IMPROVEMENTS IN BRICK-MAKING MACHINERY
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Constantine Fawcett, of Leeds, in the County
of York, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRICK-MAKING
MACHINERY."
"
Sealed the 14th May 1878, and dated the 16th November 1877.
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Constantine Fawcett
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th November 1877.
THOMAS CONSTANTINE FAWCETT, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer.
'IMPROVEMENTS IN BRICK-MAKING MACHINERY."
Heretofore the screw or pusher of the pugmill of a brick-making machine has
had a continuous motion imparted to it, so that the clay was always under pressure
and being pushed forward; and in those machines where a revolving cylinder was
employed, having dies or recesses at intervals formed therein to receive clay for the
formation of a brick, great strain and wear and tear of the machine and consumption
of power resulted every time a blank surface of the revolving cylinder was presented
against the clay which was being pushed forward.
•
. Now my Invention consists in giving an intermittant motion to the screw or
pusher of such pugmill, so that when a die or recess is presented to the clay, the
screw is working and clay pushed into such die, and when a blank surface is pre-
sented to the clay, the screw is at rest, and therefore there is no pressure of clay
against the blank surface of the cylinder. This intermittant motion may be
obtained by ratchet wheel and pawl, or any other well-known mechanical mechanism
actuated from any moving part of the machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Constantine Fawcett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th May 1878.
THOMAS CONSTANTINE FAWCETT, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BRICK-MAKING MACHINERY."
Heretofore the screw or pusher of the pugmill of a brick-making machine has
had a continuous motion imparted to it, so that the clay bas always been under pressure;
and in machines where a revolving cylinder or sliding box has been employed, having
dies or recesses formed at intervals therein to receive clay for the formation of
bricks, or where moveable tables or boxes have been employed for the same purpose,
great strain upon the machine and loss of power resulted every time a blank surface
of the revolving cylinder was presented to the clay.
Now my Invention consists in giving an intermittent motion to the screw or
pusher of such pugmill, so that when a die. or recess is presented to the clay, the
screw is working and clay being pushed into such die, and when a blank surface is
presented to the clay, the screw is at rest, and therefore there is no pressure of clay
against the blank surface of the cylinder.
In order that my Invention may be fully understood, I herein give reference to
the accompanying Sheets of Drawings illustrative of the methods of carrying the
same into effect.
In Fig. 1 I have shewn a ratchet wlieel and pawl mechanism for producing the
desired intermittent motion. A is the mould cylinder of a brick-making machine,
and B is the pugmill with screw propeller C for forcing the clay into the dies D.
When a dic is filled, the cylinder is turned partially round so as to present
another empty die to the pugmill, and in so doing the blank surface E must pass
the clay in the pugmill.
Should the mill be working, the pressure of the clay against the cylinder is very
great, and it requires a corresponding amount of power to turn the cylinder. To
remedy this, I communicate motion to the pugmill by crank rod F connected to
the wheel G which works the plunger H. To this crank rod is connected a lever J
mounted loosely on shaft K, on which shaft is fixed a ratchet wheel L and also a
bevil wheel M (see detail, Fig. 2). To the lever J are fixed pawls N, and, as will
be readily seen, the effect of the continuous revolution of the wheel G is to impart
an intermittent motion to the wheel M, which is communicated by bevil pinion O
to the screw propeller C, the amount of motion at each period being dependent
upon the proportion between the wheels M and O, the time of operation being
regulated so as to occur only when the empty die is opposed to the pugmill, and to
cease as soon as the die cylinder commences to revolve.
Fig. 3 shews another method of carrying my Invention into effect. In this case
the screw C is driven by bevil wheels a, b, the wheel b being mounted on shaft c,
on the end of which is gear wheel d which takes into pinion e mounted on shaft f.
On the end of shaft f is a loose pulley g driven by belt from pulley ; mounted on
first motion shaft k. To the loose pulley g is fixed one half of a clutch l, the other
half of which works on a feather on the shaft f. The clutch is thrown in and
out of gear by fork m mounted on rod n, which is caused to oscillate by means of
a cam plate p fixed to the wheel G, which cam plate operates on the finger r
of the rod n.
Fig. 4 is detail of the principal parts detached and shewn in elevation.
In conclusion I would have it understood that although I have shewn and
described two methods of carrying out my Invention, yet I am aware that other
methods may be adopted for producing the same result, and I therefore do not
limit myself to the exact details herein given, but what I claim as my Invention
and consider to be new, is the use in connexion with a revolving cylinder or

page_text: other moveable die box A of the intermittently revolving screw propeller C,
actuated in manner substantially as herein shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Constantine Fawcett, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
MTTA0
A
HARA
THO. C. FAWCETT. (L.S.)