US3360964A

US3360964A - Warp-knitting machine and warp knitting made thereby

Info

Publication number: US3360964A
Application number: US423687A
Authority: US
Inventors: Landgraf Hugo Paul
Original assignee: WERKMASCHB LIMBACH OBERFROHNA
Current assignee: VEB WERKMASCHINENBAU LIMBACH-OBERFROHNA; WERKMASCHB LIMBACH OBERFROHNA
Priority date: 1965-01-06
Filing date: 1965-01-06
Publication date: 1968-01-02
Anticipated expiration: 1985-01-02

Description

Jan. 2, 1968 H. P. LANDGRAF 3,360,954

WARPKNITTING MACHINE AND WARP KNITTING MADE THEREBY Filed Jan. 6, 1965 I I 5 Sheets-Sheet l I M M /2/ lNVENTOR 6 060 P mama/w Jan. 2, 1968 H. P. LANDGRAF WARP-KNITTING MACHINE AND WARP KNITTING MADE THEREBY 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan.

M m mw m E 0 mm m H Jan. 2, 1968 H. P. LANDGRAF 3,360,964

' WARPKNITTING MACHINE AND WARP KNITTING MADE THEREBY Filed Jan. 6, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR //[/60 P40! MAIDGRAF Jan. 2, 1968 H. P. LANDGRAF 3,360,964

WARP-KNITTING MACHINE AND WARP KNITTING MADE THEREBY 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 6, 1965 INVENTOR #060 19401 Z/WDGRAF yaw Jan. 2, 1968 H. P. LANDGRAF 3,350,954

WARPKNITTING MACHINE AND WARP KNITTING MADE THEREBY 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 6, 1965 INVENTOR H060 P/IZ Z Ail/VDGfi/IF United States Patent 3,360,964 WARP-KNITTIVG MACHINE AND WARP KNITTING MADE THEREBY Hugo Paul Landgraf, Limbach-Oberfrohna, Germany, as-

signor to Veb Werkmaschinenbau Limbach-Oberfrohna, Limbach-Oberfrohna, Germany Filed Jan. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 423,687 12 Claims. (Cl. 66-88) The present invention relates to a warp-knitting machine and to a warp knitting produced by said machine. In particular, the warp-knitting machine is equipped with two rows of eye needles by means of which a warp kitting is formed by mutual loop transfer, with courses extending parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof. The front portions of all the eye needles are bent obliquely toward one side.

A known machine for the production of such warp knits is equipped with pointed eye needles which are straight. In order to interconnect on this machine the vertical courses, formed by the eye needles, into a continuous knit, one of the two rows of eye needles is set off with respect to the other row by one needle division or gauge after each loop transfer. The resulting warp knit has generally crossed stitches, that is, it is a twist warp knit, namely in left-left (purl-purl) fashion.

Another machine of the kind here entering into consideration has eye needles which are obliquely bent off to the side in front, by about one half needle division. The bend is located between the shank and the front end of these eye needles, the front end being parallel to the shank and presenting a hole. The eye needles are .thus somewhat Z-shaped. The arrangement is such that the eye needles of one row are all bent to one side, e.g. to the left, while the needles of the other row are bent to the other side, namely to the right.

For the production of a continuous knit also on this machine one eye-needle row must be staggered or set off after each loop transfer in relation to the other row, namely by one needle division, so that the result is a left-left twist warp knit.

This known machine also provides to bring about the staggering by mutual displacement of both needle rows by one half division each, the two rows being staggered in the same direction in several stitch-forming processes stepwise to one side and then back again by the same distance. In this way likewise a left-left twist warp knit is formed, but with atlas character.

Further, one eye-needle row in this machine may be stationary in longitudinal direction and only the other row is progressively staggered or displaced (in one and the same direction) by one half needle division each, in order then to return again. The result is a left-left warp knit with atlas character, but in'Which one course with open stitches alternates with one whose stitches are crossed.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a warp-knitting machine on which warp knits with exclusively open stitches can be produced, and a knitted fabric made thereby.

