IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BRICKS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Clayton, of the Atlas Works, Upper Park
Place, Dorset Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BRICKS."
Sealed the 7th June 1864, and dated the 18th December 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Clayton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th.
December 1863. .
I, HENRY CLAYTON, of the Atlas Works, Upper Park Place, Dorset Square,
in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BRICKS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for manufac-
turing bricks. For these purposes a peculiar combination of mechanism is:
employed, which is constructed and arranged in the following manner :-A
cylinder carried by a horizontal axis, and having, by preference, four moulding
recesses at equal distances apart on the periphery, is employed. These
moulding recesses are in succession brought into and retained for a time in
a horizontal position opposite a pressing plate. Each moulding recess has
in it a moveable bottom or hollow piston plate to contain lubricating.
matter similar to that applied to band-power presses described in my Patent of

page_text: March 30th, 1844 (No. 10,132), and the opposite pairs of moveable bottoms
are combined together by bars, in each of which is a slot of such dimensions
as to admit of the passage of the horizontal axis passing through them, and the
slots are of such length as to cause the bars not to come in contact with the
axis, but to be stopped by snugs in the cylinder when the moveable bottoms
are at the ends of their movements in their respective moulds or moulding
recesses in the cylinder. The spindle or rod of pressing plate slides in proper
bearings, and receives motion by a connecting rod put in motion by a crank
or excentric. The lower edge of the pressing plate is caused to slide to and
fro on a fixed plate or table, on which a moulded or partially formed brick is
placed when in a suitable condition to receive a finishing pressure. At the
back of the fixed plate or table there is an upright plate or stop, against which
the end of the brick, which is about to receive its finishing pressure, is placed,
so that when one of the moulding recesses is at rest in a horizontal position
the pressing plate moves the brick into the mould and gives it the finishing
pressure. The fixed plate or table is of such length as to admit of two or
more bricks, or partly formed masses of brick earth, being on it at a time, so
that when one has been moved forward into a mould and the pressing plate
has returned, the next brick or mass of brick earth on the plate or table may
be moved up into position against the stop. The crank or driving axis or
shaft, which gives motion to the pressing plate, receives motion from a steam
engine or other suitable power. On one end of the driving shaft is fixed a
pulley or band wheel to run loose on the driving shaft, inside the boss or
centre of which is arranged a ratchet motion, the stop of which is attached to
the shaft, so that the machine can never be deranged by turning the machinery
the wrong way; also on this driving shaft is fixed a pinion, which gives motion
to a cog wheel on a parallel axis, which gives motion to an endless apron on
to which the bricks are received. The cylinder in which the moulds or
moulding recesses are formed is caused to rotate one quarter round for each
revolution of the driving shaft or axis by means of a crank, on that shaft or
axis giving motion to a rod; the other end of such rod by a stud acting in
succession against four curved teeth or projections formed in a chambered
plate or disc, so as to form an enclosure or fence to the disc and prevent the
rod being displaced. To prevent the rebound of the chamber at each move-
ment there are springs acting as friction breaks upon the peripheries. or side
pieces of the chamber. In order to discharge the bricks, from the moulds or
moulding recesses a plunger or piston plate (which may be arranged to contain
or receive from an upper chamber lubricating matter as before described)
connected to a cross head is caused to enter the mould which for the time is

page_text: uppermost and to press on the moveable bottom therein, by which the moveable
bottom of the mould containing the finished brick will be pressed or pushed
through its mould. The cross head which carries the plunger piston or
delivery plate is acted on by two levers, which at one end are connected to the
cross head by connecting rods, and at the other end the levers are pressed on.
by cams or excentrics.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
"
by the said Henry Clayton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CLAYTON, of the Atlas Works, Upper Park Place, Dorset Square, in the
County of Middlesex, serid greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Henry Clayton, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Clayton,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Henry Clayton, my executors, administrators, and 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 FOR MANUFACTURING BRICKS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Henry Clayton, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in.
what manner 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Clayton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for manu-
facturing bricks. For these purposes a peculiar combination of mechanism is

