Machine for forming triaxial fabrics

Claim 1

In a machine for forming triaxial fabric consisting of: a. means for supplying a plurality of warp yarn strands said strands being divided into upper and lower groups, the strands in each of said groups being generally parallel and equally spaced from adjacent strands, the strands of said upper group being transversely spaced intermediate the positions of said strands of said lower group, said warp yarn strands extending longitudinally from said supply means to a fell line at which is located a fabric take-up means, b. means for transversely advancing first one of said warp strand groups, a distance equal to the spacing between adjacent yarn strands in a given transverse direction and then the other of said warp strand groups at the point of supply thereof the same distance in the opposite direction, c. means for transFerring, following each such transverse movement, a yarn strand from the edge of said transversely moved yarn strand group toward which said transverse movement occurs to the corresponding edge of the other yarn strand group, and d. means, following each such transverse movement and yarn strand transfer, for altering the paths of said warp yarn strands at a particular longitudinal position by guiding said lower yarn strands upwardly and said upper yarn strands downwardly to form a shed and for inserting a woof yarn strand in said shed transverse of said warp yarn supply strands, e. the improvement consisting of a beat up means for stabilizing fabric produced in said machine, said beat up means consisting of i. an above beater, disposed above and transverse of said warp yarn strands, comprising a plurality of parallel downwardly extending members, said members being spaced from adjacent members by a distance corresponding to that between adjacent warp yarn strands in said warp yarn strand groups, said above beater further including an above beater control means for moving said above beater from a first rest position through a first intermediate position to a second rest position, at the fell line, and thence through a second intermediate position back to said first rest position in a predetermined path, ii. a below beater, disposed below and transverse of said warp yarn strands, comprising a plurality of parallel upwardly extending members, said members being transversely spaced intermediate the transverse positions of said above beater members, said below beater further including a below beater control means for moving said below beater from a first rest position through a first intermediate position to a second rest position, at the fell line, and thence through a second intermediate position back to said first rest position in a predetermined path, the paths of all of said members of said above and said below beaters lying in imaginary planes generally parallel to each other and to said warp yarn strands, said beater members extending through said warp yarn strands in said first intermediate position and in said second rest position and not extending through said warp yarn strands in said first rest position and said second intermediate position, iii. said above and below beaters being positioned such that in the transverse movement of said groups of warp yarn strands, each of said strands of said transversely moving group passes first through one of said imaginary planes defined by the path of one beater member of one of said beaters, which beater is in the second rest position thereof at the time of said transverse movement, and second through another of said imaginary planes defined by the path of a second beater member of the other of said beaters, the other of said beaters being in said first rest position at the time of said transverse movement and until said shed formation, iv. said beater control means adapted to move said above beater from said first rest position to said first intermediate position to said second rest position to said second intermediate position and thence back to said first rest position simultaneously with the movement of said below beater from said second rest position through said second intermediate first rest and first intermediate position and back to said second rest position, said beaters reaching said intermediate positions simultaneously as said shed is formed.