US2818088A - Woven fabric construction - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 31, 1957 D. E. HQUGHTON 2,818,088

WOVEN FABRIC CONSTRUCTION Filed March 28, 1956 IN VEN TOR.

DANIEL E. HOUGHTGN ATTORNEY United States Patent t WOVEN FABRIC.` CONSTRUCTION Daniel -Houghton, Arlington, Ya., assigner to yNew York WireClothCompany, `,York, Pa., Ia corporation of Delaware Application Mar`clr-28,i19'56,a Serial 'Nor 57145437 4.Claims. .'(Cl. 139-,425)

rThis invention relates to' improvements in awoven fabric `construction and, more particularly, to improvements .in Ythe selvage edge iconstruetion'ofa :woven'fabric While not'limited thereto, V.the present inventionis-zparticularly adapted to being used in-fwoven: metallicffabric such as insect screening. Moreover, the successbfithe new `constructionsterns'largelyfrom the warp .andiweft filaments of the fabric Vbeing .formed fromymaterialsuch as metallic wire which, lwhenrbent, Iwill-retain the new shape `to which the filament has tbeen bent. However, there are Aother types o-fi'laments .whichztfunction :similarly such as certain of the synthetic:resinflarnentsf-and, whereV the use 'of such Yotherttypes :offfilamentsfisrpossible or desirable, the vpresent -inventionis i intended "-tofinclude such filaments within itsfscope.

Conventional textile fabrics principally are wovenby disposing an endless 'weft Y#thread :in woven y'relationship `with thewarp-threads Iofy the fabric. 'Weaving lof this nature-howeverrequires bobbins `upon ywhich thesweft thread is wound, the vbobbins -being disposedzin-the shuttle lwhichtpasses through the shedformed by fthewarpE threads or strands during lthe tweavin-g'operation. 1Iii-weaving .of this type however, when the thread or strandof-textile -rnaterial upon the bobbin becomes exhausted, -itris -nec essaryto replace `the-empt-y-.bobbin with -ailled Tone in the shuttle and this resultsiinaninterruptiontovthe weaving` operation. 4

-Wire cloth-such as insect-'screening r.also commonly, has

- been 'formedt by using; asubstantially .-continuousweft fwire or strand'initially `woundnpona lbobbin vdisposed in the ,shuttle of rthe loom. Hon/ever, the tinterruption to .the

weavingprocess l.at the time` of..replacinganemptybobbin witha filledone.isobjectionable rAccordingly,` looms andprocesses `ofweaving areurrently used Which are based upon vthe principle,oftwolgrippingmembers being respectively reciprocable from opposite sides ofthe. loom toward the center thereof, oneofrthegrippers pulling .a weft wire or lament of indefinite length .which may be wound upon a large single reel, substantiallyv half Way throughthe shed, at which timethe oppositegripperengages the end of the weft wire or `filament andpulls 'it .throughvthe remaining half of -the shed, .whereby a weft wire extends `continuously across the shed between the oppositey selvage edges thereof. The wire then is cut at theedge of the fabric from which the weft Vwire initially was fed and the operation is repeated. ,The cut orfree endsof the weft wire or 'filament preferably project short distances beyond the extremities y.of the opposite selvage edges of the fabric being woven. In ordertotinish the fabric, it is necessary to suitably treat or manipulate Ysaid `projecting ends of the weft wire or filament Asothat a smooth and acceptable selvage edge is provided at opposite sides of the fabric being-woven.

The presently used arrangements for vl'finishing such selvage edges of so-called cut weft yfabrics comprise twisting the projecting ends of the weftwiresaround theouter- Amostwarp wires orfilaments 'for example,y bending-said projecting weft -ends into engagement with Aone for amore 2,818,088 Patented Dec. 31 19;,57

rice

ofthe outermost warp wires at the selvage `and-welding lsaid ends of theweft Wiresthereto, Aor"using vsolder-in lieu of welding to connect the ybent weftends to said outermost selvage wires or lilaments. These operations require complicated and relativelyexpensive looms to -produce fabric which has a commercially acceptable sel- Vage construction at opposite edges thereof. "Further, certain fabrics f of this `type `are objectionable in` thatfthe sharp cut ends ofthe weft wires orflamentsearefdis- .posed in such -relationshiprto the outersurfaces of the fabric that the selvage has a roughness 4oralcoarseness vcapable of yscratching anyone yhandling thefselvage of the fabric.

