US1105735A - Circular french-welt knitting-machine. - Google Patents

Description

F. B. WILDMAN & G. L. BALLARD.

CIRCULAR FRENCH WELT KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MABJI, 1913.

1, 1 05,735. Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

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CIRCULAR FRENCH WELT KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MABJ, 1913.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914,

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F B WILDMAN & G L BALLARD GIRGULAR FRENCH WELT KNITTING MACHINE.

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FRANK WILDMAN. AND GEORGE LAWSON BALLARID, OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYL- VANIA,'ASSIG1\TORS TO WILDMAN MFG. CO., A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CIRCULAR FRENCH -WELT KNITTING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 7, 1913. Serial No. 752,796.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, F RANK B. WILDMAN and GEORGE L. BALLARD, a citizen of the United States and a subject. of the King of Great Britain, respectively, residing at Norristown, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circular FrenchWVelt ,Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to circular knitting machines of the type adapted for making tubular or French welts, one wall of the welt being knit of any desired number of courses on the cylinder needles and the other wall of the welt being knit of any desired number of courses on the dial needles.

The invention consists in part of a shifting cam for throwing the cylinder needles down at one operation to traverse a path below the advancing cam of the cylinder or to raise them to traverse the upper path above the advancing cam, said shifting cam being associated with a switch point to insure proper dividing of the needles, as between those which are to be directed over and those which are to be directed under the advancing cam, said switch point preventing); any needle from being caught on the advancing cam and causing a smash up.

The invention consists in other features hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of our improved machine. Fig. 2 is a side view of a knitting head with parts omitted and parts of our invention being shown in place. Fig. 3- is a view of the cams of the cylinder developed. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the cams of the dial. Fig. is a detail sectional view through a part of the cam box or ring showinc'; the switch point in its relation to the adjacent cams of the cylinder. Fig. (5 is a bottom plan view of the switch point. Fig. 7 is an end view of the switch point looking from the left of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the succession of changes in the fabric.

The machine is of the fixed cylinder and dial type 1 indicating the cylinder needles and 2 the dial needles diagrammat'ically.

3 i the rotary cam box Or ring and 4 the dial cap which carries. the rotary -dial cams.

The machine is duplex in character, having two sets of dial cams and two sets of cylinder cams. It has four feeds though it will be understood that parts of our invention may be embodied in amachine, not duplex and having but a single set of cams with two feeds.

Dial cams.-These comprise in each set a stitch cam 5 with the fixed advancing cam 6 therefor, and. a stitch cam 7 with the pivoted advancing cam 8 therefor, which is known to knitters as a wing cam; also the guard cam 9 and the cam 10 for throwing the latches back. The dial cap with its cams rotates in the direction of the arrow 4* in Fig. 1. The wing cams of the two sets are arranged diametrically opposite each other and the same is true of the other corresponding cams of the two sets.

Cylinder cam.--These involve in each set a stitch cam 5 arran ed on post 5 diametrically adjacent the stitch cams 5 of the dial, the advancing cam 6, a stitch cam 7 on post 7" and an advancing cam 8, these being respectively located diametrically adjacent the cams 6, 7 and 8 of the dial. The cylinder cams also include in each set a shifting grooved cam 11, adjustable vertically as will be hereinafter described, located in advance of the advancing cam 6, it being understood that the cam box travels in the arrow direction n in Figs. 1 and 3.

In advance of this shifting cam 11 and between it and the stitch cam 7 is located the clearing course cam 12, 13 and in advance of the stitch cam 7 is the advancing cam 8.

