AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR MOULDING AND PRESSING BRICKS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR MOULDING AND PRESSING
BRICKS." A communication from abroad by John Williamson Crary,
of Pensacola, County of Escambia and State of Florida, United States of
America.
Sealed the 20th April 1860, and dated the 21st November 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st November 1859.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR MOULDING AND PRESSING
BRICKS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of a novel mode of moulding and pressing bricks
whereby a concave form or surface is given to one of their sides for the
reception of cement or mortar.
In carrying out this Invention an annular rim or concave moulding surface

page_text: is employed in such a way that the bricks are moulded by pressure of a
rotating wheel or roller mounted inside the concave moulding surface, and
made to press the bricks toward the circumference, the finished bricks being
pressed out of the moulds and discharged in a direction toward the axis of the
said concave moulding surface, that is, towards the inside or concave part of
the moulding wheel.
The Invention also consists in arranging a pug mill for the preparation of
the dry clay to work in connection with the parts above named or their equi-
valents, so that the clay may be conveyed from the pug mill down a spout to
the moulds of the concave moulding wheel or surface. The moulding
apparatus may consist either of an annular rim in which the moulds are formed,
and which is made to rotate constantly in the same direction, or it may consist
of a concave segmental piece which may be made to oscillate or move to and
fro under the pressing roller. The annular construction will, however, be
found most convenient.
The moulding part of the wheel may consist of an annular rim grooved
internally, and furnished with a series of moulds which. open toward a common
centre, but have their sides straight and parallel with each other, and at right
angles with the inner faces of the plungers which form the bottoms of the moulds.
The outer periphery of the rim is supported at the point where the pressing is
performed by means of a friction roller. On the outer face of the pressing rim
a toothed disc or cog wheel of larger diameter than it is fastened permanently.
This cog wheel is supported by the shaft of the moulding, wheel, and serves as
the main support of the moulding rim. A small pinion on the driving shaft
gears into the large cog wheel of the-moulding rim, and serves for transmitting
motion from certain driving mechanism to the said wheel and rim. The
pressing roller is arranged between the centre or shaft and the inner circum-
ference of the moulding rim, and serves for pressing the clay compactly into
the moulds as the rim revolves. Inclined planes arranged on the frame of
the machine act on the rods or arms of the plungers with which they come in
contact during the revolution of the moulding rim, and the plungers are thus
alternately moved in and out. The clay is supplied to the moulding rim from
a pug mill by means of an inclined spout. The pug mill is arranged on the
open side of the moulding rim, and its vertical stirring shaft is driven by means
of spur and bevel wheels, which are combined with the main driving shaft by
means of a bevel wheel. The bricks are received from the moulds in an
endless belt or apron, and are conveyed away as fast as moulded, and are
discharged from the rim ; this belt is driven from the main shaft by a band.

page_text: The moulding of the bricks is accomplished on the inner circumference and
below the centre or shaft of the moulding rim, and the discharge of the same
takes place on the inner circumference of the rim and above the shaft or
centre on which it revolves.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 21st May 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 In-
vention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR MOULDING AND PRESSING BRICKS," being
a communication from abroad by John Williamson Crary, of Pensacola, County
of Escambia and State of Florida, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-

