Apparatus for propelling the weft thread carriers in travelling-wave looms

In a travelling-wave loom having weft thread carriers and a cloth forming zone and apparatus for propelling the weft thread carriers, comprising:

• a closed stationary hollow guideway passing through said cloth forming zone and having two rectilinear and two curvilinear portions;
• a chain conveyer accommodated in said guideway;
• said weft thread carriers each having an outer surface, a pair of opposed end regions, and a top surface, and means for propelling the weft thread carriers mounted on said chain conveyor;
• side walls forming part of and being mounted on said guideway and contacting the outer surface of the weft thread carriers, said side walls including portions located at the curvilinear portions of said guideway and being of an L-shaped configuration including upper flanges engaging said weft thread carriers;
• an additional guide situated above only one of the curvilinear portions and also have the rectilinear portions of said guideway, except for a part thereof disposed in said cloth forming zone, said additional guide being situated in the plane of flight of the weft thread carriers and in contact with the top surface thereof;
• retainers arranged above the other curvilinear portion of said guideway on the inside thereof and movable in the plane of flight of the weft thread carriers and in step with motion of said conveyer, said retainers contacting one end region of the weft thread carriers;
• the upper surface of each weft thread carrier having an elongated flat portion and a shoulder extending therealong and defining therewith a space accommodating said additional guide, said movable retainers being situated vertically along the carriers in two rows, one above the other and the spacing between the retainers in each row being equivalent to the spacing between the weft thread carriers.