US1631082A - Machine for braiding elastic fabrics - Google Patents

Description

Ma 31 1927. y J. M. c. BRANCO MACHINE FOR BRAIDING ELASTIC FABRICS Filed July 27, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 mlll lllll 1,631,082 J. M. c. BRANCO MACHINE FOR BRAIDING ELASTIC FABRICS May 31 1927.

Filed July 2'7, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 31 1927.

' J. M. c. BRANCO MACHINE FOR BRAIDING ELASTIC FABRICS Filed July 27, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 31, 1927.

UNITED STATES cr me-E.

JAcQUIN M. c. B'RANCO, or SOMERSET, mnssncim'sn'rrs, Assienoit or ONEEHALF 'ro JAMES x'. LANNING, on FALL RIVER, MAssAoinisE'r'rs,

MACHINE Ion BRAIDVING ELASTIC FABRICS.

Application area July '27,

This invention relates to; a machine for braiding elastic webbing and is intended to provide a construction for such machine that will enable it to produce a stronger and more elastic fabric than is produced on machines of this class as heretoforeconstructed;

Heretotore it has been the practice to lead a series of elastic cords from a common revoluble spool to a common braiding point or eye above the machine, relying upon frictional resistance tothe rotation of said spool to produce tension upon the cords, but I have found that this arrangement results in unequal stretch of the d-iii'erent elastic cords and produces an imperfect fabric.

One of the features of the present invention resides in an arrangement which secures equal and uniform tension on all the elastic cords entering into'the fabric, with the result that the webbing produced is not only stronger but also .much more elastic or stretchable. The tensio-ning members may be also arranged to cause the machine to stop whenever one of the elastic cords is broken, thereby preventing the production of imperl ect'webbing lacking oneor more strands of elastic cord. These and other features of the inventionwill be particularly explained in the-following specification and will be delined in the claims hereto annexedl p In the drawings I have illustrated the preferred form embodying the'principles of this invention, in which:

l igui-e l is a front elevation showing so much of a braidingmachineequipped with my improvement as is necessary to an understanding of my invention. a

Figure 2 is a plan view of the top plate or track plate of a braiding machine, the carriers being removed, in association witha portion of the stop mechanism. I

Figure 3 isa plan view of the. sto'p nechanism releasing-lever detached from the machine and associated with the annula'rly aranged' cord-guidingmembers.

Figure 4. is a side elevation showing a portionofthe stop mechanism forsto'pping the machine. I

' Figure 5 is-a detail view, partly in vertical SBCtlOlhSllOWlIilg the course of an elastic cord in. association with its tensioning member.

Generally speaking, the invention em- 1926. Serial 110. 125,501.

uniform and equal tension on each of the elastic cords that are incorporated into the elastic 1 fabric so that all the cords Will stretch equally andafi'ord an equal resistance to the stretching action, thereby increasing the strength of the fabric. As

shown in the drawings, the braiding ma are rotated by suitable trains of gearing 3,

from the driving mechanism in the usual manner so that a series of yarn bobbins 5, mounted on vertical spindles 4, secured to the traveling carriers 3, may be carried, one set moving in one track in one direction and the opposite set moving in the opposite track inthe opposite direction so asyto cross each others paths and produce thebraiding actionfor the yarn ends which arebrought together to the braiding point oreye 10. lhe respective yarn ends a: are carried up through suitable guides 6 from the supply bobbins 5 to the braiding eye 10, but the details of this braiding mechanism are not involved in the presentinvention and, therefore, further detailed explanation thereof is omitted. I v r A stop member issecured: in position to cover the tracks in the foremost or forward section of the machine so thateach yarn carrier, when reaching this spot, insteadiof continuing its travel around and around the bed-plate, reverses itself and tnavels backward in. the other-track 1 until it reaches the limitof its. traverse against the 'opposit'eendof the stop This stop,

is used to braid a flat piece of fabrie' instead of a tubular piece of fabric. which would result in having the carrierswcircle the machine continuously, each set in onedirectioIi;

Tlie'ela'stic cords 1/, which are to be in bodies.aconstruction acting to maintain a -=cor oratea in the braid, are passed up wound on a revoluble spool 7 mounted be-' neath the machine near the floor in any suitable braiding supports, not shown, so that,

they may allunwind simultaneously from the spool to pass into the webbing formed by the braiding machine.

