US3171444A

US3171444A - Weft cutting device for weaving machinery

Info

Publication number: US3171444A
Application number: US181103A
Authority: US
Inventors: Juillard Yves
Original assignee: Alsacienne de Constructions Mecaniques SA
Current assignee: Alsacienne de Constructions Mecaniques SA
Priority date: 1961-03-30
Filing date: 1962-03-20
Publication date: 1965-03-02
Anticipated expiration: 1982-03-02
Also published as: FR1293118A; GB984304A; BE615213A; ES275901A1; CH376449A

Description

March 2, 1965 Y. JUILLARD 3,171,444

WEFT CUTTING DEVICE FOR wsavmc MACHINERY Filed March 20. 1962 United States Patent 5 Claims. (a. 139-291 This invention relates to an improved cutting device usable as an attachment on looms for cutting the weft threads of the woven fabric as the weaving proceeds. The cutting of the weft during a weaving operation may have various uses. It may be useful in cutting oif the protruding end parts of the picks of weft successively shot across the fabric in shuttleless looms. The device will also be of value in all cases where it may be desired to cut the fabric into a plurality of breadths or strips, as in the manufacture of crape bandages for instance.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved cutting arrangement for use on weaving frames or looms, which will act efliciently to cut through the weft threads of the woven fabric without tending to cut into the warp thereof or otherwise damage the fabric. Other objects are to provide such a weft cutting device which will be quickly and easily removable and reinsertable as for sharpening or replacing the cutter blade, or when the cutter is not required; and to provide such a device the installation of which on an existing loom will require the provision of a minimum of additional mechanism for actuating the cutter from the loom mechanism, and which once installed will not interfere with the principal operation of the loom for the weaving of fabrics.

The invention in one aspect comprises the provision, in a loom having means for forming a woven fabric with mutually normal warp and weft threads and means for advancing the fabric on the loom parallel to the warp, of a cutter blade, and means mounting said cutter blade in a general plane normal to said weft threads so as to cut through all the weft threads as the fabric is advanced, said mounting means including means permitting some degree of free floating movement of the blade normally to said plane so as to prevent the blade from cutting into and scotching the warp threads.

It will be understood that the free floating mount of the cutter blade of the invention normally to its plane, i.e. parallel to the direction of the weft, ensures that the blade will be able to follow freely the unavoidable irregularities or sinuosities in the direction of the warp along the fabric, i

so that the blade will at all times remain within the interval between two adjacent warp threads into which it was initially inserted and will cut perpendicularly through the weft threads without however scotching or otherwise damaging any of the adjacent warp threads.

The invention further contemplates imparting a reciprocatory movement to the blade along its length direction, i.e. normally to the plane of the fabric, for improving the cutting action.

Furthermore, according to a preferred form of the invention means are provided for rapid and easy removal of the cutter blade from, and its insertion into, its operative position on the loom.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be described for purposes of illustration but not of limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of part of a loom equipped with the improved weft cutting attachment of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a large-scale view of the cutter blade, shown in section, cutting through the weft of a woven fabric.

3,171 ,444 Patented Mar. 2, 1965 In the partial view shown in FIG. 1, there are shown at 1 and 2 the two sheets of the warp yarn forming the shed as said sheets are cyclically reciprocated by the conventional reciprocating heddles or equivalent means of the loom, not shown. Conventional means, such as a shuttle or a pair of weft picking needles (not shown) are provided for cyclically shooting a pick of weft yarn 3 through the shed, and further means, such as a reed carried on a batten, the latter indicated at 33, then act to settle the pick of weft into the apex of the shed defined by sheets 1 and 2. Thereby is formed a woven fabric, as indicated at 4, which is advanced through the loom by means of a take-up beam 11 or the like. At 5 is illustrated a conventional temple or tenter bearing on the surface of the newly woven fabric to hold it in position under stretch.

