Improvements in Brick-making Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Brick-making Machines.
We, GEORGE VINCENT MAXTED and CHRISTOPHER MCDERMOTT, both of Burnett
Avenue, Hull, in the County of York, Consulting Engineers, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:--
The present invention relates to improvements in brick-making machines and
has for its object to provide a machine of very compact and comparatively simple
construction.
According to our invention the main frame of the machine consists of preferably
two heavy plates or heads standing vertically, to which are bolted the mixing or
tempering tubs or troughs for containing the plastic mass of clay. Within
the tempering tubs revolve the tempering blades, which may if desired take the
form of an archimedean screw. These blades, after working through and on the
mass, deliver it to the filling presses now to be described which together with
the regulating mechanism really form the most important and novel part of the
present invention.
The presses consist of heavy wings mounted on horizontal shafts and extending
the full length of the mill. Their purpose is to fill the mould with the tempered
clay and at the same time to press it down well into the mould so as to ensure the
formation of sound and firm bricks, well filled out to the angles or corners of the
mould and free from holes.
The wings, normally, stand open facing each other, but are capable of turning
on their axes through about a quarter of a circle towards each other until they
assume a horizontal position.
We do not wish to limit ourselves to the use of two wings, for under certain
circumstances one would do just as well provided it reached entirely across the
space that would be occupied by the two.
The front tempering shaft is immediately over and parallel with the wings and
carries a series of wipers which force the clay down between the said wings."
Outside the mill, on the ends of one of the shafts or axles carrying the wings;
is keyed a toothed segment, and outside this toothed segment is loosely mounted an
irregularly shaped casting which we call the regulator-arm, bearing a pawl at
one end which engages with the toothed segment just referred to. This pawl is
preferably made in two parts hinged loosely together in order to render it capable
of giving way or yielding under any undue pressure that may be caused by an
obstacle, such for instance as a stone, to the downward motion of the wings.
The front end or finger of the pawl, at the side thereof, provided with an anti-
friction roller. Between the mill and the toothed segment is loosely mounted
another segment but having a smooth periphery for the anti-friction roller on the
pawl to ride on when the latter is being thrown out of gear. This track can be
set in position so that it keeps the pawl entirely out of the notches when desired
thus allowing the press-wings to stand without any movement, and it also allows
the pawls to be dropped, according to the pressure desired into any desired notch on
the toothed section in order to give any desired amount of movement to the wings.

page_text: A stout coupling rod or link connects the regulator-arm to a crank which is in
connection with and operated by the main driving gear.
Secured to the end of the mill, over and connected to the segment with plain
periphery or raceway, is mechanism similar to the reversing gear of a steam
engine its function being to regulate the throw of the crank and connecting link
and consequently the amount of movement or angle of arc made by the wings.
Dated the 18th day of August 1897.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicants.
We, GEORGE VINCENT MAXTED and CHRISTOPHER MCDERMOTT, both of Burnett
Avenue, Hull, in the County of York, Consulting Engineers, 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:-
The present invention relates to improvements in brick-making machines and
has for its object to produce such machines of very compact and comparatively
simple construction.
We will now proceed to describe our invention with reference to the accompany-
ing drawings illustrating the same, and in which;
Figure 1 represents in elevation the left-hand side of the machine.
Figure 2 represents, in elevation, the right-hand side of the machine.
Figure 3 is a transverse sectional elevation through the mill and sliding mould
bed.
bed.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation through the mill and sliding mould
Figures 5 and 6 are the side and front elevation respectively of the toothed
segment.
Figures 7 and 8 are the side and front elevation respectively of the regulator
arm.
Figures 9 and 10 are the front and side elevation respectively of the raceway
segment.
Figure 11 is a plan view of the bottom of the die which constitutes the bottom
of the mixing trough or mill shewn detached.
Figures 12 and 13 are side and front elevation respectively of one portion of the
toggle-pawl of the right-hand side of the machine which operates the toothed
regulator segment.
Figures 14 and 15 are side and front elevation respectively of the pawl of the
left hand side of the machine.
Similar reference letters denote different views of the same parts throughout
these drawings: 1 and 11 are the vertical heads or side plates of the machine;
2 is the mixing trough or tempering mill; 3 is the die or grating constituting
the bottom of the mill; 4 denotes the sloping sides of the said die; 5 is the shaft
carrying the tempering blades or wipers; 6 are the tempering blades or wipers;
7,7 are the leaves or wings of the filling presses; 8,8¹ are the shafts or hinges
forming the pivots of the press-leaves; 9 is the toothed segment of the regulator;
10 being the teeth or notches therein; 11 is the regulator arm; 12 is the articu-
lated or toggle-pawl, 12ª being the hinge hole of the said pawl; 13 is the pit-
man connecting the regulator arm with the driving wheel 34 (shewn in dotted
lines in Fig. 1) that operates the press wings and the reciprocating mould-bed 14;

page_text: 15 is the antifriction roller on the toggle-pawl; 16 is the raceway segment; 17 is
the smooth track or raceway on the segment 16; 18 is the handle of the revers-
ing lever of the link motion; 19 is the crank fast on the shaft 20; 20 is the
aforesaid shaft; 21 is the main driving shaft, 22 being the friction clutch and
23 the pulley on the said shaft: 24 is the anti-friction wheel on the disc-crank 19;
25 is the top end of the mould ejector arm; 26 is the mould-ejector arm; 27 is
the cranked arm connecting the mould-ejector arm with the rod of the mould-
bed; 28 is the rod of the mould-bed; 29 and 30 are the two bell-cranks, 31 and 32
are the connecting links of the link-motion, 33 is the pin connecting the mould-
ejector arm and a cranked arm 27, and 34 is the driving wheel for actuating the
coupling-rods and disc-crank on the shaft 20.
