US2674271A - Pile wire - Google Patents

Description

w. A. RICE April 6, 1954 PILE WIRE 2 Sheets-Sheet l -Filed Aug. 30, 1952 fig',

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w. A. RICE PILE WIRE April e, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 30, 1952 ffy/0.

ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 6, 1954 PILE WIRE Walter A. Rice, Amsterdam, N. Y., assignor to Mohawk Carpet Mills, Inc., Amsterdam, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 30, 1952, Serial No. 307,301

8 Claims. (Cl. 139-44) This invention relates to the weaving of pile fabric oor coverings of the type having high and low loops in the pile on looms equipped with pile wires each having both high and low loopforming portions. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a novel pile wire for use with others in a set in a loom to produce a fabric of the kind referred to. A loom, in which the new wires are employed, may be operated to produce a novel fabric, in which each transverse row of pile loops is complete and without voids and includes both high and low loops and at least some of the pile warp yarns form both high and low loops in different transverse rows, the portions of a yarn forming such high and low loops having the same number of turns of twist per unit length. The invention, accordingly, includes both the new wires and the new fabric made by their use.

At the present time, pile fabric oor coverings are frequently Woven with a pile made up of high and low loops of pile warp yarns, the loops being arranged in transverse rows. In some such fabrics, each row of loops contains no voids and only a single frame or set of pile warp yarns is employed, so that each yarn is raised out of the backing of the fabric to form a loop in each row. In order to produce such a fabric on a pile wire loom, it has been usual to employ a set of pile wires having high and low loop-forming portions, so that the top of each wire has a somewhat wavy appearance. The wires in a set may then be of two kinds differing from each other, in that, in the set, high portions of one wire lie opposite low portions of the adjacent wires on either side.

When a set of the wires described is employed in the weaving of a fabric containing av single frame of pile warp yarns, each of which is raised over every wire in the weaving operation, the yarns raised over the low portions of a wire initially form low loops, but, when the Wire is removed, the height of such low loops is increased to the height of the high portions of the wire. The length of yarn required to increase the height of such a low loop is drawn from a high loop of the same yarn in the next preceding row, from which the wire has previously been withdrawn. The final fabric thus has transverse rows containing both high and low loops, and the high loops are loops, which were raised over low portions of a wire and converted into high loops upon withdrawal of that wire, while the low loops are loops, which were raised over high portions of a wire and converted into low loops upon withdrawal of the following wire.

In a fabric woven in the manner and by the use of the wires above described, the portions of a pile warp yarn forming high loops have less turns of twist per unit length than the portions of such a yarn forming low loops. The reason for this is that, as a low loop raised over a low loop-forming portion of a wire is converted into a high loop upon withdrawal of the wire and the additional length of yarn required for the conversion is drawn from a high loop in the preceding row, the additional length is pulled beneath a holding weft and the twist is held back and remains in the loop in the preceding row, from which the length was withdrawn. As a result, the length of yarn forming the new high loop has less turns of twist per unit length than the original yarn. In the same Way, when a high loop raised over a high loop-forming portion of a Wire is converted into a 10W loop upon Withdrawal of that wire and the following wire, the twist held back increases the number of turns of twist per unit length in the length of yarn forming the new loW loop. Accordingly, in such a fabric, the low loops are formed of more tightly twisted lengths of yarn than the high loops and are likely to be distorted, while the high loops are likely to be uniform in arrangement but with the yarn therein somewhat soft and bulky.

The prior fabric and the method of making it, above described, are open to a number of objections. Thus, the pile is not uniform in appearance because of the diierence between the high and low loops in twist, arrangement, etc., and the high loops, which stand out above the low loops and are more exposed to wear, are formed of lengths of relatively soft yarn, which are more likely to be damaged by scuing than yarns of higher twist. Also, the withdrawal from the fabric of wires with high and low loop-forming portions with coincident pulling of pile warp yarns through the fabric requires more power than the withdrawal of wires of uniform height, and, in the pulling of the pile warp yarns through the fabric to vary the height of loops, there is more frequent breakage of such yarns than in the operation of looms equipped with uniform height wires.

The present invention is directed to the provision of a novel pile wire having high and low loop-forming portions, which can be used with others in a set in a loom to produce a novel fabric having transverse rows made up of high and low loops and with the lengths of a yarn forming both the high and the low loops containing the same number of turns of twist per unit length. The pile of the new fabric is thus uniform in appearance, since the high and low loops are both regular in arrangement and the yarns therein are alike in bulk. Also, the high and low loops are alike in wearing qualities, since the yarns in high loops are no longer softer and more loosely twisted than the yarns in the low loops.

