The rapier band is one of the key components of the rapier loom.It is a vulnerable composite component（easy worn parts） in the form of a belt driven by a guide wheel on a shuttleless rapier loom, which carries the gripper head to perform the weft-insertion function.. The rapier band has two types: flexible rapier band and rigid rapier band. Contemporary advanced shuttle-less looms mainly include: jet loom, sword bar loom, water jet loom, and rapier loom.
Although rapier looms may not have the highest weaving efficiency and their speeds are lower than air-jet and water-jet looms, but slightly higher than shuttle looms, they are the most versatile in terms of the variety of fabrics they can produce. They can weave almost anything, whereas water-jet looms can only weave synthetic fibers and silk, and air-jet looms can only weave cotton. Therefore, although their weaving efficiency may not be the highest, rapier looms are widely recognized for their versatility, especially in metal thread weaving.With the continuous improvement of technology, cush as double rapier weaving,the weaving speed of rapier loom has already reached 700r/min or even higher, and it will continue to improve in the future.
classification
Rigid rapier band
Rigid rapier bands should be made of lightweight and strong materials, such as aluminum alloy, thin-walled steel pipes, and swords made of carbon fiber or composite materials.
Flexible rapier band
Flexible rapier bands are produced by using high-performance materials such as carbon fiber, polyester fiber, polytetrafluoroethylene for wear-resistant soft strips, and a resin matrix using a composite molding process and post-machining processes to finally produce composite sword strips with high fatigue resistance. Nowadays, they are mostly made of multilayer composite materials, with many layers of high-strength long-fiber fabric as reinforcing material, impregnated with resin and laminated, and covered with a wear-resistant layer on the surface. They are generally about 2.5-3mm thick.
All-carbon fiber rapier band
The All-carbon fiber rapier tape is a type of flexible rapier band that is lightweight, extremely strong, wear-resistant, and also has the advantages of steel strips.
Working principle of rapier weaving
As a textile accessory, the rapier product is used as a weft insertion device for rapier looms, replacing the shuttle on traditional weaving machines. Under the drive of the rapier wheel, it runs along a predetermined track, and its head is equipped with a gripper to clip and transfer the weft yarn. The weft insertion process of the rapier is accomplished by the two rapier heads of two rapiers passing the weft yarn from one end of the reed to the other end, completing one weft insertion process with one reciprocating. This process is repeated indefinitely for weaving. Due to the high-speed alternating movement of the curled and stretched sword belt on the drive wheel and guide rail during weft insertion, and with the continuous improvement of weaving efficiency, the weft insertion cycle is getting shorter and the speed of the drive wheel has increased to mid-speed at over 400 r/min, high-speed at over 700 r/min, and the speed continues to be enhanced. Therefore, this working environment requires corresponding requirements for the structure and materials of the rapier tape, requiring it to have high specific strength and modulus, wear resistance, fatigue resistance, low friction coefficient, low cost, and other properties.
Rapier bands are subject to repeated bending and deformation during work, requiring good elasticity and resilience, wear resistance, sufficient strength, and no damage to the belt edges, no peeling on the surface, no delamination or cracking during the working life.