page_text: employed which is constructed and arranged in the following manner :-A-
cylinder carried by a horizontal axis, and having by preference four moulding,
recesses at equal distances apart of the periphery, is employed. These
moulding recesses are in succession brought into and retained for a time in a
horizontal position opposite a pressing plate. Each moulding recess has in it
a moveable bottom or hollow piston plate to contain lubricating matter
similar to that applied to hand power presses, described in my Patent of
March 30th, 1844, (No. 10,132,) and the opposite pairs of moveable bottoms
are combined together by bars in each of which is a slot of such dimensions
as to admit of the passage of the horizontal axis passing through them, and
the slots are of such length as to cause the bars not to come in contact with
the axis but to be stopped by snugs in the cylinder when the moveable
bottoms are at the ends of their movements in their respective moulds or
moulding recesses in the cylinder. The spindle or rod of pressing plate slides
in proper bearings, and receives motion by a connecting rod put in motion by
a crank or excentric. The lower edge of the pressing plate is caused to slide
to and fro on a fixed plate or table on which a moulded or partially formed.
brick is placed when in a suitable condition to receive a finishing pressure..
At the back of the fixed plate or table there is an upright plate or stop
against which the end of the brick which is about to receive its finishing.
pressure is placed, so that when one of the moulding recesses is at rest in a
horizontal position the pressing plate moves the brick into the mould and
gives it the finishing pressure. The fixed plate or table is of such length as to
admit of two or more bricks, or partly formed masses of brick earth, being on
it at a time, so that when one has been moved forward into a mould, and the
pressing plate has returned, the next brick or mass of brick earth on the plate
or table may be moved up into position against the stop. The crank or
driving axis or shaft which gives motion to the pressing plate receives motion.
from a steam engine or other suitable power. On one end of the driving shaft.
is fixed a pulley or band wheel to run loose on the driving shaft, inside the
boss or centre of which is arranged a ratchet motion the stop of which is
attached to the shaft, so that the machine can never be deranged by turning
the machinery the wrong way; also on this driving shaft is fixed a pinion
which gives motion to a cog wheel on a parallel axis, which gives motion to
The cylinder in which
an endless apron on to which the bricks are received.
the moulds or moulding recesses are formed is caused to rotate one quarter;
round for each revolution of the driving shaft or axis by means of a crank
on that shaft or axis giving motion to a rod, the other end of such rod by a
stud acting in succession against four curved teeth or projections formed in a.

page_text: chambered plate or disc so as to form an enclosure or fence to the disc and
prevent the rod, being displaced. To prevent the rebound of the chamber at
each movement there are springs acting as friction breaks upon the peri-
pheries or. side. pieces of the chamber: In order to discharge the bricks from
the moulds or moulding recesses a plunger or piston plate (which may be
arranged to contain or receive from an upper chamber lubricating matter as
before described), connected to a: cross. head is caused to enter the mould
which for the time is uppermost, and to. press on the. moveable bottom
therein, by which the moveable bottom of the mould containing the finished
brick will be pressed or pushed through its mould. The cross head which
carries the plunger, piston, or, delivery plate is acted on by two levers which
at one end are connected to the cross head by connecting rods, and at the
other end the levers are pressed on by cams, or excentrics.
Having thus stated the nature of the Invention, I will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same..
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a general plan; Figure 2 is a longitudinal elevation; Figure 3
is an end elevation; Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional. elevation, and
Figure 5 is a transverse sectional elevation of the. machinery and apparatus
embodying my improvements in the making or pressing of bricks.
A, A, are the sides or main framing of the machine to which may be
attached carriage wheels; B, B, are the stretcher bolts for connecting the
sides or main framing; C is the main shaft or axle carried in bearings, upon
the main framing; D, D, are pulleys or band wheels attached to one end of
the main shaft or axle C; both of these pulleys run loose on the shaft C, but
the one of these pulleys intended to give motion generally to the machinery is
fitted with a ratchet motion or catch wheel inside the boss or centre piece of
that pulley, the pawl or ratchet being fixed in the shaft C, thus admitting of
motion of the machinery only one way; E is a spur pinion keyed on to the
opposite end of the main shaft or axle C; F is the crank shaft or axle carried:
in bearings upon the top part of the sides or main framing A, A; G is a spur.
wheel keyed on one end of this crank shaft to receive motion from the. spur.
pinion E, and H is a crank or stud plato keyed on to the opposite end of the
shaft or axle F for transmitting motion to the mould cylinder K; I is a con-
necting rod in connection with and actuated by the crank shaft F; this con-.
necting rod I at one part is made so as to screw together, and. by that means
the length of the connecting rod may be varied, and thus adjust the traverse of
the pressing plate J according to the required thickness of the bricks; J. is a

