IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR TRE MANUFACTURE OF PEAT BRICKS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Friedrich Hack, Manufacturer, in the City of Lauenburg
/ Elbe, Germany, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
TRE MANUFACTURE OF PEAT BRICKS."
Sealed the 10th May 1878, and dated the 13th November 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Friedrich Hack at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th November 1877.
FRIEDRICH HACK, Manufacturer, in the City of Lauenburg */ Elbe, Germany.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PEAT BRICKS."
The purpose of this Invention is the manufacture of bricks (briquettes) from
peat in a dry and continuous process without preparation of the material before
entering the machines.
These machines consist of a drying apparatus, and of one or more corresponding
press or presses for forming the peat into bricks. By means of an elevator, or by
other suitable arrangement, the peat in its original state is brought at one end into
a sifting drum, which revolves, and which rests in bearings in an inclined position.
The lumps or pieces which are too large are thrown out of the drum at its lower
end, while the sifted material falls into a sheet-iron receiver formed as a hopper;
and in the lower part of which an archimedian screw is placed with left and right
hand thread blades for distributing the material within the hopper. Through an
opening in the bottom the material falls upon the upper surface of a sheet-iron
drying apparatus, of square section, heated by means of steam. The peat is turned
and carried along the surface of this drying apparatus by means of iron forks and
plates that are connected to endless chains passing over the same.
From the end of the above-described drying plane the material falls upon a second
drying apparatus of similar construction, and arranged below the first one. The

page_text: forks and plates of the returning chains turn and move the peat along this second
surface on which the process of drying is completed as far as necessary. The material
now falls into a hopper, and by means of another archimedian screw it is carried to
a channel that leads to the press or presses.
The press is of a very simple and effective construction; on a cast-iron foundation
plate a bracket with two bearings is fastened by means of screw bolts. The inner
part of this bracket forms at same time the lower half of the mould, while the
upper part is made of steel, and is fastened to a cast-iron lever, of which one end
turns on a bolt placed in the above-described bearings of the bracket. The free
end of this lever is in connection with one or more levers carrying a weight or
weights on the opposite end or ends, by means of which the upper half of the
mould is pressed down against the lower part of the same, the pressure being
adjusted by shifting the weight on the pressing down lever.
The channel before described leads the peat to the point of the mould, and a
stamper receiving a forward and backward horizontal motion within guides from a
power motor, which presses with each stroke a quantity of peat into the mould,
forming each time a brick of a thickness depending upon the length of the stroke.
The pressing down lever at same time automatically regulates the degree of com-
pression that shall be given to the manufacture.
The above-described press may also be applied for the manufacture of patent
fuel, or for forming other material into bricks.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Friedrich Hack in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th May
1878.
FRIEDRICH HACK, Manufacturer, in the City of Lauenburg a/ Elbe, Germany.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PEAT BRICKS."
The purpose of this Invention is the manufacture of bricks (briquettes) from
peat by a dry and continuous process without preparation of the material before
entering the machines.
These machines consist of a drying apparatus, and of one or more corresponding
press or presses for forming the peat into bricks. By means of an elevator, or by
other suitable arrangement, the peat in its original state is brought at one end into
a sifting drum, which revolves, and which rests in bearings in an inclined position.
The lumps or pieces which are too large are thrown out of the drum at its lower
end, while the sifted material falls into a sheet-iron receiver formed as a hopper;
and in the lower part of which an archimedes' screw is placed with left and right
hand thread, distributing the material within the hopper. Through an opening in
the bottom it falls upon the upper surface of a sheet-iron drying apparatus of
square section, and heated by means of steam. The peat is turned and carried
along the surface of this drying apparatus by means of iron forks and plates that
are connected to endless chains passing over the same.
From the end of the above-described drying plane the material falls upon a second
drying apparatus of similar construction, and arranged below the first one. The
forks and plates of the returning chains turn and move the peat along this second
surface on which the process of drying is completed as far as necessary. The material
now falls into a hopper, and by means of an archimedes' screw it is carried to a
channel that leads to the press or presses.
The press is of a very simple and effective construction; on a cast-iron foundation
plate a bracket with two bearings is fastened by means of screw bolts. The inner
part of this bracket is at same time the lower half of the mould, while the upper
part is made of steel, and is fastened to a cast-iron lever, of which one end turns
round a bolt placed in the above-described bearings of the bracket. The free end
of this lever is in connection with one or two lever or levers carrying a weight or
weights on the opposite end or ends, by means of which the upper half of the mould
is pressed down against the lower part of the same, the pressure being adjusted by
shifting the weight on the pressing down lever.
The channel before described leads the peat to the front of the mould, and a
stamper receiving a forward and backward horizontal motion within guides from a
power motor presses with each stroke a quantity of peat into the mould, forming
each time a brick of a thickness depending upon the length of the stroke. The
pressing down lever at same time automatically regulates the degree of compression
that shall be given to the manufacture.
In the accompanying Drawings Sheet 1 shows the drying apparatus; and Sheet 2
the press. Figure 1 of Sheet 1 is a side elevation; Figure 2, a front view; and
Figure 3, a ground plan of the drying apparatus.
From the hopper A the peat falls into the revolving sifting drum B. The sifted
material falls into a sheet-iron receiver furnished with the archimedes' screw D, with
right and left hand thread distributing the material within the receiver. Through
an opening of the receiver the material falls upon the upper surface of a sheet-
iron drying apparatus E, F, heated by means of steam through the inlet pipe h and
off pipe c.
The material is moved along the top surfaces of E and F by means of
two endless chains placed around the pullies r, r, 7, 7, and carrying bars m, m, m,
with turnable levers n, n, n. The levers n, n, of each bar m are connected with
each other by two pieces of flat iron o. The plates 8, 8, of sheet iron move the
material along the surfaces of the drying apparatus. At the peat falls from the

page_text: upper part E of the drying apparatus upon the lower part F, along the plane of
which it is moved by the returning plates 8, 8, and is delivered at w into the receiver
G, carrying the archimedes' screw H, by means of which the material is brought to
the channel K leading to the press. The construction of the press is shown on
Sheet 2. A is a cast-iron foundation plate carrying the double bearing bracket
B, B, forming the bottom part of the mould. The cast-iron piece C, turnable on a,
is placed between the two brackets B, B, and is furnished with a cast-steel piece D,
forming the upper part of the mould. The section 8 of this mould is shown in
Figure 2. A shaft r, likewise placed turnable within the brackets B, B, is furnished
at one or at both free ends with a lever or levers H, carrying a weight or weights.
A projection on the piece C is in connection with shaft r, and by the action of the
lever and weight the piece C is pressed down upon the peat.
As the weight or weights G can be shifted upon the lever, the pressure within
the mould can easily be adjusted while the regulation of the pressure during the
working of the press is automatic.
The piston E of the press moving in guides F, F, is put in reciprocating motion
by a lever L, which is in connection with the motor.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First. The application of a drying apparatus of the before-described construction
for the manufacture of peat bricks.
Secondly. The press, with an automatically regulating compression arrangement,
as described and explained in the accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly. The combination of a drying apparatus and press for the purpose of
manufacturing peat bricks in the manner as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Friedrich Hack, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Ninth day of May, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
eight.
FRIEDRICH HACK. (L.S.)