CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF TILES AND OTHER PLASTIC SUBSTANCES
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BENSON, of Allerwash House, Haydon Bridge, Northumberland, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifteenth day of January, in the ninth year Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said William
Benson, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, Ier especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said William Benson, my exors, adiñiors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Benson, my exors, adiñiors,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark,
and Man, and also within all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad,
my Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
TILES AND OTHER PLASTIC SUBSTANCES;" in which Letters Patent there is con-
tained a proviso that I, the said William Benson, shall particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and
cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
now-reciting Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being had thereto,
will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Benson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
in and by this present instrument in writing under my hand and seal, in the
words herein-after written. Before, however, I proceed to describe the par-
ticulars of the same, it may be proper to state that the object of it is to
manufacture tiles, pipes, and other articles direct from the sides of mills
similar (except as herein-after described) to those now usually called pug-mills,
in manner herein-after stated and shewn. It is well known in the manufacture
of tiles and pipes from clay that a mill is often used to work up the clay and
materials prior to the same being made into tiles or pipes by another machine.
By my Invention the second machine can be dispensed with, and the tiles or
pipes made direct from the sides of the mill in the first instance. The Drawing
hereunto annexed fully shows my Invention by reference to the description of
the same in the words and Figures herein-after written; similar letters indicate
the same parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 is an elevation of the machine at work, and supposed to be making
both drain and ridge tiles; drain tiles on the right, and ridge tiles on the left.
a represents the cylinder of the mill, which is made of cast or wrought iron, or
any other suitable material, but cast iron is the best. 6 is the carriage which
supports and guides the spindle c. This carriage is made of iron, and fitted in
the inside with brass bushes for the spindle to work against, which bushes can
be removed and replaced when worn out, as may be required. It is also made
in the shape shown, which on the underside is a segment of a circle. This is
to leave sufficient room at the top of the cylinder a for the clay to be thrown
in, and thereby to facilitate the feeding of the machine. This carriage is
fastened to the cylinder a by two screw bolts, as shown in Figure 2, which is a
plan of the top of the cylinder. d is an iron cogged wheel placed at the top
of the spindle c, and working in the bevelled wheel e, attached to the shaft f,
which is driven by steam, horse, or any other suitable moving power. g is the
bearing for the shaft f, made of cast iron, and fastened to the cylinder a by
bolts and screws, as shown. h, h, h, represents the tables to receive the tiles
or pipes as they come out of the dies, i, i, i, placed on the four sides of the
cylinder a. These tables have inserted in them rollers j, which rollers carry an
endless band or web made of flannel or any other suitable flexible material;
which flannel or material can be tightened as occasion may require by the
adjusting screws p, p. K, K, represent tiles discharging from the mill, which
traverse the endless webs by the motion they receive in coming out from the
cylinder a. As soon as sufficient length of tile is out on the canvas web, the

page_text: instrument marked is placed under it, by which it is cut off in the direction
of the arrows. The instrument is commonly called a horse, and well known
to tile makers, and therefore unnecessary further to particularize. R, R, is
the bed plate on which the cylinder a is placed, and to which it is bolted by
eight strong iron bolts with screws, and which bed plate is bolted through the
two pieces of timber s, s, to the foundation m, better shown in section at
Figure 4.
I would here observe that in working this machine tiles can be made on
the four sides of it at the same time, or at three, two, or one side thereof, or
more, if required; and different sorts of tiles can be made at the same time. as.
