US550294A - Tension and let-off device for looms - Google Patents

Description

(No Mddl.) 2 sheets-Sheet 2. v

- 0. W. SOHAUM.

TENSION AND LET-OPP DEVICE FOR LOOMS. o. 550,294.

Patented Nov. 26, 13.95;

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1 ANDREW EGRMMM.PNOTO-UTNO.WAS"INGTUN.I16.

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OTTO w. SOHAUM, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TENSION AND LET-OFF DEVICE FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,294, dated November 26, 1895.

Application filed May 20, 1891. SerialNo.393, L76- (N0 model.) i

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OTTO SCHAUM, of the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improved Tension and Let-Off Devicesfor Looms, of which the following is a true and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improved construction and arrangement of the tension and let-off devices of looms, especially those designed for weaving ribbons or other narrow ware, and has for its object to generally improve the construction of this part of the loom mechanism, and more particularly to provide a beam frame or rack which is so arranged as to be adapted for use with almost any width of warp made on such looms, instead of having to be rearranged or altered, as is commonly the case with the beam-racks commonly used.

The nature of my improvements will be best understood as described in connection with the drawings, in which they are illustrated, and in which Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a loom provided with my improvements; Fig. 2, an elevation of a portion of the beamframe; Fig. 3, a perspective view showing a warp-beam or spool in connection with my improved let-off and my improved brake-cord. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view showing a portion of one of the beam-brackets and illustrating the way in which the brake-cord is secured Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 1 2 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6, an enlarged view showing my preferred mode of connecting the two levers of the let-off device, and Fig. 7 a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 6.

A is the frame of the loom; B, the lay; C, the reeds; D, the heddles; E, the shed; F, the take-up; G, glass rods over which the warps pass to the heddles.

H and H are the warp-beam brackets, which are arranged in two rows, those in the lower row being indicated by the letter H and those in the upper row by the letter H. Preferably, and for reasons hereinafter stated, the two rows of brackets are staggered with respect to each other, as shown in Fig.2, and the brackets are preferably formed with a narrow neck beneath each beam, as indicated at H 1, I, and I are cross-beams of the frame to which the brackets H and H are secured. By staggering the two rows of brackets, as described above, spaces J J, &c., are left between each adjoining pair of brackets, by which the operator is given abundant room to reach in between them, and the narrowing of the bracket beneath the beam is intended to enlarge this space, so as to give the operator more freedom of movement. On each beamsupporting bracket bearings K are provided for the journals of the warp-beams, and, as shown, the brackets are provided beneath each pair of bearings K with projecting arms K, situated beneath the bearings K at a distance therefrom less thanthe radius of the rims of the beams and extending out so as to provide a bearing at their ends, which will be beyond the rim of thebeam-spools. On the back of the brackets and just above the narrowed necks H where they occur, faces h are provided, and in or close to such faces is formed a threaded perforation 72, in which works a thumb-screw L, the function of which is to support and actuate a clamping-plate L, having preferably vertical grooves Z, and which acts in conjunction with the plane h.

M M, &c. are the beams, having a spool M, upon which the warps are wound, heads or rims M M and journals M which rest in the bearings K of the brackets. The rims M are peripherally grooved in the usual way.

N is the automatic tension and let-off device, consisting of a lever N, having journals N ,which are supported in thefends of the arms K, said lever supporting a roller N at its outer end and being counterweighted at its inner end, the counterweighting being effected by extending arms N beyond the journals N and securing to such arms a weight sufficient to substantially balance the lever.

N is the usual coacting weighted lever of tension devices of the general character. to which mine belongs; N an adjustable weight supported on said lever; N ,'a roller j ournaled at its end; N upwardly-extending fingers which, when the lever N is drawn up, come in contact with faces N of the lever N. This lever may supported in any of the usual well-known waysfbut preferably is pivoted at N to the ends N of the lever N in such a way that the weight of the said lever N acts as the counterweight to balance the lever N.