The pile wire of the invention has a top with at least one high spot and is, preferably, formed with a number of high spots spaced along the wire. In prior similar wires, the high spots were formed as integral parts of the blade of the wire, but each high spot in the new wire is made of an element mounted on the blade of the wire for movement from a normal position, in which it projects above the blade, to al depressed position, in which it lies within the outline or boundaries of the blade. The elements are resiliently held in their normal position and may conveniently be formed of lengths of springy wire bent to appropriate shape and anchored at one end on the blade of the pile wire, the other end being free. Such an element, although made of resilient wire, may have sufficient stiffness to hold up pile warp yarns raised thereover and form the yarns into high loops. However, when the new pile wire is withdrawn from the loops raised over it, the movable elements on the pile wire are forced within the boundaries of the wire by the loops and the loops are thus left in their original form and no yarn is pulled from loops in a preceding row. The length of yarn in each loop then has the original number of turns of twist per unit length and the fabric has a pile of uniform appearance and wearing qualities.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of one form of the new pile wire;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 of another forrn of the new pile wire;

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale of a portion of a wire, such as those shown in Figures l and 2;

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are sectional views on the lines 4 4, 55, and 66, respectively, of Figure 3;

Figure 7 is a view in perspective showing the head of the new wire;

Figure 8 is avertical longitudinal sectional view of one form of the new fabric in the course of its production by means of the new wires;

Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of the fabric of Figure 8 being woven; and

Figure 10 is a sectional view of the line lll-I0 of Figure 8, showing one of the new wires being withdrawn from the fabric.

The new pile wire 20, in the form shown in Figure 1, comprises a head 2l of conventional construction with a slot along one side, and a blade 22 having one end inserted in the slot and held in place in any appropriate manner, as by brazing. The blade 22 is a strip of flat wire of the height of the low loops to be made in the fabric and it has a slot 22a extending inward from its top and running substantially from end to end. At the free end 221) of the blade, the slot is closed.

The pile wire is provided with a plurality of movable elements 23 acting as high loop-forming portions and the wire illustrated, which is intended lfor use in the weaving of a fabric 27 inches wide, has iive elements 23. The portion of each element exposed above blade 22 is about 3 inches long and the exposed portions of adjacent elements are separated by about 3 inches. Each element 23 is made of a length of springy wire, one end 23a of which is bent back upon itself to form a hook, lying within slot 22a and anchored in place in any convenient manner. For this purpose, small opposed spots in the walls of slot 22a may be forced toward each other into contact, as indicated at 24, to form a stud lying within hook 23a. The intermediate portion of wire 23 is bent to upwardly convex form and projects upwardly out of the slot 22a. The free end of wire 23 enters the slot and lies beneath another stud 25 formed by forcing spots on the Walls of slot 22a toward each other and into contact. The height, to which the intermediate portion of wire 23 extends above the top of the blade 2| of the pile wire 20, depends on the height desired for the high loops in the fabric. For example, the height of the blade 22 of the pile wire 20 may be .246 inch, and the greatest projection of wire 23 above the blade 22 may also be .246 inch.

The wire 26', shown in Fig. 2, is similar to wire 2li and comprises a conventional head 2|' and a blade 22 like blade 22. A plurality of Wires 23 'ke wires 3 are mounted on the blade 22', as described in connection with wire 23. Pile wires of the forms typified by wires 20 and 20 are intended to be used in alternation to make up a set of pile wires to be employed in a loom with the high spots on one wire lying opposite the low spots on the adjacent wires. Accordingly, the wires 23' on pile wire 2Q are staggered in relation to wires 23 on pile wire 2, and pile wire 20 has only four wires 23.

A fabric produced on a loom equipped with the new pile wires may have any conventional backing, such as that of the fabric shown in Figs. 8 and 9. This backing comprises stuffer warp threads 26 lying between wefts 27, 28 in upper and lower series, respectively, the wefts being bound in relation to the stufer warp threads by binder warp threads 29, 30 in two sets. The

binder warp threads lie in pairs across the fabric,

with each pair including a thread of each set, and the pairs of binder warp threads are separated by groups of stuffer warp threads, each group in the fabric illustrated including four such threads. The fabric also comprises a pile formed by pile warp yarns 3 I, which are bound beneath the holding wefts 21 in the upper series and raised between adjacent holding wefts.

In the weaving of the fabric illustrated by the use of the new wires, the warp threads and yarns are manipulated in the usual way to form sheds, in certain of which pile Wires are inserted. 'I'he pile Warp yarns lie in the upper line in each such shed and, as the yarns are brought back into the body of the fabric, they form loops over the effective portions of the pile wires. The height of the loops in a transverse row over a single pile wire varies with the contour of the top of that'wire. That contour is formed partly by the wires 23 or 23 and partly by the blade 22 or 22 of the pile wire. When the pile warp yarns are raised over wires 23, 23 and then returned to the body of the fabric, the tension on the pile warp yarns is insu-flicient to collapse the wires 23, 23'. Accordingly, each transverse row of pile loops includes low loops raised over the blade of a pile wire and other loops of successively greater height up to loops of maximum height, which lie over'the middle of the exposed portion of each Wire 23, 23.

