US3088496A

US3088496A - Loom harness

Info

Publication number: US3088496A
Application number: US68020A
Authority: US
Inventors: Daniel E Houghton; Emmett F Deady; Stanley F Reed
Original assignee: Cambridge Wire Cloth Co
Current assignee: Cambridge Wire Cloth Co
Priority date: 1960-11-08
Filing date: 1960-11-08
Publication date: 1963-05-07
Anticipated expiration: 1980-05-07

Description

y ,1963 D. E. HOUGHTON ETAL 3,088,496

LOOM HARNESS INVENTORS DANIEL E. HOUGHTON 29 EMMETT F. DEADY STANLEY F. REED 2 BY A A T TOR/V5 Y May 7, 1963 D. E. HOUGHTON ET AL 3,088,496

LOOM HARNESS Filed Nov. 8, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //Vl/E/V7'01?$ DANIEL E. HOUGHTON EMMETT F. DEADY STANLEY F. REED ATTORNEY .515. 5.

3,088,496 LOUM HARNES Daniel E. Honghton and Emmett F. Deady, Arlington,

and Stanley F. Reed, McLean, Va, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Cambridge Wire Cloth Company, Cambridge, Md.

Filed Nov. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 68,020 13 Claims. (ill. 139-92) This invention relates to loom harness, and relates more particularly to the form and arrangement of the heddles and their associated supporting structure. [Further, while these structures have general utility in the loom art, they are especially designed for use in wire weaving looms wherein both the warp and weft wires are stiff enough to be Woven by a method wherein the weft wires are projected through the warp shed without bobbins or shuttles. It will be noted that looms of this type can be operated at speeds many times those of the conventional bobbin and shuttle type because there are no large masses to be accelerated and decelerated during each operating cycle of the weft wire feed; and therefore, the vertical height of the warp shed can be reduced to a minor fraction of that required by conventional type looms.

Prior art heddles comprise, in general, a metallic strip with a warp eye in the center thereof and an attaching recess at each end for engagement with heddle support members. Each time these looms are rewarped, each individual warp thread must be threaded through the eye of the heddle which will supply the shedding motion thereto. This is a laborious process, and in the wireweaving art is done entirely by hand. This hand threading of the warp wires requires the time of two men for each loom, and in the custom wire weaving art, the warp-threading operation may be a major portion of the labor time required to produce a specified Wire fabric.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a loom harness structure of greatly simplified construction, wherein the process of sticking the warp wires through the heddles can be simplified; and also wherein the weaving operation itself is more efiicient and therefore, can be speededup to produce Wire cloth of high quality with a significantly lower unit labor cost.

It is a further object to provide a loom harness that is adapted to easy changeover procedures for different sizes of wire or different meshes thereof and which may be so changed with the removal of only one element of such harness from the supporting loom structure.

It is a further object to provide a heddle for a loom harness that is specifically contoured to allow novel simplified sticking procedures to be utilized therewith and still manufacture fabrics efiiciently, economically, and with great uniformity of mesh, symmetry of design, and high fidelity of reproduction.

With the foregoing, and ancillary objects in view, we propose to effect one embodiment of our invention as follows:

The present invention is concerned primarily with a novel heddle configuration and a specially contoured supporting structure to cooperate therewith to provide novel results in the utilization of these structures for weaving fabrics. The features of improvement of the present invention over prior art apparatus will be readily apparent when the drawings appended hereto are considered in the light of the following specification.

As in the case of prior art patents, warp wires are fed through heddles supported in heddle frames. However, applicants heddle eyes are provided with insertion slits which permit the threading of warp wires thereinto with- 3,988,496 Fatented May 7, 1963 EQQ out using the eye as a target. By utilization of these insertion slits, warp wires may be stuc through the side of the heddle. Further, in order to make the maximum utilization of this novel heddle eye configuration, special heddle support recess configurations are used which allow the heddles to be rotated a limited amount in the vertical plane of the warp shed. By using heddle frames which comprise upper and lower heddle support elements spaced apart by heddle frame support bars, the orientation of the heddles may be changed by removing only the upper heddle support element.

