Cotton Weaving and Designing / 6th Edition

by John T. Taylor

FIG. 168.

The parts of this device are better represented by the sectional view shown in [Fig. 168], which illustrates a cop-hopper A freely mounted on a stud E to permit of its partial rotation, intermittently, immediately after each successive change of weft, so as to bring into position another cop to be in readiness for the next change of weft. The hopper here shown is one constructed with sockets for 28 cops, F; but the space occupied by the pusher reduces its actual capacity to 25 cops. These are previously placed upon skewers, G, of special construction, after which they are disposed in a horizontal position around and between the rims of two discs or plates that are formed with notches for the reception of the skewers, as represented in the diagram.

The conditions under which a change of weft is effected depends entirely on the equipment of the loom, which may be adapted so that a change will take place only when the weft either breaks or otherwise fails in its supply; or else the loom may be furnished with an attachment known as a “weft-feeling” device which effects a change of weft immediately before the previous supply is completely consumed, albeit, in this case, if the weft should break, the loom will stop automatically, as under ordinary conditions. The object of this device is to avoid such defects as are liable to be caused in cloth in consequence of broken and missing picks of weft, and so produce cloth of superior merit. If, however, such a device is not employed, the weft-changing mechanism is put into action, on the failure of weft, by the weft-fork hammer pulling backward the weft-fork, as usual. But whether the operation of the weft-changing device is controlled by the weft-fork or by the weft-feeler, the object in either case is to cause the notched and free end of a trip-finger H to tilt upward from its normal position, as shown in the diagram, so that on the forward stroke of the slay K the finger will be struck by a bunter J fixed on the front of the slay-baulk. The trip-finger is loosely mounted on a stud fixed at the bottom of a short arm of an L-lever which constitutes the pusher B, fulcrumed freely on a stud L. Thus, in the event of the trip-finger being tilted on the forward stroke of the slay, the free end of the pusher, which reaches over the ready-positioned cop in the hopper, is suddenly depressed when the slay is at its extreme forward position, thereby removing that cop from the hopper, and forcing it into the shuttle M, through the bottom of which the previous cop-skewer is expelled and passed down a chute N. The next flight of the shuttle causes the weft thread to pass through a slit formed in a brass casting fixed in the upper side of the shuttle, and then to enter the shuttle eye automatically. At the same time, the remnants of both weft threads are severed near to the selvedge of cloth and also at a point near to the hopper, so that they shall not become obstructive or involve the risk of being carried along accidentally into the warp-shed. All these operations occur in proper rhythmical sequence whilst the loom continues to run at full speed, which, for a loom of 36 inches reed-space, may be up to 150 picks per minute.

The Hattersley Weft-replenishing Device.

(Patent No. 22,523, 11th December, 1900.)

The chief characteristic element which distinguishes this device—which is one of the most successful modifications of the shuttle-changing type—from other weft-changing devices, is the stopping of the loom to effect the change of shuttles, and then the restarting of it, automatically. The object of that course is to allow more time to accomplish the change, and so avert the straining and breaking of the mechanical parts, which are more liable to occur when the changing of weft is effected whilst the loom continues to run at full speed, as in all other automatic looms. It is also claimed that this arrangement enables a loom to be run at the same speed as an ordinary loom of the same width and construction, whereas continuous-acting looms require to be worked at a slower velocity.

FIG. 169.

FIG. 170.