It is also the object of the invention to provide a novel knitting machine wherein specially arranged eye needles are used for producing a new type of knitted product.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a warp knitting wherein the courses extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the product, the courses being formed by mutual loop transfer. The knitting corresponds, with respect to the stitch pattern, to simple hoisery goods and is therefore desirable for various purposes. Moreover, such a product has the advantage of better stretchability in the direction of the stitch courses as compared with twist knits.

According to one of the important features of the warp-knitting machine of this invention, the front portions of the eye needles are obliquely bent to the same side in both needle rows, forming obtuse angles with the respective needle shafts.

Another feature relates to the fact that said eye needles have protrusions on their sides toward which the front portions are bent, and that the two eye-needle rows are so arranged in relation to each other that the free needle ends or points in one row are approximately opposite the summit or outermost points of the needles in the other row.

It is yet another feature of the inventive machine that the eye needles used therein have an inclination in their front portions which, as compared to the summit of the protrusions, corresponds to approximately one-half needle division or gauge.

As far as the fabric is concerned which is made by the warp-knitting mentioned above, it is an important feature of one of the possible fabrics that a smooth left-left warp knit is produced where all stitches of all courses are open.

According to another feature, a diifereut fabric may be made which is a warp knit, left-left crossed, where in the courses as well as in the wales a stitch formed by one wanp yarn alternates witha stitch consisting of the other warp yarn, all stitches of all courses being again open.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be appreciated and more fully understood with reference to the following detailed description, when considered with the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic, perspective illustration of the major operating elements in the warp-knitting machine according to the invention, someco-operating elements being omitted for the sake of clarity;

FIG. 2is a planar arrangement of a number of eye needles ofboth needle rows, seen from above, with the operating elements of FIG. 1 omitted for the sake of clarity;

FIGS. 3a through 32 are illustrations of the production of a left-left warp knit having open stitches exclusively, in five successive stages;

FIGS. 4a through 4d show the provision of the warp knit made according to FIGS. 3a-3e with a solid longitudinal edge or selvedge at both end courses, in four stages; and

FIGS. 5a through 5] are illustrations of the production of a left-left crossed warp knit, in six stages.

It should be noted that FIG. 32 includes the partial illustration of one fabric embodiment while FIG; 4d is a variant thereof; finally, FIG. 5 shows a different. fabric made by the warp-knitting machine according to the invention. I

The warp-knitting machine illustrated in FIG. 1 is equipped with two opposite rows 1, 101 of eye needles 1a, 101a, for example, secured to

respective needle bars

21, 121 in a conventional way, andarranged approximately at right angles to each other (see also FIGS. 3a-3e, etc.). Each of the needles has the following parts, as illustrated in FIG. 2: a shaft portion 11, followed by a protruding portion 12, an'eye 13 for a warp yarn, the outermost or summit point of the needle being denoted 14, a front-end portion 15 and a needle tip or point 16. The shafts 11 and the front ends 15 form an obtuse angle.

The needles of both rows extend obliquely to opposite sides with respect to the needle bars. The direction of inclination amounts to about one needle division or gauge between the needle bases and the outermost points 14, as shown in FIG. 2 by letter D. The deflection of the front portions 15 with respect to the points 14 amounts to about one-half needle gauge, marked D/2.

It should be noted that the slant of the needle shaft 11 between the summit point 14 and the needle base avoids that the eye needles interfere with one another during their operation, and especially that the needles shear off the warp yarns during loop transfer.

The needles of both rows are bent to the same side, i.e., the summit points 14 of all

needles

1a, 1b, 10, or 101a, 101b, 1111c, etc., point to the same side (that is, downwards when viewed in FIG. 2), just as the tips 16 of all needles point to the other side (upward in FIG. 2). The two eye-needle rows 1, 1 are so arranged in relation to each other that the tips 16 in one row are located approximately opposite the summit points 14- in the other row. The protrusions 12 are on the sides to which the needle tips point. The cooperation of these needle pairs will be described in full detail somewhat later in the specification.

