A loop forming device for a warp knitting machine which can be shrunk

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of warp knitting machine, and particularly relates to a warp knitting machine loop forming device capable of narrowing width, which comprises a groove needle assembly, a needle core assembly, a sinker assembly, a presser assembly and a plurality of guide assemblies; the groove needle assembly and the needle core assembly are both provided with needle beds extending along the length direction of the warp knitting machine; a plurality of standard modules and a plurality of narrowing width modules are distributed along the length direction of the needle beds in a modular detachable manner; the standard modules and the narrowing width modules both comprise needle blocks, a plurality of needle bodies and a plurality of presser plates; the plurality of needle bodies are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the needle blocks; the presser plates are correspondingly covered on the side of the needle bodies away from the needle blocks; and the needle bodies are clamped between the needle blocks and the presser plates. The modular design of the needle beds and the needle blocks can be separated; the combination of the standard modules and the narrowing width modules can realize the flexible adjustment of the effective knitting width of the needle beds; the target width fabric can be directly produced; the waste can be reduced to less than 5% from the root; the raw material cost can be greatly reduced; and the fabric edge integrity and the overall mechanical continuity can be ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of warp knitting machine technology, and more particularly to a loop-forming device for a warp knitting machine that can be narrowed for knitting. Background Technology

[0002] In the process of weaving fabric, loop formation is the core process of forming the fabric structure. The mechanism that realizes the loop formation action is called the loop forming device. Its core components include groove needles, needle cores, sinkers and guide bars. The formation of warp-knitted fabric depends on the synergistic effect of the above components. The continuous fabric is formed by bending the warp yarns into loops and interlocking them.

[0003] However, in the loop-forming devices of existing warp knitting machines for high-performance fibers such as carbon fiber and glass fiber, the core knitting components, such as the needle bed, sinker bed, and guide bar, are all fixedly assembled on a non-adjustable width frame. This results in only a single fixed width fabric being formed during the knitting process. When faced with product requirements of different widths, a fixed width base fabric can only be knitted first, and then the target width can be obtained through cutting. This method results in material waste, especially when processing carbon fiber, aramid, glass fiber, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, where the increased raw material cost due to waste is more significant because these fibers are expensive. At the same time, the cutting process cuts off the load-bearing fibers and loop interlocking structure inside the fabric, causing irreversible degradation of the fabric's core mechanical properties such as tensile elasticity, tear strength, and abrasion resistance. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a loop-forming device for a warp knitting machine that can reduce the knitting width, which can effectively solve the problems in the background art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A loop-forming device for a warp knitting machine with collapsible knitting capability includes a grooved needle assembly, a needle core assembly, a sinker assembly, a yarn pressing assembly, and multiple yarn guiding assemblies for coordinated motion to achieve loop knitting of warp yarns.

[0007] Both the slotted needle assembly and the needle core assembly are equipped with a needle bed extending along the length direction of the warp knitting machine. The needle bed is modularly and detachably distributed with several standard modules and several reduction modules along its own length direction.

[0008] Both the standard module and the amplification module include a needle block, several needle bodies, and several pressure plates. The needle bodies are arranged at intervals along the length of the needle block, and the pressure plates cover the side of the needle body opposite to the needle block. The needle body is sandwiched between the needle block and the pressure plates.

[0009] Furthermore, a pad is provided on the side of the pressure needle plate facing the needle body;

[0010] The pad is made of silicone.

[0011] Furthermore, the contact surface between the pad and the pressure needle plate is provided with at least two connecting portions.

[0012] Furthermore, the side of the needle block facing the pressure plate is provided with a slot, and the slot is adapted to the corresponding shape of the needle body;

[0013] A cavity area is provided on the side of the needle block facing the pressure plate, in the region located at the end of the needle body.

[0014] Furthermore, the relative contact surfaces of two adjacent pressure pin plates of the grooved pin assembly are mutually adapted inclined surfaces, and the two inclined surfaces fit together to form an inclined interlocking structure.

