CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING, MOULDING, OR MANU- FACTURING BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES, FROM EARTHY OR PLASTIC MATERIALS
Year: 1845

page_text: HALL'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
HALL, of Coxsackie, in the United States of America, Brickmaker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Second day of October, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Alfred Hall, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Alfred Hall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said Alfred Hall, my executors, admors, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and
in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands
of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING, MOULDING, OR MANU-
FACTURING BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES, FROM EARTHY OR PLASTIC
MATERIALS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me,
the said Alfred Hall, by an instrument in writing, under my hand and seal,
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled
in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as
in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alfred Hall, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
:
My Invention consists in a peculiar construction of machinery, to be worked
by hand and horse power, for producing in an expeditious and efficient manner
bricks, tiles, and other articles from earthy or plastic materials. The moulding
machine I propose to place in direct communication with the pug-mill, in order
to keep up a regular and continuous supply of clay to the moulds. In the
accompanying Drawings are several views of the improved machinery.
Fig. 1 is a partial side elevation of the pug-mill, with the moulding machine
complete. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation
taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a front view of the moulding
machine. A, A, is the pug-mill set on brick work, B, B, and further supported
by a pillar C. At the bottom of the mil lis a metal step a, in which a vertical shaft
6 works. This shaft is supported at its upper end by a framing attached to the top
of the mill, and is furnished with a lever, to which horse power is applied for turn-
ing the same. Around the shaft ba number of horizontal cutters or knives, c, c, c,
are set radially; see the detached view, Fig. 5. The inner ends of the knives
are shamfered off, so that the ends of two opposite knives may enter the
same socket. When thus arranged they are secured in their proper position
by clinching, as shewn in the Drawing. At the lower end of the shaft bare
four plates, d, d, placed horizontally in two lines, so as to cross each other at
right angles. These plates extend nearly to the sides of the pug-mill, and are
for the purpose of sweeping the clay (as the shaft rotates) into the chamber of
the moulding machine. They are set at a slight incline from the perpendicular,
and are affixed to the shaft b, as shewn at Figure 5. D is the chamber which
receives the clay or other plastic material from the pug-mill, and for this purpose
fits close over the opening e, as will be hereafter described. The sides of the
chamber are formed by two iron plates, f,f, bolted to a strong framework E, E,
which supports the various parts of the moulding machine. The shape of
these plates will be best seen by referring to the elevation, Fig. 6. 9, 9, is a
cast iron grating, bolted to the side plates f, f, and forms the bottom of the
chamber D. The construction of this grating will be clearly seen by reference
to the detached views, Fig. 7. It consists of a rectangular frame, with cross
bars or divisions, equal in number to the bricks or tiles to be produced at one
working; or, rather with the number of compartments in the moulds which

page_text: a
are successively placed beneath it. h is a horizontal shaft, which has its
bearings in the side plates f, f, and is intended to carry the quadrant brackets
i, i, which are each provided with a segment rack. The shaft h also carries a
peculiarly formed pressing plate, k, k, extending the whole width of the
chamber D, and forming a partial covering thereto. This plate is intended to
rise and fall, in order to force the clay in the chamber D through the grating g
into the moulds. To prevent the escape of the clay over the pressing plate
segment piece is provided, which will be in close connection with a fixed scraper
hereafter mentioned. is a shaft having its bearings in the side plates f,f,
and upon it two pinions m, m, are mounted. These pinions gear into the
segment racks on the brackets i, i, and are actuated by a hand wheel n, keyed
on the same shaft. O is a rod which passes through lugs or ears on the
quadrant brackets i and the passing plate k, and is intended to attach them
together, in order that their movements (when the cog wheels m are caused
to revolve) may be simultaneous. p is a board secured to the plates f,f,
and is intended to cover the opening between the presser plate k and
the side of the pug-mill. p¹ is a rod having its bearings in the plates f. f,
and serves to carry a scraper which extends the whole width of the
chamber D, and is for the purpose of clearing off the clay from the seg-
mental portion of the pressing plate k at certain periods of the operations of
the machine. The rod p¹ also supports the catches q, which take on to a stud
or pin on the pug-mill, and thus holds the chamber D firmly thereto. Within
the framework E, E, which may be termed the stationary framework, an
adjustable framing is suspended in the following manner :-Pendant from the
upper part of the framework E are four pins 1, 1, and 2, 2, tapped at their
lower ends, and furnished with nuts. The pins 1, 1, support the brackets 3, 3,
which slide in guides (see the front view, Fig. 4), and these brackets form
bearings for a horizontal shaft 4. Upon the shaft 4, two sockets 5, 5, are
keyed, which receive and support the arms 6, 6, attached to the framing F,
and at the right hand end of the shaft a lever 7 is keyed, as shewn in the
Drawing. The pins 2, 2, at the other end of the framework E, support a cross
bar 8, which carries the inner end of the framing F. I will now describe
the construction of the framing F, and the parts in immediate connection
therewith. This framing is attached to and forms one with the cast-iron beds
or gratings r and s (see the partial plan view, Fig. 8), which support the
Between these beds,
moulds for forming the bricks, tiles, or other articles.
and immediately beneath the grating 9, of the chamber which contains the
clay, anti-friction rollers 9, are loosely mounted, as shewn in the elevation,
Fig. 6, the top of the rollers being on a level with the upper surface of the