In accordance with the invention, a cutter device gen erally indicated at 15 includes a cutter blade 15a which is mounted in generally vertical position with the general plane of the blade extending parallel to the general direction of the warp, so as to be insertable between two adjacent warp threads and thereby cut through the weft as the fabric is advanced towards beam 11. The cutter blade 15a is secured at its lower end to an end member or fitting 15b, which conveniently is in the form of a split plug resiliently insertable into a complementary socket 17 pivoted at its lower end at 18 to one arm 19 of a bellcrank lever 20. With such an arrangement the cutter 15 is very quickly and easily inserted in position and once inserted will be retained with quite adequate firmness during operation, while being just as quickly and readily removable from its mount, by simply pulling out forcibly the end fitting 1517 out of the socket 17, when desired, e.g. to sharpen, or replace, the cutter blade 15a. To facilitate such removal and insertion, the upper end of the cutter 15 is shown as being provided with a knurled knob 35. It will be understood however that various other mounting means, preferably though not necessarily of a quickly disengageable character, may be provided instead of the mounting means shown.

The bell-crank lever 20 is pivoted at its center or apex on a pivot 21 parallel to the longitudinal or warp direction of the loom, supported from a boss 22 of the frame 16 of the loom. The second arm 24 of lever M), which is directed downwardly, has its end pivoted at 25 to a point of a bar 26 which is mounted for transverse reciprocation in the frame e.g. in bearings such as 27 provided in said frame. One end of bar 26 is shown connected by way of a swivel 31 to one end of an obliquely extending link 28 the other end of which is connected by a swivel 32 to the batten 33. Thus in the operation of the loom, with the batten 33 being cyclically reciprocated back and forth in the longitudinal or warp direction in timed relationship to the weaving cycle, as well understood by those familiar with the weaving art, the batten will impart transverse reciprocation to the slider bar 26 through link 28 and hence, through the bell-crank lever 20, will impart vertical reciprocation to the cutter 15, thereby facilitating the cutting operations.

It will further be noted that owing to the pivotal mounting of the cutter 15 at its lower end while the upper end of the cutter is free, the cutter is, in effect, free-floating in regard to its transverse movements in the direction normal to the plane of the blade, and parallel to the direction of the weft yarn. Hence the cutter will be able to accommodate any minor variations in warp direction as will inevitably occur along the length of the fabric, and will simply rock slightly about its lower pivot 18 to accommodate such directional variations in the warp without tending to bite into either of the two adjacent warp yarns between which the blade is inserted, as would be the case were it not for the transverse freedom of motion provided by the floating mount described.

and 7, with the two warp threads in each of said pairs beingoppositely and symmetrically looped about the weft threads 3 as shown, vthereby more positively preventing the cut-olf extremities of the weft threads from working loose in the cut fabric. It will be understood that owing to the transverse freedom of movement of the cutter blade a as earlier described, the blade will faithfully. follow the path defined between the two pairs of warp threads 4. positioned to receive and removably retain said plug in the proper cutting position of said cutter member, and a reciprocable driving connection between said cyclically and 7 into which it was inserted without cutting into Y and scotching said warp threads. The cut-off lengths of weft yarn 3 together with their binding warp threads 7, may desirably be taken up about the same take-up roller or beam 11 asthe main fabric, as shown in FIG. 1.

The mounting arrangement illustrated and described-is advantageous in that, in addition to providing the transverse freedom of motion mentioned above, it firmly and positively retains the cutter against longitudinal move-- ments which would interfere with a positive. and efficient cutting action. 'Moreover, while'the mounting provides for a very quick and simple removal of the cutter when necessary, it does not allow any objectionablerangling of 17. It will also be noted that on removal of the cutter 15, the remaining parts of the device orattachment of the invention will not in any way interfere with the; normal functions of the loom.

Various modifications may of course be madeinthe single illustrative embodiment described without' departing from the scope of the invention, and suchmodifications may involve the mounting means for the cutter, and the reciprocatory actuating means therefor, although such means should preserve the feature of the invention according to which the cutter has a certain freedom of displacement in the lateral direction; If desired, apl'urality of similar cutting devices may be, positionedin transversely spaced relation across thefr'ame so asto cut the Woven fabric into a plurality of narrow breadths or strips.