for instance, drain tiles on the right-hand side of it, ridge tiles on the left-hand
side, pipes in the centre, and flat tiles at the back. The shape of the tiles
or pipes depend altogether on the die used, which can be changed as often
as required. The dies are slipped in and out in dovetailed grooves on the
outside of the cylinder, as shown in the plan, Figure 3. Figure 2 shows a
plan of the top of the cylinder a with the carriage b, the top of the spindle c,
the crown wheel d, the bevel wheel e, and the shaft f. Figure 3 is a plan of
the machine, in which are shewn the four tables h, h, h, h, two of which, vide-
licet, Nos. 1 and 3, are covered with the flexible webs; No. 2 uncovered, but
with the rollers inserted; and No. 4 shows the top of the frame without the
rollers or web. c is the spindle, having the curved arms n, n, and the wooden
cone o, attached to it. i, i, i, represent the dies, and *, *, show the dovetailed
grooves in the cylinder a, by which they are put into place. The die opposite
No. 4 table is ont, in order to shew more distinctly the place it occupies, and the
grooves which hold it in place. p,p, represent screws passing through the ends
of the tables to the bearings of the last rollers in each table, which bearings are
noveable, and slide backwards and forwards, by means of which the endless
web or band can be tightened or slackened, as occasion may require. They
are also shown in the Tables, Figure 1. The dotted lines outside the curved
arms or knives show the position occupied by the clay when the spindle is in
motion, and as the clay descends in the mill it is pushed towards the dies by
these arms (with the assistance of the cone), and through them on to the tables
as aforesaid. Figure 4 is a section of Figure 1, with an elevation of the
spindle c, showing more distinctly the form thereof, with the arms or knives
n, n, the position in which such arms or knives are placed, the cone of wood
o, o, and the flange a, a, at the bottom of the cone, which is cast on the spindle.
This spindle is made of cast iron, round outside and hollow inside, the bottom
end of it passes through the bed plate R, R, and will be particularly
described under Figure 6. The foundation or bed stones m have placed upon

page_text: them the bearing for the spindle, which is a cast iron plate, having a square
box on its upper surface. This plate is fixed by four screws below the bed
plate R, R. Within the square raised in the box on the upper surface is
inserted a brass bearing w, which can be adjusted to any suitable position by
four screws, two of which are shown, t, t. R, R, is the bed plate of the mill,
which is made of cast iron. This plate is bolted to the foundation stones m, m,
by four iron screw bolts, two of which are shown in dotted lines, and marked
u, u. Between the bed plate and the foundation stones are inserted two pieces
of timber, s, s, about six inches square, and in length equal to the width of the
foundation.
The cylinder a is bolted to the bed plate R, R, by eight iron screw bolts,
the heads of which are shown in Figure 3, and marked v. Figure 5 is a plan
of the bed plate before mentioned, showing the bolt holes for the bolts, and
also the hole in the centre for the spindle to pass through. It likewise shows
the grooves for the bottom of the dies. This plate should be one inch in thick-
ness, or thereabouts. Figure 6 is an elevation of the spindle without the arms
attached, but showing the slots into which they are to be inserted. All the
upper slots are to be placed as near as possible to the angle of forty-five degrees,
but those on the lower plano of the spindle are to be placed perpendicular or
nearly so.
The number of arms or knives given in this plan amount to twenty-three
altogether, set or fastened in six planes, but a greater or less number of arms
or knives and planes may be used, if required; for instance, a machine which is
to be wrought by a horse should be of less dimensions, and would of course
require a less number of knives or arms and planes, but in no case ought there
to be less than three or four knives or arms on the two bottom planes, and two
on cach of the upper planes, and there should not be less than three or four
planes of knives. Twenty-three arms or knives, set in six planes, will be suffi-
cient for any machine. except where the clay is of such a nature as to require
much working to bring it to a sufficient plastic state.
These arms or knives are placed in the spindle, and wedged or keyed up
firmly. The greatest number are inserted at the bottom of the spindle; for
instance, plane No. 1 is intended to have six curved arms or knives inserted
perpendicular; plane No. 2 is intended to have six straight knives fixed im-
mediately above the curved ones, and set at the angle of forty-five degrees, or
near thereto, as aforesaid; planes 3, 4, and 5 are to have three straight ones
inserted at or near the angle stated; and plane No. 6 to have only two straight
ones inserted at the same angle. It will be observed that the bottom of the

page_text: spindle is, with the addition of the cone of wood placed round it, which is
shown by dotted lines, and marked o, bell shaped or conical. Any hard and sound
wood, or even iron, or part wood and part iron, or any other suitable material,
will do to form this cone. If made of wood it is fastened upon the flange at
the bottom of the spindle by iron bolts, as shown, marked y, y, and it must be
fitted close to the spindle and the arms or knives. It is necessary that the five
upper sets of arms or knives should be placed at or near as possible to the
angle given, and that the bottom of the spindle should be conical, in order to
facilitate the passing of the clay or other plastic material to the bottom of the
mill, and as much as possible to the outside of the lower set of curved arms or
knives which, from their peculiar shape and position, press it through the dies.
