US3921675A

US3921675A - Flat weaving machine

Info

Publication number: US3921675A
Application number: US525724A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walther Filter; Claus Filter
Original assignee: Voestalpine AG
Current assignee: Voestalpine AG
Priority date: 1972-08-01
Filing date: 1974-11-21
Publication date: 1975-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 1992-11-25

Abstract

The machine defines a weaving area and comprises machine controls disposed on at least one side of said weaving area. A substantially closed housing contains the controls. Suction conduit means receives air which is laden with particles and conveys it to trap chamber means connected to said suction conduit means and adapted to permit particles to settle from the air. Blower means are connected between the trap chamber means and the interior of said housing means. Filter means are connected between said trap chamber means and said blower means. Said blower means are operable to suck air through said suction conduit means, trap chamber means and filter means and to deliver compressed air into said housing means.

Description

United States Patent 1 Filter et al.

14 1 Nov. 25, 1975 1 1 FLAT WEAVING MACHINE [75] Inventors: Walther Filter, Langenhagen; Claus Filter, Rethem, Aller. both of Germany 122 Filed: Nov.2l, 1974 [21] Appl. No: 525,724

Related 1.1.5. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 380.063. July 17.

1973. abandoned.

[58] Field of Search 139/1 R, l C, 12; 28/553; 19/107; 15/306 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,400,792 5/1946 Turner 139/1 3.378.998 4/1968 Shackelford.... 139/1 3.451.435 6/1969 Rliia ct al. 139/1 3.491.801 1/1970 Lippuncr 139/1 3,785,408 l/l974 Strauss 139/] Primary E.\'uminerHenry S. Jaudon Atlorney. Agent, or FirmKurt Kelman ABSTRACT The machine defines a weaving area and comprises machine controls disposed on at least one side of said weaving area. A substantially closed housing contains the controls. Suction conduit means receives air which is laden with particles and conveys it to trap chamber means connected to said suction conduit means and adapted to permit particles to settle from the air. Blower means are connected between the trap chamber means and the interior of said housing means. Filter means are connected between said trap chamber means and said blower means. Said blower means are operable to suck air through said suction conduit means, trap chamber means and filter means and to deliver compressed air into said housing means.

9 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent N0v.25, 1975 Sheet1of2 3,921,675

US. Patent Nov. 25, 1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,921,675

FLAT WEAVING MACHINE Y This is a continuation-in-part of our copending application Ser. No. 380,063, filed July 17, 1973, now abandoned.

This invention relates to the type of flat weaving machine comprising driving and control means disposed on one or both sides of the weaving area, and a blower which serves to suck off residual thread pieces which have been cut off and which is connected to a suction conduit.

The driving and control means disposed laterally of the weaving area are generally exposed so that they may become soiled by the dust, thread waste, lint and the like, which is produced particularly during weaving operations.

To protect the driving and control means, the particles which result in soiling have been removed from the place where they origninate, i.e., adjacent to the shed and adjacent to the cutting means disposed at the edges of the woven fabric. Separate suction and delivery conduits have been provided for this purpose and have been connected to a suitable blower. These arrangements require additional conduits and have not given the desired success because the waste particles have not been completely removed.

It is an object of the invention to keep the driving and control means as far as possible free of lint, dust and dirt, and also to supply air to parts which are subjected to a temperature rise during operation.

This object is accomplished according to the invention in that a common housing is provided for the driving and control means disposed on one or each side of the machine, that the delivery conduit connected to the blower opens in each of these substantially closed housings at a point which, if desired, is disposed adjacent to parts which are subjected to a temperature rise during operation, and that a filter is arranged between a trap chamber in which residual thread pieces and the like which are sucked thereinto are separated. The housing is closed to a large extent, except for the usual openings therein for permitting laterally extending portions of the weaving machine, such as the breast beam and shuttle race, to extend beyond the weaving area into the housing and some air to escape or be exhausted therefrom. The housing is closed off from the weaving area and the blower which is provided to suck off residual thread pieces which have been cut off delivers compressed air through its delivery conduit into the housing to provide a superatmospheric pressure therein. This superatmospheric pressure prevents an ingress of dust and dirt through the housing openings or leaks which are inevitable. Incidentally, such passage openings can be avoided to a large extent or can easily be sealed if hydraulic drive means are used, e.g., to operate the heddles, and only passage openings for shafts or rods performing a straight-line movement are required in the housing. It will be understood that the blower is preceded on its suction side by a filter so that soiled compressed air cannot be blown into the housing. In any case, the blower is not only utilized at its suction side to suck off residual thread pieces and dust particles but is now used also to maintain the superatmospheric pressure in the housing and may also be used to cool parts which are subjected to a temperature rise during operation.

It is known to provide a trap chamber for the separation of the particles which have been sucked in and such chamber is required to avoid a clogging of the succeeding filters.