[0015] Furthermore, a transition pressure plate is provided in the transition area between two adjacent needle blocks;

[0016] The transition pressure plate is integrally formed from the pressure plate corresponding to each of the two adjacent needle blocks.

[0017] Furthermore, the needle bed is provided with a first stepped groove along its length, and the needle block is provided with a second stepped groove on the side facing the needle bed that matches the first stepped groove;

[0018] The first step groove fits into the second step groove, and a positioning strip is provided on the side wall where the needle bed and the needle block are in contact.

[0019] Furthermore, a clearance space is provided between two adjacent pressure pin plates in the grooved pin assembly;

[0020] The needle block has a through hole at the position corresponding to the clearance space. The position of the through hole corresponds one-to-one with the locking bolt provided on the pressure plate of the needle core assembly. The diameter of the through hole is larger than the head size of the locking bolt.

[0021] Furthermore, in the needle core assembly, the top of the pad is bent and extended toward the side opposite to the needle body to form a covering edge, which is in contact with the top outer side of the pressure needle plate.

[0022] Furthermore, the sinker of the sinker assembly, the pressing needle of the pressing yarn assembly, and the guiding needle of the guiding yarn assembly are all modularly and detachably distributed along the width direction of the warp knitting machine.

[0023] The technical solution of this invention can achieve the following technical effects:

[0024] By adopting a modular design that allows for the separation of the needle bed and needle blocks, and through the combination and replacement of standard and shrinkage modules, the effective knitting width of the needle bed can be flexibly adjusted, directly producing fabrics of the target width. This reduces waste to below 5% at the source, significantly lowering raw material costs. Furthermore, in the shrinkage area, fibers can automatically rearrange, maintaining ideal fiber orientation and density, preventing the cutting of supporting fibers during trimming, and ensuring the integrity of the fabric edges and overall mechanical continuity. In addition, the modular structure facilitates quick replacement and maintenance of individual modules. When a module malfunctions, there is no need to stop the entire needle bed for repair; the faulty module can be replaced specifically, minimizing downtime and ensuring production continuity. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 A first-view structural schematic diagram of the loop-forming device of a warp knitting machine capable of shrinking width;

[0027] Figure 2 A second-view structural schematic diagram of the loop-forming device of a warp knitting machine capable of shrinking width;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of the slotted needle assembly and the needle core assembly;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the transition pressure plate;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the pressure plate.

[0031] Reference numerals: 1. Grooved needle assembly; 11. Needle bed; 12. Needle block; 12a. Through hole; 13. Needle body; 14. Presser plate; 14a. Inclined surface; 14b. Clearance space; 15. Pad; 15a. Covering edge; 2. Needle core assembly; 3. Sinking plate assembly; 4. Yarn pressing assembly; 5. Yarn guiding assembly; 6. Cavity area; 7. Transition presser plate; 8. Positioning strip. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments.

[0033] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0034] like Figures 1-5 As shown, this application provides a warp knitting machine loop-forming device that can reduce the width of the knitting width, including a grooved needle assembly 1, a needle core assembly 2, a sinker assembly 3, a yarn pressing assembly 4, and multiple yarn guiding assemblies 5 for coordinated motion to realize warp yarn loop knitting;

[0035] Both the slotted needle assembly 1 and the needle core assembly 2 are equipped with a needle bed 11 extending along the length direction of the warp knitting machine. The needle bed 11 has several standard modules and several shrinking modules modularly and detachably distributed along its own length direction.

[0036] Both the standard module and the shrinking module include a needle block 12, several needle bodies 13 and several pressure plates 14. The needle bodies 13 are arranged at intervals along the length of the needle block 12, and the pressure plates 14 cover the side of the needle body 13 away from the needle block 12. The needle body 13 is sandwiched between the needle block 12 and the pressure plates 14.

