Brioks and Tiles.
Year: 1887

page_text: Brioks and Tiles.
I, REGINALD HADDAN of the firm of Herbert & Co., Patent Agents, of 18 Bucking-
ham Street, Strand, W.C. London, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention, a communication to me from abroad
by Ellis Murton Burr and John Wesley Stipes both of Champaign, Illinois,
United States of America, Manufacturers, 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 machines for turning out bricks, tiles etc. in the green or
plastic state preparatory to burning in the kiln, and its object is to simplify the
operation of making the brick and tile forms and to render such operation more
rapid and uniform than has heretofore been possible.
To the above purposes the invention consists in a brick or tile-cutting machine in
which the plastic material is carried along horizontally in a block or continuous mass
which is regularly divided by a vertically-acting cutter moving in unison with the
carrier and operatively connected therewith.
The invention further consists in the peculiar and novel arrangement of the cutting
mechanism, whereby the continuous horizontal movement of the carrier and the
vertical reciprocating movements of the cutter insure the proper vertical cutting of
the block of plastic material.
The invention further consists in certain peculiar and novel features of construction
and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed..
In order that the invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe it
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a brick or tile-cutting machine constructed in accordance
with this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view, and Fig. 3 is a front end elevation of the
same. Fig. 4 illustrates in detached condition the cutter-carrier and one of the
guiding-cams therefor.
In the said drawings A designates two longitudinal side pieces which are placed
parallel with each other and suitably supported at their ends upon legs a said pieces
being suitably braced together to form the bed or frame-work of the machine. At

page_text: each end of the frame is mounted a drum C the axles of which are journalled trans-
versely of the frame in the side pieces A. An endless belt D runs over these drums C
and its upper strand is supported against sagging by a series of rollers c, which are
journalled transversely upon the upper edges of the side pieces A. In order to main-
tain the desired tension of the belt D the axles of the rear drum Care provided with
adjustable journals, one of which is shown at d in Fig. 1. The axle E of the rear
drum C carries at one end a sprocket-wheel F over which runs a drive-chain G,
leading to and passing a around similar sprocket-wheel F¹ on the corresponding end of
the axle E of the front drum C. By this arrangement the two drums are caused to
revolve exactly in unison, so that the belt D is moved along at a uniform rate of speed.
The logs a at the front end of the machine are extended upward to form stan-
dards HH as shown, and in the upper end of these standards is journalled in boxes i
a crank-shaft I as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. At one end this crank-shaft I carries
a balance-wheel J designed to steady the motion of the machine, and at its opposite
end said shaft carries a gear-pinion j. The teeth of the pinion j mesh with the teeth
of a gear-wheel K which is mounted upon the stub-shaft & secured to one of the
standards H as best shown in Fig. 3. A sprocket-pinion is mounted upon the stub-""
shaft and a drive-chain runs from the pinion to a sprocket-wheel L mounted
upon the opposite end of the axle E' from that which carries the sprocket-wheel F¹
before referred to. M designates a yoke or inverted U-shaped frame which is con-
nected by a link m to the crank-section of the shaft I. Each arm of the yoke carries
upon its outer side, near the lower extremity thereof, a downwardly-extending
L-shaped arm m² having on its lower extremity an outwardly-extending friction-
roller m² said rollers working in guiding-canis N to be hereinafter more particularly
described. O designates a wire which is secured at one end to one arm of the yoke M
and the other end of which is carried upward and is connected with an adjusting screw p
upon the cross-piece of said yoke. Thus the wire O is stretched tightly across the
lower end of the yoke and serves as the cutter for the machine.
It will be seen from the above description that while the carrier-belt D moves
steadily along in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1 the yoke reciprocates
vertically. The mass of plastic material, in the form of a block or hollow cylinder,
is placed or fed upon the apron, as shown at x and is steadily moved toward and under
the yoke by the force given to it by the brick or tile machine. It is necessary that
the wire in passing downward through the mass should make a clean cut and when
rising out of the mass should pass directly through the cut just made, and in order to
accomplish this result without interrupting the continuous movement of the belt and the
material thereon I provide the guiding-cams N before referred to and mount said
cams upon the inner sides of the standard H in such proximity to the lower ends of
the yoke-arms as to permit the rollers m² to work in the grooves of said cams.
As shown in Fig. 4 the groove is approximately diamond-shaped, with its lower por-
tions 1, 2, converging at their lower ends to an acute angle at 3, and its upper portions 4,
converging at their upper ends to an obtuse angle at 5. Thus, as the mass of material is
moved along, the wire or cutter O will cut vertically downward through the material
and return through the same cut without interrupting the movement of the mass.
When the cutting-wire strikes the belt D at the end of the downward movement of
the cutter-frame or yoke, the movement of the apron carries the cutter past the center
of the angle 3 of the guide-cam, so that the cutter may rise in the grooves l.
When other than plain forms are to be produced, the shape of the cams may be
varied or the relation of the grooves altered without departing from the spirit of the
invention.
This machine may be used upon plastic materials other than clay, and is rapid and
uniform in its action.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. In a brick and tile cutting machine, the combination, with the continuously-

page_text: moving horizontal carrier, of the vertically-reciprocating cutter geared to and operated
from said moving carrier, and fixed ways for controlling the horizontal movements of
said cutter, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. The combination, with an endless carrying belt and drums for supporting the
same, of a drive chain connecting said drums operatively together, a crank-shaft
operatively geared to one of said drums, a vertically-reciprocating cutter-frame con-
nected to said crank-shaft, and a guiding cam operatively connected to the cutter-
frame, so as to deflect the movement of the cutter to produce the desired cut without
interrupting the movement of the carrier, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination, with the frame A, carrying the drums C and standards H of
the sprocket-gearing between said drums, the crank-shaft upon said standards the
sprocket-gearing between said drums and shaft, the yoke-frame connected to the
crank-shaft and carrying the cutting-wire and the guiding-cams N for deflecting the
movements of the cutter, substantially as described.
Dated this 28th day of December 1887