IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR MOULDING AND PRESSING BRICKS AND TILES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Brittain and Thomas Brittain, of Chesterton, in
the County of Stafford, Engineers and Ironfounders, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR MOULDING AND PRESSING BRICKS AND
TILES"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Brittain and Thomas
Brittain at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th August
1880.
JOHN BRITTAIN and THOMAS BRITTAIN, of Chesterton, in the County of Stafford,
Engineers and Ironfounders. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR MOULDING AND
PRESSING BRICKS AND TILES."
This Invention of improvements in machines for moulding and pressing bricks
and tiles consists of an improved pug mill fitted with knives for forcing the clay
(plastic), and delivering it in one straight line with the pug mill shaft, the shaft
end terminating several inches before it reaches the end of delivery box of pug
end; against this there is a disc wheel fitted with four die boxes for bricks,
quarries, or tiles; in these dies there are pistons fitted, which dies can be changed
to suit form and thickness required, whether front bricks, dust bricks, or quarries.
This disc or mould wheel is fixed on shaft working parallel with pug shaft and
is vertical. The moulds are on the side of the disc wheel and fits up against the
end of pug; on the other side of the disc, to keep it up close against pug, there is
a lever with weight attached is frictional pulley. The motion of this disc or
mould wheel is intermittent; while the mould is filling it is still; when full, it
inoves quarter revolution by means of a crank pin fitted with frictional pulley;
this pin is fitted in a disc wheel; this crank pin disc wheel is directly under the
shaft of mould wheel, so that once every revolution of this crank pin disc the
crank pin meets into slotted arm, of which slotted arm there are four in one
casting secured on the shaft of the mould wheel, which causes the disc or mould
wheel to move one quarter revolution. The clay in the mould wheel having
passed to a vertical or perpendicular position to the axes of mould wheel, there is
fixed a press which consists of two strong levers fixed in perpendicular position
These two levers have their
connected together by means of an adjusting screw.

page_text: fulcrums on each side of the mould wheel, one on the end of the piston in the
mould, and the other on the stalk of a plate which fits all over the mould or die
box; on this press plate there are strips according to the required impression on
the brick or quarry; these two press levers are supported by a standard which
has the face or press plate fitted in, and thus when the pressing action takes
place the pressure is given on both sides at once, but slightly more on the face
plate side to keep it close to die box. The pressure action of the levers is got
by means of a cam or crank pin shaft below, which action is longitudinal, and so
attains a great power at a small cost of driving force; the press having done its
work the levers and face plate which are connected are brought back by means of
spiral spring fitted on the adjusting pin or screw which connects the two levers
together, and then the mould wheel is left free to move when the crank pin, so
called, again enters the slotted arm, the mould wheel being kept into its proper
until the crank pin enters the slotted arm; then again it moves a second (time)
quarter of revolution, and the brick or tile is brought to a table and again stands
still, when a wedge shaped lug on the side of crank pin disc pushes out the brick
or quarry on to a delivery table by means of suitable apparatus, which, having
delivered the brick or quarry, is brought back by means of spiral spring suitably
connected to the framework. The machine is worked by spur gear and driven by
belt with fast and loose pullies fixed on suitable bed and frame; the machine will
make and press two bricks at once and deliver them on the end.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Brittain & Thomas Brittain in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 2nd February 1881.
JOHN BRITTAIN and THOMAS BRITTAIN, of Chesterton, in the County of Stafford,
Engineers and Ironfounders. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR MOULDING AND
PRESSING BRICKS AND TILES."
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Figure 2, a horizontal section;
Figures 3, 4, 5, detached parts of the machine.
A is the bed framing of the machine; a*, the pug mill; b is the disc or mould
wheel with openings, as shewn in Figure 4, marked B, to receive the largest
sizes of dies the machine is capable of filling; c is part of the delivery apparatus
which is worked from a cam on shaft c; d is a table on to which the bricks or
tiles are delivered; f, f, are piston stalks in the moulds, against which the press
levers act when pressing; g is an oscillating plate fastened to the double levers;
h are double levers which have their fulcrum on the shaft e in socket casting;
i are double levers, parts of the press; j is a ram with flange on one end grooved
for the dovetail of the impression plate which can be changed according to
requirements; is a standard which carries the ram; m is an adjusting screw
which connect the press levers together; n is a spiral spring to carry back the
levers h to their former position; o is a sliding casting in which there is a friction
pulley and attached levers marked i; p is a cam secured on the shaft e which gives
the pressure act to the levers.
The moulds in the disc wheel having been filled by the pug, the crank pin in
wheels meeting in the slotted arm secured on the disc or mould wheel shaft moves
the disc, and thus the mould filled with clay passes to the top. The piston stalks
and the ram ; come between the levers h and i, and then the action of the cam p
on shafte working like a screw against the friction roller marked F¹, R', brings a
powerful pressure on the bricks in the moulds; g* is a bell crank with weight on
one end and the other connected by a rod to the levers i, so that when the full
part of the cam has passed the friction pulley it brings back the levers on both
sides of the mould wheel b, and by this means the mould wheel is free to move
again a quarter of revolution; there is an adjusting box, shewn on Figure marked 7,
by which with folding wedges and screw of the ends the piston stalks may be
regulated for various thicknesses of bricks; Figure 3 shows how the mould wheel B
is moved intermittently; this motion is acquired by means of a crank pin fastened
into the cog wheel marked S; this crank pin once every revolution of cog wheel
passes into the slotted arm wheel t which is secured on to the shaft of mould
above it, and thus it moves the mould wheel just one fourth of revolution; u is a
kind of disc wheel, seo Figure 3, which fits the circle between the slotted arms;
the circle cut out of this disc shows where the slotted arm passes when the crank
pin moves it, so when it has passed to the other side of disc u the mould wheel is
again locked while the process of filling the mould or moulds is going on, at the
same time the moulds are filling the presses, pressing the brick just passed to the
top side of the mould wheel; also the apparatus for delivering the bricks on to
the table d is doing its work.
Figure 2 shows the horizontal section of the machine and the pug mill, marked ty
which shows shaft and knives. The machine has a long shaft No. 8 driven by
belt and pulleys with fly wheel on the other end No. 9, which greatly assists the
motion of the mould wheel b; this shaft No. 8 is provided with a small pinion
which imparts the necessary motion to the second long shaft No. 10 fitted with
two pinious, one for driving the cam shaft e, the press, and the intermittent gear
of mould wheel, the other pinion for driving the pug mill wheel, marked w, to

page_text: which is attached the change wheel apparatus, see Figure 5. W represents the
spur wheel on pug shaft. The letter X represents a moveable arm with stud for
change wheels; the use of this is to regulate the speed of the pug mill for a
proportionate quantity of clay according to the capacity of the moulds, then to
lessen the strain on the escape pipe No. 4 on the top of the discharge box of pug
mill; while the mould wheel is passing on the mould wheel is kept up close to
the mouth of discharge box of the pug mill by means of friction pulley with
adjustable screw marked Z, Z.
We may also modify this machine by constructing this machine for a brick
and tile press by removing the pug mill.
By this machine bricks and tiles of all patterns can be made by changing the
dies and pressed in one process; it is especially adapted for some clays without
grinding that will dissolve with little water and slight tempering; also from
ground clay a very superior front brick can be made at a small cost sufficiently
stiff to wall ten high.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said Invention
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood
that what we claim is the combination of the pug mill, the mould wheel (with
intermittent action and the pressing and delivering pistons, substantially acting as
described for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Brittain and Thomas Brittain, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Second day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
J.
T.
BRITTAIN. (L.S.)
BRITTAIN. (L.S.)