[0037] This invention employs a modular design where the needle bed 11 and needle block 12 can be separated. By combining and replacing standard modules and shrinking modules, the effective knitting width of the needle bed 11 can be flexibly adjusted. This modular shrinking structure is suitable for the processing needs of warp knitting machines for high-performance fibers such as carbon fiber and glass fiber, and can directly produce fabrics of the target width, reducing waste to below 5% at the source and significantly reducing raw material costs. Furthermore, in the shrinking area, fibers can automatically rearrange to maintain ideal fiber orientation and density, avoiding the cutting of carrying fibers due to cutting, and ensuring the integrity of the fabric edges and the overall mechanical continuity. In addition, the modular structure facilitates the rapid replacement and maintenance of individual modules. When a module malfunctions, there is no need to stop the entire needle bed 11 for repair; the faulty module can be replaced specifically, minimizing downtime and ensuring production continuity.

[0038] The needle block 12 of this invention adopts a modular design that combines standardization and customization. The specific configuration is as follows: the standard module specifications are set to three general specifications: 50 inches, 30 inches and 21 inches, which can adapt to the knitting needs of mainstream conventional widths; the width reduction module specifications are set to three specifications: 2 inches, 5 inches and 10 inches, in order to achieve fine adjustment of width. Moreover, through the modular combination design, the width adjustment unit of the smallest 1 inch can be achieved to meet the precise width requirements in different scenarios.

[0039] When a specific fabric width needs to be knitted, the target width can be achieved through a precise combination of standard modules and width-reduction modules. Specifically, for example, when knitting a 100-inch wide fabric, one feasible combination is as follows: Use one 50-inch standard module, one 30-inch standard module, one 10-inch width-reduction module, and five 2-inch width-reduction modules. Assemble these modules sequentially on the needle bed 11 according to the preset width dimensions, forming a needle bed 11 structure with a total effective knitting width of 100 inches. Similarly, when knitting a 238-inch wide fabric, one feasible combination is as follows: Use four 50-inch standard modules, one 30-inch standard module, and four 2-inch width-reduction modules. Assemble these modules sequentially on the needle bed 11 according to the preset width dimensions, forming a needle bed 11 structure with a total effective knitting width of 238 inches. It should be noted that the above two width combination methods are merely illustrative and not the only limitation; any implementation method that combines the standard modules and width-reduction modules described in this invention to form the target width is within the protection scope of this invention.

[0040] During the weaving process, the modular needle bed 11 with shrinkable width technology enables the distribution of fibers on demand, achieving precise width adjustment while ensuring the continuity and structural integrity of the weaving area.

[0041] In this invention, the needle body 13 is positioned one by one through the mounting groove on the needle block 12, and the needle body 13 is clamped in the mounting groove by the pressure plate 14. During the knitting process, the needle body 13 will generate heat due to friction and high-frequency movement. This heat will be directly transferred to the needle block 12 and the pressure plate 14. The pressure plate 14 will expand or deform slightly at the seam due to the heat, which cannot guarantee the positioning accuracy and stability of the needle body 13 at the seam. Therefore, as a preferred solution, this invention provides a pad 15 on the side of the pressure plate 14 facing the needle body 13. The pad 15 is made of silicone material.

[0042] The pad 15 mitigates the negative effects of heat deformation by utilizing the inherent properties of silicone material. It significantly blocks heat conduction efficiency, reducing the total amount of heat transferred to the pressure plate 14, thereby reducing the temperature rise of the pressure plate 14 and minimizing heat deformation caused by temperature increase at the source. In addition, the silicone pad 15 can offset the deformation displacement of the pressure plate 14 through its own elastic compression or rebound, preventing the contact position between the pressure plate 14 and the needle body 13 at the seam from shifting and maintaining the positioning accuracy of the needle body 13.

