Improvements in or relating to Brick Moulding and Pressing Machinery.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 18th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 13th Jan., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Brick Moulding and Pressing
Machinery.
I, JAMES COSTER EDWARDS, of the Terra Cotta Works, Ruabon, North Wales,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved machine for moulding and pressing
bricks, especially bricks of the pattern known as "double panel."
The machines hitherto in use for this purpose were defective in action,
inasmuch as the pressing device was operated by a crank motion, and the brick
after pressing and lifting, had to be put in and removed from the mould or
box by hand. Bricks moulded by the old machine were often deformed, and
the handling necessary required increased labour on the part of the operator,
whilst the operation itself involved some risk of accident.
My improved machine does away with the necessity of handling the brick,
which is automatically placed in the brick box or mould to be pressed, and
after pressing is delivered to the delivery table ready to take away. There is
consequently no danger of damage to the brick, or risk to the operator.
My improved machine comprises a strong frame with plates or tables on to which
the clods or clay lumps are delivered, and from which the finished bricks are
taken off, as well as suitable gearing or mechanism for actuating the pressing
and feeding and delivery devices. The pressing mechanism consists of a suitably
guided vertical shaft actuated by a cam operated from a shaft actuated by the
prime mover. The aforesaid vertical shaft bears on its lower end a plunger which
impresses the panel on one side of the brick, and at the same moment the pressure
upon the corresponding lower panel impresses the brick on its under side. When
the vertical shaft rises again after the operation of pressing the brick it carries
with it a bar which actuates a lifting device connected to the bottom plate on
which the pressed brick rests. The rise of the bottom plate lifts the brick upwards
and brings it into the position from which it can be pushed off on to the delivery
plate by the next motion of the rectangular frame or feeding box hereinafter
set forth. This rectangular frame or feeding box is a bottom-less box of suitable
size devised to receive the clod or clay from the hands of the workmen. It
reciprocates to and fro from one side of the press to a position exactly beneath the
plunger, and back again, under the influence of a lever connected to an eccentric
actuated by the main shaft of the machine, and acting in unison with the motions
of the plunger.
The connection between the feeding box and the lever is adjustable.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-
The clay lump is first placed in the rectangular frame or feeding box. This
frame is then impelled by its lever to the point at which it is exactly beneath
the vertical plunger. At this point the bottom plate on which the clay rests
descends under the operation of the lifting device, carrying the clay with it,
and the feeding box thus emptied returns to its initial position. The vertical
plunger next descends following the motion of the bottom plate, and the brick

page_text: is thereby moulded.
On the completion of this operation the plunger rises
followed by the bottom plate, until the moulded brick occupies the position
originally occupied by the unpressed lump of clay in the feeding box. At this
moment the advance of the feeding box with a fresh charge pushes the finished
brick onwards to the delivery plate, the bottom plate sinks again, carrying the
clay with it, and the operation is repeated.
It will be obvious that constructional modifications in the shape and arrange-
ment of the various parts may be made without departing from the principle of
my invention.
10:1
1
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Brick Moulding and Pressing
Machinery.
I, JAMES COSTER EDWARDS, of the Terra Cotta Works, Ruabon, North Wales,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
:
This invention relates to an improved machine for moulding and pressing
bricks, especially bricks of the pattern known as
"double panel."
The machines hitherto in use for this purpose were defective in action,
inasmuch as the pressing device was operated by a crank motion, and the brick
after pressing and lifting had to be put in and removed from the mould or
box by hand. Bricks moulded by the old machine were often deformed, and
the handling necessary required increased labour on the part of the operator,
whilst the operation itself involved some risk of accident.
My improved machine dispenses with the necessity of handling the brick,
which is automatically placed in the brick box or mould to be pressed, and
after being pressed is delivered to the delivery table ready to be taken away.
There is consequently no danger of damage to the brick or risk to the operator.
The essential features of my invention consists of a cam motion which actuates
the pressing mechanism, and operates the lifting device to lift the pressed brick
from the mould or brick box, and means comprising a lever actuated by an
eccentric pin, for reciprocating to and from the mould or brickbox a bottomless
rectangular frame or feeding box of suitable size for bringing fresh clay to the
said mould or brick box and pushing the pressed brick on to the delivery plate.
Referring now to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a machine
constructed according to my invention,
Figure 1 is a front elevation, parts being broken away to shew the lower
moulding panel and bottom of lifting plate.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the entire machine.
My improved machine comprises a frame 27 furnished with plates or tables 28
and 18 on to which the clods or clay lumps are delivered and from which the
finished bricks are taken off.
The pressing mechanism consists of a vertical shaft 5 guided by guides 6 and
actuated by an eccentric pin 7 engaging with a cam groove 24 formed in a
piece 24 secured to or forming part of the shaft 5. The pin 7 is located on a
disc 22 mounted on a shaft 23 driven by worm wheel S from a worm mounted
on the main shaft 9 which is actuated by the prime mover 10. The vertical shaft 5

