GB638880A - Improvements in or relating to split-foot knitting machines - Google Patents

Abstract

638,880. Knitting. HEMPHILL CO. July 18, 1947, No. 19327. Convention date, Oct. 18, 1939. [Class 74 (ii)] In a machine for knitting split fabric and having two feeding stations, there are provided, at these stations, means for feeding inelastic yarn and, at one of the stations, means for feeding an elastic yarn, and needle dividing means for presenting spaced needles to take the elastic yarn and knit it in combination with inelastic yarn knitted at the other station. Yarn fingers 6, at the main side, are controlled by a cam drum such as in Specifications 20101/09 and 7132/10, [both in Class 74 (ii)]. Other drum cams control yarn fingers 11 and 13, for inelastic and elastic yarns respectively, at the auxiliary side. Needle jacks are provided below alternate needles only and have long or short lower butts 44 or 45, corresponding to the long and short butt needles. In knitting a tuck top incorporating elastic yarn, as in Specification 528,673, the front stitch cam 26 is withdrawn and replaced by a front jack cam 48. All needles then take yarn at the main side, but only alternate needles clear. Stitches are drawn as needles pass down cam 27. At the auxiliary side, centre guard cam 33 has been moved inwardly and a needle-dividing cam 72 is moved inwardly also, to act on all lower butted jacks ; alternate needles are thereby raised to take and knit elastic yarn. After knitting the tuck top, cam 26 is inserted and cam 48 may be withdrawn. Cam 48 is also operative during knitting of breaking thread courses, the breaking thread being knitted on alternate needles. At certain yarn changes and at clockwise strokes, a group of three needles takes an extra yarn to provide an overlap and prevent eyelet formation. For this purpose, a movable eyelet-closing cam 62, 63 is caused to engage only upper butts 47 provided on the jacks associated with three needles which have already knitted at the main side and to cause these needles to knit at the auxiliary side also. Of the three jacks concerned, the inner one, which is not involved in needle dividing, has only a butt 47, but the two outer ones'have also needle-dividing butts 46 which are short enough not to interfere with cam 62, 63 as they rise. The inner part 63 of the cam is cut off at its lower end so that the cam does not act on needle-dividing butts. The auxiliary sinker centre cam is controlled automatically, in harmony with the movement of the auxiliary side yarn fingers 11, 13. A yarn binder 41 is provided at the main side and, at the auxiliary side, a binder 42 which may bind only inelastic or both elastic and inelastic yarns ; the elastic yarn may be bound by a separate binder, or may be floated when not incorporated. The auxiliary cams are constructed generally as in Specifications 374,961, 375,330, 375,331, 375,379, 380,795, and 449,122, and are movable, as a whole, to and from active position. The entire main cam block may also be withdrawn. The incorporation of elastic yarn in the top provides a garter and simulates rib knitting.