US2797711A

US2797711A - Industrial apparatus and method

Info

Publication number: US2797711A
Application number: US598164A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hyde W Ballard
Original assignee: Lees & Sons Co James
Current assignee: James Lees and Sons Co
Priority date: 1956-07-16
Filing date: 1956-07-16
Publication date: 1957-07-02
Anticipated expiration: 1974-07-02

Description

y 1957 H. w. BALLARD 2,797,711

INDUSTRIAL APPARATUS AND METHOD Filed July 16, 1956 FIGI.

INVENTORZ United States INDUSTRIAL APPARATUS AND METHOD Application July 16, 1956, Serial'No. 598,164

5 Claims. (Cl. 139-36) This invention relates to the manufacture of woven textile. fabrics, more particularly to an, apparatus and method for providing color matching chain warps in a woven floor covering.

With the popular demand for sculptured floor coverings in which the face pile yarn has some areas of relatively low pile, the problem of preventing grinning has become quite serious. The term grinning refers to the visibility or lack of coverage of the backing fabric which is comprised of the filling shots and the chain and stufier warps. This problem becomes especially critical in low end fabrics where the price range does not permit the face pile to be employed in sufiicient quantity to completely cover the woven backing material.

The use of colored wefts for the filling has been previously employed. Because the filling in the case of either a shuttle loom or a needle insertion loom is frequently replenished, it is entirely feasible to supply the filling material to match the face yarn as may be required. In the case of the chain warps, however, this presents an entirely different problem because the chain or binder warps are customarily fed from a beam. It is not feasible to wind a full beam with one color yarn since the beam may not be exhausted before or at the same time that a different design or color in the face yarns is to be woven in the loom. It is also impractical to maintain a supply of beams of differently colored yarns in storage for substitution in the loom every time the color of the face yarn is changed. Beams used on 12 ft. or 15 ft. looms are of substantial size and cannot economically be changed or stored in accordance with the color changes which are otherwise made in the loom. For these reasons all chain warps currently used in the weaving of carpets are of a neutral or slate color. In this way it is the usual practice to run the chain warp beam through the loom until it needs replenishing regardless of the color or pattern of the pile yarn. In some cases the slate blends sufliciently well with the color of the pile yarn so that if visible in certain areas, it is either unobjectionable or unnoticeable. In other circumstances, however, the chain warps are of such a contrasting color that their presence is quite noticeable and, therefore, objectionable. The saleability of such fabrics is thereby adversely affected and it can be remedied only by increasing the pile height or coverage in the affected areas.

The present invention overcomes the above disadvantages by providing means secured to the loom structure between the chain warp beam and the shed for dyeing the chain warps whatever color may be desirable to blend with the face warps and, therefore, render the chains inconspicuous.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method for weaving a pile fabric in which the chain warps are dyed as they are fed from the beam to the loom.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a dye bath in a carpet loom which permits the dye liquor to be changed frequently in accordance with the color of 2,797,711 Patented July 2, 1957 the face pile without the necessity of changing the chain warp beam as a unit.

A. still further object of the invention is to provide in a carpet loom means for dyeing the chain warps between the beam and the shed as well as means for drying the warps.

Further objects will be apparent from the drawings and claims in which Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing certain essential elements of a loom in which the apparatus of the present invention is incorporated;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail showing. the dyeing and drying, apparatus; of Fig. 1.

The. invention comprises essentially the provision of dye rolls' located between the chain warp beam and the shed of the loom. In this, mechanism the chain warps. are dyed-or treated ina manner or; in such away that they will harmonize with the face warp. Means for setting or drying the dye or other liquid may be incorporated with the applicator.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a schematic showing of a conventional velvet loom in which the face pile yarn F is fed from a creel, not shown, through guides 5, a comb 6, draw-off rolls 7, and compensator 8 t0 the heddles 9a and 9b of the harness indicated generally at 9. The usual lease rods 10 are also included. A reel 11, mounted on lay 12, is oscillated in the usual manner by means of swords 13 and crank 14. The woven fabric G is drawn over a breast plate 15 and by means of pin roll 16 from whence it passes over guide rolls 17, 17. The stuffer warps are fed from a beam 20 provided with a conventional let-01f mechanism 21 through jumbo 22 and over

guides

23, 23 to the harness 90. Lease rods 10' are also shown for the stufier warps. The chain warps are stored on the chain warp beam 25 which is likewise provided with a let-off mechanism 26 and the chain warps are fed through a tension controlling jumbo 27 past least rods 10" into the housing 30 of a dye applicator which is provided with a first guide roll 31 (Fig. 2) from which the chain warps pass downwardly through the dye bath 32 and around a roller or glass rod 33 which is submerged in the bath. From thence the chain ends are carried through a pair of squeeze rolls 34 and 35 the former of which has a rubber covering 34a. Roll 35 may be driven from any convenient source. It will be noted that the tension for the chain warps may be controlled by the nip between squeeze rolls 34 and 35 so that jumbo 27 is needed only to provide the desired tension between beam and the roll 31. It is contemplated that under some circumstances the jumbo 27 may be dispensed with entirely. The dye bath housing 30 has a troughshaped bottom 30a and the upper part of the housing may be transparent or dispensed with entirely if splashing or evaporation would not otherwise occur. The dye liquor may be introduced to the trough 30a through inlets 36 which are connected to feed conduit 37 through manifold 38. The discharge 39 from trough 30a is connected through a goose neck 40 to the make-up tank 41. The height of goose neck 40 controls the dye liquor level and trough 30a, and circulating pump 42 provides adequate flow of dye liquor. In actual practice the quantity of dye liquor is relatively small so that it is entirely feasible to change the color of the dye bath whenever it may be desirable to do so. This involves much less time and work than would be the case to change the entire chain warp beam 25.

After passing from squeeze rolls 34 and 35 the chain warps may be air dried or, if air drying is inadequate to set the particular type of dye being used, they are passed through a heater assembly 45 which is supplied with a suitable heating element; for example, infra-

red lamps

46, 46. A spacer pin assembly 47 and 48 may be added to both the inlet and outlet of the heating chamber to insure that the warps are maintained separate during the drying operation. The chain warps arecontrolled in the loom by harnesses 9d and 9e in the customary manner.

It will be thus understood that I have provide a simple, inexpense attachment for looms which permits the color of the chain warps to'be blended with the color of the face warps being woven at any time. There is no necessity for changing the chain warp beam and it is also possible to dye the stufier warps in the same manner should such be considered desirable. Ordinarily, however, the stuifer warps do not present a grinning problem because they are not visible in the finished fabric.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination with a pile fabric loom having shed-forming means, a chain warp beam for supplying chain warps to said shed-forming means, and means positioned in the loom between said chain warp beam and the chain harnesses for applying a dye to the chain warps.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the dye applying means comprises a trough, means for submerging the chain warps in the trough, and means for circulating dye liquor through said trough.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the dye applying means comprises at least one roller in contact with the chain warps.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 having means for setting the dye after application.

5. The method of weaving a textile fabric which comprises feeding face warp to and through the harnesses of a loom, unwinding chain warps from a chain warp beam, controlling said chain warps with harnesses in the loom, and applying a coloring material to said chain warps between the beam and the harnesses.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 6,173 Norway Sept. 15, 1877