page_text: beds. At the lower part of the framing F are bearings to receive a horizontal
shaft, which carries a vibrating lever t. To the upper end of the lever ta
lever u is jointed, which branches out into the form of a V, and turns up at
its ends at right angles to receive a pair of guide wheels w, w. These wheels
are each provided with a flange, which runs in a slot made in the upper face of
the framing F, and to the ends of the V lever a cross bar x is bolted. y is a
lever for actuating the lever t and the parts connected therewith, and z are
the moulds which are supplied to the machine by hand when required.
Having described the various parts of the machinery whereby I am enabled
to mould bricks, tiles, and other articles, I will now proceed to describe the
action of the same. Rotary motion being given to the vertical shaft b, of the
pug-mill, the plates d, d, will force the clay through the opening e, into the
chamber D; and supposing a mould to be placed upon the rollers 9, in the
position shewn at Fig. 3, the hand wheel n is turned, which, giving rotary
motion to the pinions m, in gear with the segment racks, will bring down the
pressing plate k, and force the clay into the compartments of the mould.
When a sufficient pressure has been put on the clay by this means, the
workman then pulls down the lever y (letting go at the same time of
the hand wheel), which action will cause the levert to vibrate, and draw for-
ward the lever u, and with it the cross bar a. This bar (guided in its course
by the wheels w) will push forward a mould previously placed in front of it,
as at z¹, Fig. 3, and drive that mould to the position of the mould z, now full
of clay, from under the grating g, in escaping from which the superfluous clay
will be removed by the inner edge of the inclined side of the grating. The full
mould will then arrive at the position on the framing of the mould z³, from
whence it is ready to be carried to the drying ground. By throwing upward the
lever Y, the bar will retire to its former station, and and another empty mould
being placed before it, the same movement will be repeated after the mould
last pushed under the grating g is filled with clay, as before described. If by
accident any stone or other hard substance should get into the clay, and
stop the proper action of the moulding machine, it is only necessary to depress
the lever 7 on the shaft 4, which will bring down the framing a sufficient dis-
tance for the mould to be released. I would remark that, in order to insure
the casting of perfect bricks, it is necessary to make the cross bars of the grating
g so that that face of the bars which is nearest the centre of the grating shall
project further over the divisions of the moulds than their opposite face, and
thus the free lateral course of the clay is somewhat checked, which will prevent
the sand from being swept from the sides of the moulds. To prevent the
oscillation of the inner framing F, projecting pius are provided, which abut

page_text: against the stationary framework E, as will be seen in the plan view, Fig. 8.
It is obvious that by employing moulds of a suitable shape, and a grating g
corresponding thereto, my improved machinery may be made to produce pan-
tiles and draining tiles with great speed and precision.
In conclusion, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the
exact construction of apparatus above described for moulding bricks, as many
parts may be modified without departing from the nature of my Invention;
but that which I claim under the above in part recited Letters Patent is―
Firstly, the general arrangement of the apparatus, as above described and
shewn in the Drawings.
Secondly, the peculiar arrangement and construction of the knives and plates
for tempering the plastic composition, and forcing it out from the pug-mill.
Thirdly, the construction and application of an adjustable framing for holding
the moulds to receive the plastic composition, such framing being capable of
instant depression, as above explained.
Fourthly, the arrangement of apparatus for placing the moulds successively
under the grating 9, as above described and shewn in the Drawings.
And lastly, the peculiar arrangement of the grating g with respect to the
compartments of the moulds, whereby perfect bricks, tiles, and other similar
articles are produced, as above explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Hall, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand sight hundred and faxter fivea