What isclaimed is: i

1. In a loom for weaving a-fabric with. warp andtweft threads, a stationary part on'the. loom, a cyclicallymoving part and mechanisms-for cutting the. weft threads as the fabric is advanced through the loom, said mechanism comprising a bell-crank lever fulcrumed to said stationary part, for pivotal movement in a vertical plane, a socket member mounted on onearm of said bell-crank: lever for,

pivotal movement about an, axis parallel. to the warp threads passing through the loom, an elongated. cutter member having opposite ends, a splitplug carried byone end of. the cutter memberwith said socket member being:

moving part and the other arm of said bell-crank lever so as to reciprocate said cutter member in synchronlsm with the cyclic weaving operationof the loom while permitting free oscillation of said cutter member in a direction perpendicular to said warp threads.

2. The loom as claimed in claim 1 in which said cyclically moving part is the batten of the loom and said driving connection comprises a bar mounted for reciprocation parallel to the weft threads, a link and means swivelling the opposite ends of the link to the batten and bar, respectively. a Y Y 3. The loomas claimed in claim 2 in which said link extends obliquely between the batten and the bar.

4. The loom as claimed in claim 3 in Whichtheother end of said cutter'mem'ber is provided with a knurled knob to facilitate directional adjustment of the cutter member as well as the insertion and removal'of said plug in and from ,said socket member.

5. In a loom for weaving a fabric with warp and weft threads, a stationary part on the loom, a member cycli- V 'cally reciprocable parallelto said warp threads and mech- 3d 15b in the said proper orientation relative to the socket anism for cutting the weft thread as the'rfabric is advanced through the loom, said mechanism comprising a bellcrank lever fulcrumedto said stationary part-for pivotal movement in a vertical plane, an elongated cutter memher, 'a fitting member on one end of said cutter member, a socket member mounted on one arm of said bell-crank lever forspivotal movement about an axis, parallel to the warp threads passing through the loom and positioned to receive and removably retain said fitting member in the proper cutting position of said cutter member, a bar mounted for reciprocation parallel to the weft threads, means pivotally connecting the other arm of said bellcrank lever to said bar, a link extending obliquely between said reciprocable memberand said bar and means swiveling the ends of-said link to saidreciprocable mem-' her and bar, respectively, so asto reciprocate said cutter member in synchronisrn with the cyclic weaving operation of the loom while permitting free oscillation of said cutter V member in a direction perpendicular to said warp threads.

References Cited in the file of this patent 'UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims

1. IN A LOOM FOR WEAVING A FABRIC WITH WARP AND WEFT THREADS, A STATIONARY PART ON THE LOOM, A CYCLICALLY MOVING PART AND MECHANISM FOR CUTTING THE WEFT THREADS AS THE FABRIC IS ADVANCED THROUGH THE LOOM, SAID MENCHANISM COMPRISING A BELL-CRANK LEVER FULCRUMED TO SAID STATIONARY PART FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT IN A VERTICAL PLANE, A SOCKET MEMBER MOUNTED ON ONE ARM OF SAID BELL-CRANK LEVER FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE WARP THREADS PASSING THROUGH THE LOOM, AN ELONGATED CUTTER MEMBER HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS, A SPLIT PLUG CARRIED BY ONE END OF THE CUTTER MEMBER WITH SAID SOCKET MEMBER BEING POSITIONED TO RECEIVE AND REMOVABLY RETAIN SAID PLUG IN THE PROPER CUTTING POSITION OF SAID CUTTER MEMBER, AND A RECIPROCABLE DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID CYCLICALLY MOVING PART AND THE OTHER ARM OF SAID BELL-CRANK LEVER SO AS TO RECIPROCATE SAID CUTTER MEMBER IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE CYCLIC WEAVING OPERATION OF THE LOOM WHILE PERMITTING FREE OSCILLATION OF SAID CUTTER MEMBER IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO SAID WARP THREADS.