Improvements in Brick Making Machinery.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 16th May, 1899-Accepted, 16th Aug.; 1899
DI EVIFICATION.
Improvements in Brick Making Machinery.
I, ANDREW KESSON, of 314, Argyle Street, Glasgow, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
This invention relates to brick making machinery which is so constructed and
arranged that the clay or other material is very rapidly stamped or pressed into shape
by means of dies and when properly shaped is automatically delivered into or to a
suitable receptacle or conveyer. The bricks can be made and delivered continuously
by the machine. If so desired the machinery may have in conjunction with it means
for drying or partially drying the bricks during their formation.
In carrying out the invention I make the machine of a wheel shape and rotate it
in a vertical plane. It is carried by a horizontal shaft which either can be stationary
or revolve with the machine. The machine is supported by a suitable framework.
The machine has eight or other suitable number of hollow spokes into each of which
is fitted a piston provided with a die, if so desired. Each piston is actuated by
an adjustable cam or cams, or equivalent curved surfaces, secured to the frame of
the machine upon or in which cams, or surfaces, run small wheels or rollers connected:
by suitable arrangements to the said pistons. Springs may be used in conjunction
with the cam or cans to insure the accurate action of the pistons: The cam or
cams is or are formed so that each piston is brought flush with the outside of the
machine whenever the spoke in which that piston works is vertically, below the
centre of the machine and, further, so that each piston is thereafter drawn within
the spoke and then makes a series of short thrusts outwards until it again reaches
the point where it is flush with the outside of the machine. On the end of each
spoke is fitted a door which is kept closed during the greater part of each revolution
of the machine, preferably by means of a wheel fitted to the back of the door and
running against a curved race, but which, when nearing the point vertically under
the centre of the machine is allowed to drop down and open automatically. This
door, when the operations of emptying and charging the hollow spoke have been
completed, is automatically closed. On each door a die may be fitted...
The material from which the bricks are made is, by preference, conveyed through
an ordinary worm conveyor whose trough is steam-jacketed and from which the
material drops into a second conveyor and is carried by it to the disintegrator, where
the material is ground, and from which it is delivered automatically to the pan-
mill. From the pan-mill the material passes into the charging-hopper of the
machine.
:-
The modus operandi is as follows:-
Arranged at the bottom of the charging-hopper is, by preference, a plunger which
works backwards and forwards and is driven either independently or from the
revolving machine itself or its shaft. When the plunger is drawu back material
from the hopper falls in front of it and when the plunger makes the next forward
stroke it presses the material into the box-shaped cavity formed by the hollow spoke
and the piston therein. The forward stroke of the plunger is arranged to take

page_text: place when the hollow-spoke, is directly in front of the material to be pressed into
it and the machine is thus fed whilst it rotates. As soon as the cavity is filled and
the
is brought, by the movement of the machine, clear of the feeding arrangement,
door, as before mentioned, is automatically shut, and, by the action of the cams and
piston, the material is subjected to a series of thrusts with the result that it is,
pressed, into brick shape and is hardened and stamped by the dies. When nearing"
the position directly under the centre of, the machine the door opens automatically,
and, when directly under the centre of the machine, the brick falls out, or is thrust
out of the cavity by means of the piston, and is delivered to a conveying band or
such like running below the machine.
If so desired there may be arranged in conjunction with the machine an arrange-
ment for drying or partially drying the bricks during the process of manufacture.
This arrangement may consist of a system of pipes whereby steam can be conveyed,
preferably through the axle of the wheel, to the hollow spokes and caused to surround
or partially surround them so as to heat and dry the clay. Steam chests may be
made round the spokes; or one or more convolutions of piping may be arranged
round the spokes.
1
1000
I, ANDREW KESSON, of 314, Argyle Street, Glasgow, Engineer, 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 brick making machinery which is so constructed and
arranged that the clay or other material is very rapidly stamped or pressed into shape
by means of pistons and when properly shaped is automatically delivered into or to a
suitable receptacle or conveyor. The bricks can be made and delivered continuously
by the machine.
In order that the said invention may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended two explanatory sheets of drawings, whereon,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly sectioned and Fig. 2 a horizontal section on the
line X-X Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a detail view.
In carrying out the invention I make the machine in the form of a wheel a which
is carried on a horizontal shaft b running in bearings c, c, on the cross webs d of the
frame e of the machine. The machine a is rotated by means of a bevel pinion f, on
the power shaft g (driven in any suitable and well known manner), which gears with
the bevel teeth of the ring h bolted to the side of the machine.
The machine is provided with eight or other suitable number (which number may
be varied according to the size and working capacity of the machine) of radial hollow
spokes or chambers (indicated in dotted lines Fig. 1) within each of which a
piston (provided or not as desired with a die or stamp j¹) is caused to move out-
wards by the action of cams ke (or equivalent) secured to the frame e and upon the
peripheries of which run, as the machine revolves, wheels carried on the ends of
axles passed through slots n in the side plates of the machine and rigidly secured
to the pistons j.
The cams are shaped as shown clearly at Fig. 3 so that each piston is in the
farthest in position when the wheels are running on the part 1 of the cams. There-
after as the machine revolves, in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1, each piston