The tension device is applied to the warpbeams in the usual way by means of brakecords secured to the lever N and extending over the grooved peripheries of the end plates M of the beam. These cords in my device are secured in position by means of the clamping-plate L, and preferably instead of using two cords, as is commonly the practice, I use a single cord 0, having hooks O O at its end which engage in perforations formed in the lever N, and which when applied to the beam as shown in Fig. 3, has a loop extending down on the back of the bracket between the plane 71. and the clamp L. It will be seen that by simply placing the finger in the loop and drawing down on it the proper arrangement of the let-off lever with regard to the beam can be readily effected and with a perfectly even tension on both sides of the spool or beam, and this is maintained by simplyturning the thumb-screw L and clamping the cord, as shown in Fig. 5.

P P P, &c., represent the warp-threads drawn from each beam, the thread passing from the beam over the roller N, then under the roller N and thence, as shown in the drawings, over a series of spools R R, 800., of which I prefer to provide one for each beam, and which are arranged in series above each bracket, each series of spools corresponding to the number of beams supported in the bracket. After passing over the spools,which are preferably curved so as to have their outer edges higher than their center, the warp,- threads pass under the glass rods G and thence to the heddles. I have found that by arranging the brackets II II as shown and described it is practicable to cant the warpthreads somewhat on their passage from the spools to the rods, so as to provide for different arrangements of warp threads corresponding to the various widths of the material to be woven.

It is, I believe, an original feature of my construction to arrange the left-01f levers on the inside of the warp-beam framc-that is to say, so that they extend toward the shed and lay. By so arranging them I avoid the inconvenience of havingthem extend out in front of the frame and of having to carry the warp-threads over the top of the frame; and I am also enabled to rig the loom for work with a less expenditure of the material. By my arrangement it will be seen that abundant room is provided between the brackets to enable the operator to insert his arm when it is necessary for him to get at the let-off levers or the warpthreads passing over them.

By supporting the let-off levers in bearings which in a vertical line are closer to the beam: bearings than the distance equalto the radius of the beam-aims, but which in actual dis tance are further from the beain bearings than the said radial length, I am enabled, as will at once be seen, to place the beams closer together and thus to use more beams for a given size of beam-rack than has heretofore been practicable. It is convenient and advisable to secure the let-off levers to an arm K, extending out from the brackets 1-1, but it is possible, of course, to pivot them in an independent bracket or frame.

In let-01f devices of a generally similar kind to that shown and described by me, the upper lever N has heretofore not been counterbalanced, and therefore when the lower lever N has been allowed to fall for some distance and is then again drawn up the tension is altered or changed as soon as the said lower lever comes in contact with and raises the upper lever, because in addition to its own weight the weight of the upper lever is then added to the strain upon the warp-threads. The result of this difference in the tensions is an inequ ality in the breadth of the ribbon woven by the loom, but by couuterbalancing the upper lever it will be obvious that no change in the tension will take place when the said counterbalanced lever is brought into play, and the obvious advantage of effecting the counterbalancing by the weight of the lower lever need not be commented upon.

Having now described my invention, what I claim new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination with brackets and a warp beam supported thereon, of a let off lever, a single brake cord 0 arranged to fasten at its ends to the let off lever and having its central loop below a clamp bar L and said clamp bar L arranged to grip the brake cords on each side of the loop substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination with a warp beam and let off lever, of a clamp bar L and a single brake cord 0 adapted to be gripped by the clamp bar L and having hooks O at its ends to engage the let off lever and having its central loop below clamp L, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination with a warp beam of a let off device consisting of a pivoted leverN to which the brake cords are attached, and a coacting lever N pivoted to the rearwardly extending arms N of the lever N so as to counterbalance it.

l. The combination with a warp beam of a let-otf device consisting of a pivoted lever N having heel extensions N and a coacting weighted lever N pivoted at one end on said extensions so as to counterbalance lever N and adapted to be sustained at the other end by the warp threads.

v OTTO. S GI'I A UM it-nesses GEORGE HOUSE, JOSHUA MArLAeK, Jr.

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