Experiment No 1: Study on Yarn Path Diagram of a Shuttle Loom

with Different Parts.

Introduction: A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold
the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise
shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but the basic function is the same. Shuttle loom is
a conventional type of loom. In shuttle loom, shuttle carries the weft yarn through the warp yarn
shed to forming interlace to produce fabric in weaving process.

The primary and secondary motions of a loom-

Objectives: To learn about warp yarn passage of shuttle loom and functions of different parts.

Passage Diagram:
Major Parts of Loom

Warp beam

The warp beam, which holds the lengthwise yarns, is located at the back of the machine and is
controlled so that it releases yarns to the weaving area of the loom as needed.

Whip roll

This is guide roller which directs the warp threads on their way to the lease rods and heddles.

Lease rods

Another guiding device it is for the warp yarns. These are two sorts of wooden or glass rods set
between the whip rolls and the heddles.

Alternating warp threads can be kept separate by passing over and under these rods.
Drop Wire

A warp stops motion elements. The electrical circuit completes and loom stops when a yarn
break.

Heddles/Healds

A heddle is a wire with a hole or eye in its center through which a warp yarn is threaded. There
are as many heddles as there are warp yarns in the cloth, and the heddles are held in two or more
harness.

Harness

A harness is a frame to hold the heddles. The harness position, the number of harness, and the
warp yarns that are controlled by each harness determine the weave pattern or interlacing.
Pirn/Cop and Shuttle

The filling thread is wound on a bobbin which sets into a shuttle or bobbin container. As the
shuttle passes back and forth through the warp shed, it releases thread from the bobbin and so
forms the filling cloth.

Functions of Shuttle:

The shuttle is made of wood which passes from one end of the loom to the other.
Shuttle travels along the wooden sley race and passes between the top and bottom layers of the
warp sheet.
After passing through the warp shed, shuttle enters a shuttle box fitted at either ends of the loom.
It should be noted here that a shuttle normally weighs about 0.45kgs.

Reed

This is inevitably a combination made up of steel wire rods set vertically in a frame. The spaces
between the wires are known as splits or dents and are kept even and parallel. This is the first
function of reed.

Its second function is to feed the filling thread into position. To do this it has to move in a back
and forth motion.

Breast beam
It is also known as the front rest. It is placed above the cloth roller at the front of the loom and
acts as a guide for the cloth being wound on to the cloth roller. The front rest together with the
backrest helps to keep the warp yarn and cloth in a horizontal position and also maintain proper
tension to facilitate weaving

Temples

They divide at the edges of the cloth which supports to maintain fixed dimension in width.

Cloth roller

It is located at the front of the loom, hold the completed fabric.

Experiment Name: Study on gearing mechanism of tappet loom.

Theory: Tappets are generally used for heald shedding. Tappet is a type of cam to which a rotary
motion is given for the purpose of producing reciprocating motion in rods and levers by sliding
contact. When the rod is to receive a series of lifts, with intervals of rest and thus forms a shed
called tappet.

Objective:

1) To learn about gearing diagram or mechanism of tappet loom.

Figure:

Here, motor is the main power source. The machine pulley is connected with motor pulley by V
belt. So, here motor pulley driver. That means, machine pulley is driven by motor pulley. Crank
shaft is connected with machine pulley. The R.P.M. of machine pulley = The R.P.M. of crank
shaft. Bottom shaft gets motion by crank shaft via gear A. Here, A is driver. The gear C is
connected with gear B by shaft. So, the r.p.m. of B = the r.p.m. of C. Then, the tappet shaft or
auxiliary shaft (D) is driven by bottom shaft(C).

In tappet loom, a weaving cycle (that means shedding, picking and beat up) is completed by one
revolution of crank shaft, the peaking mechanism is control by bottom shaft. Two peaking cams
are situated in the outer side of bottom shaft. The two peaking cams are situated opposite side
with an angle of 180°. If bottom shaft rotated 360°, 2 peaks occur. That means 2 weaving cycle
will be completed. So, if bottom shaft rotates one time (360°) the crank shaft must be rotate 2
times. That’s why we can say that, the r.p.m. of crank shaft is 2 times greater than the r.p.m. of
bottom shaft.

Related machine parts:

Motor

Motor Pulley

Machine Pulley

Gear

Crank Shaft

Bottom Shaft

Tappet

Construction of the mechanism:

1) The machine pulley connected with motor by belt.

2) Machine pulley is connected with crank shaft and crank shaft wheel.

3) Crank shaft wheel connected with bottom shaft wheel. Which rotate the bottom shaft.

Working Principle:

1) When motor rotate, the machine pulley also rotates because motor pulley connected with
machine pulley by belt.

2) Crank shaft wheel also rotates with machine pulley and crank shaft which transmit the motion
to bottom shaft wheel.

