Jacquard Heald with Flattened Section for Thread Eye

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for manufacturing Jacquard healds are complex, costly, and compromise on quality, with issues such as weakening of tensile strength, material wastage, and difficulty in mass production, particularly due to the need for twin wires or profiled wires that are not commercially available.

Innovation Solution

A Jacquard heald with a round material body featuring a flattened section with a widened opening, using round wire as the starting material, which maintains constant tensile strength and allows for easy attachment of a thread eye insert without significant material deformation or wastage, enabling efficient and cost-effective production.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If twin wire or profiled wire is used as starting material, then thread eye insert can be inserted, but manufacturing complexity increases and quality control becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of manufactureVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of starting with complex twin wire or profiled wire and trying to insert the thread eye insert, the invention inverts the approach by starting with simple round wire, creating a flattened section, and forming the opening directly in this flattened area. This reversal of the manufacturing sequence simplifies the starting material and makes the process more controllable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The wire is divided into sections with different cross-sectional shapes: a round section for the main body and a flattened section for the thread eye formation. This segmentation allows each part to serve its specific function optimally while maintaining overall manufacturing simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of manufacture

If plastic deformation to flatten central region is applied, then thread eye can be formed, but tensile strength of heddle is significantly weakened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of manufactureVSAvoidtensile strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The wire structure is made non-uniform with a localized flattened section only where the thread eye needs to be formed, while the rest of the wire remains round and maintains its full tensile strength. This local modification minimizes the impact on overall structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The wire is divided into sections with different cross-sectional shapes: a round section for the main body and a flattened section for the thread eye formation. This segmentation allows each part to serve its specific function optimally while maintaining overall manufacturing simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Strength

If wire stretching is used to reduce diameter in axial sections, then tensile strength is maintained, but manufacturing process becomes complex and unsuitable for mass production

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetensile strengthVSAvoidproductivity
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The complex axial stretching process is replaced with a simpler transverse flattening operation. Instead of elongating the wire and reducing its diameter along the length, the invention flattens the wire cross-section perpendicular to the length, achieving the necessary shape change with a simpler, more production-friendly process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Ease of manufacture

If band with widened opening is used, then thread eye insert can be attached, but cross section becomes large and strand becomes heavy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of manufactureVSAvoidweight of strand
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The cross-sectional parameters of the wire are changed locally to create a flattened section with reduced thickness, allowing the opening to be formed without significantly increasing the overall cross-sectional area or weight of the strand. The flattened section provides the necessary geometry for the opening while maintaining material efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution allows for high-quality Jacquard healds with reduced labor costs, increased service life, and the ability to produce dense fabrics with minimal material usage, while reducing energy consumption in Jacquard machines by using lighter strands.

Implementation Method 1

a middle section (9) is flattened (FIG. 6). The two legs (14, 15) together have a cross-sectional area that corresponds to the cross-sectional area of the round heald body

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPlastic deformation: Plasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2166139B1Jacquard braiding with embossed fibre eye area
Publication Date: 2012.08.29 GROZ BECKERT KG
  • EP2166139B1 patent drawingFigure 1~7
  • EP2166139B1 patent drawingFigure 8~9
  • EP2166139B1 patent drawingFigure 10~11

AI summary

The Jacquard braid (1) has a braid body made of a round material, which has a shaft (20) with a flat section (9). The shaft is provided with an expanded opening (16) limited by two brackets (14,15). A surface area of a round cross-section of the shaft is matched with the sum of another surface area of the cross sections of the brackets. The round material of a round wire is made of metal or plastic.