The refinements of construction and detail of operation characterizing the present invention, though not touched upon in the foregoing general outline, will be clearly understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a heddle frame assembly and associated supporting structure according to the invention showing only the first heddle frame assembly for convenience of illustration,

FIGS. 2(a) to 2(d) are enlarged fragmentary somewhat diagrammatic side elevational views thereof,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view thereof,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevational View thereof, taken on the line 44 in FIG. 1, with only the fourth heddle frame assembly shown for convenience of illustration,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front elevational view of a heddle according to the invention,

FIG. 6 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the heddle of FIG. 5 with a warp wire therein with the heddle in the raised position,

FIG. 7 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary side elevational view similar to FIG. 6 but with the heddle in the lowered position, and

FIG. 8 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional elevational view of the lower heddle recess and lower heddle support element.

In the following description and in the claims, various details will be identified by special means for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit.

Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, certain specific disclosure of the invention is made for purposes of explanation, but it will be understood that the details may be modified in various respects without departure from the broad aspect of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, heddle frame assemblies 1 are shown separated from the general loom framework for convenience of illustration.

It will be understood that heddle frame ways 2 are secured to the stationary loom frame supporting structure, and that heddle frame assemblies 1 may be reciprocated in the vertical direction by means of conventional cams operating heddle frame cam follower mounts 3 attached to lower heddle support elements 5 by ball pins 4. Each heddle frame assembly comprises an upper heddle support element 6, a lower heddle support element 5, and two heddle

frame support bars

7 and 8. Upper heddle support elements 6 are secured to support bars -7 and 8 by attaching screws 15 and lower heddle support elements 5 are secured to support

bars

7 and 8 by attaching screws 18.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 8, upper and lower

heddle support elements

6 and 5 have substantially cylindrical upper and

lower support rods

9 and 10 respectively inte gral therewith. Each individual heddle 11 comprises a strip of metal with a centrally located warp eye 12 therein and upper and lower supporting

recesses

13 and 14 respectively which mate with the cross-sectional configurations of

rods

9 and 10 respectively.

Referring to FIG. 8, it will be noted that the recess 14 includes a cylindrical portion with an included angle less than the included angle of the cylindrical portion of rod 10 by the angle (A plus A). The provision of this support rod and recess orientation allows the heddles 11 and upper heddle support element 6 to be rotated by the angle A forward or the angle A backward whenever attaching screws 15 are removed.

Referring to FIG. 4, it will be noted that upper supporting recesses 13 in heddles 11 have a clearance width in the vertical direction slightly greater than the diameter of rod 9 engaged therewith. This clearance permits the removal of an upper heddle support element 6 from its associated heddle frame assembly by the removal of attaching screws 15, the rotation of both upper heddle support element 6 and heddles 11, and the dropping of upper heddle support element 6 in the vertical direction an amount sufficient to disengage heddles 11 therefrom. This easy separation of heddles 11 from their associated upper support structure permits the utilization of different warp wire sizes, meshes, or weave orientations without disassembly of the heddles from their lower heddle support element and the saving of both time and labor in the sticking process.

Referring further to FIGS. 4 and 8, it will be noted that the specific heddle and support rod configuration disclosed inherently provides that heddles 11 are pivotable in unison with respect to lower support element 5 about an axis transverse to the planes that include both the leading edge 24 and the trailing edge 25 of each of heddles 11 when also engaged by upper support element 6, and provides that heddles 11 are pivotable about this same axis individually whenever upper support element 6 is removed. In the specific configuration disclosed in FIG. 8, this pivot axis would be the longitudinal axis of cylindrical lower support rod 10.

Referring further to FIG. 1, it will be noted that conventional spring loaded detents 19 are provided at each end of heddle frame assemblies 1 in heddle

frame support bars

7 and 8. This permits the insertion of additional heddles to assemblies 1 or the removal of heddles therefrom without the removal of either upper or lower

heddle support elements

6 or 5, further facilitating the universal adaptability of applicants harness structures.

Referring to FIG. 3, the arrangement of upper heddle support elements 6 and their associated heddle frame support bars 8 is shown. It will be noted that the .two central elements 6 are shorter than the two outside elements 6 and that the associated bars '8 of the outside heddle frame assemblies are narrower than the central bars 8 to permit the removal of the two central upper heddle support elements therethrough.