Calculation:

R.P.M of motor: 960

Motor pulley dia= 3"

Machine pulley dia = 24"

No. of teeth of crank wheel = 38

R.P.M of crank shaft = 960 X (3/24) = 120

R.P.M of bottom shaft = {960 X (3X38)} / (24 X 76)

= 60

Result: R.P.M of crank shaft = 120

R.P.M of bottom shaft = 60

Study on positive and negative tappet shedding mechanism.
Objectives:

1. To know about the different parts formed this shedding.

2. To learn the mechanism of tappet shedding.

Scope of tappet shedding:

A tappet is a cam having some dwell period which controls the up/down movement of heald
shafts and the time of opening of the shed. Tappets are generally used for heald shedding.
Tappet, cam and wipers are names given indiscriminately to those irregular pieces of mechanism
to which a rotary motion is given for the purpose of producing, by sliding contact, reciprocating
motion in rods and levers. When the rod is to receive a series of lifts, with intervals of rest, the
piece is generally called tappet.

The tappet shedding is the simplest and least versatile shedding motion. The design is restricted
to plain weave, simple twill and simple sateen or satin weave, simple honey comb and huck-a-
back weaves. Any design more than 8 shafts requires dobby loom.

Types of tappet: 
Various kinds of shedding tappets are used in industries. They are of two main types:

1. Negative shedding tappet

2. Positive shedding tappet

In negative tappet, the treadle levers are pressed by the tappet, but do not guide it back to move
up whereas in the positive tappet, the bowl moves inside the groves of the tappet and is
positively guided.

Main parts of tappet shedding mechanism:

1. Motor
2. Motor pulley
3. M/C pulley
4. Crank shaft
5. Crank shaft gear
6. Bottom shaft gear
7. Bottom shaft
8. Tappet
9. Connecting rod
10. Heald shaft
11. Top arm

Position of fixation of shedding tappet:

The shedding tappets are may be fixed in different parts of a loom. Namely-
 1. Under and over the centre of heald shaft.
2. Under and over one end of heald shaft.
3. Out side the loom framing.

Negative tappet shedding mechanism:

A pair of tappets A and B is fixed to the bottom shaft C at 180 degrees to each other (Figure 1).
Two treadle levers D and E are connected to the loom back-rail by a bracket F. The bracket acts
as a fulcrum for the levers. The two treadles have teeth to carry the lamb rods G and H,
respectively. Two heald shafts J and K are connected to the lamb rods. A top reversing roller
shaft Q carries two rollers of different diameters. The roller of small diameter N is connected to
leather strap L to which the front heald shaft J is connected. The roller P of large diameter is
connected to leather strap M to which the back heald shaft K is connected. The tappets A and B
touch the anti-friction bowls or followers R and S, respectively, which are fixed to the treadle
levers.

Figure 1: Negative tappet shedding

mechanism

The heald shafts have heald eyes T and U through which the warp threads pass. X is the warp
sheet and Y is the cloth. The odd ends are passed through one heald shaft while the even ends are
passed through the other heald shaft. As the tappets revolve, they press the treadles that in turn
make the heald frames move up and down, thus forming the shed to facilitate insertion of weft.

Positive tappet shedding mechanism:

In this type of shedding, the heald shaft is raised and lowered by the tappet (Figure 2). The tappet
shaft A carries tappet B that has a groove C or track in which a bowl D is placed. The bowl is
connected in turn to a tappet lever E, link rods G, links J and a heald shaft K. Each tappet is
separately connected to a heald shaft through link rods and tappet lever. F and H are fulcrums for
tappet lever and links G, respectively.
 Fi
gure 2: Positive tappet shedding mechanism

When the tappet is rotated, the bowl is also rotated. According to the shape of the groove, the
bowl is moved up or down or remains still. If the bowl is moved up, the tappet lever moves to the
right through the links G and J and the heald shaft is lowered. If the bowl is moved down, the
tappet lever moves to the left and the heald shaft is raised. Since the heald shaft is raised and
lowered by means of the mechanism, this tappet shedding is known as positive tappet shedding
mechanism. When the bowl stands still, the heald shaft is in the ‘dwell’ stage.

Driving of shedding tappet:

In our loom tappet gets motion in the following way. At first machine pulley gets drive by belt
from motor pulley. Then machine pulley, which is directly joined with the crank shaft, gives
motion to bottom shaft. This crank shaft gives motion to bottom shaft via gearing. Two tappets
are joined with the bottom shaft. So when bottom shaft moves then the tappets also rotate. When
it gets contact with tradle bowl it lifts the tradle levers and the heald shafts are lifted by tradle
levers via links. As this is a negative shedding tappet the heald shafts are lowered by their own
weight.

Advantages of tappet shedding:

The main advantages of tappet shedding is that It is robust, simple and cheap, It is capable of
lifting a heavy weight with less wear and tear than other shedding mechanisms. It can move
heald shafts at great speeds, puts less strain upon the warp, consumes less power, gives greater
output and requires less maintenance.

Disadvantages of tappet shedding:

It has some disadvantages also. If the weave is changed, it will be necessary to change the tappet
and the change gear wheel in the counter shaft arrangement. So work involved in changing the
weave is more. The capacity of a tappet to produce a pattern/weave is very much limited. A
maximum of 8 or 10 tappets only can be used.