IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRESSING BRICKS, BRICKETTES, TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1885

page_text: We, THOMAS CONSTANTINE FAWCETT, of Burmantofts Foundry, Leeds, Yorkshire
Engineer, and JAMES DAWSON FAWCETT of the same place, Manager do hereby
declare the nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PRESSING BRICKS, BRICKETTES, TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
Our invention has reference to machines employed for pressing bricks, brickettes,
tiles, or other articles whether such machines are operated by steam power or
manual labour.
In these machines as at present constructed the top pressing plate and the bottom
pressing plate have been connected by side rods in such manner that both plates
always moved up and down together, the bottom pressing plate descending into a
mould and the top plate descending so far as to reach the top of the mould in order
to press the brick therein.
When the press was ready to receive a brick, the upper surface of the bottom
plate was always lineable and flush with the upper surface of the mould conse-
quently it has always been a difficult task to place the brick exactly upon the
plate and when ornamental bricks are being pressed which required to be placed
upon the bottom plate sideways or endwise it has been almost impossible to place
the said bricks accurately upon the said plate, consequently when the top pressing
plate descended to force the brick into the mould the corners and edges were
frequently crushed and damaged.
To prevent this is the object of our invention which we accomplish by causing
the bottom pressing plate to descend to the bottom of the mould before the machine
commences to press thereby leaving the mould empty, consequently the brick can
be easily accurately, and quickly placed into the mould so that when the upper
pressing plate descends it has simply to push the brick further into the mould and
press it to the shape required.
The mechanism we employ for letting down the bottom pressing plate so as to
leave the mould empty may be of various forms one of which may consist of a
rocking plate actuated by a foot treadle.
The upper end of this rocking plate catches under a boss connected to the
vertical rods carrying the bottom pressing plate and when the attendant requires

page_text: the mould to be empty he operates the treadle with his foot whereby the rocking
plate is removed from under the boss on the vertical rods and the bottom pressing
plate descends thereby, but as the machine çontinues to work the lower and
upper plates ascend together carrying the brick out of the mould in the usual
manner and as soon as this is done, the treadle is again operated and the mould
emptied for another brick and as it can be at once placed therein, a great saving of
time is effected over the present system of placing the brick exactly onto the top of
the plate, with every side true with the mould.
In consequence of the mould being emptied by the descent of the bottom pressing
plate whilst the top plate is at its highest position, the mould can be more readily
got at for greasing purposes.
In provements in Machinery for Pressing Bricks, Brickettes,
Tiles, and other Articles.
We, THOMAS CONSTANTINE FAWCETT, of Burmantofts Foundry, Leeds, Yorkshire,
Engineer, and JAMES DAWSON FAWCETT, of the same place, Manager, do hereby
declare the nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PRESSING BRICKS, BRICKETTES, TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES," and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
Our invention has reference to machines employed for pressing bricks, brickettes,
tiles, or other articles, whether such machines are operated by steam power or
manual labour.
In these machines as at present constructed the top pressing plate and the
bottom pressing plate have been connected by side rods in such manner that both
plates always moved up and down together, the bottom pressing plate descending
into a mould, and the top plate descending so far as to enter the top of the mould
in order to press the brick therein.
When the press was ready to receive a brick, the upper surface of the bottom
plate was always lineable and flush with the upper surface of the mould, con-
sequently it has always been a difficult task to easily place the brick exactly true
upon the bottom plate, and when ornamental bricks having projections are being
pressen which require to be placed upon the bottom plate sideways or end wise, it
1

