Improvements in Brick Moulding Machinery...
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Jan, 1894-Accepted, 31st Mar., 1894
Improvements in Brick Moulding Machinery...
I, RICHARD ARTHUR NORRIS No. 2 High Street Berkhamsted in the County
of Hertford Brick Works Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention refers to improvements in brick moulding machines which operate
by pressing the clay into moulds of the size and shape of the required bricks. It
can be used in conjunction with either vertical or horozontal pug mills.
The invention deals with :—
(1.) The mechanism employed to impart a vertical, intermittant, reciprocating,
movement to a piston working in a receptacle called the press-box.
(2.) The mechanism for ejecting the mould when filled, and for bringing an empty
one into position for filling.
(3.) The construction of the piston; which is rectangular in shape, in such a
manner that it shall be capable of expansion to compensate for wear.
The press-box is attatched to the delivery orifice of a pug mill, and above it is
placed a horozontal shaft called the rocking shaft. In or about the centre of this
shaft is keyed an arm jointed to a connecting rod, the lower end of which is
attatched to the piston working in the press-box.
The upward movement is given to the piston in the following manner. Parallel
to the rocking shaft and on.a: level with it is placed a shaft, which is caused to
revolve continuously in one-direction; keyed to this shaft is a disc, to one side of
which is fixed a cam being a segment of a circle of 30" or 36" diameter. Motion
is imparted to the rocking shaft, and through it to the piston, by the cam, as it
revolves coming in contact with a curved arm keyed to one end of the rocking
shaft; the arm, and consequently, the piston, being raised, and maintaned at. the
highest point of the stroke until the cam, by the revolution of the cam disc is
withdrawn from beneath the curved arm, allowing the piston to fall and remain at
rest till the tam again comes into action.
.
The downward impulse is given to the piston, and pressure applied to the clay,
by weights keyed to the rocking shaft; the whole of the required weight may be
incorporated with the curved arm before described, or it may be divided, in which
case a casting of quadrant shape is keyed to the: rocking shaft. at, any convenient
point. The weights are so fixed-relatively to the connecting rod, that at the top
of the stroke they are nearly balanced, having just sufficient bias to start the piston-
downwards.
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:
In order to prevent accident by reason of the curved. arm falling below the point
at which it will properly engage with the cam, a small supplimentary cam is fixed
to the shaft which carries the cam disc, in such a position, that, by engaging, in a
suitable projection on the curved arm it shall lift, and maintain the arm at the
right point for the main cam to come into action.
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Movement. is imparted to the mould driving apparatus by a friction roller
working on a stud fixed to the cam disc, on the opposite side to -the lifting cam.
Parallel to the cam disc and on the same side as the friction roller is-a borozontal
lever, pivoted at one end, and at the other connected: by a vertical-rod to a bell
crank keyed to a shaft placed beneath the table which carries the moulds.
Immediately the piston has pressed: the clay into the mould the friction roller
comes in contact with the horozontal lever near its free end, and lifting it, imparts
through the bell crank a forward horozontal movement to the mould driver, ejecting

page_text: the full mould, and bringing an empty one into its place. A quick return motion
is imparted to the mould driver, by the revolution of the cam disc bringing the
friction roller nearer to the fulcrum of the horozontal lever, thus permitting a
corresponding increase in the rapidity of its fall.
The piston is constructed in the following manner :- -The base of the piston is
formed in one piece, and is provided with suitable means for attatching to it the
connecting rod from the rocking. shaft. The sides are made in four sections, each
consisting of half a side, and half an end. Where the sections join vertical flanges
are provided, through bolts are put for the purpose of coupling the sections together.
The bottoms of the sections are provided with flanges by means of which they are
attatched to the base plate, slotted holes being formed in the flanges and base plate
for that purpose, one set of holes being at right angles to the other. By this
arrangement each section can be moved outwards in two directions. Metal strips
of suitable thickness are inserted in the joints, the bolts being then screwed up, the
piston is at once adjusted to accurately fit the box in which it works.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brick Moulding Machinery.
:
RICHARD ARTHUR NORRIS No. 2 High Street Berkhamsted Herts, Brick Works
Manager, 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 refers to improvements in brick moulding machines which operate
by pressing the clay into moulds of the size and shape of the required bricks. It
can be used in conjunction with either horozontal or vertical pug mills.
The invention deals with -
(1.) The mechanism employed to impart a vertical, intermittent, reciprocating,
movement to a piston working in a receptacle called the press box.
(2.) The mechanism for ejecting the mould when filled and for bringing an empty
one into position for filling.
T
(3.) The construction of the piston, which is rectangular in shape, in such a
manner that it shall be capable of expansion to compensate for wear.
