IMPROVEMENTS. IN. MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANU-
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Bradley and William Craven, of Westgate
Common Foundry, Wakefield, in the County of York, Engineers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS. IN. MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANU-
Sealed the 27th May 1859; and dated the 18th January 1859..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Bradley and
William Craven at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with,
their Petition, on the 18th January 1859.
We, RICHARD BRADLEY and WILLIAM CRAVEN, of Westgate Common
Foundry, Wakefield, in the County of York, Engineers, do hereby declare the
nature of our said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR MANUFACTURING BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," to be as
follows:
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
machinery or apparatus for manufacturing bricks, tiles, and other similar
articles from pulverised clay by compression, the main object being to obviate
the difficulties attendant upon the presence of air in the material under
pressure. In carrying out our Invention we propose to submit the pulverised
clay to three successive pressures from three distinct pistons or rams. The
clay is fed into suitable moulds in a revolving table; which moulds are made
considerably deeper than the required thickness of the brick or tile to allow for
the comparatively great bulk of the clay before compression, and for the
thickness of the bottom piston. The first pressure is given by a piston

page_text: forming a moveable bottom to the mould, and travelling along a fixed incline,
by which means it gradually rises and presses the clay against a top plate or
cover on the upper side of the table; this has the effect of not only partially
compressing the clay, but also of expelling a certain amount of air therefrom.
The next pressure is derived from a piston working downwards from above,
and actuated by a crank or eccentric on the main overhead shaft. A second
piston worked in a precisely similar manner to the first, and situate at the
opposite edge of the table imparts the third and last pressure to the clay, after
which the compressed brick or tile is expelled from the mould by any con-
venient arrangement of mechanism. During the time that the partially
compressed brick or tile is travelling from the first upper piston which gives
the second pressure to the second piston, which completes the pressure, it is
gradually raised to the top of the mould by the under piston which travels
along the fixed incline before referred to, and consequently greater facility is
afforded for the escape of any air which may be confined therein, whilst the
stroke of the last piston may be greatly reduced. The table may be rotated
by a tappet motion, consisting of a pair of arms carried on opposite sides of a
horizontal wheel or disc fixed on a vertical shaft which is driven from the main
or eccentric shaft; as these arms revolve, they alternately strike one of a
series of corresponding projections formed on the periphery of the table, and at
each stroke bring a fresh mould under the upper pressing pistons. A spring
detent or catch is used for holding the table fixed after each motion, and so
preventing any chance of its becoming displaced by the pressure of the incline
on the under piston in discharging or raising the brick. In order to allow for
the varying bulk of the clay, which, when very dry, will occupy a small space
in the moulds compared to what it would occupy were it moistened slightly,
we make that portion of the incline upon which the under piston rests when
the clay is fed in, adjustable in height by means of a lever and screw spindle, so
as to elevate more or less the position of the piston, or thereby reduce or
increase the depth or capacity of the mould.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Bradley and William Craven in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 18th July 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, RICHARD
BRADLEY and WILLIAM CRAVEN, of Westgate Common Foundry, Wakefield, 3
in the County of York, Engineers, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Richard Bradley and William Craven, Her special license
that we, the said Richard Bradley and William Craven, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Richard Bradley
and William Craven, our executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER SIMILAR
ARTICLES," upon the condition, amongst others, that we, the said Richard
Bradley and William Craven, by an instrument in writing under our hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Richard Bradley and William
Craven, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:-
Our said Invention relates to a peculiar arrangement and construction of
machinery or apparatus for manufacturing bricks, tiles, and other similar
articles from pulverised clay by compression, the main object of the Invention
being to obviate the difficulties, usually attendant upon the presence of air in
the material under pressure. In carrying out our Invention in actual practice
we propose to submit the pulverized clay to three successive pressures from.
three distinct pistons or rams. The clay is fed into suitable moulds in a
revolving table, which moulds are made considerably deeper than the required
thickness of the brick or tile to allow for the comparatively great bulk of the
clay before compression, and for the thickness of the bottom piston. The first,
pressure is given by a piston forming a moveable bottom to the mould; and,
travelling along a fixed incline, by which means it gradually rises and presses
the clay against a top plate or cover on the upper side of the table. This has.
the effect of not only partially compressing the clay but also of expelling a