Each

needle bar

21, 121 has respective rods or bolts 23, 123 secured thereto for moving the needle rows 1, 101 up and down, perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of these rows, so as to perform a mutual transfer of loops between respective needle pairs, as will be explained later. For the sake of clarity, only one bolt is shown for each needle bar. The bolts 23, 123 are axially guided in a machine frame portion, the frame being generally designated 72 in FIG. 1 of the drawing. By way of guide rods 25, 125 the bolts 23, 123 are connected to three-armed levers 27, 127 which, in turn, are supported by the machine frame '72, as shown at 29, 129, respectively. These levers 27, 127 are actuated by

cam disks

31, 131.

The

cam disks

31, 131 thus impart to the needle bars 21, 121 and the needles attached thereto an ascending and descending motion. The shafts carrying the

cam disks

31, 131 are coordinated in their rotation so as to provide the needle movements required for the particular knitting operation to which the machine is set up.

For the sake of clarity, weft guides and supporting rails therefore have not been shown in FIG. 1. Also, the mechanism (e.g. cam-operated roller slide) for imparting a reciprocating movement to the guide rails has been omitted.

A machineis described and claimed therein which has features common with the present application, but includes eye needles which are bent, in their entirety, toward one side in one row and .toward the other side in the other row (rather than having front portions which are bent obliquely to one side, as in the present disclosure).

Both machines, that of the present and that of the copending application, also .feature operational elements specific to and co-operating with the particular type of needles for producing the respective fabrics made by the machines.

Reverting now to the machine illustrated in FIG. 1, it will beseen that needle row 101 isnot attached directly to bar 121 but is arranged on an auxiliary bar 119'which is guided in bar 121.for longitudinal displacement. The actuating mechanism comprises a control shaft, coordinated with the aforermentioned shafts of the

cam disks

31, 131, which carries :a cam disk 156serving to impart a reciprocating movement to the auxiliary bar 119. The cam disk 156 is associated with a roller lever 158 pivotally journaled in a portion of machine frame 72. Lever 158 is connected with bar 119 by way of an angle lever 160 which is coupled to the auxiliary bar 119 by means of rod 162.

.An auxiliary eye needle or yarn guide 9 is likewise shown in FIG. 1. This needle is movable both in longitudinal direction of the eye-needle rows 1, 101 and also at right angles thereto, as indicated by the arrows. The operation of this needle or guide 9 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4a through 4d.

For the execution of the first-named movement another cam disk 63 is carried by a control shaft. The disk 63 is associated with aroller slide 65 guided for axial movement in a portion of the machine frame 72. A shaft 54, to be described somewhat later, carries a support for the auxiliary needle 9, the support being connected with the slide 65 by way of a coupling rod 67. A tension spring serves to hold the support 85 and the outer end of slide 65 against the cam disk 63.

The connection between the shaft 54 and the support 85 is by conventional means, schematically shown at 84, which may consist of a key and a groove, for axial displacement of support 85 with respect to shaft 54 while pivoting therewith.

The shaft 54 has the purpose of performing the second named movement of needle or guide 9, namely its lateral pivoting. For this purpose, the shaft 39 which carries the cam disk 31 has a crank 41) rigidly connected therewith. A crank pin 42 on the crank 40 has a coupling rod 44 connected thereto which is articulated on a first arm 45a of a bell-crank lever; its journal 48 is stationary (e.g., by being rigid with the frame 72 while a second arm is identified by 46b.

The bell-crank arm 46]) is connected, by way of a coupling rod 50, with a lever 52 Which is fixedly connected to the afore-mentioned shaft 54.