It is the principal object of. they present invent-ion'r-to pro` vide v fabric 'woven Vfrom'predetermined"lengths of weft wires Ior other types oftilaments, the opposite yends Vof which rare vcut kand initially -projectf'beyondi the-outermost warp wires or"laments but are *bent* inwardlyvso fasvto -be tuckedA into the selvage .at opposite edgesf offthe fabric being'wovem the tucked :ends -of"the'weftwiresforflavatpresent in the production of soacallejdfcut'zweft fabrics.

:Still -another'object of the invention'isrto mrovid'era fabric such as described above Vwith fstabilizingntneans preferably in the outermost edges-of. thefselvagefzat'eaeh vedge of rthe fabric, said 4stabilizing'meansfretainingthe .tucked .endsf of the cut-weftwiresgor ilamentsfseen-relyin the desired 'position in which they t arel 'formedk whenithe fabric liswoven.

Ancillary to-the Yforegoing obje-ct,-thestabilizing means, in the preferred embodimentthereof, comprises appairzof warp-like wires orlamcnts which are disposed in-1ongitudinal juxtaposition Lto -eachf otherf incident to the-weav ing ofrthe fabric, whereby noadditional-"operation-isre- `quired to incorporate the `stabilizing means .withinitbe fabric.

Details of the invention and theforegoingfobjeets, as ,well as other objects thereof,.are set'forthrv in the'followf ing specification and. illustratedin the l.accompanying `drawing .comprising afpart thereof.

.In the drawing:

Pig. l-is a fragmentary -plan,viewsofasectionvof woven fabric embodying the ,principles .ofuthe .present invent-ion and illustrating a portion of one selvage edge of .saidsectionof. fabric.

Fig. Zis ,an enlarged sectionalifragmentary .view ofthe ,fabric shown in-Fig. 1, takenon the yline 2-.2.-of,l`ig. .1.

Itis to be understood .that` the `fabric illustrateddnligs. 1 and 2 of thedrawing primarily is .exemplaryforpurposes of illustrating the preferred construction, .particularly -of vthe yselvage edges, only vone ,such selvage-,edge

,being illustrated. As shown in Fig. l, .thefabrel comprises a vplurality of preferably parallel warpmstrandsor filaments which are spacedinaccordance with aconventionalfabric of mesh-type suchas insect screening. `As stated. above, the strands or 'iilaments [12,.aswell as the weft strandsor filaments 14preferably are formed from material which is llexible,ryet is capable of being ,bentand willretain substantiallyvthe shape .to which itlhas been bent. Metal wire suchas steel,bronze, copper,alumi num, and other suitable material, -either plated, coated, oruncoated, as desired, is admirably suitedffor thewarp andweft strands or 1ilamentsf12and'1'4. "Furtherft-hese strands orlaments may befformedfromother suitable material-such as certainsynthetic resins whichhave physi- =cal':characteristiessuitable:to permitv bending of lthesstrands y or lamentsiinto desired shapeslat certain 'locations inithe 3 fabric for purposes of producing the benefits of the inven- For purposes of simplifying the description of the invention, it will be assumed that the warp and weft strands or filaments 12 and 14 comprise suitable metallic wire but the invention is not to be restricted to the use of this type of material only.

In Figs. l and 2, only a portion of one selvage edge of a strip or sheet of fabric is illustrated. It will be understood however that the opposite edge of said strip or sheet of fabric will be similar to that illustrated in Figs. l and 2. The warp wires or filaments 12 will be assumed to be of indefinite lengths and the weft wires or filaments 14 are separate from each other and comprise Wires which have individually been cut from a reel of such wire after insertion of each weft wire through the shed comprising the separated warp wires 12.

