IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRICKS AND TILES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Bradley and William Craven, of Westgate
Common Foundry, Wakefield, in the County of York, Engineers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING
BRICKS AND TILES."-
"
Sealed the 24th July 1857, and dated the 16th May 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Bradley and
William Craven at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 16th May 1857.
We, RICHARD BRADLEY and WILLIAM CRAVEN, of Westgate Common
Foundry, Wakefield, in the County of York, Engineers, do hereby declare the
nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR MAKING BRICKS AND TILES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improvements upon the machinery or
apparatus for making bricks and tiles, for which British Letters Patent were.
granted to us on or about the First day of July, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-three, whereby perfect pressed bricks or tiles may be made, the
panelling, if used, being formed on both sides of the brick. These improve-
ments consist in the application and use of a compressing piston in conjunc-
tion with the rams or pistons contained in the moulds of the revolving table or

page_text: platform which are used for discharging the compressed brick. The pressing
piston works over the table, and is actuated by a crank or eccentric on a
driving shaft of its own, which shaft is driven in any convenient manner from
the revolving table or main gearing. The piston rod is guided by a curved slot
(corresponding to the course of the moulds) in a bracket bolted to the side of
the pugmill. A lateral arm projecting from the side of the piston carries a
fork, which serves to guide the pressing piston into the mould. As the table
revolves the mould carries the piston round with it a short distance, this
traverse being allowed for by the curved guiding slot, herein-before referred to.
A swivel joint is made in the piston rod to enable it to turn slightly on its
axial line when being carried, along by the table. In order to ensure the
piston after it is elevated coming down again into the succeeding mould, it is
guided by a stud pin working in a fixed cam groove formed in a bracket also
bolted to the pugmill.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard, Bradley and William Craven in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 16th November 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RICHARD
BRADLEY and WILLIAM CRAVEN, of Westgate Common Foundry, Wakefield,
in the County of York, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Richard Bradley and William Craven, Her special license that we, the said
Richard Bradley and William Craven, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Richard Bradley and William Craven,
our executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time. agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRICKS AND TILES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said Richard Bradley and William Craven;
by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner

page_text: the same was to be performed, and, cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately, after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Richard Bradley and William Craven,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our said Invention relates to certain improvements upon the machinery or
apparatus for making bricks and tiles, for which British Letters Patent were
granted to us on or about the First day of July, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-three, by which improvements perfect pressed bricks or tiles may be
made, the pannelling, if used, being formed on both sides of the brick. These
improvements consist in the application and use. of a compressing piston in
conjunction with the rams or pistons contained in the moulds of the revolving
table or platform which are used for discharging the compressed brick. The
pressing piston works over the table, and is actuated by a crank or eccentric
on a driving shaft of its own, which shaft is driven in any convenient manner
from the revolving table or main gearing. The piston rod is guided by a
curved slot (corresponding to the course of the moulds) in a bracket bolted
to the side of the pugmill. A lateral arm projecting from the side of the
piston carries a fork, which serves to guide the pressing piston into the mould.
As the table revolves the mould carries the piston round with it a short
distance, this traverse being allowed for by the curved guiding slot, herein-
before referred to. A swivel joint is made in the piston rod to enable it. to
turn slightly on its axial line when being carried along by the table. In
order to ensure the piston after it is elevated coming down again into the
succeeding mould, it is guided by a stud pin working in a fixed cam groove
formed in a bracket also bolted to the pugmill.
And in order that our said Invention may be fully understood we shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose we shall
refer to the several. Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the
Figures.
Figure 1. of our Drawings represents a general sectional plan of a brick-
making machine fitted with our present improvements for effecting the
pressing and pannelling of bricks on both sides; Figure 2 is an elevation of the
same, with a portion of the main driving gear omitted; and Figures 3, 4, and.