Each needle row 1, 101 carries a yarn chain (not shown in FIG. 1). Each pair of oppositely arranged needles (e.g. 1a, 101a) cooperates in producing various warp knits, as will be explained and shown with reference to the successive operation stages shown in FIGS. 3a-3b, 411-41) and Sa-Sf, to be described hereafter in detail.

With the machine according to the invention it is possible to produce warp knits in various stitch constructions, whose courses extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the fabric in the usual manner, but whose stitches are all open. This will be explained somewhat later with reference to two specific examples of products that can be produced with the machine.

In one case, the machine can be used so that both eyeneedle rows are stationary in longitudinal direction during the production of the knit, so that each eye needle of one row, which during the preceding stitch-forming step has transferred its loop to an eye needle of the other row, takes up during the next step the loop of the adjacent needle of the afore-mentioned other row.

Another possibility of use of the warp-knittin machine according to the invention is that one of the two eye-needle rows, after it has taken up the loops of the other row, can be shifted and moved back by one needle division or gauge to the side to which the needle summits point, before it is again made operative for the take-up of the loops of the other needle row. Thus each eye needle of one row, which has taken up a loop of the needle of the other row, offers its loop to the second next needle of this other row, and this latter needle in turn presents its loop to the second next needle of the first-named row.

Example 1 For the purpose of producing a Warp knitting generally denoted 210 (see FIG. 3c), the two eye-needle rows 1, 101 are held fixed in their longitudinal direction during the production of the knit, namely in the mutual arrangement shown in FIG. 2. According to FIG. 3a, the needles in row 101-are close to their raised position. These needles carry loops 193 consisting of Warp yarns shown in broken lines, which are offered to the needles in row 1 for uptake.

The needles of row 1 now move upward so that their tips 16 are inserted into the loops 193 of row 101 in the zone of the protrusions 12. Together with FIG. 2 it can be visualized that, for example, the needle 1a enters into a loop 193 which is carried by the needle 101a of the opposite row.

According to FIG. 3b, needle row 1 is in its raised 75 position; therefore the loops 193 are now traversed by the needles of row 101a and into them is inserted a loop 93 of the needle row 1, consisting of warp yarn 90. Now the needles of row 101 withdraw, while the needles of row 1 remain in the position of FIG. 3b. Owing to this expedientthe loops 193 of row 101a get to hang on the needles of row 1, as shown in FIG. 30.

As per FIG. 3d, the needles for row 101a are in their lowered position. These needles are thereafter brought back to the raised position for the next stitch-forming stage in order to take up the loops 93 of row 1. Now the needles of row I withdraw a little so as to have their protrusions 12 opposite the tips 16 of the corresponding needles of row 101a.

It is visible from FIG. 3e how the needles of row 101, brought into the raised position, now pass through the loops 93 of the needles in row 1. Now the needles in row 101a each draw a new loop 193a into the loop 193. Thereafter row 1 is pulled back to the lowered position so that the loops 93 now hang on the needles of row 101, as did in the preceding cycle or step the loops 193 on the needles of row 1.

It should be noted here that the eye needle 1010 does not take up the loop 93 of needle 1a but that of the adjacent needle 1b, as is clear from the planar arrangement appearing in FIG. 2. In FIG. Be, the eye needle 1a is omitted for greater clarity.

Owing to the particular configuration of the eye needles, courses 196 (shown in broken lines) and courses 96 (shown in solid lines), FIG. 3e, are mutually interconnected in a continuous smooth left-left warp knit 210 without requiring the shifting or staggering of one or the other of the eye-needle rows 1 or 101. Moreover, all stitches of all

courses

96, 196 are open. The afore-mentioned courses are directed in the finished product parallel to the longitudinal direction of the knit, that is, vertically; the wales are consequently disposed at right angles thereto, that is, horizontally.

