IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR: COMPRESSING AND SOLIDIFYING COAL, CLAY, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry George Fairburn, of Saint Luke's, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR: COMPRESSING AND SOLIDIFYING COAL, CLAY, AND OTHER
ANALOGOUS SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 8th June 1866, and dated the 14th December 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry George Fairburn
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th December 1865.
I, HENRY GEORGE FAIRBURN, of Saint Luke's, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING AND SOLIDIFYING COAL, CLAY, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows (that is to say) :-
My Invention has reference to improved construction of machinery to be
employed in moulding and reducing coal, clay, and other analogous substances,
compositions, or otherwise into condensed or concentrated forms for manu-
facturing and other purposes, whereby the said substances under treatment may
be submitted to the combined and simultaneous action of heat and pressure by a
more direct and continuous process than by the system at present in use, and

page_text: consists in the construction and employment of metallic dyes or moulds
arranged horizontally upon a solid framework or bed in gear with steam or
other motive power direct from the piston rod or otherwise in such manner
that the compressing plunger may work or slide freely within metallic casings
or moulding trunks of rectangular form corresponding with the shape of the
plunger working longitudinally therewith in direct line of motion with the
same, by the alternating action or stroke of which the pressure is exerted upon
the substances aforesaid, admitting at the same time of the supply and
discharge to and from the moulds being maintained through the medium of
a trough and hopper, provided with self-acting scrapers or otherwise for
bringing the materials forward to the mouth of the dyes, a supply of sur-
charged steam being also admitted to the materials when required by means
of pipes or otherwise, as also a series of intervening plates dividing the
substances transversely into blocks, which in their turn are forced through
the moulding trunks by the action and pressure of the plunger along with the
compressed substances, and are again brought forward by hand or other
suitable means and placed or arranged within a vertical column, so as to
descend by their own gravity, thus taking their order and position in the
moulds as the plunger is thrust forward and withdrawn.
The action of the apparatus may be stated as follows:-In compressing
small coal or coal dust for the purposes of fuel,. on the compressing plunger
being withdrawn by the action of the steam or other motive power, a supply
of coal is caused to descend into the moulds or dye direct from the hopper to
which the high-pressure steam has been previously admitted for softening or
rendering the same sufficiently plastic for being moulded; the plunger is then
driven forward, forcing at the same time one of the division plates along with
the necessary charge of coal till in like manner at each stroke the compressed
coal, clay, compositions, or otherwise are admitted and discharged in
succession, forming therewith compressed fuel, bricks, artificial stone, or
otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry George Fairburn in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th June 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
GEORGE FAIRBURN, of St. Luke's, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent. Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her reigo,.
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry
George Fairburn, Her special licence that I, the said Henry George Fairburn,.
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
George Fairburn, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR COM-
PRESSING AND SOLIDIFYING COAL, CLAY, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS SUBSTANCES," upon
the conditions (amongst others) that I, the said Henry George Fairburn, my
executors or administrators; by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry George Fairburn,. do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement and the Drawings. therein referred to (that is to
say)
My Invention has reference to an improved construction of.,machinery to
be employed in moulding and reducing coal, clay, or other analogous sub-
stances, compositions, or otherwise into condensed or concentrated forms for
manufacturing and other purposes, whereby the said substances or com-
positions thereof under treatment may be submitted to pressure by a more
direct and continuous process than by the system at present in use; and
consists in the construction and employment of metallic dyes or moulds,
arranged horizontally upon a solid framework or bed, in connection with a
fixed steam cylinder or other motive power, upon each outer end of which a
compressing plunger is fixed, so as to work freely within metallic casings or
moulding trunks of rectangular form .corresponding with the shape of the
plunger working longitudinally therewith and in direct line of motion with
the same, by the action of which an alternating movement or stroke of the
plunger. is produced, thereby exerting its pressure upon the substances
aforesaid, admitting at the same time of a supply and discharge to and from
:
3.

page_text: the moulds being maintained through the medium of a trough and hopper,
provided with self-acting scrapers for brining the materials forward: to the
mouth of the dye, a supply of surcharged steam being admitted to the
materials when required, by means of pipes or otherwise, as also a series of
intervening plates dividing the substances transversely into blocks which are
forced through the moulding trunks by the action and pressure of the plunger
along with the fuel, and are again brought forward by hand or otherwise,
and placed or arranged within a vertical column so as to descend by their
own gravity, thus taking their order and position in the moulds as the
plunger is thrust forward and withdrawn. The action is as follows:-In
'compressing small coal or coal dust for the purposes of fuel, on the com-
pressing plunger being withdrawn a supply of coal is caused to descend into
the mould or dye direct from the hopper, to which the high-pressure steam
has been previously admitted for softening or rendering the same-sufficiently
plastic for being moulded. The plunger is then forced forward by the action
of the steam piston, forcing at the same time one of the division plates along
with the necessary charge of coal, until in like manner at each stroke the
compressed coal or otherwise is admitted and discharged in succession.
And in order that my said Invention may be more fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I now proceed to describe the same by the aid of
the accompanying Drawings, reference being had to the letters and figures
thereon marked (that is to say) :-
*Fig. 1 represents a sectional side view of a machine upon my principle of
construction; Fig. 2, a top or plan view of the moulding trunk, shewing also
the position of the dies. In each Figure the same letters of reference denote
similar corresponding parts:
: A, A, steam cylinder fitted with piston; B, B, piston rod working on each
side of the cylinder; C, C, plunger sliding within the tube or dye D, D;
E, E, intercepting dies or moulding plates; F, F, blocks or bricks of moulded
material; G, G, hopper for raw material G', with stirrer and pug mill;
H, H, vertical column containing the dies or intercepting plates; I, I,
framework or bed upon which the machinery is mounted; J, J, bench or
board for receiving the blocks as they are discharged from the tube.
In conclusion to the foregoing description I would here briefly note that
the plungers may be driven by steam, hydraulic, or other motive power through
the medium of a crank, camb, eccentric, or otherwise, and the tube and
plungers made in any suitable shape or form, and varied in length or
dimensions as may be found desirable according to the size and thickness of
the blocks, bricks, or otherwise, as required.

page_text: And I would again note that the apparatus may be employed in connection
with a hopper surcharged with steam or otherwise, or worked in a cold state
independently of the said hopper.
And I would again further note that the said tube or trunk may be varied
in length proportionately to the force or pressing resistance acquired by the
materials under operation.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed and carried
into effect, I would have it clearly understood that I do not intend to confine
myself to the precise details herein-before described, as the same may be
otherwise varied without departing from the general principle of this my
said Invention, nor do I claim as new and of my said Invention the exclusive
use of the several parts and combinations thereof herein-before set forth and
described, except when the same are employed in and for the purposes of my
said Invention, which I hereby declare to consist in the construction and
employment of tubular moulding trunks fitted with direct-action plungers.
and intercepting dies or plates in connection with the moulding of plastic or
like substances into cakes or blocks during the continuous supply and
discharge of the said materials under operation, in the manner and for the
purposes herein-before set forth and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry George Fairburn, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
25 Witness,
HENRY GEORGE FAIRBURN. (L.S.)
R. H. P. COOKE,
Clerk to Messrs. Weatherdon & Co.,
77, Chancery Lane.