The length of each of the weft wires or filaments 14 preferably is a little greater than the width of the fabric 10, whereby the opposite ends 16 originally project a predetermined distance beyond the extremity of the selvage edge 18 of the fabric 10, one example of such projecting cut weft end being shown in dotted lines in the lower portion of Fig. l.

In the course of the operation of the loom which weaves the fabric 10, said projecting cut weft ends 16 are bent substantially 180 from the projecting position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. l, to the full line positions thereof illustrated in said figure. Depending `upon the nature of the loom, it may be that the inwardly bent or tucked ends 16 of the weft wires or filaments 14 may not be fully bent to the full line positions thereof illustrated in Fig. l. However, upon the positioning of the next weft wire or filament through the shed and the next reciprocation of the beat-up mechanism, said last mentioned weft wire or filament will be pushed against the inwardly bent ends 16 and complete the bending thereof to final position illustrated in full lines in Fig. l in the event such complete bending has not taken place already.

Preferably, the length of the proiecting cut ends 16 of the weft wires or filaments is such that when they are bent into the full line position shown in Fig. l, they will extend across a limited number of the warp wires or filaments 12 of the order of the number illustrated in Fig. 1. It will be seen from said figure that the inwardly bent and tucked ends 16 extend substantially in parallel arrangement with the adjacent weft wires or filaments 14. all of these bein g crenelated incident to the weaving operation as illustrated in side sectional elevation in Figure 2. Such crenelation aids in maintaining the tucked cut ends 16 in operative position within the selvage edge 18 of the fabric 10.

Further to stabilize the cut and tucked ends 16 of the weft wires or filaments 14. the present invention, in its preferred embodiment, includes stabilizing means preferably disoosed adjacent the outer extremity of the selvage edges 18. One preferred form of stabilizing means is illustrated specifically in Figs. l and 2 and comprises a pair of stabilizing warp wires or filaments 20 and 22 which are also preferably disposed in longitudinally juxtapositioned arrangement to each other. In the weaving of the fabric, the stabilizing warp wires or filaments 2G and 22 may be fed from separate reels or drums, or may be disposed upon the warp drum which carries the strands or filaments 12. However, no additional operation or function is required to incorporate the stabilizing warp wires or filaments 20 and 22 within the selvage edges of the fabric and the beat-up operation anchors the stabilizing warp wires or filaments 20 and 22 relative to the weft strands or filaments 14 as well as the cut ends 16 thereof by intercrenelating the same by the weaving operation.

While the stabilizing warp wires or filaments 20 and 22 have been shown in the drawing as being substantially the same diameter as the warp wires or filaments 12, it has been found that said stabilizing warp Wires or filaments may be of smaller diameter than the warp wires or filaments 12 if desired and yet will function to anchor the inwardly bent and tucked cut ends 16 of the weft wires or laments 14.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a woven fabric which may be made in indefinite lengths by utilizing warp strands or filaments of similar length but individually separate weft strands or filaments of predetermined length interwoven with said warp strands or filaments. A predetermined length of the individual weft strands or filaments originally project beyond the selvage edges of the fabric but are bent inwardly and are tucked and interwoven with a limited number of the outermost warp strands or filaments which interweaving aids in anchoring and fixing said tucked weft ends within the selvage edges of the fabric but, in addition, the tucked weft ends are further stabilized by preferably using supplemental means, one example of which comprises specifically illustrated stabilizing Warp wires or filaments disposed at the outermost parts of the selvage edges of the fabric. The inherent nature of the wires, strands or filaments which comprise the weft members of the fabric and also the warp members of the fabric is such that preferably the inwardly bent, tucked and interwoven cut ends of the weft members subsequently remain in the positions to which they have been bent, notwithstanding thc stabilizing means and the interwoven arrangement in the selvages of the fabric.

Further, the stabilizing filaments preferably are in longitudinal abutting relationship to each other and respectively are oppositely woven relative to the weft wires or filaments.

