Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 7th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 7th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 6th May, 1887.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and Engineers,
of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to pressing apparatus for forming blocks of any desired
section of materials such as slag, gravel, cement, lime, or plaster, and it has for its
object a novel method of constructing and operating such press so that it is simple and
effective in operation and the blocks produced by it are delivered in regular succession
without manual labour. The improved press is also applicable to the manufacture
of compressed blocks of peat mixed with charcoal or coke dust or for artificial stone
for building.
The different blocks produced are all delivered automatically on the spot required
and they may have any dimensions desired of length thickness and height and may be
solid or hollow or with any desired moulding.
The improved press consists of a rectangular metal chamber into which the mixture
of lime plaster and cement or other materials prepared in the usual way are placed.
The chamber may be of any desired dimensions. In this chamber is fitted a plunger
upon the end of a toothed rack by means of which the plunger can be made to traverse
backward and forward in the chainber by means of a toothed pinion driven by a handle
or by toothed wheels actuated by any convenient power. The plunger has a small
friction roller at its lower side which rests upon the bottom of the chamber and carries
its weight.
The object of the plunger is to compress the material in the chamber a wooden
board of the same dimensions as the plunger being interposed between them. The
front end of the chamber is closed by a door turning upon hinges at its lower edge

page_text: and held when closed by a crossbar carrying an eccentric which forces the door against
the end of the chamber. When open this door forms an inclined plane down which the
blocks pass as they leave the chamber and it is supported upon the ground by a roller
arranged about the middle of its length.
When the press is set in operation the materials are agglomerated into a block by
the pressure between the door and the board in front of the plunger. When the
first block has been moulded the door is opened its front end being near the ground
and carried by the roller just described. If the movement of the plunger is then
continued the block is forced down along the platform formed by the door. A second
block can then be compressed in the same way and in expelling it the first block is
pushed completely down upon the ground which offers such resistance that on
continuing the pressure the block does not advance but the press itself recedes
and in this way a line of blocks is laid upon the ground separated from each other by
the wooden boards and all pressed strongly against each other.
A transverse roller is arranged above the chamber so that the blocks may be
compressed from above and made of equal height as they leave the chamber.
The outer end of the rack is carried by a wheel.
Instead of making the blocks of the same dimensions as the chamber they may be
made of any desired length or width by placing upon the bottom of the chamber near
the door a metal plate supported in the required position; and above to the right and
left are fixed on an iron rod a series of metal plates of the same width as the
plate below.
The plunger is brought near these extra plates and the material is placed in the
empty space between them and a series of blocks are made one after another in the
same way as first described.
By forming mouldings upon the boards between the blocks corresponding inverted
recesses are made in the latter. Or the boards may have mouldings upon one side and
corresponding recesses upon the other so that the two adjoining blocks will exactly fit.
The blocks may be made hollow by fixing vertically upon the bottom plate which
determines their thickness one or more wooden cylinders or cores of different
forms and corresponding spaces will be left in the blocks of hardened material.
Angled pieces or any other shaped designs may similarly be obtained by incorporating
in the mass of material pieces of wood of the desired form which remain compressed
there until the complete hardening of the blocks which may thus be obtained in any
desired form whatever.
At the front and at the back of the press are arranged two rollers which support it
and which serve to flatten the ground upon which the blocks are deposited in succession
in a straight line.
Blocks formed of slag are especially useful as foundations for damp rooms, and nails
adhere to them more firmly than to wood and give the floor great solidity. If the
blocks are pierced iron tie rods can be passed through them the ends of which are fixed
to the joists.

page_text: I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex
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 and accompanying drawing (that is to say) :—
This invention relates to pressing apparatus for forming blocks of any desired
section, of material such as slag, gravel, cement, lime, or plaster, and it has for
its object a novel method of constructing and operating such press so that it is
simple and effective in operation and the blocks produced by it are delivered in
regular succession without manual labour. The improved press is also applicable to
the manufacture of compressed blocks of peat mixed with charcoal or coke dust, or for
artificial stone for building.
The different blocks produced are all delivered automatically on the spot required,
and they may have any dimensions desired of length, thickness, and height, and may
be solid or hollow or with any desired moulding.
The accompanying drawing is in illustration of the invention:-
The improved press consists of a rectangular metal chamber (figures 1 and 2) into
which the mixture of lime plaster and cement or other materials prepared in the
usual way are placed. The chamber may be of any desired dimensions. In this
chamber is fitted a plunger upon the end of a toothed rack A (figure 1) by means of
which the plunger can be male to traverse backward and forward in the chamber by
means of a toothed pinion driven by a handle or by toothed wheels actuated by any
convenient power. The plunger A has a small friction roller C (figure 2) at its lower
side which rests upon the bottom of the chamber and carries its weight.
The object of the plunger is to compress the material in the chamber, a wooden
board of the same dimensions as the plunger being interposed between them. The
front end of the chamber is closed by a door D (figures 1 and 2) turning upon hinges
at its lower edge and held when closed by a crossbar fitting in two eyes E, E¹ (figure 1)
carrying an excentric F (figure 1) which forces the door against the end of the chamber.

