending 3@ towear itout. These Yand such otherobjects of my invention as `may'fhereinafter vappear will be best under stoodfroma description of fthe accompanying drawing which illustrates an embodiment thereof. 35 i In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a front elevationof an improved reed constructed in accordance with my invention with portions of the upper pitch band thereof successively broken away to show th-e construction thereof L 0.

- tion. Said pitch band reed comprises the dents I 2 substantially equidistantly spaced as usual and the longitudinally` extending pitch bands i4 flexibly joining opposite ends of the dents *together` 50 at points spaced from the ends I of saidr dents. In accordance with the usual manufacture of such pitch band reeds each pitch band I4 comprises two wooden ribs I8 oppositely aligned adjacent Opposite end portions of the dents having flat inner sides 20 adjacent the opposite dent edges 22 at points equally spaced from the ends of said dents and arcuate, preferably vsemi-cylindrical outer sides 2d which may, if desired, be provided with the longitudinal grooves 26 therein. Said longitudinal grooves 26 may be provided for the purpose of receiving therein reenforcing metal strips 28. A suitable cord means 30, preferably pre-impregnated with pitch 32, is

spirally wound under tension around said ribs I8 to have each wind 34 thereof extend between all adjacent dents l2. As in the course of their manufacture the dents are somewhat compressed together and as the pitch is plastic, when the dents l2 are assembled into the reed l0 an outer tubular covering or vshell 36 of pitch exudes to the outer surface of the cord 32 to provide, when plasticized, a substantially homogeneous outer protective shell 36 of pitch extending throughout the length of each pitch band and hence reed.

The reed may be .completed by the addition of the usual end members 3B having the caps 40 oneach end thereof to receive the projecting ends of the wooden ribs I 8. It is thus obvious that the exterior-pitch shell 3B may resiliently expand to permit any slight axial movement of one r more dents on an obstruction passing through the reed and resiliently contract to return the dents I2 to their desired original alignment and spacing,

As stated hitherto, considerable difficulty has been experienced in the prior art in having the edges 22 of one or more of said dents get out of alignment with those of theremaincler 0f said dents to thus continuously strike the shuttle and then tend to lessen its life, and the edges 22 of the dentslZ have tended to become permanently imbedded into the wooden ribs at unequally spaced intervals due to the fact that a dent edge 22 may strike a softer spot in the wood than its next adjacent dent edge, and also break the resilient outer tubular pitch shell, thus destroying the rigidity imparted by it to the reed.

In accordance with the teachings of my invention, therefore, to prevent any of these contingencies taking place, I preferably provide means 42, in my preferred embodiment comprising fiat protective strips of suitable hard material, such as metal, bre, composition, etc. of substantially the width of the at inner sides 20 of said Wooden ribs I8 interposed between said flat inner sides 20 of said ribs I8 and said aligned dent edges 22 to clamp against the opposite edges 22 of said dents and thus keep the dents longitudinauy aligned throughout their length and e to positively prevent the dent edges 22 from having an opportunity to become irregularly or otherwise individually imbedded into the wooden ribs 22. I have found in practice that pitch band reeds constructed in accordance with my invention are of greater initial strength, the life thereof is greatly prolonged, and the tendency to injure shuttles and shorten their life greatly reduced. I

It is understood that my invention is not limited to the specific embodiment shown and that various deviations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit and scope .of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a pitch band reed construction, spaced dents, two aligned wooden ribs having at inner sides opposite end portions of said dents at points spaced from the ends thereof and arcuate outer sides, pitch impregnated cord spirally wound around said ribs having winds thereof extending between the dents said pitch impregnated cord being compressed to join adjacent winds of said cord together to provide a substantially homogeneous and integral readily axially expansible and contractable shell for said ribs extending substantially throughout the length of said ribs, and means of substantially the width of the at inner sides of said wooden ribs interposed between the at inner sides of said wooden ribs and dents to maintain said dents in alignment and to prevent said dents from becoming imbedded into said wooden ribs.

2. In a pitch band reed construction, spaced dents, two aligned wooden ribs having at inner sides opposite end portions of said dents at points spaced from the ends thereof and arcuate outer sides, pitch impregnated cord spirally wound around said ribs having winds thereof extending between the dents said pitch impregnated cord being compressed to join adjacent winds of said cord together to provide a substantially homogeneous and integral readily axially expansibleI and contractable shell for said ribs extending substantially throughout the length of said ribs, and at protective strips of substantially the width of the fiat inner sides of said wooden ribs interposed between the flat inner sides of said wooden ribs and dents to maintain said dents in alignment and to prevent said dents from being imbedded into said wooden ribs.

WALDO HENRY FISH.

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