The press box is attached to the delivery orifice of a pug mill, and above it is
placed a horozontal shaft called the rocking shaft. In or about the centre of this
shaft is keyed an arm jointed to a connecting rod the lower end of which is attatched
to the piston working in the press-box.
The upward movement is given to the piston in the following manner :-
Parallel to the rocking shaft and on a level with it is placed a shaft, which is
caused to revolve continuously in one direction; keyed to this shaft is a disc to one
side of which. is fixed a cam which is a segment of a circle of 30" or 36" diameter..
Motion is imparted to the rocking shaft and through it to the piston by the cam
as it revolves coming in contact with a curved arm keyed to one end of the rocking
shaft, the arm and consequently the piston being raised and maintained at the
highest point of the stroke until the cam by the revolution of the cam disc is with-
drawn from beneath the arm, allowing the piston to fall and remain at rest until the
cam again comes into action.
The downward impulse is given to the piston and pressure applied to the clay by
weights keyed to the rocking shaft, the whole of the required weight may be
incorporated with the curved arm, before described, or it may be divided, in which
case à casting of quadrant shape is keyed to the rocking shaft at any convenient
point.

page_text: The weights are so fixed relatively to the connecting rod that at the top of the
stroke they are nearly balanced, having just sufficient bias to start the piston
downwards.
In order to prevent accident by reason of the curved arm falling below the point
at which it will properly engage with the cam, a small supplementary cam is fixed
to the shaft which carries the cam disc, in such a position that by engaging in
suitable projection on the curved arm it shall lift and maintain the arm at the right
point for the main cam to come into action.
Movement is imparted to the mould driving apparatus by a friction roller working
on á stud fixed to the cam disc, but on the opposite side to the lifting cam
Parallel to the cam disc and on the same side as the friction roller is a horizontal
lever, pivoted at one end, and at the other connected by a vertical rod to a bell
crank keyed to a shaft placed beneath the table which carries the moulds.
Immediately the piston has pressed the clay into the mould the friction roller
comes in contact with the horozontal lever near its free end & lifting it imparts
through the bell crank a forward horozontal movement to the mould driver, ejecting
the full mould and bringing an empty one into place. A quick return movement is
imparted to the mould driver by the revolution of the cam disc bringing the friction
roller nearer to the fulcrum of the horozontal lever, thus permitting a corresponding
increase in the rapidity of its fall..
The piston is formed in the following manner :---
The base of the piston is formed in one piece and is provided with suitable means
for attatching to it the connecting rod from the rocking shaft.
The sides are made in four sections, each consisting of half a side and half
an end.
Where the sections join vertical flanges are provided through which bolts are
put for the purpose of coupling the sections together.
The bottoms of the sections are provided with, flanges by means of which they
are attatched to the base plate; slotted holes being provided in the flanges and base
for that purpose, one set of holes being at right-angles to the other; by this means
each section can be moved outwards in two directions."-
+
Metal strips of suitable thickness are inserted in the joints, the bolts being then
screwed up the piston is at once adjusted to accurately fit the box in which it
works.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a plan, of the apparatus herein
described.
こ
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3.
Figs. 3 & 4 are respectively a plan and elevation of the piston...
In the drawings Figs. 1 & 2, A is a vertical pug mill, parallel to which is placed
a rocking shaft-P-P above the press-box B. The crank S being directly over-the
centre of the press box From the crank S a connecting rod R is carried down to
the piston and attached to it as shown in Figs. 3 & 4. The reciprocating or rocking.
motion of the crank Scausing a vertical movement of the piston in the box
B₁
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The crank S imparts a quick motion to the piston when near the top of its stroke
both in rising and falling, and a slower motion when near the bottom, with a corres
sponding increase of pressure exerted upon the clay, below it so as to perfectly fill.
out the corners of the bricks in the moulds. The crank S and the connecting rod R
work on the well known principle of the toggle joint. The means of effecting
this rocking movement are so constructed as to cause after the upward movement of
the piston (1) A pause to permit clay to be driven under it from the pug.mill.
(2) A quick downward movement caused by the impetus of a weighted lever which
forces the clay into the moulds (the moulds may have any number of divisions each
division-forming one brick). (3) A pause when at the bottom of its stroke to
maintain a full pressure upon the clay until the full mould has been ejected:
F
The reciprocating movement is imparted to the piston as follows. Keyed on to
a shaft parallel to the rocking shaft P is a disc N of about 36" diameter which is
shown in the drawings as a spur wheel driven by the pinion O, but it may be made

page_text: independently of the gearing and driven in any convenient manner, so long as it
only makes one revolution for each reciprocation of the piston. Bolted to the spur
wheel or disc N is a cam M which during a portion of its revolution engages with
the arm.J keyed to the shaft P, the arm J is thus raised and causes the piston to
rise also. The length of the cam M and the curve of the arm J determine the time
during which the piston is rising and at rest at the top of its stroke, during which
time clay is forced from the pug mill into the press-box. The angle of movement
should be about 90°.