page_text: 5. are details of the pressing mechanism, which we shall herein-after more
fully refer to:
5
As the general arrangement of the machinery is similar to that already
described in the Specification of the Patent herein-before referred to, we shall
merely refer particularly to those parts which have been added thereto, or
have been modified in their construction. A is the pugmill, and B the
moulding table, both worked by any convenient arrangement of gearing.
The table B gears into a pinion C, the relative diameters being as 8 to 1, so
that the vertical shaft D carrying the pinion will make 8 revolutions to one of
the moulding table, or one revolution for each mould therein; but these pro-
portions will of course vary according to the number of moulds in the table.
This shaft is supported by the pillar standard D¹, which is steadied by 'the
tie rod. Du bolted to the top of the pugmill. It carries at its upper
extremity a mitre wheel E, gearing into a corresponding mitre: wheel
F fast on the crank shaft G. A rod H carrying a pressing piston I is
connected to and worked by the crank K, and is guided by means of
the curved slot in the bracket L, bolted to the side of the pugmill:
An arm M projecting from the side of the piston carries a fork: N;, which;
by embracing in its descent à stud pin O on the side of the table, serves
to guide the piston vertically into the mould. A projecting stud pin P on the
opposite side of the piston works inside a continuous guiding groove or slot
in the face of the fixed cam Q (shewn in detail, front elevation, and plan at
Figures 4 and 5), bolted to the side of the pugmill, the object of which is to
direct the motion of the pressing piston in such a manner, that in its descent it
will always be brought over the next succeeding mould. R represents one of
the series of pistons which work inside the moulds in the table B, each mould
having a piston of its own, and these pistons are carried round by the' table,
the incline S serving to elevate them for the purpose of forcing the pressed
brick out of the mould. A swivel joint is made in the rod II of the pressing
piston I, as shewn by the sectional detail, Figure 3, such joint being formed by
means of the flanged boss or collar h pinned on to the end of the piston rod,
the flange of the boss' resting in a corresponding recess in the loose collar i,
also formed with a flange for the purpose of bolting it to the corresponding
flange on the head k of the piston rod which carries the brasses for connecting
it to the actuating crank K. The piston rod is thus allowed to turn or swivel
on its axial line, for the purpose herein-after explained.
In making bricks by this machine, the clay is forced into the moulds by the
pugmill, and as fast as the full moulds come under the pressing piston I the

page_text: lutter descends and compresses the clay firmly therein, it being accurately
guided in its descent by the conjoint action of the curved slot in the bracket' L,
the fork and stud pin N and O, the continuous cam groove in the fixed cam Q.
During the time the piston is pressing the brick in the mould it is carried
along with it a short distance by the continuous rotatory motion of the table,
and this lateral traverse of the piston and its rod is allowed 'for by the curved
slot in the bracket L. During this travel of the piston it will necessarily turn
slightly on its axial centre line, which will be allowed for by the swivel joint,
herein-before referred to.
When the piston rises again its stud pin P will travel up the side q of the
cam groove (Figure 4) in the direction of the arrow, and when it passes the
apex of the central boss of the cam it will necessarily descend along
the side S of the groove, being thus carried forward so as to be in readiness
to meet the next succeeding mould in the revolving table. The pressed brick
is now pushed up out of the mould by the ascent of the lower piston R, acted
upon by the incline S, as herein-before described. Both sides of the pressed
brick may be pannelled by having a suitable projection on the faces of each of
the pistons I and R, as shewn in the Drawing.
According to a simplified modification, which may be used, if found desirable,.
the discharging pistons in the revolving table and the circular incline working
the same may be dispensed with, and a stationary dead plate substituted.
This plate is supported by the foundation plate of the machine, and lies
close against the under side of the table, and extends from below the pugmill
under the two or three succeeding moulds, so as to serve as a bottom thereto,
upon which the clay which they have received from the pugmill is pressed by
the upper pressing piston, herein-before described. As each mould with its
pressed brick passes the end of the dead plate it is discharged by being
forced downwards through the table by any convenient apparatus. Suitable
adjusting or set screws are used to keep the upper plane or surface of the dead
plate evenly and closely against the under surface of the revolving table, the
thickness which, in this arrangement, need not be more than the thickness
of the bricks.
In making pannelled bricks by this latter arrangement, it will be obvious
that the pannelling can only be formed on the upper side of the brick.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, we would observe, in conclusion, that we do not confine or restrict
ourselves to the precise details or arrangements which we have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without

page_text: deviating from the principles or main features of our said Invention, nor do
we claim any of the mechanical elements of which the said apparatus and
parts of apparatus are respectively composed, as being separately or apart from
the use or application of such elements, to form the combination constituting
such apparatus and parts of apparatus respectively, as being any part of our
said Invention; but what we consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to us by the: herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general construction, arrangement, and combination of mechanism
for making pressed bricks, as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of compressing bricks and tiles during the
process of manufacture without stopping or impeding the movements of the
moulding mechanism, by means of a pressing piston worked from a shaft and
crank, or eccentric of its own, and suitably guided into the moulds by guiding
pins and slots, substantially in the manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Richard Bradley and William Craven,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Fourteenth day of
November, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
RICHARD BRADLEY. (L.S.)
WILLIAM CRAVEN.
(L.S.)
RICHARD BRADLEY. (L.s.)
WILLIAM CRAVEN.
(L.S.)