Referring to FIGS. 2(a) to 2(d), FIGS. 2(a) to 2(d) show the association of heddle frame assemblies I, II, III, and IV with their respective warp wire banks 20", 20", and 20" in the four weft filling positions used for weaving twill. It will be noted that for conventional quadrangular weaves only heddle frame assemblies I and II would be utilized and assemblies III and IV could be removed from the loom by the removal of their associated ball pins 4 and the sliding of these entire assemblies out of the top of heddle frame ways 2. Thereafter the upper heddle support elements 6 and heddles 11 are removed therefrom and lower heddle support elements 5 replaced to run idle in the loom. It is to be noted that heddle frame assemblies I and II and their associated heddle eyes are always oppositely oriented, one assembly up and the other assembly down. However, when weaving twill or other more complex fabrics, all four heddle frame assemblies are utilized. In the weaving of twill, assemblies I, II, III, and IV, would be threaded in the following manner, referring to consecutive warp wires as they are arranged in parallelism in the finished fabric, first and fifth warp wires 20 in assembly I, second and sixth warp wires 20 in assembly III, third and seventh warp wires 20 in assembly II, and fourth and eighth warp wires 20" in assembly IV. It will be noted that by placing the assemblies in this manner, when weaving ordinary quadrangular fabrics, only adjacent assemblies I and II are utilized. Assemblies I and II have a minimal vertical travel because their reciprocation to effect the shedding action is less than that of assemblies III and IV. Assemblies I and II are geometrically closer to the fell 22 of the woven fabric 23. Shed 21 is always the same size no matter which heddle frame assemblies are in the upper or lower positions. The compacting of the four heddle frame assemblies in the horizontal dimension permitted by applicants novel heddle and heddle supporting structure reduces the total vertical travel of each of heddle frame assemblies II, III, and IV and thereby increases the overall efficiency of the weaving operation.

Referring further to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, it will be noted that each heddle 11 comprises a leading edge 24 and a trailing edge 25, a first side 28 and a second side 29, and that the metal on each side of warp eye 12 is deformed to provide a generally conical depression, one side concave as shown at 17 and the other side convex as shown at 16. This configuration provides the optimum wearing surface for warp wire interengagement and also provides a warp wire path through warp eye 12 that is substantially parallel with the fiat surface of the body of the heddle. An insertion slit 26 connects trailing edge 25 and the end of warp eye 12 that is closest thereto. In order to provide an optimum configuration for the warp eye 12 and insertion slit 26, insertion slit 26 should be tangent to the end curvature of warp eye 12 and oriented from the major axis thereof by an angle B. Angle B should be selected so that insertion slit 26 lies entirely within one of the

conical depressions

16 or 17, 30 degrees having been found to be an optimum angle for general utility. Further,

conical depressions

16 and 17 may have a common apex 30, as shown in FIG. 7. In this way, warp wires 20 will be easily insertable thereinto, and yet there will be no tendency for the warp wires to snag or work loose from the warp eye during weaving operations, even in fine mesh fabrics where the heddles are in close association. The warp eye 12, itself, has a generally elliptical or almond shape with the horizontal major axis 27 thereof aligned transversely to the line of motion of the heddle frame assembly associated therewith. Further, it will noted that warp eye 12 has two

end portions

31 and 32, as shown in FIG. 7.

Referring further to FIGS. 6 and 7, FIG. 6 shows the orientation of heddle 11 with warp wire 20 when the heddle is in the upper position and FIG. 7 shows a similar interrelation for the lower position.

It will be noted that the angles D and D between the warp wires which form the shed and the horizontal axis 27 of the warp eye will be the same for each heddle frame assembly, but that the angles C and C between the warp wire on the warp beam side of the heddle and the horizontal axis of the warp eye will be smallest for the assembly nearest the fell of the fabric and will increase in size for other assemblies. For optimum facility of sticking correlated with the best operating characteristics, angles C and C which will be equal, should be less than angle B. Further, in order to increase the efficiency of the weaving operation, angles D and D which are also equal should be as large as possible. However, inasmuch as heddle frame assemblies 1 which are remote from the fell of the fabric must traverse a vertical distance which is a function of the angles D and D and the horizontal displacement between assemblies, ap-

plicants novel compact harness assembly allows much larger angles D and D for the same vertical travel of the heddle frame assemblies permitted by conventional or known prior art loom constructions, thereby increasing the overall efiiciency of the weaving operation.

Further, although heddles 11 have been described as formed of metal, it will be understood that they may be formed of any self-supporting material, such as plastic, having the necessary physical characteristics, or they may be formed of a combination of materials, such as plastic with metal inserts at the points of wear, such as warp eye 12.

Further, although insertion slits 26 have been shown as oriented at a substantial angle, such as 30 degrees, from the major axis of the warp eye 12, it will be understood that for particular warp diameters and compositions, this angle may be varied to include any angle which will directly connect the warp eye 12 with either of the

edges

24 or 25.

