IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND IN APPARATUS FOR MOULDING AND DRYING BRICKS, TILES, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES, AND FOR PREPARING CLAY TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE FORMA- TION OF BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Year: 1877

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION. left by William Carter Stafford Percy and
Frederick Henry Oclee at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
19th May 1877.
:
"
WILLIAM CARTER STAFFORD PERCY, of Manchester; in the County' of Lancaster,
and FREDERICK HENRY OCLEE, of Salford, in the same County. IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE METHOD OF AND IN APPARATUS FOR MOULDING AND DRYING BRICKS, TILES,
AND SIMILAR ARTICLES, AND FOR PREPARING CLAY TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE FORMA-
TION OF BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Our Invention relates in the first place to the pug mills for preparing clay. for use
in the moulding of bricks, tiles, or earthenware articles, and consists principally in
the employment of knives or propellers formed or provided with a passage through
which steam is forced. and issues through holes behind or in the back of the
knife.
We prefer to employ a perforated cylinder, within which the shaft provided
with knives is arranged to revolve, and to provide the said cylinder with a revolving
stage, upon which the clay falls as it is forced through the perforations by the
action of the knives, a fixed docter collecting the clay as the said stage revolves.
The steam is admitted through a suitable coupling to the hollow shaft of the
pug mill, and flows from the said shaft into the steam passage of each knife.
We prefer to make the said shaft hexagonal in form externally, and to form each
knife with double ends, one end revolving in a plane a little higher than the other
end.
When the said pug mill is employed in the manufacture of bricks according to
the second part of our Invention, the prepared clay is received on to an apron,
which conveys it to moulding rollers, which form the clay into a slab, which can be
severed into bricks in the usual manner.
For some uses these bricks are subjected to pressure before being dried. For
this purpose we employ moulds, in which the bricks are placed, and reciprocating
pistons, which are actuated by cranks. The said pistons descend into the moulds
and press the bricks.
The bottoms of the moulds are fitted to slide upwards and to discharge the bricks,
and are acted upon by foot treddles or hand levers for this purpose. Two moulds,

page_text: having pistons rising and falling alternately and actuated by one crank shaft, will.
be a suitable arrangement.
We dry the bricks in the ordinary manner, or by the means we now proceed to
describe. The bricks are placed upon perforated and grooved boards, which are
placed within a chamber, in. which wheels or rollers are mounted. The boards are
placed end to end upon the said wheels or rollers, the series being pushed forwards
to make room for each added board. A current of air is caused to flow through
the said chamber by the action of a fan or propelling or exhausting apparatus.
The chamber is made of such a length as that the bricks shall become sufficiently
dried whilst passing through it.
We may provide the said boards with wheels, or place them upon endless
travelling chains, and we may arrange for the chamber to contain two or more
series of boards travelling at different heights within the chamber.
A third part of our Invention relates to the lubrication of the pins employed in
making perforated bricks, and consists in arranging à reservoir of liquid below the
mould into which the pins descend when withdrawn from the moulded brick.
A fourth part of our Invention relates to the manufacture of bricks from
unprepared clay. We employ á mould and piston, both arranged to slide up and
down or to and fro, the mould moving more quickly than the piston.
The said mould and piston may be actuated by cranks or excentrics on a shaft,
which is fitted to be rotated by hand or power. The clay is placed upon a fixed
piston or table, which enters the mould when it descends, the edges of the mould
being made comparatively sharp so as to cut away the superfluous clay. The
piston also descending more slowly compresses the clay within the mould.
A fifth part of our Invention relates to the ordinary hand-moulding apparatus,
and consists in fitting the moulding bench with fingers, which can be raised above
the surface of the bench by means of a treddle or other appliance. The bench is
provided with ledges or guides to govern the position of the mould. A mould being
placed in position is filled with clay in the usual manner, the fingers being within
the mould. The fingers are then withdrawn below the surface of the table, and the
moulded brick is removed:
A remaining part of our Invention relates to the presses employed in the manu-
facture of perforated bricks, and has for its object to obtain perforations extending
entirely through the bricks.
We make the pins longer than usual, and we form perforations in the plunger,
the ends of the pins entering these perforations when the brick is fully compressed.
We may provide the perforations in the plunger with pistons forced upwards by
means of springs, and yielding to the pressure of the said pins.