It will be particularly desirable to use hollow members as parts of the machine frame, e.g., as the breast beam and the shuttle race, so that these hollow members serve as suction or delivery conduits. In this case, separate conduits are not required and the frame member, depending on its nature, may be used also for cooling or for suction. For instance, the breast beam may be used as a suction conduit and may be provided with passage openings through which residual dust and filament pieces are sucked out of the cloth. If the shuttle race is to be cooled, the compressed air flowing therethrough may be used for this purpose. It is known to use hollow members as parts of the machine frame but only separate suction and delivery conduits have been used so far so that the use of the hollow members of the machine frame as suction and delivery conduits in accordance with the invention affords additional advantages.

Particularly in weaving machines having a very large weaving width it is possible, of course, to use a separate blower for each side of the machine. It will generally be sufficient, however, to provide a common blower for both sides and to provide hollow machine frame members which connect the two sides and serve as connecting conduits.

A flat weaving machine is diagrammatically shown in the accompanying drawing wherein FIG. 1 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of a weaving machine according to the present invention and FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof, portions of the wall of one of the housing chambers being broken away to expose the interior of the chamber.

In a flat weaving machine according to the invention as shown on the drawing, the driving and control means are accommodated on each of the two sides of the housing in common, substantially closed housing 1 or 2. The housing 2 encloses not only the driving and control means but also blower 3, which serves to suck off residual thread portions, dust particles, etc., through openings 4 in the hollow breast beam 5. A suction conduit 6 leads from hollow breast beam 5 to trap chamber 7 which is divided by partition wall 8 into two chambers. The sucked air laden with residual thread pieces, dust and the like is moved by blower 3 through suction conduit 6 into trap chamber 7, in which residual thread pieces and dust particles can settle to the bottom and be collected. Trap chamber 7 is separated from blower 3 by filter 9 which serves to clean the sucked air so as to protect blower 3.

The compressed air delivered by the blower is conducted in part through an outlet 10 directly into housing 2, where it produces a superatmospheric pressure, and in part through delivery conduit 11 which is connected to the blower and leads into housing 1 on the opposite side. In housing 1, electronic control elements are accommodated in cabinets 12 and may be supplied with cooling air through delivery conduit 11. When the compressed air has flown through cabinets 12, it flows into housing 1 to produce a superatmospheric pressure therein. The superatmospheric pressure produced in housings l and 2 prevents an ingress of dust and dirt particles into the housing through lateral openings l4, 14 which permit portions of the weaving machine, such as delivery conduit 11, to extend beyond the weaving area into the housings. These openings also permit some air to escape or be exhausted from the housings.

The shuttle race is subjected to a temperature rise in operation, and to enable a cooling of the race, when this is desired, discharge conduit 11 may be formed by the hollow shuttle race itself.

The closed housings l and 2 result in a certain insulation of sound, which will be much improved if the housings are lined with sound-absorbing material 13.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that any suitable blower may be used and that its capacity will depend solely on the size of the machine and the housing means 1 and 2. Those skilled in the art will so adjust the blower capacity that the blower will deliver into the substantially closed housing means a sufficient excess of air over any air escaping therefrom through the openings therein to maintain a pressure in the housing means which is sufficiently higher than atmospheric to prevent lint and other foreign particulate matter from entering the housing means, thus keeping the driving and control means in the housing means clean. Clearly, a wide variety of blowers, and blower capacities will accomplish this result, depending on machine sizes and operating conditions readily to be determined by mechanics. Merely by way of example, a loom with a weaving area having a width of 10 meters, with two lateral control housings having a volume of 8 m will operate well according to this invention with a blower having a throughput of 2.4 m of air per minute. This will produce a superatmospheric pressure of about 150 mm of H 0. Obviously, other dimensions will require other blower throughputs and the amount of superatmospheric pressure in the control housings may readily be set according to requirements, as long as the pressure is sufficient to prevent ingress of foreign particulate matter into the housing.

What is claimed is:

l. A flat weaving machine which defines a weaving area, comprising l substantially closed housing means laterally of the weaving area and defining a housing chamber,

a the housing means having openings therein for permitting laterally extending portions of the weaving machine to extend beyond the weaving area into the housing means and some air to escape therefrom, and

b the housing means being closed off from the weaving area,

2 blower means having a suction inlet and a compressed air outlet,

3 suction conduit means having outlet means and inlet means for receiving air laden with particles in the weaving area,

a the suction conduit means being in communication with the suction inlet'of the blower means for drawing the air laden with particles,

4 trap chamber means connected to the suction conduit outlet means and permitting the particles in the air drawn into the trap chamber means by the blower means to settle,

5 filter means arranged between the trap chamber means and the compressed air outlet of the blower means, and

6 the compressed air outlet of the blower means communicating with the housing chamber and deliver-, ing thereto a sufficient excess of air over any air1 escaping therefrom to maintain a superatmospheric pressure therein, the blower means sucking the air 5 laden with particles through the suction conduit means, the trap chamber means and the filter means and delivering filtered compressed air free of the particles through the outlet into the housing chamber.