It will be further noted that while the optimum configuration illustrated utilizes

depressions

16 and 17, which are of greatest advantage in fine mesh fabrics, for some applications, especially in wide mesh fabrics, these depressions could be eliminated. Further, the width of insertion slits 26 will primarily be a function of the strength and diametric characteristics of the warp elements to be retained therein, and for some applications, the sides of insertion slit 26 may be in resilient contact, allowing separation for warp element insertion, but maintaining a completely closed warp eye at all other times. The range of warp element diameters which can be utilized with a single warp eye and insertion slit configuration will be a function of the width of the insertion slit and the rigidity of the warp element materials. For a slit of .030 inch width oriented at a 30 degree angle as shown, steel wire diameters of from .005 to .025 may be efiiciently woven.

The invention has been described in connection with an exemplary embodiment thereof, but it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by way of illustration and not limitation; changes and modifications in the details of the apparatus can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a unitary heddle having leading and trailing edges, two sides, and a centrally positioned warp eye adapted to retain a warp element engageable therewith during a weaving process, the improvement comprising; an access slit connecting said warp eye with one of said edges, said slit being of such width and so oriented as to facilitate the passage of said element therethrough into said eye transversely from at least one of said two sides, and also of such width and so oriented as to insure the retention of said element within said eye during said weaving process.

2. In a unitary heddle having a leading edge, a trailing edge, two sides, a centrally positioned warp eye having two end portions, a convex depression connecting one of said edges with one of said end portions of said eye, and a concave depression connecting the other of said edges with the other of said end portions of said eye, said eye adapted to retain a warp element engageable therewith during a weaving process, the improvement comprising; an access slit connecting said eye with one of said edges, said slit being positioned entirely within one of said depressions, said slit being of such width and so oriented as to facilitate the passage of said element therethrough into said eye transversely from at least one of said two sides, and also of such width and so oriented as to insure the retention of said element within said eye during said weaving process.

3. A heddle as set forth in claim 2 wherein said depressions are conical.

4. A heddle as set forth in claim 3 wherein said conical depressions have a common apex centered within said eye.

5. In a heddle frame assembly comprising, in combination; a lower supporting element; a removable upper supporting element; two supporting bars to maintain a fixed relation between said elements; a plurality of unitary heddles supportable by said elements, each of said heddles having a leading edge, a trailing edge, an upper supporting recess, a lower supporting recess, two sides, and a centrally positioned warp eye adapted to retain a warp element engageable therewith during a weaving process, the improvement comprising; in each of said heddles, an access slit connecting said eye with one of said edges, said slit being of such width and so oriented as to facilitate the passage of said warp element therethrough into said eye transversely from at least one of said two sides, and also of such width and so oriented as to insure the retention of said warp element Within said eye during said weaving process; said lower supporting element having a section in engagement with said lower supporting recess of each of said heddles; and said heddles being pivotable in unison with respect to said lower supporting element about an axis transverse to the planes that include both the leading edge and the trailing edge of each of said heddles when also engaged by said upper supporting element and being pivotable about said axis individually whenever said upper supporting element is removed.

6. The combination as set forth in claim 5, wherein; each of said lower supporting recesses has a cylindrical portion, and said section of said lower supporting element has a similar cylindrical configuration.

7. In a heddle frame assembly comprising, in combination; a lower supporting element; a removable upper supporting element; two supporting bars to maintain a fixed relation between said elements; a plurality of unitary heddles supportable by said elements, each of said heddles having a leading edge, a trailing edge, an upper supporting recess, a lower supporting recess, two sides, a centrally positioned warp eye having two end portions, a convex depression connecting one of said edges with one of said end portions of said eye, and a concave depression connecting the other of said edges with the other of said end portions of said eye, said eye adapted to retain a warp element engageable therewith during a weaving process, the improvement comprising; in each of said heddles, an access slit connecting said eye with one of said edges, said slit being positioned entirely within one of said depres sions, said slit being of such Width and so oriented as to facilitate the passage of said warp element therethrough into said eye transversely from at least one of said two sides, and also of such width and so oriented as to insure the retention of said warp element within said eye during said weaving process; said lower supporting element having a section in engagement with said lower supporting recess of each of said heddles; and said heddles being pivotable in unison with respect to said lower supporting element when also engaged by said upper supporting element about an axis transverse to the planes that include both the leading edge and the trailing edge of each of said heddles and being pivotable about said axis individually whenever said upper supporting element is removed.

