The present invention relates to a method for weaving pile fabrics on a face-to-face weaving machine, where, in successive insertion cycles, weft yarns (1-12) are inserted between binding warp yarns (13-16) and pile warp yarns (17-24), so that two backing fabrics (30), (31) are woven one above the another, in which groups of at least four weft yarns (1-6); (7-12) are inserted in respective openings between repeatedly crossing binding warp yarns (13), (14); (15), (16), so that each group of weft yarns (1-6); (7-12) comprises at least two pairs of weft yarns (2,3), (5,6), (8,9), (11,12) inserted above one another, and so that pile warp yarns (18), (21), (24) are interlaced in the upper (30) and in the lower backing fabric (31) alternately round the weft yarns (2), (5), (8), (11), situated on the back, of the said pairs in order to form pile burls, preferably according to a two-shot weave; The present invention likewise relates to pile fabric woven according to this method. Such pile fabrics have a good pile retention, an excellent quality of the back and a great flexibility and may be carried out at a high pile density.

A face-to-face weaving machine with face-to-face shed forming has a passage for, and access to, the weaving frames without being hampered by a rear traverse. The face-to-face weaving machine with face-to-face shed forming is provided in which the weaving machine has no rear traverse.

In face-to-face weaving pile fabrics with high pile density, groups of three weft yarns (1-3), (4-6) are inwoven in respective openings between binding warp yarns (7), (8), (9) (10) crossing each other, and non-pile-forming pile warp yarns are inwoven, while pile warp yarns are alternately interlaced in the top and the bottom backing fabric over a weft yarn according to a two-shot weave. In series of four successive weft insertion cycles in each case three weft yarns (1), (2), (3) are inserted for the top backing fabric (30) and three weft yarns (4), (5), (6) for the bottom backing fabric (31). A weaving machine inserts two weft yarns one above the other per weft insertion cycle and by weft disengagement or weft cancellation in the course of two cycles per series inserts only one weft yarn. Two pile-forming pile warp yarns after a pile change are interlaced over a weft yarn.