Flat Machine Knitting and Fabrics

by H. D. Buck

Pushing Needle Into Working Position

Inasmuch as these springs extend a trifle below the plate when the long needles are down and the stop h comes up in close proximity to the bottom edge of the plate, this stop will engage the left side of the spring and prevent the block, together with the lever f and slide g, from moving toward the right. Now in order to widen the fabric one stitch or wale it is simply necessary to push the needle r up into working position. This is done by moving the cam block, a, longitudinally, which would necessarily raise the lever d, which, through the rocker shaft e and lever f, would push the slide g, together with the spring n and needle r, up high enough to put this needle into working position.

It should be understood that there are four of these widening mechanisms as shown in Fig. 54, one on each end of both front and back needle plates, but as they are all operated in the same manner it will be necessary to describe and explain but one.

Now to explain how this is done automatically we will refer to Fig. 55, which shows the cam side of the carriage of the automatic widening machine. It will be noted that on the ends of the four fixed extensions b1, b2, b3 and b4, there are rollers a1 to a4, attached with shouldered screws whose heads are flush with the end of the rollers. As we are dealing with only one we will select a1, which is the one that would operate on the block a, Fig. 54, when turned over and placed on the machine.

This roller is in the proper position to engage the cam b (Fig. 54) when the carriage is at the right end of the machine, and when the carriage is at the end of its travel the roller would be at about the point B.

It naturally follows that inasmuch as cam b is attached to the block a on an inclined plane, and the block a is attached to the frame of the machine in such a manner that it cannot move lengthwise of the machine, but may be moved freely in an up-and-down direction, when the roller moves through the camway between cam b and cam c the block must move upward, thereby pushing up one needle. Upon the return of the carriage the roller coming in contact with cam c will return the block to its first position.

When the block a is moved down by the roller, after pushing up the needle, it must necessarily draw the slide g back to the position shown, and inasmuch as the lever f slides freely lengthwise on the shaft e, and there is nothing to prevent, the weight p will draw all of this part of the mechanism over one needle or until the stop h comes in contact with the next needle spring n.

Fig. 55.
Under or Cam Side of Carriage, Dubied Automatic Widening Machine.

Now, it should be understood that, as a rule, a fabric is not widened a needle each round, therefore the block a (Fig. 54) is arranged so it will drop below the plane of travel of the roller a1 (Fig. 55) when widening is not desired. Perhaps it would be more correct to say that the normal position of block a is below the plane of travel of the roller a1, therefore out of operation and is raised up in the path of this roller by a stud on the widening chain A, Fig. 53, at the proper time to push the needle up into operation. Upon the return of the carriage it drops down to its normal position until another needle is to be added to the fabric. The position of the block a in Fig. 54, in relation to the rest of the machine, may be seen at B in Fig. 53.