page_text: This Invention consists of a novel mode of moulding and pressing bricks
whereby a concave form or surface is given to one of their sides for the
reception of cement or mortar.
In carrying out this Invention an annular rim or concave moulding surface
is employed in such a way that the bricks are moulded by the pressure of a
rotating wheel or roller mounted inside the concave moulding surface, and
made to press the bricks towards the circumference, the finished bricks being
pressed out of the moulds and discharged in a direction toward the axis of the
said concave moulding surface, that is, towards the inside or concave part of
the moulding wheel.
The Invention also consists in arranging a pug mill for the preparation of the
dry clay to work in connection with the parts above named or their equivalents
so that the clay may be conveyed from the pug mill down a spout to the moulds
of the concave moulding wheel or surface. The moulding apparatus may
consist either of an annular rim in which the moulds are formed, and which is
made to rotate constantly in the same direction, or it may consist of a concave
segmental piece which may be made to oscillate or move to and fro under
the pressing roller. The annular construction will, however, be found most
convenient.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 are sectional views of the
machine; the one view being taken at right angles to the other.
A, represents the frame of the machine; B is the moulding wheel arranged
within the frame A on a revolving axis or shaft C. The moulding part of this
wheel may consist of an annular rim B grooved internally, as shewn at a, and
furnished with a series of moulds b, b, b, which open toward a common centre
C, but have their sides straight and parallel with each other; and at right
angles with the inner faces of plungers c, c, c, which form the bottoms of the
moulds. The outer periphery of the rim B' is supported at the point where
the pressing is performed by means of a friction roller D mounted on a shaft
E, as shown. On the outer face of the pressing rim a toothed disc or cog
wheel F of larger diameter than the pressing rims is fastened permanently.
This cog wheel is supported by the shaft C of the moulding wheel, and serves
as the main support of the moulding rim. On the shaft E is a small pinion
G, which gears into the large cog wheel of the moulding rim F, and serves
for transmitting motion from certain driving mechanism to the wheel and rim.
The pressing roller H is placed between the centre or shaft C, and the inner
circumference of the moulding rim, and serves for pressing the clay compactly
into the moulds as the rim revolves, as will be evident from the Drawings.

page_text: I, I, and H', H', are inclined planes arranged on the frame A, as shown, and
act on the rods or arms e, e, of the plungers c, c, c, against which they come in
contact during the revolution of the moulding rim, and the plungers are thus
alternately moved in and out. The inclined planes I, I, (shewn by dots in
Fig. 2), force the plungers toward the bottom of the moulds or outer circum-
ference of the moulding rim, so as to admit of the moulds being charged with
clay, and H', H', force the moulds toward the inner circumference of the
moulding rim, so as to effect the discharge of the moulded bricks from the
mould. The inward and outward movement of the plungers is provided for
by means of radial slots f, f, formed in the sides of the mould, as shown. The
clay is supplied to the moulding rim from a pug mill J (Fig. 1), by means of
an inclined spout J'. The pug mill is arranged on the open side of the
moulding rim, and its vertical stirring shaft K is driven by means of spur and
and bevil wheels g, g, h, h, which are combined with the main driving shaft M,
by means of a bevil wheel L, as shown. N is an endless belt or apron for receiv-
ing the bricks from the moulds, and for conveying them away as fast as they
are moulded and discharged from the rim. This belt is driven from the main
shaft M by a band O, as shown in Fig. 1. Instead of causing the moulding
surface to form a complete circle and being made to rotate, it might be made
to form only a part of a circle, and arranged so as to oscillate. In this case
the convex pressing surface or roller would revolve in opposite directions as
the moulding concave performs its back and forward circular movements.
Instead of providing the moulding wheel with arins and with a central axis it
might be found advantageous in practice to simply construct it in the form of
an annular rim, and suspend it between the pressing roller and a series of
friction rollers, which are arranged to bear against its outer circumference.
From the foregoing description and accompanying Drawings, it will be evident
that the moulding of the bricks is accomplished on the inner circumference,
and below the centre or shaft C of the moulding rim, and the discharge of the
bricks takes place on the inner circumference of the rim and above the shaft
or centre on which it revolves.
Having now described this Invention of an improved machine for moulding
and pressing bricks, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, I claim, as the Inven-
tion secured to me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid,―
First, the combination of an annular rim or concave moulding surface with
a roller or convex pressing surface, arranged to operate, as shown, or in any
equivalent way for the purpose set forth.

page_text: Second, the mode herein set forth of arranging a pug mill for the prepara-
tion of the dry clay to work in connection with the moulding and compressing
apparatus.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)