Projectile Loom

Main Features of Projectile Loom:

• The sley carries the reed & gripper guides.

• The gripper projectile made of fine steel, 90 mm long, 14mm wide and 6 mm thickness weight is
40 g. It carries the weft thread into the warp shed.

• The weft is drawn directly from a large stationary cross wound package. There is no weft winding.

• The gripper/projectile is picked across the warp shed at a very high speed, the picking energy
being derived from the energy stored in a metal torsion bar which is twisted at predetermined
amount , released to give the projectile a high rate of acceleration.

• Picking always takes place from one side, but several projectiles are employed and all of them
return to the picking side by a conveyor chain located underneath the warp shed.
• During its flight through the shed the projectile runs in a rake like steel guides, so that the warp
threads are touched neither by the projectile nor weft thread.

• Every pick is cut off at the picking side near the selvedge after weft insertion, leaving a length
about 15 mm from the edge. Similar length of weft also projects from the selvedge on the
receiving side.

• The ends of weft thread projecting on both sides of the cloth are tucked into the next shed by
means of special tucking device and woven in with next pick, thus providing firm selvedges.

• The reed is not reciprocated as in a shuttle loom, but rocked about its axis by a pair of cams.

• The sley which carries the reed & projectile guides is moved forward & backward through a
saddle carrying two follower bowls, which bear against the surface of two matched cams.
• The reed & projectile guides are stationary during pick insertion.

• A sley dwell of 25 degree at back centre enables the projectile to travel

through the warp shed.

• Smaller shed opening because of the smaller size projectile. This results in lower
strain in warp yarns.

• Weft insertion rate up to 900-1500 m/min is possible depending up to the width

of the weaving machine.

• The colour changing mechanism is less complicated.

• In case of weft breakage the take up beam & heald frames can be driven
in reverse by a pick finding mechanism.
 Picking mechanism of Projectile Loom

A=Torsion bar, B=Picking shaft, C=Picking lever, D=Picking shoe,

E=Picking shaft lever, F=Toggle plate, G=Antifriction bowl, H=Link,
I=Picking cam, J=Shaft, K=Bevel wheels, L=Oil brake, P=Projectile,
R=Projectile guide.
The torsion bar (A) has its splined ends rigidly constrained in an adjustable housing with provision for adjusting

the maximum angle of twist and projectile initial velocity. The other end of the torsion rod is splined into the

picking lever (C) which carries the picking shoe (D) at its extremity. The projectile (P) is illustrated in the

shuttle lifter with the projectile spring opener. The bevel wheel (K) rotates the picking cam shaft (J) which

carries the picking cam (I). The picking shaft lever (E) is rigidly connected to the torsion bar and through a

short linkage to the toggle plate (F) centre at anti friction bowl (G). The action of the cam is for the small roller

to bear against the toggle rotate it anti clockwise about anti friction bowl (G), thus withdrawing the picking

shoe to its rearmost position. In this position the centre of the toggle arrangement are in line and the torsion bar is
twisted to its predetermined angle.
The nose of the picking cam then bears against the roller carried between the toggle plates

and moves the central pivot of the toggle system off line centre, thus permitting the strain

energy in the rod to be transmitted instantaneously to the projectile. The projectile separates

from the shoe after 6.4 cm travel in 0.007 s as a velocity of about 24.4 m/s after being

subjected to a maximum acceleration of about 6700 m/s2 at a point 1.5 cm inboard of the

rest position. The residual energy in the picking system, some 62% of the whole is absorbed

in the hydraulic buffer the body and plunger of which are shown at (L).
Projectile and weft yarn

The gripper projectile made of fine steel, 90 mm long 14 mm wide and 6 mm thickness weight
is 40 g. It carries the weft thread into the warp shed.
Projectile in a guide
Position of projectile during run