- In advance of the advancing cam 6 and in rear of the shifting cam 11 is a switch point, 14. This switch point serves to divide the needles 2'. e. thosethatare to go over the advancing cam 6 from those which are .to go below the advancin cam. This switch point consists of a bar pivotally mounted. at 15 in the cam box, said bar extending behind or along the outer side of the advancing cam 6 to a point in advance thereof. The bar is cut out at 16 for the post 17, to

which the advancing cam is fixed by pins 18, the said post being in turn fixed to the cam box at 19, Fig. 3. The switch device has a head 20 which reaches out flush with the curved face of the needle cams. This head of the switch cam is beveled at its end vertically and laterally forming an upwardly extending incline at 21, a downwardly extending inclined face at 22 and a laterally and downwardly inclined face at- 23. It also has an upwardly and outwardly inclined face at 24-. The point, by reason of the above described formation, has an upwardly and inwardly inclined edge 25, this inclining inwardly toward the axis of the machine. This edge extends across the width of the cam path for the needle butts. This switch bar is pressed inwardly by a spring 26, Fig. 5, but can yield or turn on its pivot outwardly, the size of the recess 27 permitting this to be done. Normally it stands, as shown in Fig. 5, with the inner curved face of its head in the circular plane of the faces of the cams of the cylinder. Its point lies directly in front of the point of the advancing cam 6 and it is adapted to divide the needles, leaving the groove of the shifting cam 11, and direct them with certainty into the upper path way and thus over the advancing cam until the shifting cam reaches a certain point in its downward movement when the switch cam, with equal certainty, will now direct the needles into the lower cam path and thus under the advaneing cam so that these needles will not take the thread. The needle butts will thus be prevented from catching upon the point of the advancing cam during the period of transition of the shifting cam 11 from its high to its low position and of course the switch point acts in a similar. manner 'in dividing the needles when the shifting cam 11 moves from its low to its high position, it being understood that this shifting cam 11 is not operated step by step but by a continuous movement from one position to the other.

In the operation of the machine if the-butt or heel of the needle leaving the shifting cam 11 strikes the switch point, or rather the edge 25, centrally, z'. e. centrally of the butt or heel, the switch point will yield and as this edge runnin clines both upward y and inwardly the butt will move onto the inclined guiding surface 23 and be directed. into the lower cam path, and the same will be true if the contact between the switch point and the needle butt keep the switch takes place above the center of-the butt i. c. the needle will be directed downwardly. If the butt, strikes below its center it will be carried up into the upper cam path. In either case the spring pressure exerted through the yielding switch point upon the needle butt will vserve to force it back to its normal position accelerating the action of the needle in getting into the proper needle path. If a butt rides up on the inclined edge of the switchvpoint or head it might point pressed back were the head provided with a plain flat inner face,

'and therefore, part of the head at 24 so that, any needle which rides on this inclined face will clear itself or rather be forced into the upper cam path, the s ring action of the switch point or head tending to this end.

back from the point in-- we have beveled off the upper box and dial cap rotate the cams are op'erated by tappet devices-well known in the- Wildman type of machine. The wing cams 8 of the dial set are operated through links 28 connected with the cams by pins extending through slots 29 in the dial cap, the

links being adjustably connected by a .pin an d slot connection 30 with an arm 31 on a vertical shaft 32, journaled in the cam box, said shaft having the tappet arm 33 thereon to strike one of the pattern controlled disks 34 for operating the parts in one direction,

e. for setting the c'am'in its inward position for making a welt on the cylinder needles. A return tappet arm 35 on a shaft 36, geared to the shaft 32,- as usual, will return the wing cam to its outward or normal position. 4 4 i a The shifting cams 11 of the-cylinder are operated by d1sks36 on shafts 37' rotatably mounted in the cam box, said disks having inclines 38 working under rollers or pins 39 projecting from the cam posts 11*, the shafts 37 having tappet arms 40 to strike the pattern controlled disks 34 so that the'shifting cams may be dropped at one operation to their lowermost limits, return arms 41 being provided on shafts 42 geared to the shafts 37 in well known manner for returning the disks to the position shown in Fig. 1, and thus lifting the cam posts 11 and the shift ing cams. The clearing course cams 12 are operated in a similar manner by cam disks 43 acting on the posts 12", tappet arms 44, 45 havingtheir shafts geared together, being used to rotate the disks'by said arms striking the pattern controlled disks 34. The posts of the cams 11 and '12 maybe spring pressed downwardly as in ordinary practic The pattern controlled disks are mounted on stems-'movable .vertically through the stationary base of the machine in a manner well known. We provide two'disks in the present machine, one for each set of cylin-.

