US1992604A - Figured fabric - Google Patents

Description

F 6, 1935. H. .1. CA-RRAG'HER -5- AL 7 1,992,504

FIGURED FABRIC filed April 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I ATTORNEY.

1935- J. CARRAGHER ET AL 1,

FIGURED FABRIC Filed April 25, 1932 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5w v m. fiyug.

. 1 -BY 3 WR- ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 26,. 1935 PATENT OFFICE 1,992,604 FIGURED FABRIC Hugh J. Carragher andDolard A. Grenon, Danielson, Conn., assignors to Powdrell & Alexander, Inc., Danielson, Conn., a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 25, 1932, Serial No. 607,274 18 Claims. (Cl. 139-419 The invention relates to fabrics in general, and in particular to cross-woven fabrics such as marquisettes having figures or designs formed thereon through the use of warp or weft elements additional to the elements which take part in the leno or cross weave which forms the ground.

The main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved fabric and method of Weaving the same, in which a simpler and cheaper method of construction will result in securing improved cover or face" on the figure; that is, the portions of the additional elements used to create the design or figure will cover and conceal the ground elements completely within the areas of the figure in which such cover is'desired, with a minimum loss of yarns through their removal by shearing, and through the use of relatively simple and hence inexpensive types of looms in their weaving. Other objects are as will appear hereinafter.

In the production of many different figured fabrics, and notably in the weaving of figured curtain fabrics, it is desired to produce the maximum amount of face and attain a complete covering of the ground warps and wefts throughout a portion or the whole of the area of the figure. The great majority of curtain fabrics are of the marquisette type, in which a leno weave is used for the ground, with the figure formed through putting in additional figure wefts, (and occasionally figure warps, also), at the desired points to produce the design upon the cross-woven ground.

Unless the leno weave be suspended throughout the length of the figure being woven, the tight intersection of each leno warp with its standard warp will unavoidably spread the two picks of figure weft respectively preceding and following the-crossing of the leno and standard warps, creating a conspicuous and unsightly transverse crack in the figure, as well as allowing naked portions of the warps to show in the figure. But if to avoid this the leno be suspended -throughout the length of the figure, weft threads must be interwoven with these uncrossed warps within thefigure to hold the weave together, as the figure wefts cannot'be relied on for this purpose where the figures are small and widely separated, as commonly occurs in curtain'fabrics' Hence theground wefts extending across the width of the fabric must be interwoven with these uncrossed warps throughout the figure. The problem is complicated by the nature of the use of these fabrics as curtains, since the ground must present a uniform appearance when the light comes from behind and through the curtain. Thus the ground filling must be handled so as to make a uniform ground atall points between figures, both length- 5 wise and crosswise of the fabric. r

If the ground wefts which must thus be interwoven with the warps in thefigure are put in in pairs in known manner on successive picks, (as must be done with an ordinary 2 x 1 changebox loom, in order to get the ground-weft shuttle home,) these two picks-also will split the figure across its width, be conspicuous in the finished figure, and detract from the face attained. While a single pick may be laid in, by means of a pick-and-pick loom, having two or more shifting shuttle-boxes at each end of the lay, such looms are rarely if ever available in organized mills in sufficient numbers to obtain the desired rate of production, and being more ex pensive looms the cost of their product must likewise be higher, which makes this construction of the weave undesirable.

The customary way of attaining the desired. maximum of face. of a weft-float figure on a leno ground is to use a loom with change-boxes on one side only, as in the usual 2 x 1 loom, running one of the necessary two successive picks of ground weft through the figure in interwoven relation with the warps, and floating the returned pick leading back to the box-end of the lay over the whole width of the ground, (so as to avoid weaving the ground with a different count of weft between laterally adjacent figures than between figures succeeding one another in the length of the fabric, and thus spoiling its uniformity) thereafter shearing this superfiuous pick off all the way across. This customary method has several drawbacks, chief of which is the waste of every other pick of ground weft woven during the length of the figures, which adds materially to the cost of production; it has the added disadvantage of thickening the selvage opposite and for the length of each figure, because the picks preceding and following the 1 shorn pick actually form part of the ground of the fabric, and must be tied securely into the selvages, which involves leaving a short length of each shorn pick extendinginwardin the selvage portions of: the fabric. Where the shorn pick is caught into the figure, it has the drawback of splitting the solid appearance of the figure, as already seen.