While the invention has been shown and illustrated in its preferred embodiment, and has included certain details, it should be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the precise details herein illustrated and described since the same may be carried out in other ways falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

l. Insect screening fabric and the like woven from flexible metallic wire filaments and comprising in combination. a plurality of parallel warp wire filaments, a plurality of separate and substantially parallel weft Wire filaments woven through said warp filaments transversely thereto and of greater length than the width of the fabric, the ends of said weft filaments being bent inwardly at the outer extremity of the selvage substantially into parallelism with the adjacent weft filaments and interwoven between a limited number of spaced successive warp filaments of the selvage of the fabric, whereby said ends are tucked between said warp filaments and the selvage edges of the fabric resemble the selvage edges of conventional fabric having a continuous weft filament, and a pair of Warp-like wire stabilizing filaments disposed in the selvage and parallel to the other warp filaments, said stabilizing filaments being in side-by-side abutting relationship to each other and also being respectively oppositely woven relative to said weft filaments and inwardly bent ends thereof, thereby firmly positioning the inwardly bent ends of said weft filaments in woven position within the fabric selvage.

2. Insect screening fabric and the like woven from flexible metallic wire filaments capable of being bent and of retaining such bent shape when formed into a woven fabric, said fabric comprising in combination, a plurality of such wire filaments arranged in spaced parallel relationship to comprise the Warp of said fabric, and a plurality of such wire filaments separate from each other and woven as weft through said warp filaments transversely thereto, said separate weft wire filaments being of greater length than the width of the fabric and the ends of said weft filaments being bent inwardly to form a U-shaped end with substantially parallel sides at the outer extremity of the fabric selvage and being interwoven into crenelated shape between a limited number of spaced successive warp filaments adjacent the selvage edge of the fabric, whereby said ends are tucked between said selvage warp filaments to secure the same in tucked position and the selvage edges of the fabric resemble the selvage edges of conventional fabric having a continuous weft filament.

3. Insect screening fabric and the like woven from flexible metallic wire filaments capable of being bent and of retaining such shape after bending, said fabric comprising in combination, a plurality of such Wire filaments arranged yin spaced parallel relationship to comprise the warp of said fabric, and a plurality of such wire filaments separate from each other and woven as weft through said warp filaments transversely thereto, said separate weft Wire filaments being of greater length than the width of the fabric and both ends of said weft filaments being bent inwardly respectively at opposite edges of said fabric to lform a U-shaped end with substantially parallel sides at the outer extremities of the fabric selvages and said weft ends being interwoven into crenelated shape between a limited number of spaced successive warp filaments adjacent the selvage edge of the fabric, whereby said ends are tucked and woven between said selvage warp filaments to secure the same in tucked position and the selvage edges of the fabric resemble the selvage edges of conventional fabric having a continuous weft filament.

4. Insect screening fabric and the like woven from flexible metallic wire capable of being bent and of retaining such shape after being, said fabric comprising in combination, a plurality of strands of such wire arranged in spaced parallel relationship to cor'nprise the warp of said fabric, a plurality of strands of such wire separate from each other and woven as weft through said warp wires transversely thereto, said separate weft wires being of greater length than the width of the fabric and the ends of said weft Wires being bent inwardly to form a U-shaped end at the outer extremity of the fabric selvage and said weft ends being interwoven between a limited number of spaced successive warp wires adjacent the selvage edge of the fabric, whereby said ends are tucked between said spaced successive selvage warp wires to secure the same in tucked position and the selvage edges of the fabric resemble the selvage edges of conventional woven wire fabric having a continuous weft filament, and a pair of warp-like stabilizing filaments disposed outermost in the selvage and parallel to the warp wires, said stabilizing filaments being in side-by-side abutting relationship to each other and respectively oppositely woven relative to said weft Wires and tucked ends thereof, thereby firmly positioning the inwardly bent ends of said weft wires in the woven position thereof within the selvage of the fabric.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,948,051 Rossmann Feb. 20, 1934 2,027,778 Holtzapple Jan. 14, 1936 2,034,487 Rossmann Mar. 17, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS 525,790 Germany May 28, 1931

Images