2. The flat weaving machine of claim 1, further comprising a filtered compressed air delivery conduit connected to the outlet of the blower means and a cooling chamber connected to the conduit for receiving the1 filtered air as a cooling medium.

3. The flat weaving machine of claim 1, wherein the closed housing means comprises a first and a second housing each defining a housing chamber and disposed at opposite sides of the weaving area, the compressed air outlet of the blower means having air delivery conduits delivering the filtered compressed airfree of the particles to each of the housing chambers.

4. The flat weaving machine of claim 3, wherein the blower means is a single blower mounted in one of the housing chambers.

5. The flat weaving machine of claim 1, further comprising a hollow weaving machine member mounted on the frame, the hollow weaving machine member defining the suction conduit means receiving the air laden with particles coming from the weaving machine memthe filtered compressed air free of particles to one of the housing chambers.

8. The flat weaving machine of claim 1, wherein the at opposite sides of the weaving area, the blower means is a single blower mounted in the first housing chamber,

the trap chamber means is an enclosed chamber in the first housing chamber whereon the blower is mounted, the suction inlet of the blower being in communication with the trap chamber means, and the compressed air outlet of the blower has a first delivery conduit communicating with the first housing chamber and a second delivery conduit communicating with the second housing chamber for delivering the filter compressed air free of the particles to each of the housing chambers and maintaining therein a superatmospheric pressure.

9. The flat weaving machine of claim 8, further comprising cooling chamber in the second housing cham-, ber, the second delivery conduit being in communication with the cooling chamber and the cooling chamber being in communication with the second housing closed housing means comprises a first and a second housing each defining a housing chamber and disposed 1

Claims

1. A flat weaving machine which defines a weaving area, comprising 1 substantially closed housing means laterally of the weaving area and defining a housing chamber, a the housing means having openings therein for permitting laterally extending portions of the weaving machine to extend beyond the weaving area into the housing means and some air to escape therefrom, and b the housing means being closed off from the weaving area, 2 blower means having a suction inlet and a compressed air outlet, 3 suction conduit means having outlet means and inlet means for receiving air laden with particles in the weaving area, a the suction conduit means being in communication with the suction inlet of the blower means for drawing the air laden with particles, 4 trap chamber means connected to the suction conduit outlet means and permitting the particles in the air drawn into the trap chamber means by the blower means to settle, 5 filter means arranged between the trap chamber means and the compressed air outlet of the blower means, and 6 the compressed air outlet of the blower means communicating with the housing chamber and delivering thereto a sufficient excess of air over any air escaping therefrom to maintain a superatmospheric pressure therein, the blower means sucking the air laden with particles through the suction conduit means, the trap chamber means and the filter means and delivering filtered compressed air free of the particles through the outlet into the housing chamber.

2. The flat weaving machine of claim 1, further comprising a filtered compressed air delivery conduit connected to the outlet of the blower means and a cooling chamber connected to the conduiT for receiving the filtered air as a cooling medium.

3. The flat weaving machine of claim 1, wherein the closed housing means comprises a first and a second housing each defining a housing chamber and disposed at opposite sides of the weaving area, the compressed air outlet of the blower means having air delivery conduits delivering the filtered compressed air free of the particles to each of the housing chambers.

5. The flat weaving machine of claim 1, further comprising a hollow weaving machine member mounted on the frame, the hollow weaving machine member defining the suction conduit means receiving the air laden with particles coming from the weaving machine member.

6. The flat weaving machine of claim 5, wherein the hollow weaving machine member defines lateral openings through which the air laden with particles passes into the suction conduit means.

7. The flat weaving machine of claim 1, further comprising a hollow shuttle race defining an air delivery conduit, and wherein the closed housing means comprises a first and a second housing each defining a housing chamber and disposed at opposite sides of the shuttle race, the compressed air outlet of the blower means communicating with the air delivery conduit to deliver the filtered compressed air free of particles to one of the housing chambers.

8. The flat weaving machine of claim 1, wherein the closed housing means comprises a first and a second housing each defining a housing chamber and disposed at opposite sides of the weaving area, the blower means is a single blower mounted in the first housing chamber, the trap chamber means is an enclosed chamber in the first housing chamber whereon the blower is mounted, the suction inlet of the blower being in communication with the trap chamber means, and the compressed air outlet of the blower has a first delivery conduit communicating with the first housing chamber and a second delivery conduit communicating with the second housing chamber for delivering the filter compressed air free of the particles to each of the housing chambers and maintaining therein a superatmospheric pressure.

9. The flat weaving machine of claim 8, further comprising cooling chamber in the second housing chamber, the second delivery conduit being in communication with the cooling chamber and the cooling chamber being in communication with the second housing chamber.