I-Ieretofore thesecords have been passed directly through their vertical guides to the braiding throat 10, it having been supposed that the frictional retardation of the supply spool would produce proper tension for the set of elastic cords. I have found, however, that the lack of perfect braiding of this type of fabric is due to the unequal tensioning of the elastic cords since some of them are stretched more than are others.

My present improvement, therefore, involves an arrangement of tensioning means applied to each individual cord in such a way as to make it possible to produce an equal and uniform tensioning of all the cords while at the same time increasing or diminishing such tension according to the particular requirements.

With this object in view I provide a ring or annulus 12, supported concentrically with the machine below the lower bed-plate 2, and

of smaller diameter or radius than the radial. distance of the vertical'guide tubes 8 through which the elastic cords 3 travel on their way to the brading point. In radial relation to each of these guide tubes 8, but of set integrally toward the center, are guide pulleys orrollers 11, best illustrated in Figure 5, over which the respective elastic cords take a quarter turn in their traverse toward their guide-tubes 8. Between these deflecting guide m'embersor rollers 11 and the vertical guide'tul'ie 8, I suspend on each cord a tensioning device which, in this case, comprises a small. rod or wire 14 formed, at its'upper end, with a narrow fork 14, in which is mounted a guideroller or pulley14 At is lower end these vertical tensioning wires pass through guide apertures formed in an arcuate extension 'fplate -15 of alever 16, which acts, indirectly to knock E and stop the driving mechanism, as will be later explained. I

Continuing upward beyond the track plate 1, is'an'upright bracket or standard 9, for the mostpart of semi-tubular construction, which carries, atits upper, end, a guide roll 9, in approximate alignment with the vertical guidetuhe 8, to form a guide from which the elastic cord passes from the braiding throat.

two forward guiding standards, as shown at 9 are made completely tubular 1n form For more complete protection the and each have a lateral outlet slot 9 through ,provernent two results are secured.

first place an equal and uniform tension is which the cord emerges and from which it passes over an externally supported guide f ward into engagement with a drop latch 20 which is provided with a shoulder at 2O adapted to overhang the adjacent edge of the lever 18 so that the forward end of the lever 18 is normally pressed outward by its spring into retaining position beneath said shoulder 20", to prevent the drop latch from falling. .The fuleral point of saidlever is the screw 18?.

Pivotally mountedeon ahorizontal fuleral i or ivot in 16 at one side of the machine is a lever 16, whose'upperarm 17 is turned 1 inwardly and preferablynotched, as shown at 17 toengage the outside face of the lever The lowerend of sa d lever is turned 18. inwardly, as at 16, and carries an arouate plate 15 provided with perforations for the passage of the wires 14 of the cordtensioning members. wires 14, of the tensioning, members, are

suspended weights 25, each having a central supporting. spindle to permit putting on or taking off loading weights25 toin crease or diminish the weight and the consequent tension or downward pull of the wires 14. y

, Each-elasticcord 3 is'carried from the spool 7 around its overhead guide ipulley'll, through the yoke or fork .14 and under the roller or pulley 14*, up through the adjacent vertical guide tube 8, over the pulley 9 or 9, as the case may be, to the braiding throat. The downward pull of the weights which are equal, results in; a downward pull'or tension. upon the horizontal stretch of each elastic cord g between its deflecting pulley 11 and its vertical guide tubes 8,'so that all cords are stretchedequally and uniformly during the operation of the machine. In case any one of the cordsy should break, there no longer being any support for its tensioning member, the tensioning'member drops until To the lower ends of these.

its fork, at the upper end, strike upon the .arcuate-plate 15, carried by 'the-Jlower arm 16 of the lever 16, thereby swinging the upsequentlymoving inwardly the f rward arm ,of the'detentilS out of engagement with the overhanging shoulder of the drop latch- 20, so that the drop latch' is permitted to fall, thereby. disengaging the driving clutch 22 from the compound pinion 24, on the driving shaft 23, and stopping the machine. i