page_text: hollow piston or pressing plate attached to the end of the connecting rod I;
K is the mould cylinder in which are formed four boxes or moulding re-
cesses L, L, L, L; M, M, M, M, are four moveable bottoms or hollow piston
plates forming portions of the boxes or moulding recesses L and working
within them; N, N, are bars forming slings or stirrups to which are attached
the moveable bottoms or plates M; O is a shaft or axle working in bearings
upon the top part of the main framings, and carries the mould cylinder K;
Pis. a disc or chambered plate upon which is formed or fixed four projecting
radial arms with curved ends or teeth; this disc and arnis are keyed on the
end of the shaft or axle O, these radial arms or teeth Q being protected by
an external rim on the plate so as to form a fence and enclosure to the
chambered plate or disc P, and prevent the connecting rod R being dis-
placed; R is a connecting rod or lever from the outer crank H to the radial
arms for giving motion to the disc or plate P and mould cylinder K ;
S, S, are spring friction breaks (colored blue) pressing upon the peripheries
of the mould cylinder K to steady its motion and prevent its rebound: ;
T, T, are excentrics keyed on the crank shaft F; U, U, are rods connected to
and working upon the excentrics T, T; V, V, are levers or beams working on
studs V and Vs in connection with the excentric rods U, U; W, W, are
vertical side rods attached by stud pins (working in slots) at their lower ends
to the levers V, V; X is a cross bar (working in upright side pieces X', X³)
to which is affixed the upper ends of the side rods W, W; Y is a hollow
plunger or pushing-out plate for discharge of the bricks; Z is the table and
feeding frame in connection with the mould cylinder K; A' is a chamber
(with a flexible tube A attached thereto) for containing fluid for charging the
hollow pressing plate or piston J; A³ is another chamber for containing fluid
for lubricating the mould cylinder K, the supply of the fluid from this chamber
is conveyed by a tube A* leading from the chamber A³ through the cross bar ✗
and the centre of the plunger stem to the plunger Y, and to which is attached
a regulating valve for outlet of the fluid; B' is a drum or barrel keyed on
the main shaft C; B2 is a framing fitted with rollers forming a carrier, and
at the outer end of this framing is arranged another drum or barrel similar to
the drum B'; B³ is an endless band or apron carried by and working upon
these drums or barrels, the motion being given to this band and outer drum (at
same speed as the machine is worked) by the revolution of the drum B¹ upon
the main shaft C for receiving and delivering the finished bricks as they are
discharged from the boxes or moulds L; C¹ is the gearing lever and fork for
passing the driving belt to and from the pulleys or band wheels D. In the
piston or pressing plate J, and also in the mould cylinder K, there are per-

page_text: forations for permitting the escape of air, as also the escape of any excess of
material from the boxes or moulding recesses L.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately, but what I claim is the combined arrange-
ment herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Clayton, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
HENRY CLAYTON. (L.S.)