page_text: has been almost impossible to place the said brick accurately upon the said plate,
consequently when the top pressing plate descended to force the brick into the
mould, the corners and edges were frequently crushed and damaged.
To prevent this is the object of our invention which we accomplish by causing
the upper pressing plate to remain stationary, whilst the bottom pressing platė
descends to the bottom of the mould, thereby leaving the mould empty, con-
sequently the brick can be easily, accurately, and quickly placed into the mould, so
that when the upper pressing: plate descends it has simply to push the brick
further into the mould and press it to the shape required.
· Such being the nature and object of our invention, we will now proceed to
describe the same more fully and for that purpose make reference to the accom+
panying sheets of drawings illustrative thereof. Fig. 1 is sectional elevation, and
Fig. 2 end view of brick pressing machine having our improvements applied thereto.
A is framing of machine, B the upper pressing plate operated up and down by
toggle jointed levers C, from crank D, as set forth in a prior patent granted to us
No. 5213, A.D. 1885.
The brick mould is shewn at E, in which works vertically, the bottoni pressing
plate F, connected to rods G, and made secure by being screwed into cross bar H.
At each end of this cross bar is a plate or lever I, capable of rocking upon studs a,
both of such rocking levers being connected together by a cross bar J, which also
assists to weight and counterbalance the said rocking levers I.
At each end of the pressing plate B are two horizontal arms M connected to
rods L, the lower ends of which are attached to cross rail K, so that the plate B
and cross rail K move up and down together. When a brick has been squeezed it
is lifted out of the mould by the ascent of the plate F, and the various parts of
the mechanism assume positions shewn in Figs. and 2, but in order to empty the
mould so that another brick can be inserted the attendant places his foot upon the
treadle P, by which means toe d of the levers I is removed from the cross rail K,
see Fig. 2, which was supporting the said. levers I, rods G and plate F; when this
is done the parts descend by their own weight and leave the mould empty as shewn
in Fig. 3. A brick is then inserted into the empty mould and the toggle jointed
levers C cause the upper pressing plate B to descend so as to squeeze the brick, in
doing which the cross rail K begins to leave the levers I as shewn in dotted line
Fig. 3, and when the cross rail has descended low enough, the weight K causes the
toe d to fall onto the said cross rail, so that when it rises, as it will on the ascent
of the upper pressing plate, the lever I and lower pressing plate F will also rise, as
well as the brick thereon, but when this is done the attendant will again operate
the treadle and remove the bottom pressing plate to the bottom of the mould again
so as to leave it empty for the insertion of another brick.
The two levers I are connected together by a bar b which is slotted so that it can
slide down the rod N, when the toes of the levers I are removed from the cross
rail K, whilst the nut c on the upper end of the rod N is employed for the purpose
of lifting the treadle when the bar b comes under it, which it does when the cross
rail is lifting the levers I.
On sheet 2 we have shewn a slightly modified arrangement of the same
apparatus. In this case the rocking levers I are arranged to catch under the cross
rail K, instead of above it.
The vertical rods G carrying the bottom pressing plate are connected together by
a cross rail H, as in the previous case, but on the cross rail K we place brackets e
for receiving and carrying the studs a for the rocking lever I. After a brick has
been pressed the action of the machine lifts up all the parts, as shewn in the
drawings, the bottom pressing plate being flush with the top of the mould, but
when a brick requiring to be pressed is placed onto the plate, the attendant operates
the treadle P, in such manner as to remove the upper end of the rocking lever I
from under the cross rail H, whereby the bottom pressing plate descends as
previously explained, and immediately afterwards the upper pressing plate descends
and forces the brick into the mould, when it is at once properly shaped and

page_text: squeezed; but as the machine continues to revolve, the lower and upper plate
ascend together carrying the brick out of the mould in the usual manner, and as
soon as this is done the treadle is again operated and the mould emptied for
another brick, and as it can be at once placed therein, a great saving of time is
effected over the present system of placing the brick exactly onto the top of the plate
with every side true with the mould.
In consequence of the mould being emptied by the descent of the bottom pressing
plate, whilst the top plate is at its highest position, the mould can be more readily
got at for greasing purposes.
"
:
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
The arrangement of mechanism substantially as herein shewn and described,
wherein the bottom pressing plate F can descend without the upper pressing
plate B, so as to leave the pressing mould E empty, but so arranged that the upper
and lower pressing plates ascend together in the manner set forth.