According to our invention the machine is built up or composed of the follow-
ing parts:
A main frame or casting consisting substantially of two heavy side or head
plates 1 and 1, between which is supported, preferably by bolting it to the said
plates, the mixing or tempering trough or mill 2, for containing the plastic mass
of clay.
This tempering trough is or may be open at the top, and its bottom consists
of a grating or die 3, the apertures in which have, preferably sloping sides 4.
There may be any number of these mills connected together.
Within the mixing trough or mill 2, rotatably mounted across it horizontally,
is a shaft 5, carrying a number of blades or wipers 6 fixed thereon. These blades
or wipers may if desired take the form of an archimedean screw. They are
rotated with the shaft, and cut in amidst the mass of clay in the mill, thoroughly
mixing and tempering it by thus working through and on it, and finally deliver
it to the filling presses 7, 71, below, which presses, together with the regulating
mechanism, really form the most important and novel part of the present
invention.
The filling presses consist of heavy wings or shutters 7, 71, hinged on horizontal
shafts 8, 8' which have their bearings in the vertical side plates or heads 1, 11 of
the main frame. They extend the full length of the mixing trough or mill 2,
and occupy a position within it intermediate between the tempering blades 6 and
the grating-like die or bottom 3 of the mill. Normally they stand vertically, wide
open and facing each other, but are capable of turning on their axes or hinges
towards each other through about a quarter of a circle, or until they assume a
horizontal position.
The function of these filling presses is to fill the moulds by pressing the plastic
mass of clay, fed to them by the tempering blades, downwards through the
grating-like die or bottom of the mill into the mould-box beneath, filling the
moulds with the tempered clay and at the same time pressing the said clay well
into the moulds, thus ensuring the formation of sound bricks, free from cracks or
holes and well filled out to the angles or corners of the mould.
We do not wish to limit ourselves to the use of two filling-press wings, for under
certain circumstances one would do nearly as well, provided it reached entirely
across the space that would be occupied by the two, but two are preferable
because more convenient to operate.
The front tempering shaft, that is to say, the shaft 5, carrying the tempering
blades is preferably mounted immediately over the centre of and parallel. with
the filling presses 7, 7' so that it works in the centre of the mass of clay in the
mill.
The opening and closing of the filling-presses is effected by the special mechanism
about to be described, that is to say: Outside the mill on the ends of one of
the shafts 8, 81 which carry the presses or wings, is keyed a toothed segment
(shewn detached in Figures 5 and 6) or casting 9, having notches or teeth, 10, in
one part of its periphery, and outside this toothed segment is loosely mounted an
irregularly-shaped casting 11, which we call the regulator arm, bearing a pawl 12
at one end, which pawl is adapted to engage in the notches or teeth 10, on the

page_text: periphery of the toothed segment 9 just referred to. This pawl 12 is preferably
constructed in two parts hinged loosely together at 12ª and held in alignment by
means of a spring (see Figure 2) in order to render it capable of giving way or
yielding under any undue pressure that may be caused by an obstacle, such for
instance as a stone in the clay, to the downward motion of the press-wings; the
front end or finger of the said hinged or toggle-pawl 12, at the side thereof, is
provided with an antifriction roller 15, shewn on an enlarged scale in Figures 12,
and 13. Between the mill and the toothed segment is loosely mounted, on the
same shaft as the toothed segment, another somewhat similar segment 16, but
having a smooth, instead of a notched periphery. This smooth periphery or
raceway 17 is provided for the antifriction roller 15 on the pawl 12 above referred
to, to ride on, when the latter is being thrown out of gear. The said smooth track
or raceway 17 can be set in either position, by raising or lowering the link-motion
by means of a handle at 18, and by this means the pawl may accordingly be held
entirely out of the notches when so desired, thus causing the press-wings to
stand idle or without any movement, and on the other hand it also allows the
said pawl 12 to be dropped, according to the pressure desired, into any particular
notch of the toothed segment, in order to give any desired range of movement
to the press-wings.