page_text: certain amount of air therefrom. The next pressure is derived from a piston
working downwards from above, and actuated by a crank or eccentric on the
main overhead shaft. A second piston worked in a manner precisely similar
to the first and situated at the opposite edge of the table imparts the third and
last pressure to the clay, after which the compressed brick or tile is expelled
from the mould by any convenient arrangement of mechanism. During the
time that the partially compressed brick or tile is travelling from the first
upper piston which gives the second pressure to the second piston, which
I completes the pressure, it is gradually raised to the top of the mould by
the under piston, which travels along the fixed incline before referred to, and
consequently greater facility is afforded for the escape of any air which may be
confined therein, whilst the stroke of the last piston may be greatly reduced.
The table may be caused to revolve by a tappet motion consisting of a pair of
arms carried on opposite sides of a horizontal wheel or disc fixed on a vertical
shaft which is driven from the main or eccentric shaft; as these arms revolve
they alternately strike one of a series of corresponding projections formed on
'the periphery of the table, and at each stroke they bring a fresh mould under
the upper pressing pistons. A spring detent or catch is used for holding the
table fixed after each motion, and so preventing any chance of its' becoming
displaced by the pressure of the incline on the under piston in discharging or
raising the brick. In order to allow for the varying bulk of the clay, which,
when very dry, will occupy a small space in the moulds compared to what it
would occupy were it moistened slightly, we make that portion of the incline
upon which the under piston rests when the clay is fed in adjustable in height
by means of a lever and screw spindle, so as to elevate more or less the position
of the piston, or thereby reduce or increase the depth or capacity of the
mould.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood, we shall
now proceed to describe certain modifications under which our Invention may
be judiciously carried out in actual practice, reference being made to the Sheet
of illustrative Drawings attached hereunto, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon, that is to say :-
Figure 1 on our Sheet of Drawings is a complete front elevation of the
machine; Figure 2 on the same Sheet is a corresponding end view as looking
on the driving gearing end; Figure 3 is a plan; and Figure 4 is a detached
plan in detail of the moulding table or revolving disc plate.
The whole of the machinery is carried upon a long horizontal sole plate A,
on which are bolted down the two main vertical standards B, in the upper
ends of which are the bearings for the main horizontal shaft C; a central

page_text: bearing D being also provided for this shaft, and bolted down upon the
horizontal girder E, which connects the upper portions of the standards B
together. Motion is given-to the entire machine by the belt pulley F, fast.on
a short horizontal spindle G; running in bearings in the tops of the two
standards H, also carried on the sole plate. This spindle has fast upon it a
spur pinion I in gear with the spur wheel J, fast on the second motion shaft
K, which carries a spur pinion L, in gear with the main large spur wheel M;
on the main shaft C. This shaft. carries a pair of eccentrics N, which
work plunger presser rods O, passing through guide brackets P, bolted to the
main standards B. It is these eccentrics which actuate the positive com-
pressing apparatus for the bricks. The main shaft C also carries a bevil
pinion Q in gear with a bevil wheel R, fast on the upper end of the vertical
shaft S running in a footstep on the sole plate, and in a collar bearing in a
bracket bolted to one of the main standards B. On this shaft is carried the
horizontal duplex cam wheel T, which works the actual presser table in. its
revolution as the cams. T' come in contact with the stops T2 on the table.
The proportion between the bevil wheel R and the pinion Q is here repre-
sented as two. to one, but it is preferred to make it .four to one, and to have
four tappets in place of two upon the wheel T, as this arrangement works the
moulding table much steadier. In working the machine, to prevent the four
tappets turning the moulding table slightly too far, we have fitted up a
horizontal pawl or detent U, to be worked by a small tappet V, carried on the
main tappet shaft S. As the table revolves the inner end of this detent is
worked into an indentation which is not seen in the Drawings, in the edge of
the table on the under side, and this motion sets the table at exactly the right
place. The detent is centred at W, on a stationary stud, and it is let into each
indentation in the table after the lift of the small tappet by a weight X: The
brick moulds are shewn at Y, in Figure 3, and into these the pulverised clay
is.fed in any convenient way. So soon as the clay is supplied the primary
pressure is given to it by a piston Z, which forms a moveable bottom to the
mould and travels with the moulding table over a stationary inclined piece a in
the base of the machine. This incline causes the piston bottom to gradually
rise and compress the clay against the lower surface of the top plate or cover b
of the table. The next pressure is derived from one of the eccentrics N
working a piston c. A second piston & worked in an exactly similar manner
but situated on the opposite side of the machine next comes down and com-
jiletes the pressure by a third effort. The brick as it travels onwards during
these pressures is gradually raised to the top of the mould by the under piston
during the travel of, the latter along the bottom incline, and hence any

page_text: contained air can more easily escape. To allow for the varying bulk of the
clay just as it may be dry or moist, that portion of the incline on which the
under piston rests when the clay is fed in, is made adjustable as to height by
means of a lever and screw spindle e. By turning the handwheel of the screw
spindle more or less in either direction the position is more or less affected
correspondingly, and thus the capacity of the mould is more or less varied.
The moulded bricks are removed from the moulding table either by hand or
by any simple mechanical contrivance, and placed on an endless carrying band
f running over a pulley on a shaft g which conveys them away.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, we would observe; in conclusion, that what we consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery or apparatus
for manufacturing bricks, tiles, and other similar articles, as herein-before
described.
Second, the system or mode of obviating the difficulties attending the
presence of air in brick and tile compressing moulds as herein-before
described.
Third, the system or mode of moulding bricks and tiles, wherein the
moulding action is performed in each case in three or other number of distinct
compressing operations as herein-before described.
Fourth, the system or mode of moulding bricks, tiles, and similar articles
by combined opposite pressures from above and below, as herein-before
described.
Fifth, the system or mode of moulding bricks, tiles, and similar articles,
wherein the bottom of the mould is adjustable for the purpose of suiting
the capacity of the mould to the nature of the clay to be operated
upon in it.
In witness whereof, we, the said Richard Bradley and William Craven
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Fifteenth day of July;
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
RICHARD BRADLEY.
WILLIAM CRAVEN.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)
RICHARD BRADLEY. (L.S.)
WILLIAM CRAVEN.
(L.S.)