BASIC KNOWLEDGE ON SECONDARY AND AUXILIARY MOTIONS OF

WEAVING MACHINE AND THEIR TECHNOLOGY

(WARP PROTECTOR – FAST REED MECHANISM)

Respectful Courtesy to
Prof. Sadhan Chandra Ray
Professor
Department of Jute and Fibre Technology
Institute of Jute Technology
University of Calcutta,
35, Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata-700 019, West Bengal, India
Chapter-3

AUXILIARY MECHANISM
(WARP PROTECTOR – FAST REED MECHANISM)
1.1 Fast Reed Mechanism
Objective
(a) This mechanism is used for heavy fabrics, e.g. satin ducks
and canvas type fabrics.
(b) In this mechanism, the reed is always held firmly and so it
is known as Fast Reed Mechanism.
Construction
(a) The mechanism consists of a swell A, which protrudes
from the shuttle box B.
(b) A knock-off finger C touches the swell at the back of the
shuttle box.
(c) The finger is connected to a cross rod D and has at its
forward end a dagger G.
(d) The cross rod extends the entire width of the loom and on
the opposite side, there is another dagger and a knock-off
finger, which are also in contact with the swell in the
opposite box.
(e) A frog F is connected to a small rod and H is the starting
handle.
(f) A spring E is connected to the dagger G and the sley
sword.
(g) A similar arrangement is fitted on the other side of the
loom.
Working
The mechanism is initiated by the swell with the shuttle in its box.
Presence of shuttle in the box
 If the picking mechanism is perfect in action the shuttle reaches
the opposite box safely without any difficulty.
 When the shuttle moves fully into the box it pushes the swell
away.
 Then the swell pushes the knock-off finger C backward.
 Cross rod D rotates partially and raises the front end of dagger
G.
 As the dagger G rises, it moves freely over the frog F when the
sley comes to the front centre. The loom keeps running.
Absence of shuttle in the box
 Due to faults in the shedding or picking mechanism, the shuttle
may not reach the opposite box safely.
 The absence of shuttle in the box prevents the swell from being
pushed back and it will be idle.
 The frog F being connected to a small rod
 For this reason, knock-off finger C, cross rod D and dagger G will pushes the starting handle.
also be inactive.
 When the sley comes to the front centre to beat up the weft,  The driving belt gets shifted from fast pulley to
the dagger continues to remain in its existing position and hits loose pulley and the loom stops suddenly with a
the frog F. Banging-Off sound at the top centre.
1.2 Comparison between Loose Reed and Fast Reed Mechanism
Sl. No. LOOSE REED MECHANISM FAST REED MECHANISM
1. This mechanism acts on loose reed This mechanism acts due to the swell in the
principle. box.
2. The reed is firm at the front or back The reed is always firm or rigid.
centre.
3. When loose reed acts, the loom comes to Loom stops immediately at the top centre
stop only after one or two revolutions. itself.
4. It is not suitable for heavy fabric. It is suitable for all types of fabrics
particularly for canvas fabric.
5. When the loom stops, there is a little When the loom stops, there is a greater
vibration of the parts. vibration of the parts.

6. Wear and tear of the moving parts is low. Wear and tear of the moving parts is
relatively more.
Some points to be observed
 The protector rod should be free on its fitting and so balanced that when it is
properly fitted in its working position, the weights of the buffer tongues alone
will be sufficient to cause them to fall towards the buffers even when no
springs are attached.

 The settings of the shuttle boxes and the shapes of the swells should be so
maintained that when the shuttle is fully boxed the buffer tongues are lifted
clear of their buffers.

 The springs attached to the protector rod should be sufficiently strong to keep
the buffer tongues down during the loom knocking-off.

 The buffer tongues and buffers on both sides should have the same exact
dimensions and settings so that they are engaged simultaneously to stop the
loom.
Some Practical Problems of Fast Reed Protector Mechanism and their Remedies
Problem: The warp protector mechanism stops the loom although the shuttle has been
boxed properly.
Reason: The lifter (knock-off finger C) has become loose on the protector rod (cross rod
D).
Remedy: The lifter should be properly set and tied on the protector rod.

Problem: Warp protector mechanism fails to stop the loom although the shuttle has not
been boxed properly.
Reason: The buffers (frog F) have worn out and the buffer tongues (dagger D) fail to
engage with the-buffers.
Remedy: The worn out buffers should be replaced or repaired properly.
Electro-Magnetic Warp Protector Mechanism
This mechanism is found in modern automatic looms and not in
plain power looms
Working Principle
(1) A magnet is fixed at the bottom of the shuttle.
(2) A pick-up coil is fixed at the sley.
(3) The position of the coil in the sley must be set off from the
centre of the sley because it is only possible to carry the
magnet at the end of the shuttle opposite to the shuttle eye.
(4) An electrical control unit with a solenoid is connected to a
knock-off lever.
(5) The gear wheel driven unit carries two knock-off catches and
two magnets diagonally opposite to each other. Another pick-
up coil is placed above the surface of the gear wheel driven
unit.
(6) The passage of the shuttle over the coil causes a pulse to be fed
to the electrical control unit.
(7) This pulse must alternate with a second pulse, generated by a
magnet mounted on the loom-shaft gear wheel and occurring
at a fixed time in each loom cycle.
(8) Any break in the sequence of these pulses caused by a late
passing or non-passing of the shuttle will activate the solenoid,
so that the knock-off lever is positioned in the path of the
knock-off catch, and the loom will be brought to stop.