GB991943A - Improvements in or relating to a method and an apparatus for narrowing plain stitch or rib fabric on a flat knitting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

991, 943. Knitting-machines. EDOUARD DUBIED ET CIE S.A. Aug. 15, 1962 [Aug. 18, 1961], No. 31368/62. Headings D1C and D1K. A fabric of plain or rib stitches is narrowed on a flat bed knitting machine by the successive transfer of selected stitches and the attachment thereof to neighbouring stitches by the use of small auxiliary beds superimposed on the main beds, the small auxiliary beds being arranged in pairs on both sides of the machine in a symmetrical arrangement with respect to the middle thereof. Transfer needles are provided in the main needle beds and the auxiliary beds are adapted to receive the stitches of groups to be displaced. In Fig. 1 all stitches are carried in the rear bed but the outermost stitches are carried in the needle groups 9-14 and 17-22 which are in the auxiliary beds. As the machine carriage moves from right to left in Fig. 2 the stitches of needles 23 and 15 of the main bed will be transferred to the needles 39 and 31 of the front bed. On the return of the carriage (Fig. 3) these stitches are transferred from the needles 39 and 31 to the needles 16 and 24 of the rear main bed (Fig. 4). The innermost stitch on the auxiliary bed is brought into alignment with the outermost needle on the fabric middle zone in the main needle bed by upward pivotal movement, lateral displacement and downward pivotal movement of the auxiliary bed following each narrowing. This movement results in the needles 22 and 14 occupying the positions previously occupied by needles 23 and 15 of the main bed which are taken out of operation (Fig. 5). The stitches in the marginal zone are laterally inclined owing to transverse tension in the fabric as it carries out of the machine so that they may be transferred. The displacement brings the innermost needle of the group of the marginal zone to the needle carrying the outermost stitch of the central zone in which zone the stitches have a substantially perpendicular position permitting transfer without difficulties.