With the object of avoiding these drawbacks of prior methods-0f construction, the invention v return pick of ground weft with the standard warps in the position desired for the insertion of the next succeeding pick of figure weft. With this relationship established, it is possible for the two picks of figure weft named to move toward each other until they are substantially in contact, and thus each will overlie and com.-

pletely conceal its previously adjacent and now underlying pick of ground weft. The manner in which other aims, of the invention are attained will appear hereinafter.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a face view of a section of marquisette fabric having a small figure woven in'accordance with the invention, the figure wefts being shown more sharply defined than in actuality to make plain the weave.

Fig. 2 is a back view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing a portion of the improved weave at the beginning of a figure similar to that of Fig. 1, showing the order of the various elements and their relation before the figure wefts are shorn.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 4-4 of 3, looking in the directionof the arrows, only so much of the width of the fabric as is included between the arrows being shown.

Fig. 5 is a view in longitudinal section on line 55-0f Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the elements in the order in which they are woven.

Fig. 6 is a view corresponding to Fig. 5, showing the relation of the elements more nearly in the form which they actually assume in the finished fabric, and making plain how the ground wefts are disposed under and below the figure wefts.

In the particular fabric shown to illustrate the principles of the invention, the standard warps are indicated at 1, while the leno warps or doups are indicated at 3. The ground wefts 5 as usual are inserted singly, one after another in the ground, overlying the standard warps and tied .and standard warps between each pick and its succeeding pick.

At the beginning of the weaving of a figure, the leno is suspended for the proper number of warps widthwise of the fabric, by means of special harnesses for lifting the standard warps. Figure wefts '7, 9, are then interwoven with the standard warps 1, alone, at the face of the fabric. The leno warps 3 throughout the width of the figure are all carried across the back of the figure for its full length without interweaving with the figure wefts. The figure wefts are interwoven with the standard warps in plain weave, i. e., for example, on the first pick of figure weft '7, the odd-numbered standard warps are raised, leaving the even-numbered standard warps and all the leno warps down. On the secwarps and all the leno threads down. Additional figure wefts are inserted in corresponding and obvious manner.

The ground weft 5 is next inserted, after putting in the requisite number of picks of figure weft to obtain the desired degree or character of face, the number depending on the count, char ester, and twist, etc., of the figure weft. For the insertion of the first pick of ground weft, the standard warps remain unchanged; the stand= ard warps which were raised for the last preced= ingpick of figure weft are kept raised, and the standard warps which were down at this pick of figure weft are likewise kept down for this first pick of ground weft. But the leno warps are now raised for the first time. Then the order of the standard warps is changed to that which they are to have when the next pick of figure weft '1 of the same figure is to be inserted, the leno warps are kept raised, and the return pick of groundweft 5 is laid in. Thereafter, the anticipated first pick 'I of a new group of figure wefts is inserted before the shedding order of the standard warps is changed, the leno warps having again been dropped. As is obvious, the direction of shedding of the warps is given for cases where the fabric is woven face up. If necessary or desirable to weave the fabric face down, these directions will of course be reversed.

This order of the warps is shown in Fig. 3, and its result in giving cover or face to the figure is made plain in'Fig. 4, in which latter it is to be noted that the figure weft indicated at 7 corresponds, in the order of its engagement, to the first figure weft 7 of the second group of figure wefts shown in Fig. 3.

Thus, it will be obvious from Fig. 4 that the figure wefts are held down only by alternate standard warps l, and that the ground wefts adjacent to these figure wefts pass always to the same side of the standard warps as their adjoining figure wefts. The result is that whenever a pair of ground wefts is inserted in the figure, the figure weft preceding this pair is free to slip forward over the first of these picks of ground weft,

while the pick of figure weft succeeding pand after the intermediate pairs of ground wefts are introduced and cause a rearrangement of the elements from that shown in Fig. 5 in which the paired picks of ground weft 5 and 5 are on the same level, to that shown in Fig. 6, in which the figure wefts have expanded until one thereof overlies each of the said picks of ground weft, crowding them to the back of the fabric in'so doing. It is for the purpose of ensuring that the ground wefts will go to the back of the figure, that the two kinds of wefts are woven differently with respect to the leno threads, which as seen and as shown in Fig. 2 extend across, the back of the figure. Fig. 5 shows the theoretical order in which the leno threads are lifted and lowered, while Fig. 6, shows substantially what actually happens to the pairs of ground wefts 5, 5 as a result of the equal tension on the leno and ground warps. The ground wefts also serve to tie down the otherwise lengthy fioats of the leno warps.