On the opposite end of the rocking shaft P to the arm J is keyed another arm J'
of quadrant shape, the combined weights of the two arms J & J being sufficient
to cause the piston to descend on to the clay in the press box and_force it into the
mould D as soon as the cam M has passed from beneath the arm J.
The arms J and J' are keyed on to the shaft P in such a position that when the
piston is at the top of its stroke they shall nearly balance, having sufficient bias to
commence the down stroke, and when at the bottom of the stroke the weight shall
be nearly horozontal, thus exerting its greatest pressure simultaneously with the
toggle formed by the crank S and the connecting rod R being in the position of
greatest purchase.
The piston remains pressing on the clay until the full mould has been ejected
from beneath the press-box, when the lifting cam again commences to act, the first
strain being taken by the friction roller M¹.
Another method of applying pressure to the clay than that just described is as
follows; it may be used alone or in conjunction with the weighted levers as before
described.
A lever K is pivoted to the arm J at such a point that it shall be horozontal, or
nearly, so, when the piston is up, being supported in that position by the stud K².
At the free end of the lever K is fixed the adjustable trigger K'.
To the back end of the cam M is attached a friction roller or stud L which
engages with the trigger K¹ as the disc N revolves, and pulling over the arm J
causes the piston to press on the clay as before. The piston having come to the
end of its stroke the trigger K' is disengaged from the roller L by the lever K
resting on the shaft which carries the spur wheel N, or on any other convenient
support. When this method is used alone sufficient weight must be provided in the
arm J to maintain a steady pressure on the clay till the full mould has been ejected.
The return stroke of the piston is effected by the cam M as before described, the
lever K being picked up by the stud K' as the arm J rises.
To effect the placing of the empty mould in position and simultaneously ejecting
the full one,
I attatch to the opposite side of the cam disc N to that on which the
cam M is fixed, a friction roller H, working on a stud fixed in one of the holes
marked on the disc N, the position of which stud may be varied if necessary.
Parallel to the disc N and on the same side as the roller H is a lever G pivoted
at G³, the opposite end being joined by a connecting rod F to the crank E. The
lever G is so pivoted that it shall be in contact with the friction roller H during
one third of a revolution of the disc N. During the first portion of its traverse
when it has to overcome the greatest resistance the lever G has a slow and powerful
upward novement.
The vertical movement of the connecting rod F being converted into a horozontal
forward movement of the mould driver Ü through the cranks E & E', and the
links T & T', the empty mould D' is pushed forward ejecting the full mould D on
to the table C. When the roller H has reached the highest point of its traverse
and begins to approach the fulcrum of the lever G it allows the said lever to fall
rapidly and then come to rest for nearly two thirds of a revolution of the disc N,
giving ample time for an attendant to insert another mould ready for the next series
of movements.
The third part of my invention relates to the construction of the piston for use
with this and similar apparatus. A A A. Fig. 3 is a plan of the base of the piston
and B. B. are two of the sections forming the sides and ends of the piston.

page_text: The connecting rod R. Fig. 1 by which the piston is moved being attached to
the base plate A by the bearings C. C.
The base of the piston is made in one piece, the sides and ends B B being made
in four sections, each section consisting of half a side and half an end. These
sections are bolted to the base plate by flanges as shown in Fig. 4, the bolt holes in
the flanges and those in the base plate being slotted at right angles to each other,
A¹ being a hole in the base plate and B' being a hole in the foot of section B.
By this combination of slotted bolt holes and the division of the sides and ends.
into sections, each section is capable of lateral adjustment to enlarge the piston
when it is worn.
.
The spaces caused by this expansion between the adjacient edges of the sections
in the centre of each side and end, are filled with strips of metal of a thickness
equal to the adjustment which it has been necessary to make these strips being held
in position by the bolts passing through the vertical flanges B'. I prefer to make
the piston about 10" or 12" deep but any greater or less depth may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
(1.) The combination of mechanism for moulding bricks as herein described.
(2.) The combination of mechanism as herein described for forcing clay into
moulds, and for moving the moulds under and away from the press box substantially
as described.
(3.The construction of rectangular pistons in such a manner that they shall be
capable of adjustment substantially as described.
Dated thin Divent dan of Tona 180.1