8. The combination according to claim 7, wherein; each of said lower supporting recesses has a cylindrical portion, and said section of said lower supporting element has a similar cylindrical configuration.

9. The combination according to claim 8, wherein; said depressions are conical.

10. The combination according to claim 9, wherein; said conical depressions have a common apex centered within said eye.

11. The combination according to claim 7, wherein; said depressions are conical.

12. The combination according to claim 11, (wherein;

said conical depressions have a common apex centered within said eye.

13. In a loom harness assembly comprising, in combination; an even number of heddle frame assemblies, each of said frame assemblies comprising a lower supporting element, a removable upper supporting element, two sup porting bars to maintain a fixed relation between said elements, a plurality of unitary heddles supportable by said elements, each of said heddles having a leading edge, a trailing edge, an upper supporting recess, a lower supporting recess, two sides, and a centrally positioned warp eye adapted to retain a warp element engageable therewith during a weaving process, the improvement comprising; in each of said heddles, an access slit connecting said eye with one of said edges, said slit being of such width and so oriented as to facilitate the passage of said warp element therethrough into said eye transversely from at least one of said two sides, and also of such width and so oriented as to insure the retention of said warp element within said eye during said weaving process; said lower supporting recess of each of said heddles being in engagement with a section of one of said lower supporting elements, each of said sections having an axis and all of said axes being parallel, all the heddles of each frame assembly of one half of said frame assemblies being pivotable forward in unison with respect to said lower supporting elements about the axis of the section of the lower supporting element in engagement therewith when also engaged by one of said upper supporting elements and being pivotable about the same axis individually whenever said upper supporting element is removed; all the heddles of each frame assembly of the other half of said frame assemblies being pivotable rearward in unison with respect to said lower supporting elements about the axis of the section of the lower supporting element in engagement therewith when also engaged by one of said upper supporting elements and being pivotable about the same axis individually whenever said upper supporting element is removed; and said heddle frame assemblies arranged to reciprocate in a vertical direction, thereby permitting said heddle frame assemblies to be closely nested in the horizontal direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 196,522 Flagg Oct. 30, 1877 1,517,129 Ruegg Nov. 25, 1924 2,556,468 Consoletti June 12, 1951 2,877,803 Maruyama Mar. 17, 1959

Claims

5. IN A HEDDLE FRAME ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION; A LOWER SUPPORTING ELEMENT; A REMOVABLE UPPER SUPPORTING ELEMENT; TWO SUPPORTING BARS TO MAINTAIN A FIXED RELATION BETWEEN SAID ELEMENTS; A PLURALITY OF UNITARY HEDDLES SUPPORTABLE BY SAID ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID HEDDLES HAVING A LEADING EDGE, A TRAILING EDGE, AN UPPER SUPPORTING RECESS, A LOWER SUPPORTING RECESS, TWO SIDES, AND A CENTRALLY POSITIONED WARP EYE ADAPTED TO RETAIN A WARP ELEMENT ENGAGEABLE THEREWITH DURING A WEAVING PROCESS, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING; IN EACH OF SAID HEDDLES, AN ACESS SLIT CONNECTING SAID EYE WITH ONE OF SAID EDGES, SAID SLIT BEING OF SUCH WIDTH AND SO ORIENTED AS TO FACILITATE THE PASSAGE OF SAID WARP ELEMENT THERETHROUGH INTO SAID EYE TRANSVERSELY FROM AT LEAST ONE OF SAID TWO SIDES, AND ALSO OF SUCH WIDTH AND SO ORIENTED AS TO INSURE THE RETENTION OF SAID WARP ELEMENT WITHIN SAID EYE DURING SAID WEAVING PROCESS; SAID LOWER SUPPORTING ELEMENT HAVING A SECTION IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LOWER SUPPORTING RECESS OF EACH OF SAID HEDDLES; AND SAID HEDDLES BEING PIVOTABLE IN UNISON WITH RESPECT TO SAID LOWER SUPPORTING ELEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS TRANSVAERSE TO THE PLANES THAT INCLUDE BOTH THE LEADING EDGE AND THE TRAILING EDGE OF EACH OF SAID HEDDLES WHEN ALSO ENGAGED BY SAID UPPER SUPPORTING ELEMENT AND BEING PIVOTABLE ABOUT SAID AXIS INDIVIDUALLY WHENEVER SAID UPPER SUPPORTING ELEMENT IS REMOVED.