A stout coupling rod or pitman 13 connects the regulator-arm 11 with a spur-
wheel 34 mounted fast on the said shaft 20, which spur-wheel engages with
another toothed wheel (not shewn) fast on the main driving shaft 21, which shaft
is mounted in bearings in the head plates 1, 1¹ and also carries the friction
clutch 22 and pulley 23, and is driven by a steam engine or any other convenient
.source of power.
For effecting the automatic forward or ejection movement of the mould, the disc-
crank 19 on the shaft 20 is provided with an antifriction wheel 24 which as the
said crank revolves comes at regular intervals in contact with the top end 25 of
the mould ejector arm 26, pushing it backward at that end, which causes its lower
end to move forwards, and in so doing, through the media of the cranked arm 27
and the rods 28 (which have rollers at their ends to run on the mould-bed) to push
the mould forward, from under the die 3 at the bottom of the mill.
The link motion for throwing the pawls in or out of gear with the toothed or
notched segments consists of the combination of pivoted bell-cranks 29 and 30,
and connecting links 31 and 32, one end of the latter being connected to the race-
way segment itself.
The operation of the machine is as follows:
The untempered clay fed into the mixing trough or mill 2, from the top;
either by hand or by means of a mechanical elevator or otherwise. After
adjusting the limit of the stroke of the filling presses which also
regulates the pressure with which the bricks are to be pressed into the moulds,
by means of the regulator mechanism as hereafter described, the machine is set
in motion, the power being transmitted, through the medium of any suitable
driving gear, from the main driving shaft 21 to the countershaft 20 and thence by
the disc-crank 19 to the mould-ejector arm 26, and through the pitman 13 to the
regulator arm 11, by the pawl on which, and the projection 9 on the toothed
segment, the swinging to-and-fro motion is communicated to the toothed segment
which being fast on the shaft 8 rotates the latter through a certain number of
degrees dependent upon which notch the pawl 12 is resting in, which opens or
closes the filling presses 7 and 71 to the predetermined extent required The wider 5
they open, the greater will be the pressure of the clay into the mould, and the
more homogeneous or compact the bricks, as they (the presses) will take in more
clay at each embrace, while the space it has to be compressed into remains constant.
Thus the untempered clay having been deposited in the mixing trough 2, is, in
succession, worked up by the rotating knives or wipers 6 into a homogeneous 5
plastic mass, the press wings 7 and 71 open amidst it and in the action of closing
upon it embrace a certain quantity and press it downwards through the grating

page_text: or die 3 constituting the grilled bottom of the tempering trough or mill 2 into
the mould beneath.
When the antifriction wheel 24 on the disc-crank 19 comes in contact with the
top end 25 of the mould-ejector arm 26, the said top end is thereby thrust back-
wards, and, as the said arm 26 is connected by a pin 33 to the cranked arm 27
the lower end of which is connected to the rod 28, the latter receives a reciprocatory
movement over or upon the mould bed 14. The mould boxes are in succession
placed either by hand or automatically by special feeding apparatus on the mould
bed immediately beneath the die 3, and when filled, the nose of the rod 28 on its
forward stroke strikes against and thrusts the filled box forward from under the
die 3; and this cycle of movements is repeated so long as the machine receives
the motive power.
Should it be desired to fill the mould boxes without the assistance of the
presses, as may be done when the clay is not too stiff the toggle-pawl 12 is thrown
out of gear with the toothed segment, by means of the link motion and allowed to
ride freely on the raceway 17 of the segment 16, consequently no motion of the
press wings takes place and the moulds are filled simply by the weight of the mass
of clay above.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. The combination with a brick-making machine, of a filling press consisting
of one or more leaves or wings turning on a horizontal hinge within the mill and
adapted to close upon the plastic clay and press it firmly into the mould, sub-
stantially as herein described and illustrated.
2. The combination with a brick-making machine, of a filling press consisting
of one or more leaves or wings hinged horizontally within the mill and adapted to
be worked through and close upon the plastic clay and press it firmly down into
the mould, and the means, for automatically operating the same consisting of the
segment notched on its periphery mounted fast on the shaft forming the hinge
of the filling press, the pawl to engage therewith, the regulator arm, the segment
with smooth periphery, and suitable connections, with the main driving shaft,
all constructed and co-operating substantially as herein described and illustrated.
3. The combination with a brick-making machine, of a filling press consisting
of one or more leaves or wings hinged horizontally within the mill and adapted
to be worked through and close upon the plastic clay and press it firmly down
into the mould, the means for automatically operating the same consisting of
the segment notched on its periphery mounted fast on the shaft forming the
hinge of the filling press, the pawl to engage therewith, the regulator arm, the
segment with smooth periphery, and suitable connections, with the main driving
shaft, and the means for automatically ejecting the mould, consisting of the said
disc-crank, the mould-ejector-arm connected with the cranked arm which in turn
is connected at one end to the reciprocating rods with crosshead which latter runs
on the mould-bed and thrusts the mould forward, all constructed and co-operating
substantially as described and illustrated.
1000
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.