It is preferable to assign the auxiliary eye needle or yarn guide 9 to the three eye needles 1 101 and 101e participating in the formation of the end courses, as illustrated in FIG. 1 and also in FIGS. 4a through 4d. The auxiliary eye needle 9 carries a special yarn 92 which serves to make two

end courses

97, 197 into a firm longitudinal edge or selvedge. The needle 9 covers the needle 101 when the needles have a position corresponding to FIG. 30:.

As FIG. 4a shows, the special yarn 92 is placed over the shank of the needle 101 and then under the free end thereof. When needle 1] then passes through loop 193 of needle 101]", needle 1f engages over the yarn 92 so that the latter at the same time grips loop 93 of needle 17 from behind, as FIG. 4b shows.

When the needles of row 101 are pulled back for the transfer of their loops 193 to the needles in row 1, the yarn 92 lies above the respective loop 193 and behind loop 93 of needle 1 (FIG. 4c). Thereafter, the loops 93 in the needle row 1 must be taken up by needle row 101. The auxiliary needle 9 now lays its special yarn 92 over and then under the needle 101e, when the latter has passed through loop 93 (FIGS. 3a and 4d). In the finished knit, identified as 210a, the yarn 92 traverses the sinker stitches of the

courses

97, 197 so that they are locked. In FIG. 4a, the eye needle 101 is omitted for greater clarity.

Example 2 As has been explained with reference to FIG. 1, one of the eye-needle rows, namely row 101, is laterally displaceable by one needle division or gauge. The movement is toward the side in which the summits 14 point (that is, downward in FIG. 2), and back again, to produce a warp knit left-left crossed. The product resulting thereby is generally identified in FIG. as 220.

According to FIG. 5a, on the shanks of the needles in row 101 there hang the loops 93 which come from the needles in row 1. Row 101 now offers its loops 193 to row 1, and for this purpose the former has first been moved by one needle gauge in the afore-mentioned direction. Compared with FIG. 2, therefore, eye needle 1010, for example, has taken over loop 93 of needle 10 and, in view of the lateral shift of needle row 101, it now cooperates with needle lb.

According to FIG. 5b, needle 1b passes through loop 193 of needle 1010 and in so doing pulls a new loop 93 into loop 193 of needle 101a. As FIG. 50 shows, row 101 is now returned to its original position (the one shown in FIG. 2), so that loop 193 of needle 101c hangs on needle 1b. Thereafter, row 101 is displaced again by one needle division or gauge (in downward direction, as viewed in FIG. 2). Thus, needle 101a again cooperates with needle 1b, and needle 1010 with needle 10 (FIG. 5d).

According to FIG. 5e, needle 101a enters loop 93 of needle 1b and in so doing again pulls a new loop 193 into the same. Thereafter'row 1 goes back :so that loop 93 of needle 112 now hangs on needle 101a (FIG. 5 For the following stitch-forming step the row 101 must be displaced again, as described. In the left-left warp knit 220 thus produced, a stitch 193 formed by warp yarn alternates, in the courses as well as in the wales, with a stitch 93 which consists of the other warp yarn 90. In addition, it should be noted, all stitches are again open.

It may also be mentioned that the machine is also capable of working so that one of the two eye-needle rows, after it has taken up the loops of the other row, shifts and then moves back again by one needle division to that side to which the needle tips point (instead of the side having the summits), before it is again made operative for the take-over or transfer of loops of this other row. The result will be that each needle in one row which has taken up a loop of the needle in the other row again offers its loop to the same needle in said other row.

The result of this further operation, not described in detail, is a weft-chain knitting which consists, on the one hand, of fringes formed by pairs of double courses presenting upon stitches and, on the other, of weft yarns which interconnect the fringes, each weft yarn surrounding or embracing with its reversing points two needle stitches of the outer course of two double courses each; in addition, the weft yarns traverse the sinker stitches thereof.