After the weaving, the floats of figure wefts extending across between laterally adjacent figures are shorn off, this constituting the only waste or loss of yarn through the shorn operation. The ground weft. 5 is continuous throughout the fabric, (except for accidental failure, of course) and is not shorn off in any way.

' While Fig. 1 portrays the figure wefts with exaggerated sharpness, so as to show that they are held to the ground through interweaving with: the standard warps 1, in actual practice the figure wefts if of properly selected yarns lie in such close contiguous relation as to cover and completely conceal .the standard warps 1 as well as the ground wefts and leno threads which are thrown to the back of the figure, with the result that the figures of fabrics made according to the principles of the invention convey to the eye the impression of embroidered or applique designs. This appearance is enhanced through the fact that the shorn ends of the figure wefts terminate necessarily a slight distance laterally beyond the last warps by which they are caught down, so that there is no visible disturbance of the straight and parallel relation of the ground wefts in the ground up to the very edge of the figure, and to the eye these wefts seem to extend straight across beneath the figure without distortion. The use of the leno motion to cross the doup warp 3 under the standard warp 1 so as to bind some or all of the figure wefts 7, 9, lying between the preceding and the following picks of ground weft 5}, 5 within the stitch or diagonal crossing of the doup and the associated standard warp at the points where the figure wefts pass out of engagement with the warps and begin to fioat for the purpose of being shorn off, as at the points a: and y, Fig. 3, may be resorted to to assist in holding the ground wefts straight and parallel until they disappear beneath the figure wefts, and to aid in creating a sharp and distinct contrast between the figure wefts and the adjacent region. It has the advantage of preventing the escape of the leno warps 3 out from the cut ends of the figure wefts after shearing to form warp floats, and thus makes it possible for the first time to weave straight-sided figures with a series of figure wefts terminating alongside a single warp without this highly objectionable warp float.

An added feature of this construction is the neat aspect of the back of the fabric within the area of the figure, a feature of no little value in curtain fabrics, which are very often viewed from the back. At the start of a figure, and as the standard warp is lifted, every other leno warp is crossed under its standard warp, with the result that the leno threads are brought together and extend the full'length of the figure in pairs which are held in this paired relation through engagement of one pick of each pair of ground wefts 5 5 with the next adjacent standard warp at either side of the pair of leno warps thus brought together. Thus, in Fig. 3, ground weft 5 passes over standard warp 1 at the point 10, while ground weft 5 passes over standard warp 3 at 12, which relation serves to hold together the two leno warps 14 in the manner described.

An additional important result of thus floating the groundwefts over a plurality of warps at the back surface of the figure while engaging them beneath a warp at each end of such floats, is that these ground wefts 5 5 not only are put wholly below the plane of the figure wefts 7, 9, during the length of the float, and thus cannot split the figure and spoil the face, but also are formation of lengthy floats at the back which would be unsightly and would catch on surrounding objects causing pulled or broken threads in the curtain.

In the fabric woven according to the invention, every pick of ground weft weaves cloth, instead of every other pick in the figure being lost as under customarymethods. In additi a to the reduced waste and increased production thus attained, the figure is given a face or cover of a quality not attained heretofore, and one which completely conceals the mechanics of the union between figure and ground, while the method and appliances for the weaving remain of the simplest.

What is claimed as our invention is;-

1. A fabric having in combination standard warps, leno warps, ground wefts, and figure wefts interwoven with the standard warps alone, two picks of ground weft being inserted between successive and oppositely woven picks of figure weft and each being woven similarly to its adjacent figure weft.

2. A fabric having in combination standard warps, leno warps, and ground wefts and figure wefts both interwoven with the standard warps alone within the figure, the ground wefts within the figure being.inserted in pairs between figure wefts and each ground weft of a pair being interwoven with the standard warps in the same manner as its adjacent figure weft.