der cams. They are arranged at diametrically opposite sides of the machine, and we have provided a simple form of mechanism for operating both of these disks from the same pattern mechanism and in unison. For

this purpose one disk is operated by a lever 46, similar to that shown in Letters. Patent of the United States Nov. 1, 1898, #613,346, or 790,772 May 23, 1905. This lever is pivotally mounted'on the frame at 46* and it has a pinor roller 47 operated by blocks on a pattern wheel 48 on. a shaft 49, said shaft having measuring mechanism thereon, shown generally at 50. The head 51 of this lever underlies the stem of one disk 34 to raise the same or to permit it to lower by gravity. This lever in our present machine has an arm 45* overlying an arm of hell crank lever 52 pivoted to a part of the fixed frame,'the other arm of this lever being connected through a link 53. with another bell crank lever 54, the horizontal armof which underlies the. stem of the other disk 34. It will now be seen that when the lever 46 is oper-- ated to raise the disk 34 with which it is immediately associated, the arm 45 will be depressed and through the described con nections the other pattern disk 34 will be elevated so that while one pattern disk is operating the tappet arms of one set of cylinder came, the other pattern disk will be adjusted into position to be struck by the tappet arms of the other set of cams for operating the said cams of this last mentioned set.

Sh0gga ng.The machine is provided with a shogging dial. The dial is held in fixed position by a. dogless head similar in all main respects to that shown in Letters Patent of the United States granted to the Wildman Mfg. (30., #1,012,966, Dec. 26., 1911. This head. is indicated generally at 55. It is shogged automatically to change the relation of the dial in respect to the cylinder from a' two and two to a one and one arrangement of the needles or the reverse. For this purpose the arm .56 Fig.1, corresponding to the arm l l of the said patent is o erated automatically from the pattern mec anism .to shog the dial. The pattern wheel therefore has blocks 57 thereon to operate through a lever 58, rock .shaft 59, arm 60, link 61, arm 62, vertical rock shaft 63, the arm 6.4, which has a pin 65 hearing on a lug 66 on the arm 56, so that when these connectionsare operated the dial will be shogged from a two and two to a one and one relation.

The machine has four feeds, two for each set of cams. These feeds are marked a and b,

the former operating adjacent the adjustable wingcarns 8 of the dial while the feeds I) operate adjacent the shifting cams of the cylinder...

Operatiom-We will describe the operation in connection with one set of dial and cylinder cams. When the wing cum 8 is adjusted inwardly to welting position welt is formed on the cylinder needles .at feed a. At the same timeatfeed'b rib fabric is being formed. The next change that takes place is that the cylinder shifting cam 11 is lowered at feed I) so that here the cylinder needles will be directed below the advancing cam 6, the switch oint insuring an accurate and definite dividing of the needles and these lowered needles will not therefore rise to. takethe thread with the result that at this "feed-b a welt will be formed on the .dial needles. These welts are to prevent raveling back When the cylinder needles are subsequently' cleared, for the clearing course." By the depressing action of the shifting cam 11 of the, cylinder, the cylinder needles are carried entirely below the plane of the dial needles which will allow the dial to be racked from a two and two to a one and one position -.of' the needles, which change 2'. e. to one and one now takes place. This change to. a one and one arrangement is to enable the clearing course to be made, because otherwise one stitch would. be on two needles. The next change is to bring the shifting cam 11 of the cylinder up at the feed 6 prior to making the clearing course.

These cylinder needles at feed I) take on the thread and the dial needles at this feed also continue to take on the thread. At feed a the wing cam remaining in, welt continues to be formed at this feed on the cylinder needles. The next change is lifting the olearin course cam 12 of the cylinder to clear tie cylinder needles, the needles passinginto a brush, Fi 3, to open the latches, said brush being indicated at 67. Immediately following the clearing action the use dles at the feed 1) rise because the shifting cam 11 has been lifted as above described, and these needles at feed I) take on the thread for the foundation of the welt. The next change following the clearing course is the dropping of the shifting cylinder cam 11 so that at feed I) the cylinder needles will remain down for the formation of the welt on the dial necdles, and we now have one wall of the wclt being formed at the feed a on the cylinder needles, and the other wall on the dial needles at the feed I). The dial is next racked back to two and two relation. Any number of courses of the double wall of French welt may now be knit. The next change is raisin the shifting cam at feed b, as a result of w iich rib knitting will be resumed at this feed. The nextchangc will be the shiftin outwardly of the wing cam at feed a, wlnch will result in the resumption of rib knitting at the feed a...

