Abstract: The combination, with a source of supply of a warp of yarns and a mechanism for operating on the yarns, of a yarn compensator which stores yarn and is disposed between the source and the operating mechanism, the compensator including feed rollers operative to draw the yarns from the source at a greater rate than it can be accepted by the operating mechanism and means for driving the feed rollers, and a detector for detecting faults in the ends of yarn in the source, said detector being operative on detection of a fault to stop the feed rollers and to cause the operating mechanism to run at a lower speed.

Abstract: A knife assembly for a fine gauge tufting machine comprises a rectangular clamping bar and a series of knife blocks mounted side by side on the knife bar. Each knife block carries a number of knives mounted in parallel grooves in the knife block machined in a direction to present the knives to loopers of the machine at the desired cutting angle. The knives are retained in each knife block by a plate and clamping screws which extend through the plate to engage the edges of the knives. Each knife block has a rearwardly extending peg which is clamped in a hole in the knife bar with the knife block orientated to present the knives to the loopers at the desired pressing angle.

Abstract: A knife block for use in a fine gauge tufting machine carries four knives, disposed in pairs on opposite sides of a central web with their edges engaged in opposed pairs of grooves in the block. The knives are retained in the block by two knurled cylindrical clamping blocks, which are disposed in slots in the block and are pressed by clamping screws into engagement with the edges of the knives.

Abstract: A tufting machine, which produces in fabric to be tufted a pattern of varying pile height repeated across the width of the fabric and which includes a border control mechanism whereby the machine can be conditioned to interrupt patterning periodically and form transverse borders between repeats of the pattern.

Abstract: A tufting machine which includes mechanism for adjusting the stroke of the needles which is operable from the exterior of the machine and such that the bottom dead center position of the needles remains at a constant level in all positions of adjustment.

Abstract: A needle bar for a tufting machine, comprising a main bar having a row of holes uniformly spaced at a coarse pitch, a multiplicity of contiguous segments fitted into a longitudinal location groove in one face of the main bar, each segment having a peg accommodated in one of said holes in the main bar and retained therein by a locking screw and a row of finer holes, disposed parallel to the holes in the main bar and uniformly spaced at a finer pitch than the holes in the main bar, and needles mounted in groups in the holes in the segments to extend away from the main bar and retained in said holes by locking screws, the number of needles in each group being equal.

Abstract: A looper mechanism for a tufting machine for producing loop pile fabric, comprising a looper bar carrying loopers which cooperate with respective needles of the machine and means for oscillating the looper bar to effect such cooperation, the looper bar having, in the side thereof facing the needles, a plurality of slots each of which accommodates, side by side, shank portions of a pair of loopers having hook portions facing the needles, the hook portion of one looper of the pair being coplanar with its shank portion and the hook portion of the other looper being offset from its shank portion by an amount equal to the spacing between the needles, and each pair of loopers being retained in its respective slot by a single clamping screw.

Abstract: A needle bar assembly for a tufting machine, comprising a member having a saw tooth surface, a row of needles disposed with their shanks in the recesses of said surface and clamps for clamping the needles in the recesses.

Abstract: A drier, comprising an enclosed casing, means for feeding a sheet of parallel yarns to be dried through the casing in at least one substantially horizontal pass, nozzle boxes disposed above and below the sheet material in each pass to form a drying chamber, means for introducing hot air into the nozzle boxes, and slots in the walls of the nozzle boxes which face the sheet, said slots constituting nozzles effective to discharge hot air from each nozzle box onto the opposed surfaces of the sheet at an angle to the vertical in the range of 30.degree. to 60.degree. and the slots in the upper and lower boxes being slanted in opposite directions to the direction transverse to the direction of travel of the sheet.

Abstract: Stop spots in pile fabrics are avoided in the manufacture of loop and cut pile fabrics by continuously reducing the operating speed of the needle drive shaft before the machine is stopped, when such stoppage becomes necessary in the course of the fabric manufacture, and again continuously increasing the shaft operating speed to its normal value after start-up.