The two lower sets or planes of arms or knives pass through the cone before
described to the centre of the spindle. All the aforesaid Drawings are on the
scale of one inch to the foot.
Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 are the forms of various dies I employ,
and they are used for the following purposes, and in the manner herein-after
described. Figure 7 is a die for making drain tile soles. It will be seen that
the two soles come out connected together at the top. This connection, from
the thinness of the substance at the top, can be easily separated, either before
being burnt or after. Figures 8, 9, 10: in these Figures are represented
another die for making drain tiles, Figure 8 being the front or outside of such
dic; Figure 9, a section of the same at the line A, B; and Figure 10 the
inside view of the same. The thickness of this die should be about one inch,
but if the clay or substance used is short, or of a silicious nature, the thickness
of the die must be increased to two inches, or even more, as circumstances may
require. Figures 11, 12, and 13: in these Figures are represented another
form of the die for making ridge tiles, in imitation of common stone ridging,
and in which Figure 11 represents the front or outside view; Figure 12, a
section of the same at the line A, B; and Figure 13 the inside view thereof.
It will be observed by the section, Figure 12, that this die is considerably deeper
or thicker at the top than at the bottom. This is necessary, on account of the
orifice being wider at the top of the ridging than at the bottom or edges
thereof. It is requisite that the thickness of the die at the top and bottom
edges respectively should be determined by the thickness of the top and bottom
edges of the ridge tiles intended to be made: Figures 14, 15, and 16: in these
Figures are represented another form of die for making round topped or roll
topped ridging, in which Figure 14 represents the front or outside view;
Figure 15, a section of the same at the line A, B; and Figure 16 the inside

page_text: view thereof.. The proportional thickness of the top and bottom of this die is
to be determined in the same manner as before stated with respect to the die
before described in the Figures 11, 12, and 13. In the roll or round part of
this die is shown a core or mandril suspended by bars, fixed crossways. This
mandril, as also the suspending bars, which I term friction bars, assist in pre-
venting the too rapid flow or progress of the roll part of the ridging. By
inserting mandrils and cores in this manner, together with a die of unequal
thickness, ridge tiles or other plastic substances may be moulded in any shape
or thickness.
1
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which I perform the same, I would wish it to be understood, that although I
have described therein several parts belonging to an ordinary pug-mill, yet I
lay no claim separately thereto, neither do I lay any claim to producing tiles
by a pug-mill without the assistance of any other second machine, nor to
forcing clay through dies of metal to form tiles or pipes, or to cutting such tiles
or pipes off by means of the instrument usually called the horse, as such parts
are old, and already well known. But what I do claim is,-
Firstly, the manufacture of tiles or pipes or other similar articles with clay,
soil, or other suitable material forced through dies of the form herein-before
described, or any other suitable form placed at the sides of mills in manner
and form and similar to those herein-before described, or forced through at one,
two, or any suitable number of sides to such mills.
Secondly, the peculiar formation of the spindle of such mill, so far as casting
the same with a flange, and the filling up with timber or other suitable material
that part thereof which is conical or bell shape, and forming and fixing the
two under sets or planes of arms or knives in the peculiar form and position
as described as aforesaid. And,
Thirdly, the formation of machines and dies for forcing out and forming tiles,
pipes, or other similar articles from clay or other suitable materials, such ma-
chines and dies to be made in the mode and form herein-before described. But
I do not confine myself strictly thereto, or to the precise forms, proportions, or
details shown, provided the peculiar character of any or either part of my said
Invention be used, retained, or brought into operation.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Benson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirteenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid William Benson came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped, according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Fifteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-six.