page_text: When open this door forms an inclined plane down which the blocks pass as they leave
the chamber and it is supported upon the ground by a roller G (figure 2)-arranged
about the middle of its length.
When the press is set in operation the materials are agglomerated into a block by
the pressure between the door and the board in front of the plunger already described.
When the first block has been moulded the door is opened, its front end being near
the ground and carried by the roller G (figure 2). If the movement of the plunger
is then continued the block is forced down along the platform formed by the door, and
the end nearest the plunger A' closes the opening.
A second block can then be compressed in the same way and in expelling it the first
block is pushed completely down upon the ground which offers such resistance that
on continuing the pressure the block does not advance but the press itself recedes and
in this way a line of blocks is laid upon the ground separated from each other by the
wooden boards and all pressed strongly against each other.
A transverse roller H (figure 2) is arranged above the chamber so that the blocks
may be compressed from above and made of equal height as they leave the chamber.
The outer end of the rack is carried by a wheel J (figure 2). Instead of making
the blocks of the same dimensions as the chamber they may be made of any desired
length or width.
A horizontal plate or board is fitted upon the bottom of the chamber of the required
length to determine the length of the block which is to be made, at the end of which a
vertical board is arranged.
In order to retain the upper end of this board in its place the curved irons or plates
shewn in figure 4 are arranged, one upon each side of the chamber their upper ends
being turned over so as to fit and slide upon two horizontal rods fixed to the chamber.
These plates are of the same length as the bottom board. In this way a chamber of
the required size is formed.
Another similar board is then placed in the bottom of the chamber followed by
another vertical board supported in the same way by similar bent side plates, and so
on to form as many chambers as required the last of the vertical boards being acted
upon by the plunger. The several chambers which are open above are then filled
with the material to be operated upon, and the curved plates are then turned outwards,
and the filling is completed to the required height.
The blocks are then compressed by the rack and they are then removed from the
apparatus in the way already described. The blocks are thus discharged and deposited
in a row upon the ground and being compressed between parallel planes of equal
dimensions they are all exactly alike.
In order to vary their thickness the size of the curved plates and boards are varied
as required.
By forming mouldings upon the boards between the blocks corresponding inverted
recesses are made in the latter. Or the boards may have mouldings upon one side
and corresponding recesses upon the other so that the two adjoining blocks will
exactly fit.
The blocks may be made hollow by fixing vertically upon the bottom plate which
determines their thickness one or more wooden cylinders or cores of different forms
and corresponding spaces will he left in the blocks of hardened material.
Angled pieces or any other shaped designs may similarly be obtained by incor-
porating in the mass of material pieces of wood of the desired form which remain
compressed there until the complete hardening of the blocks which may thus be obtained
in any desired form whatever.
At the front and at the back of the press are arranged two rollers which support it
and which serve to flatten and render level the ground upon which the blocks are
deposited in succession in a straight line.
Blocks formed of slag are especially useful as foundations for damp rooms, and
nails adhere to them more firmly than to wood and give the floor great solidity. If
the blocks are pierced iron tie rods can be passed through them the ends of which are
fixed to the joists.

page_text: 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. The press consisting of the chamber, plunger A¹, rack and pinion or their equi
valents, and door D, arranged and operating substantially in the manner and for the
purpose described and shown in the drawing.
2. In combination with the chamber, plunger A¹, and door D, the separate plates
and distance pieces, for making blocks of different sizes and shapes, substantially as
described and shewn.
3. In combination with the pressing chamber, plunger A', and the door D acting
as an inclined plane down which the finished blocks pass as described, the rollers
carrying the machinery, substantially as described and shown in the drawing.
EDWARDS & Co.,
Agents for the Inventor.