page_text: receives a series of short and increasing thrusts outwards as the wheels successively
travel over the projections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, until, when they travel over the large pro-
jection 7, the piston is, forced outwards until its face is flush with the outside of the.
machine. This takes place just when the spoke in which that piston works is.
vertically below the centre of the machine.
On the end of each spoke a hinged door.o which is kept closed during the greater
part of each revolution of the machine preferably by means of a curved race p fitted
to the frame and against which wheels q on the doors can run. Owing to the fact
that the race is only carried from the point p¹ at one side of the machine to the point p²
at the other side it follows that when each door in its turn arrives at the point p²
where the race ceases it opens automatically and falls down vertically, as shown at
Fig. 1, when below the centre of the machine. When each door again reaches the
front end p¹ of the race (which is here bent and curved outwards, as shown,) it is
automatically closed. A die may be fitted on the inside of each door for impressing
the bricks with any desired mark or name.
is the charging hopper of the machine which delivers the clay into a rectangular
cylinder s carried by the frame e¹ and within which a plunger t is reciprocated back-
wards and forwards by the action, on the one hand, of a powerful spring u coiled
round the rod t' of the plunger, and, on the other hand, by a series of metal curves v
at each side of the machine which act upon wheels w at the end of rods a bolted to
the cross heady to which also the rod t is centrally secured. The curves v are of
the shape shown at Fig. 1.
The material from which the bricks are made is, by preference, conveyed through
an ordinary worm conveyer whose trough is steam jacketed and from which the
material drops into a second conveyer and is carried by it to the disintegrator, where
the material is ground, and from which it is delivered automatically to the pan-inill.
From the pan-mill the material passes into the charging hopper of the machine. This
method of delivering the material forms no part of my invention.
The modus operandi is as follows:-
When the plunger t is forced backwards by the curves v material from the hopper
falls into the cylinder s in front of it and when the plunger makes the next forward
stroke it presses the material into the box shaped cavity formed by the hollow spoke
and the piston therein. The forward stroke of the plunger is arranged to take place
when the hollow spoke is directly in front of the material to be pressed into it and
the machine is thus fed whilst it rotates. As soon as the cavity is filled and is
brought by the movement of the machine clear of the feeding arrangement the door o,
as before mentioned, is automatically shut and by the action of the cams k and
piston j the material is subjected to a series of thrusts with the result that it is pressed
into brick shape and is hardened and stamped by the dies. When nearing the
position directly under the centre of the machine the door, being free of the race p,
open automatically and, when directly under the centre of the machine, the brick falls
out of or is thrust out of the cavity by means of the piston and is delivered to a
conveying band or such like running below the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same to be performed, I wish it to be under-
stood that I am aware that it has been previously proposed to construct a brick
making machine with a continuously-rotating wheel or drum formed with radial
moulds or pockets containing pressing plungers which are moved radially, outwards
during the rotation of the drum by means of a fixed can surface, and that such
pockets or moulds have been fitted at their outer ends with movable covers which act
as abutments to the pressing plungers and which are removed at the requisite
intervals to allow of the introduction of the material under treatment and to permit
of the ejection of the finished bricks. I therefore lay no claim to such type of
machine, but I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The general arrangement and combination of parts of the machine substantially
as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings annexed.

page_text: 2. In a brick making machine, the combination of a rotating body or wheel, hollow
spokes constituting radial chambers in the body, compressing pistons working within
the hollow spokes, means for actuating the pistons, hinged doors such as o for closing
the hollow spokes or radial chambers and a race (p) or its equivalent for effecting the
automatic closure of the doors, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
3. In a brick making machine, the combination of a rotating body or wheel, hollow
spokes constituting radial chambers in the body, compressing pistons working within
the hollow spokes, means for actuating the pistons, a device for charging or filling the
radial chambers, means for closing them and a series of curves (v) on the rotating body
for actuating (in conjunction with a spring or equivalent) the charging or filling
device, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 15th day of May 1800
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.