3. A fabric having in combination standard warps, leno warps, figure wefts, and ground wefts inserted in pairs and overlain by the figure wefts.

4. A fabric having in combination standard warps, and the ground wefts pass across the fig- 4 ure in the same relation to the standard warps as that of the adjacent figure wefts.

6. A figured cross-woven fabric in which the figure wefts are held to the ground by standard warps, and the ground wefts pass across the figure in the same relation to the standard warps as that of the adjacent figure wefts, and in opposite relation with respect to the leno warps.

'7. A fabric having in combination ground wefts, figure wefts, and leno and standard warps crosswoven in the ground so as to maintain the ground weft continuous and of uniform count, the ground wefts traversing thefigure in adjacent pairs beneath and covered by the figure wefts. T

8, A fabric having in combination warp elements, figure wefts, and ground wefts traversing the figure in adjacent pairs, each ground weft engaging the warps overlying the figure weftsv with the ground warps as binders where the leno is suspended, each weft of a pair occupying the same relation to the ground warps as its next adjacent figure weft.

10. A method of weaving which comprises in combination weaving a marquisette ground, suspending the leno crossing at intervals both lengthwise and widthwise of the fabric in forming a figure, interweaving figure wefts with the warps where the leno crossing-is suspended, and carrying the ground wefts through the figure in successive picks while the leno crossing is still suspended, a part of such picks being arranged to underlie 'picks of figure weft.

11. A weft-figured cross-woven fabric having in combination standard warps, doup warps, ground wefts inserted in pairs of successive and adjacent picks each member of which engages the ground warps outside the figures, and figure wefts interwoven with the warps while the leno crossing is suspended, with at least one ground weft of each pair floated over a plurality of warps within the figure.

12. A weft-figured cross-woven fabric having in combination standard warps, doup warps, ground wefts inserted in pairs of succesive and adjacent picks each member of which engages the ground warps outside the figures, and figure wefts interwoven with the warps, while the leno crossing is suspended, with at least one ground weft of each pair floated over a plurality of warps within the figure and at the surface of the latter.

13. A weft-figured cross-woven fabric having in combination standard warps, doup warps, ground wefts inserted in pairs each member or which engages the ground warps outside the figures, and figure wefts interwoven with the warps while the leno crossing is suspended, with at least one ground weft of each pair floated over a plurality of warps within the figure and at the surface of the latter, and also caught under a warp within the figure. 1

14. A weft-figured fabric having in combination' standard warps, doup warps, and ground wefts interwoven to form a leno ground, and figure wefts interwoven with the warps, while the leno crossing is suspended, at least one member of a pair of the successive ground wefts being floated over a plurality of warps as it passes across the figure and also engaging beneath one or more warps within the width of the figure.

15. A weft-figured fabric having in combination standard warps, doup warpaand ground wefts interwoven to form a leno ground, and figure wefts interwoven with the warps, while the leno crossing is suspended, some or all of the successive ground wefts being floated over a plurality of warps as these wefts pass across the figure.

16. A weft-figured cross-woven fabric having in combination standard warps, doup warps,

ground wefts'inserted impairs each member of which engages the ground warps outside -the figures, and figure wefts interwoven with thewarps while the leno crossing is suspended, with at least .one ground weft of each pair floated over a plurality of warps within the figure and at the surface of the latter, with the standard and doup' warps of the terminal pair of associated warps crossed in engaging the figure weft as the latter emerges from the figure.

17. A weft-figured fabric having in combination standard warps, doup warps, and ground wefts interwoven to form a leno ground, each pick of ground weft engaging the ground warps outside the figureyand figure weftsconfined between the standard and doup warps, part of the ground wefts passing across areas of the figure in the same relation to the standard warps as that of the adjacent figure wefts, and another part of the ground wefts in the figure being woven oppositely to their adjacent figure wefts in relation to the standard warps.

18. A weft-figured fabric having in combination standard warps, doup warps, and ground wefts interwoven to form a leno ground, and figure wefts interwoven with the warps, both the ground wefts and the figure wefts being interwoven with the warps while the latter extend in straight and uncrossed relation throughout certain areas of the figure and with the doup and standard warps crossed within the figure alongside the meeting line of the figure with an adiacent contrasting

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