[0043] The silicone pad 15 transforms the rigid metal contact between the pressure plate 14 and the needle body 13 into an elastic contact. This converts the rigid impact generated by their relative motion into elastic compression deformation to absorb impact energy, effectively reducing vibration during the looping process and preventing damage to the needle body 13 due to rigid impact. This ensures the precision and lifespan of the needles. Furthermore, the elastic deformation adaptively compensates for minute dimensional and geometric tolerances in the machining and assembly of components such as the pressure plate 14, needle body 13, and needle block 12. This ensures uniform pressure distribution on each needle body 13, preventing localized stress concentration that could lead to needle body skewing, breakage, or uneven looping force, thus structurally guaranteeing looping accuracy. It ensures the stability of fabric weaving quality; its excellent wear resistance can directly withstand the relative friction between the pressure plate 14 and the needle body 13, replacing the wear of expensive and precision metal parts through its own wear, reducing the wear of core metal parts and extending their maintenance cycle and service life. Moreover, the modular pad 15 is easy to disassemble and assemble, and the replacement cost is much lower than that of metal parts, which can significantly reduce the maintenance cost of the equipment throughout its entire life cycle. At the same time, the uniform elastic pressure transmission can ensure a smooth and orderly looping process, reducing fabric defects such as missed needles and uneven loops caused by pressure fluctuations or vibrations, improving fabric uniformity and product qualification rate. The vibration damping effect of the pad 15 can also reduce the operating noise of the looping device and improve the production working environment.

[0044] More preferably, the contact surface between the pad 15 and the pressure plate 14 is provided with at least two connecting parts. Specifically, the two connecting parts protrude from the contact surface, and the pressure plate 14 is provided with a groove structure corresponding to the positions of the two connecting parts. The two protruding connecting parts are embedded in the groove structure within the pressure plate 14, which can achieve precise alignment of the pad 15 when the pressure plate 14 is locked and fixed, and prevent the pad 15 from sliding horizontally or twisting circumferentially along the contact surface; especially during the high-speed looping motion of the warp knitting machine, it can effectively resist the displacement tendency caused by vibration and impact, and ensure that the pad 15 is always in the preset installation position.

[0045] In this invention, the side of the needle block 12 facing the pressure plate 14 is provided with a groove, which is adapted to the shape of the corresponding needle body 13, forming a two-way constraint on the needle body 13 in both the lateral and longitudinal directions. This can accurately limit the needle body 13 to a preset position, preventing the needle body 13 from sliding or shifting horizontally due to vibration or impact during the high-speed looping motion of the warp knitting machine. As a preferred structure, a cavity area 6 is provided on the side of the needle block 12 facing the pressure plate 14, in the area at the end of the needle body 13. This provides an elastic deformation compensation space for the pressure plate 14 to press the needle body 13. When the pressure plate 14 applies pressure, the edge of the needle block 12 in the cavity area 6 can produce micro-elastic deformation, so that the pressure is evenly transmitted from the middle of the needle body 13 to the end, better pressing the needle body 13 and ensuring that the needle body 13 is subjected to uniform force.

[0046] In the grooved needle assembly 1, the grooved needle is the core component for loop formation in the warp knitting machine. Its needle body 13 adopts a narrow structure design, with a width of only a few millimeters. This causes the traditional planar contact pressure plate 14 to easily form a locking force discontinuity in this narrow space, making it difficult to reliably and stably lock the needle body 13. Especially at the splicing of adjacent pressure plates 14, the needle body is prone to loosening due to insufficient locking force and uneven force. To solve the above problems, preferably, the relative contact surfaces of two adjacent pressure plates 14 of the grooved needle assembly 1 are mutually compatible inclined surfaces 14a. The two inclined surfaces 14a fit together to form an inclined interlocking structure. The inclined interlocking structure spans multiple uniformly arranged needles 13, so that the upper part of the multiple needles 13 arranged at the splice is pressed by the previous pressure plate 14 and the lower part is pressed by the next pressure plate 14. With the help of the inclined interlocking force of the two adjacent pressure plates 14, a stable and uniform locking force is applied to the needles 13 at the splice. This design can effectively resist the high-frequency vibration and periodic impact generated when the warp knitting machine forms loops at high speed, avoid the loosening of a single pressure plate 14 due to vibration, and thus prevent the narrow needles 13 from shaking or shifting, ensuring the stability and accuracy of the grooved needle looping action under high-speed conditions.