When the weaving has proceeded until all the pile wires of the set have been inserted into the fabric, the first wire inserted is pulled out of the row of pile loops thereover and inserted into a new shed. ln the withdrawal of a pile wire, for example, wire 29 (Fig. l0) the engagement of wires 23 with the pile loops 32, 33, etc., of diminishing height down to loops 34 of minimum height causes each wire 23 to be flattened out and to assume the shape of wire 35 (Fig. l0). As wire 35 is thus forced down by the pile loops into the slot in the blade of the pile wire, the free end of wire 35 moves beneath the stud 25 within the slot. As the wire 35 passes from beneath a series of pile loops 34 of minimum height and into a group of higher loops, wire 35 tends to resume its original shape, but it is again depressed into the slot in the blade cf the pile wire, as it moves out from beneath a group of loops of diminishing height and to a place beneath loops of minimum height. The withdrawal of a pile wire thus leaves behind a row of pile loops, made up of the high and low loops originally raised over the pile wire, and none of the loops has been altered in height during the withdrawal of the pile wire.

As previously explained, a fabric having high and low pile loops in a transverse row and woven of a single set of pile warp yarns on a loom equipped with conventional wires having high and low loop-forming portions, is characterized by high loops diiering in appearance from, and having less turns of twist per unit length, than the low loops. Such a fabric is objectionable, not only because of the nonuniformity in appearance of the two different kinds of loops in the pile, but also because the high loops, which are most subject to wear, are made of portions of yarns of lower twist. The fabric of the invention includes transverse rows of loops including both high, low, and intermediate loops, and the pile is uniform in appearance and in wearing qualities, because there is no diierence between high and low loops arising from differences in the number of turns of twist per unit length in the portions of the yarn forming them. The length of yarn in each loop retains the initial twist in the yarn forming that loop and, since the fabric is made in a weaving operation, of the height of pile loops during the withdrawal of pile wires, the fabric can be produced with less expenditure of power for the operation of the loom and with fewer pile yarn breaks.

In the appended claims, the term effective portions is used to dene that portion of the pile wire over which the pile warp yarns are passed during the weaving of the fabric.

I claim:

1. A pile wire for use in a pile wire carpet loom, which comprises a blade, a head attached to the blade, and at least one element carried by the effective portion of the blade and projecting above the blade for forming loops of a height greater than the height of the blade, the normal contour of the top of the effective portion of the wire being determined by the top edge of the element and the top edge of the blade on opposide sides of the element, the element being movable relative to the blade to a position, in which the top of the element lies flush with the top of the blade.

2. A pile wire for use in a pile Wire carpet loom, which comprises a blade, a head attached to the blade. and at least one element carried by the in which there is no modification effective portion of the blade and projecting above the blade for forming loops of a height' greater than the height of the blade, the normal contour of the top of the effective portion of the wire being determined by the top edge of the element and the top edge of the blade on opposite sides of the element, the element being de# pressible to lower its top to lie flush with the top of the blade.

3. A pile wire for use in a pile wire carpet loom, which comprises a blade having a cavity adjacent its upper edge, a head attached to the blade, and at least one element mounted on the eiective portion of the blade within the cavity and projecting out of the cavity for forming loops of a. height greater than the height of the blade, the normal contour of the top of the eiective portion of the wire being determined by the top edge of the element and the top edge of the blade on opposite sides of the element, the element being movable wholly into the cavity.

4. A pile wire for use in a pile wire carpet loom, which comprises a blade having a longitudinal slot leading inward from its top edge at an effective portion of the blade, a head attached to the blade, and at least one element mounted within the slot at an effective portion of the blade and projecting out of the slot for forming loops of a height greater than the height of the blade, the normal contour of the top of the effective portion of the wire being determined by the top edge of the element and the top edge of the blade on opposite sides of the element, the element being movable wholly into the cavity.

5. A pile wire for use in a pile wire carpet loom, which comprises a blade, a head attached to the blade, and a plurality of elements carried in spaced relation by the blade at an effective portion thereof and projecting above the blade for forming loops of a height greater than the height of the blade, the normal contour of the top of the effective portion of the wire being determined by the top edges of the elements and the top edge of the blade between and beyond the elements, the elements being movable relative to the blade to positions, in which the tops of the elements lie Iiush with the topl of the blade.

`6. A pile wire for use in a pile wire carpet loom, which comprises a blade, a head attached to the blade, and at least one element of resilient material carried by the blade and anchored to the blade at one point with the element projecting above the blade, the normal contour of the top of the effective portion of the wire being determined by the top edge of the element and the top edge of the blade on opposite sides of the element, the element being capable of being flexed to a position, in which its top lies ush with the top of the blade.

'7. A pile wire for use in a pile wire carpet loom, which comprises a blade having a longitudinal slot leading inward from its top edge at an effective portion of the blade, a head attached to the blade, and a wire element having one end anchored in the slot and the other end entering the slot, the portion of the element between its ends extending out of the slot at an effective portion of the blade for forming loops of a height greater than the height of the blade, the normal contour of the top of the effective portion of the wire being determined by the element and the top edge of the blade on opposite sides of the element, the element being capable of being depressed into the slot.

8. In a pile wire carpet loom having means for References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Fonda June 28, 1938 Shuttlev/orth June 27, 1939 Jackson July 25, 1950 Groat Mar. 27, 1951 Hamilton June 10, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain July 6, 1927

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