US2997075A - Pile fabric - Google Patents

Description

PILE FABRIC Filed July 24, 1958 United 2,997,075 Patented Aug. 22, 1961 2,997,075 PILE FABRIC Henry F. Nowicki, Norristown, Pa., assignor to James Lees and Sons Company, Bridgeport, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed .Iuly 24, 1958, Ser. No. 750,676 4 Claims. (Cl. 139-402) This invention relates to pile fabrics and more particularly to the method of weaving a velvet pile fabric with profile pile wires to achieve novel effects.

It has been found that an unexpectedly desirable and pleasing pile fabric effect may be achieved by planting differently colored yarns on a warp beam and controlling the weaving of the different colors over series of undulating out-of-phase pile wires to provide a self-tone fabric. The invention will be described in conjunction with a one shot velvet fabric suitable for rugs and carpets. It will be understood, however, that it may be used equally with Wilton, Brussels, or tapestry weaves.

A primary object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a novel manner for controlling the pile height of a pile fabric to provide a self-tone effect by correlating gradual differences in pile height with corresponding differences in color, yarn weight, yarn twist, 'and types of constituent fibers.

A further object of the invention is to weave alternately colored pile warps over warpwise aligned crests and valleys in successive series of undulating or profile pile wires.

Further objects will be apparent from the specication and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a warpwise section of a pile fabric embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows the draw for the fabric of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of a pair of adjacent pile wires,

FIG. 4 illustrates schematically the beam plant in accordance with the present invention showing the gradual change in yarn characteristics such as color, weight twist, etc.; and

FIG. 5 illustrates progressively the weaving of the pile warps over the out-of-phase pile wires.

The invention comprises essentially the provision of a set of pile wires in which alternate pairs or alternate individual wires have undulations on their top edges which are out of phase with each other. Where the undulations slope a self-tone color or other characteristic of the yarn having a striking visual contrast effect is provided when the colors or other visual characteristics of the yarn are gradually shaded from high to low on the wires and vice-versa.

A pile fabric which, for example, comprises a plurality of double wefts 10, 10, opposed chain warps 11, 11, and pairs of pile warps 12 and 13, is formed by weaving the face pile warps 12 and 13 over pile wires 14 and 15 in pairs or singles. Where the pile warps 12 and 13 are staggered, that is, weaving under alternate shots 10, it is desirable to employ identical wires 14 and out-of-phase wires 15.

The undulations in the wires (FIG. 3) comprise crests 16 and valleys 17 generally following a sine curve. The wire 15 has identical crests and valleys 16 and 17 except that they are 180 out of phase with the crests and valleys 16 and 17 of wire 14. The face yarns 12 and 413 are of contrasting appearance and the weftwise location of the colors or other visual characteristics of maximum contrast are designated at positions 4 and l in FIG. 4. Proceeding weftwise on the beam 20, the shading of the colors varies in accordance with the plant from light to dark and vice-versa. In drawing the pile yarns through the loom heddles the most desirable effect is achieved by aligning the darkest shade or color 4 with the maximum portion of the crests and valleys '16 and 17 on wires 14 and 15. Alternative ways of drawing may be employed. For example, the dark yarns Z1, 21 shown at 4 in FIG. 4 may be drawn to weave over aligned crests and valleys in alternate wires such as shown in FIGURE 5. Intermediate aligned crests and valleys on the wires will have the lightest color or shade 1. In any event the desired effect is achieved when the weftwise gradation on each wire follows the ycontour of the wire so that the darkest yarns 21, 21 weave over the wire at the maximum high or low portions, namely, the crests and valleys, and the lightest or contrasting colored yarns 22, 22 weave over different wires in the same way. Obviously such an arrangement produces an in-phase relationship weftwise ou each wire when 'comparing color or other gradation and wire undulation. If desired, this relationship on each wire may be out of phase so that instead of the dark yarns 21, 21 always appearing at the crests 16 on each wire, the plant on the beam may be arranged so that the light and dark yarns are also out of phase thus alternating from crest to crest on each wire.

In addition to the above relationship of the yarns on each individual wire which is controlled by the harness draw, the warpwise relationship of the yarns from wire to wire may also be controlled so that two similar wires 15', 15 in FIG. 5 are inserted successively but the yarn on each of these wires is out of phase so that dark yarns 21, 21 weave over the crest 16 in wire 15 but the lighter or contrasting yarns 22, 22 weave over the crests 16 in wire 15.

As shown clearly in FIG. 5, the dark stippling or shading of yarns 21, 21 gradually diminishes weftwise so that in all transverse loop rows there is a continuing gradation between the light and the dark color which, in the case of the low pile, is masked between adjoining high loops in the weftwise row. Where the pile yarns 12 and 13 are staggered in each dent or in other dents, I prefer t0 use the wires 14 in pairs so that staggered high loops 23, 23 will be formed on adjacent wires and staggered low loops 24, 24 are formed on weftwise aligned valleys in adjacent pairs.

The overall appearance of the fabric gives a -gradual gradation in appearance both warpwise and weftwise, and it will be understood that by judicious planting of contrasting colored face pile yarns in the yarn supply such as a beam, as well as the use of undulating pile wires, some of which are 180 out of phase with other wires, it is possible to provide a very novel and interesting range of effects in a pile carpet. The phase relationship of the wire undulations and the phase relationship of the gradations both warpwise and weftwise enables a complete masking of certain yarns to entirely change the appearance of the fabric. It will also be understood that the actual pile height of the loops will be just the reverse of those shown in FIGURE 5 since the high loops in the preceding row are pulled down when a succeeding wire is withdrawn. This fact, however, has no bearing upon the present invention because the designer realizes that a consideration of the pile loops when on the wires must be connected for the warpwise distance of one or more wires after the wires are withdrawn. Furthermore, the contrast in the yarns may be due to features or characteristics other than color, such as weight, twist, and constituent fibers.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. The method of weaving a pile fabric which comprises the steps of raising a series of pile yarns having weftwise gradated characteristics over an undulating pile wire so that points of maximum gradation are in alignment with points of maximum undulation on the wire,

and raising a second series of gradated characteristic pile yarns over a succeeding undulating Wire the yarns in the second series being gradated out of undulating phase weftwise with the yarns in the rst series.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the undulations on the second wire are out of phase with the undulations of the rst wire.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the undulations on the second Wire are in phase with the undulations of the first wire.

4. The method of claim l in which `the gradated characteristics of the yarn are color gradations, and the wires are arranged in pairs, the undulations of each pair of wires are in phase, but the undulations of the pairs of wires are out of phase and said color gradations are out of phase on the wires of each pair.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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