[0047] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a transition pressure plate 7 is provided in the transition area between two adjacent needle blocks 12; the transition pressure plate 7 is integrally formed from the corresponding pressure plate 14 of each of the two adjacent needle blocks 12. The transition pressure plate 14 adopts an integral molding design, seamlessly connecting the pressure plates 14 of adjacent needle blocks 12, completely covering the transition area, so that the installation reference of the needle body 13 in the transition area is consistent with that in the non-transition area, avoiding the positional deviation of the needle body 13 caused by gaps, ensuring the straightness and spacing accuracy of the needle body 13 arrangement across the entire width, and structurally ensuring the accuracy of the grooved needle installation position. In addition, a silicone pad 15 is also provided on the side of the transition pressure plate 7 facing the needle body 13.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the needle bed 11 is provided with a first stepped groove along its length direction, and the needle block 12 is provided with a second stepped groove on the side facing the needle bed 11 that is adapted to the first stepped groove. The first stepped groove and the second stepped groove are fitted together, and a positioning strip 8 is provided on the side wall of the needle bed 11 that is in contact with the needle block 12.

[0049] Both the needle block 12 and the needle bed 11 are processed and assembled based on the positioning strip 8, ensuring good interchangeability between different needle blocks 12, facilitating spare parts management and large-scale production. When multiple modules are spliced ​​to form a wide fabric, the positioning strip 8 can connect all the spliced ​​needle blocks 12 into a whole through a unified reference, avoiding cumulative errors caused by a large number of modules and long splicing lengths, and ensuring the consistency of the needle body 13 arrangement across the entire width. This cooperative structure of the stepped groove and the positioning strip 8 makes the needle block 12 and the needle bed 11 form a stable assembly, preventing a decrease in structural rigidity due to width adjustment, ensuring operational stability under different working conditions such as narrow and wide widths, and avoiding fluctuations in loop forming accuracy due to loose splicing.

[0050] As a preferred embodiment, a clearance space 14b is provided between two adjacent pressure plates 14 in the grooved needle assembly 1; a through hole 12a is provided on the needle block 12 at the position corresponding to the clearance space 14b, and the position of the through hole 12a corresponds one-to-one with the locking bolt provided on the pressure plate 14 of the needle core assembly 2, and the diameter of the through hole 12a is larger than the head size of the locking bolt.

[0051] Through the coordinated design of the clearance space 14b between the adjacent pressure needle plate 14 and the through hole 12a of the needle block 12, the locking bolt of the needle core assembly 2 can be directly exposed through the clearance space 14b and the through hole 12a. The locking bolt can be disassembled and installed without disassembling the slotted needle assembly 1, thereby realizing the individual replacement of the standard module and the width reduction module of the needle core assembly 2, which greatly shortens the overall operation time of width adjustment.

[0052] In this design, unlike the grooved needle assembly 1, the top of the pad 15 in the needle core assembly 2 is bent and extended towards the side opposite to the needle body 13, forming a covering edge 15a. The covering edge 15a is in contact with the top outer side of the pressure plate 14. The bent and covered silicone pad 15 isolates the end of the pressure plate 14 from direct rigid contact with the grooved needle. By utilizing the elastic deformation characteristics of the silicone material, it efficiently absorbs the impact energy generated by the relative motion between the two, avoiding wear and deformation of the end of the pressure plate 14 due to high-frequency collisions, and extending the service life of the pressure plate 14. In addition, the elastic surface of the covered part can significantly reduce the coefficient of friction with the warp yarn. Especially for weaving scenarios of fibers such as carbon fiber, aramid, and glass fiber, it can effectively avoid the cutting or wear problems caused by direct contact between the warp yarn and the sharp edge of the pressure plate 14, reduce downtime caused by yarn breakage, and reduce material waste from the source of the weaving process.