The foregoing disclosure relates only to preferred embodiments of the invention, which is intended to include all changes and modifications of the examples described within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1 A Warp-knitting machine comprising, in combination, two rows of reciprocable eye needles adapted for mutual loop transfer, a needle bar for each row of said eye needles, means for independently reciprocating each needle bar substantially at right angles with respect to one another, wherein each needle has a shaft portion and a front portion obliquely bent to the same side in both eye-needle rows, there being an outermost summit point on each needle between said shaft and said front portions, the ends of the front portions in one eye-needle row being approximately opposite said summit points of the needles in the other eye-needle row, and means for guiding respective warp and weft yarns to said eye-needle rows.

2. A warp-knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein said front portions of the eye needles are pointed.

3. A warp-knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein the eyes of said needles are in close proximity to said summit points.

4. A warp-knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein each needle has a protrusion between said shaft and said front portions, said protrusions being toward that side of said eye needles toward which said bent front portions are directed, the ends of the front portions in one eye-needle row being approximately juxtaposed to said protrusions in the other eye-needle row.

5. A warp-knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein said shaft portions are obliquely bent off with respect to said needle bar of the respective row in a direction opposite to that in which said front portions are bent.

6. A Warp-knitting machine according to claim 1, further comprising means for keeping said eye-needle rows stationary in longitudinal direction while reciprocated, whereby each needle of one row transfers a yarn loop formed thereon to a first needle of the opposite row while taking up a similar yarn loop in the next operational stage from a second needle of the opposite row adjacent said first needle.

7. A warp-knitting machine according to claim 1, further comprising means for longitudinally displacing at least one of said eye-needle rows between successive operational stages, whereby different adjacent needles of one row are made to cooperate with the same needle of the other row.

8. A warp-knitting machine according to claim 7, wherein said displacing means is operative to move said at least one row in the direction toward which said summit points are directed.

9. A Warp-knitting machine according to claim 7, wherein said displacing means is operative to move said at least one row in the direction toward which said front portions are bent.

10. A warp-knitting machine according to claim 7,

wherein said displacing means'is operative to move said at least one row substantially by one full needle division.

11. A warp-knitting machine according to claim 1, further comprising at least one auxiliary yarn guideand means for guiding a special yarn to at least some of said eye needle in both rows.

12. A warp-knitting machine according to claim 11, wherein said special yarn is led by said auxiliary yarn guide to at least one terminal eye needle in each row, said terminal needles forming outermost stitches which constitute a selvedge.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,286,349 12/1918 Kopp 66-87 3,069,885 12/1962 Cooper et al. 66195 3,071,951 1/1963 Kurz 66--195 3,099,921 8/1963 Liebrandt 66---86 3,143,868 8/1964 Palange 661 3,148,519 9/1964 Kulczycki 66--86 FOREIGN PATENTS 44,426 7/ 1931 Denmark. 651,926 10/1937 Germany. 526,661 9/1940 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

R. FELDBAUM, P. C. PAW, Assistant Examiners.

Claims

1. A WARP-KNITTING MACHINE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, TWO ROWS OF RECIPROCABLE EYE NEEDLES ADAPTED FOR MUTUAL LOOP TRANSFER, A NEEDLE BAR FOR EACH ROW OF SAID EYE NEEDLES, MEANS FOR INDEPENDENTLY RECIPROCATING EACH NEEDLE BAR SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER, WHEREIN EACH NEEDLE HAS A SHAFT PORTION AND A FRONT PORTION OBLIQUELY BENT TO THE SAME SIDE IN BOTH EYE-NEEDLE ROWS, THERE BEING AN OUTERMOST SUMMIT POINT ON EACH NEEDLE BETWEEN SAID SHAFT AND SAID FRONT PORTIONS, THE ENDS OF THE FRONT PORTIONS IN ONE EYE-NEEDLE ROW BEING APPROXIMATELY OPPOSITE SAID SUMMIT POINTS OF THE NEEDLES IN THE OTHER EYE-NEEDLE ROW, AND MEANS FOR GUIDING RESPECTIVE WARP AND WEFT YARNS TO SAID EYE-NEEDLE ROWS.