It will be noticed that the cylinder needles are shifted from their high to their low path without assuming a position where they would make tuck stitches, they being shifted from a point where the loops are on the latch to their low limit where the cylinder needlesare below the plane of the dial needles.

It will be understood that as two sets of cams are employed in the cylinder and dial, each set having two feeds, the machine is thus duplex in character. We have provided therefore the two disks 34 at substantially opposite sides of the machine, one cooperating with one set of cams and the other with the other set of cams, and in order to operate these disks simultaneously we have provided the connectionsdescribed above. r

The. stitch cams of each set of dial cams may be referred to as the first and second, the first stitch cam being the one which has the adjustable wing cam associated there with, and the stitchcams of the cylinders may be designated in like manner, the secnd stitch cam being the one associated with the two path advancing cam and the shift- In shogging the dial is revolved against the direction'of movement of the cams. Convancing cam, a stitch cam, said advancing sequently' when it is desired to'return the dial to its original position, it is, merely re leased and then the action of the cams.

against the needle butts turns the dial back to its original position.

We claim I I 1. In .acircular knitting machine, an adone needle path to the other, and a radially yieldingswitch point between the advancing cam and the'shifting cam, said switch point having an edge inclining upwardly and radially inwardly from its end with an upwardly inclined surface and a downwardly and outwardly inclined surface, substantially as described.

3.. In combination with a shifting cam, a cam having a'needle path above and below the same-anda switch point between said cams having an edge inclining upwardly and A inwardly across the needle path, with'an up- .wardly inclined surface, a downwardly and outwardly inclined surface and an outwardly inclined surface along its upper edge,

,said point being yieldingly mounted, sub-' stantially as described.

,4. In combination in a circular knitting machine for making double walled welts, a set of dial cams including stitch cams and advancing cams, one of the latter bein adjustable into welting position, a set 0 cylinder cams including two stitch and two advancing cams, one of said advancing cams being adjacent the fixed advancing cam of the dial and having a cam path above and a cam path below it, and a shifting cam in front of said two path advancing cam, means for operating the advancing cam of the dial to form welt fabric on the cylinder needles at one feed, and means for operating the shifting cylinder cam for directing the needles into the lower cam path for making welt on the dial needles at the other feed, substantially as described.

5. In combination in a circular knitting machine for making double walled welts, a set of dial cams including stitch cams and advancing cams, one of the latter being adjustable into welting position, a set of cylinder cams including two stitch and two advancing cams, one of said advancing cams being adjacent the fixed advancing cam of the dial and having a cam path above and a cam path below it, and a shifting cam in front of said two path advancing cam, means for operating the advancing cam of the dial to form welt fabric on the cylinder needles at one feed, and means for operating the shifting cylinder cam for directing the needles into the lower cam path for making welt on the dial needles at the other feed, and a clearingcourse cam in front of the shifting cam with means for automatically operating the clearing course cam, substantially as described.

6. In combination in a circular knitting machine a cylinder and dial, a set of cams for the dial including first and second stitch cams, an adjustable advancing or wing cam for thefirst stitch cam, a fixed advancingv cam for the second stitch cam, a set of cams for the cylinderincluding a first and a second stitch cam located respectively adjacent the first and second stitch cams of the dial, an advancing cam for the first'stitch cam, an advancing cam for the second stitch cam having a needle path above it and a needle path below it, said advancing cam being located adjacent the second fixed advancing cam of the dial, a shifting cam in front of the two path advancing cam, a clearing course cam in front of the shifting cam, means for operating the wing cam, the shifting cam and the clearing course cam automatically, and means for automatically shogging the dial, substantially as described.

tially as described.

In testimony whereof, we aifix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK --B. WILDMAN. GEORGE LAWSON BALLARD. Witnesses:

, OWEN BALLARD \EDITI; C. FnIoK. I

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