It will, therefore, be seen that by my'im- In the produced on all the elastic cords entering into the fabric, with the'consequence that the fabric has greater stretch and elasticity,

and at the same time is stronger than fabrics wo en with the cords under unequal tension. In the second place imperfect braiding, due to the breakage of one or more of the elastic cords, is prevented because, as soon as a single cord breaks, the machine stops instead of continuing to braid with one or more of the elastic cords lacking. This result is effectually accomplished by the stop-releasing lever having engagement with each and all of the tensioning members, without disturbing their proper annular order or arrangement, since the stop lever is provided with an arcuate or approximately annular plate which not only forms a guide for each of the drop wires at its lower end, but also forms a yielding stop which is actuated by the impact of the dropping weight to cause stretch of the machine.

IVhile the invention was originally devised for braiding elastic cords, it will be understood that it is also applicable to the covering by braiding of cords or warp threads of textile fibre, sucli as cotton, silk or the like since, when applied to warps of such material, it results in producing a covered cord of superior and uniform strength.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for braiding elastic fabric, a

the combination with yarn-delivering and braiding mechanism of a carrier for elastic cords, guiding means for each cord to cause the cord to travel for a distance in an approximately horizontal plane as it moves toward the braiding point, and a weight suspended on the horizontal portion of each cord, and stop mechanism arranged to be rendered active by the fall of the suspended weight when its cord is broken.

2. In a machine characterized under claim 1, the combination with a supply spool for the elastic cords located below the braiding mechanism, a deflecting guide member for each cord arranged above the spool to allow the cord to turn to horizontal position, a laterally ofiset upright guide for guiding each cord to the braiding point, a tensioning member suspended on the cord between the two guides acting to maintain a uniform tension on the cord as it moves to braiding position.

3. In a machine characterized under claim 1. the combination with a supply spool for the elastic cords located below the braiding mechanism, a deflecting guide member for each cord arranged above the spool to' allow the cord to turn to horizontal position, a lateral ofiset upright guide for guiding each cord to the braiding point, a tensioning member of variable weight suspended on each cord between the two guides and acting to maintain the desired tension constantly on the cord as it moves to braiding position.

t. In a machine characterized under claim 1, the combination with a supply spool for the elastic cords located below the braiding mechanism, guide members by which each cord is led to the braiding throat of the 1, the combination with an annular series of tensioning weights suspended on the respective elastic cords that are to enter into the fabric, a lever pivoted to swing about a horizontal axis, the lower arm of said lever being arranged to be depressed when any tensioning member falls from its suspending cord, the upperend of said lever being disposed to engage a clutch-controlling mechanism by which the machine is disconnected from its driving mechanism when any of the elastic cords break and allow the suspended tensioning member to drop and actuate said pivoted lever.

6. In a machine for braiding elastic fabric, the combination with yarn delivering and braiding mechanism, of a series of cord delivering guides arranged concentrically above the braiding mechanism, a supplyspool carrying a series of elastic cords revolubly mounted beneath the braiding mechanism to supply an elastic cord to each corddelivering guide, and a series of individual tensioning weights suspended on the respective cords beneath the braiding mechanism, and means energized by the fall of any individual weight for automatically causing the stoppage of the machine.

7. In a machine for braiding elastic fabric, the combination with yarn-delivering and braiding mechanism, of cord-delivering guides concentrically disposed above the braiding mechanism, a supply spool carrying a series of elastic cords revolubly mounted to deliver the cords to their respective delivery guides, a series of individual tensioning wires suspended on the respective cords beneath the braiding mechanism, and removable tensioning weights carried by said wires in order to exert a predetermined but variable tension upon the series of elastic cords.

8. In a machine for braiding elastic fabric, the combination with yarn-delivering and braiding mechanism, of a series of corddelivering guides arranged about a common centre above the braiding mechanism, a revguides, a series of individual cord guides arranged below the delivery guides in ofi'set relation thereto, and a series of tensioning Weights arranged beneath the braiding mechanism 1n posltlon to engage the respectlve cords intermediately of said oflset guides and the delivery guides to exert a predetermined tension on the individual cords. 19

In Witness whereof, I have subscribed the above specification.

' JACQUIN M. C. BRANGO.

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