page_text: carries at its lower end a plunger 11 which when the shaft is forced down
impresses the panel on the top side of the brick and at the same moment the
corresponding lower moulding panel 12 impresses the brick on its under side.
Connected to the vertical shaft 5 at 14 is a bar 13, said bar being connected at 15
to a sleeve fastened to cross-bar 30 connected at 31 to rods or bars 16 attached
to an annular bottom or lifting plate 17 surrounding the moulding panel 12 on
which the pressed brick rests. When the vertical shaft 5 rises after the operation
of pressing the brick it carries with it the bar 13 and so causes the annular bottom
plate 17 to rise and lift the brick up thereby bringing the latter into such a
position that it can be pushed off the bottom or lifting plate on to the delivery
plate 18 by the next movement of the rectangular frame or feeding box 1. This
rectangular frame or feeding box is a bottomless box of suitable size to receive a
clod of clay from the hands of the workmen, with the front end raised as high
or higher than the height of the clod of clay to be pressed, the front plate or
end 29 being hinged at or near the top of the sides of the box to enable it to
pass over any clay or other impediment that may be in its way on the return
motion of the box. It is caused to reciprocate to and fro on one side of the
mould or brick box 19 from a position exactly beneath the plunger 11 and back
again under by a lever 2 having a pin and slot connection with it at 3.
The manner of operating this lever 2 is hereafter more particularly described.
The mould or brick box 19 and the lower moulding panel 12 are firmly fixed
to the bed plate 20 of the machine. The bottom or lifting plate 17 fits inside the
mould or brick box 19 surrounding the lower panel 12, (Figure 1) and when the
bottom plate rises it lifts the brick off the lower panel 12 and brings it up to the
top of the mould or brick box 19. The underneath part of the bottom plate 17 is
grooved 21 so as to facilitate the departure of any clay that may be squeezed out
in the pressing; otherwise the clay might collect in the box and the brick be
thicker at one end than the other.
The cam motion for actuating the vertical shaft 5 consists of a disc 22 mounted
on a shaft 23 and having on its front face an eccentric pin 7 which engages in a cam
groove 24. The cam motion is so arranged that while the pin travels through
one-third of its path, it holds the vertical shaft 5 and the plunger 11 at the top
of its travel so that the feeding box has time to feed a clod to the press and move
back empty before the plunger descends.
On the back face of the disc 22 there is another eccentric pin 4 so located that
at the proper time it comes against the cam surface 25 of the pivoted lever 2 and
rotates said lever on its pivot so that the rectangular frame or feeding box 1 is
brought to a position exactly beneath the plunger 11 and over the mould or
brick box 19. The feeding box is held in this position for a short time until
eccentric pin 4 moving round with the disc 22 engages with a second cam sur-
face 26 of the lever 2 thereby rotating the lever in the opposite direction and
returning the rectangular frame or feeding box to its initial position.
The operation of my machine is as follows:-
Assuming that the parts are in the position shewn in Figure 1 of the drawings
a clod or lump of clay is placed in the rectangular frame or feeding box 1. The
shaft 23 being rotated the pin 4 engages with the cam surface 25 and through
the agency of the lever 2 moves the feeding box to a point at which it is exactly
beneath the plunger 11, and over the mould or brick box 19 and the bottom
plate 17. The pin 7 engaging with the cam groove 24 now causes the bottom
plate to descend, carrying with it the clay; being actuated by the eccentric pin 7
and cam 24 through vertical shaft 5, bar 13 and lifting device 16; and the frame
or feeding box 1 thus emptied is returned to its initial position by the lever 2
The plunger 11
actuated by the engagement of pin 4 with cam surface 26.
descends into the mould or brick box 19 following the motion of the bottom
plate 17, and the brick is thereby moulded.
On the completion of this operation the plunger 11 rises, followed by the
bottom plate 17 until the moulded brick occupies the position originally occupied

page_text: by the unpressed clay in the feeding box 1; at this moment the advance of the
feeding box with a fresh charge pushes the finished brick onwards to the
delivery plate 18 the bottom plate sinks again, carrying the clay with it, and
the operation is repeated.
It will be obvious that constructional modifications in the shape and arrange-
ment of the various parts may be made without departing from the principle of
my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In a brick moulding and pressing machine, a cam motion for operating the
pressing mechanism and actuating the lifting device for lifting the pressed brick
out of the mould, substantially as described.
2. In a brick moulding and pressing machine a lever with cam surfaces
adapted to be engaged by an eccentric pin, moving in unison with the pressing
mechanism and lifting device, for reciprocating the feeding box to and from the
mould or brick box to bring to the mould fresh clods of clay and to push the
pressed brick on to the delivery plate, substantially as described.
3. A brick moulding and pressing machine constructed and operating sub-
stantially as described and shewn in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 18th day of November 1899.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of London, Liverpol, Manchester and Birmingham.