[0053] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sinker plate of the sinker plate assembly 3, the yarn pressing needle of the yarn pressing assembly 4, and the yarn guiding needle of the yarn guiding assembly 5 are all modularly and detachably distributed along the width direction of the warp knitting machine. During width adjustment, the corresponding modules of the five major components can be simultaneously disassembled and assembled without the need for individual component position calibration. In the event of a failure in a single component module, such as wear on a yarn guiding module or failure of the sinker plate module, it can be disassembled and replaced individually without requiring machine shutdown for overall component maintenance, thus avoiding prolonged downtime caused by traditional overall component disassembly.

[0054] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the application as defined herein, and are to be considered as covering any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from its scope. Thus, if such modifications and modifications fall within the scope of this application and its equivalents, this application intends to include such modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A loop-forming device for a warp knitting machine which is capable of knitting a shrinkable fabric, characterized in that, It includes a grooved needle assembly, a needle core assembly, a sinker assembly, a yarn pressing assembly, and multiple yarn guiding assemblies for coordinated motion to achieve warp yarn loop knitting; Both the slotted needle assembly and the needle core assembly are equipped with a needle bed extending along the length direction of the warp knitting machine. The needle bed is modularly and detachably distributed with several standard modules and several reduction modules along its own length direction. Both the standard module and the amplification module include a needle block, a plurality of needle bodies and a plurality of pressure plates. The plurality of needle bodies are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the needle block. The pressure plates cover the side of the needle body opposite to the needle block, and the needle body is sandwiched between the needle block and the pressure plates. The relative contact surfaces of two adjacent pressure pin plates of the grooved pin assembly are mutually adapted inclined surfaces, and the two inclined surfaces fit together to form an inclined interlocking structure. A transition pressure plate is provided in the transition area between two adjacent needle blocks; The transition pressure plate is integrally formed from the pressure needle plates corresponding to each of the two adjacent needle blocks; The grooved needle assembly has a clearance space between two adjacent pressure needle plates; The needle block is provided with a through hole at the position corresponding to the clearance space. The position of the through hole corresponds one-to-one with the locking bolt provided on the pressure plate of the needle core assembly. The diameter of the through hole is larger than the head size of the locking bolt. The sinker plates of the sinker plate assembly, the pressing needles of the pressing needle assembly, and the guiding needles of the guiding needle assembly are all modularly and detachably distributed along the width direction of the warp knitting machine.

2. The stitch forming device of claim 1, wherein, A pad is provided on the side of the pressure needle plate facing the needle body; The pad is made of silicone.

3. The loop-forming device for a warp knitting machine with retractable weaving capability according to claim 2, characterized in that, The contact surface between the pad and the pressure needle plate is provided with at least two connecting parts.

4. The warp knitting machine stitch forming device according to claim 1, wherein The side of the needle block facing the pressure plate is provided with a slot, and the slot is adapted to the shape of the corresponding needle body; A cavity area is provided on the side of the needle block facing the pressure plate, in the region located at the end of the needle body.

5. The warp knitting machine stitch forming device according to claim 1, wherein The needle bed has a first stepped groove along its length, and the needle block has a second stepped groove on the side facing the needle bed that matches the first stepped groove. The first step groove fits into the second step groove, and a positioning strip is provided on the side wall where the needle bed and the needle block are in contact.

6. The warp knitting machine stitch forming device according to claim 2, wherein In the needle core assembly, the top of the pad is bent and extended toward the side opposite to the needle body to form a covering edge, which is in contact with the top outer side of the pressure plate.

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