Improvements in or Additions to Machinery Used in the Manu- facture of Coping Bricks, Terra Cotta Building Blocks, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Aor., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 15th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Machinery Used in the Manu-
facture of Coping Bricks, Terra Cotta Building Blocks, and
the like.
We, JOSEPH HAMBLET, of Piercy Blue Brick, Tile and Pipe Works, West
Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Brick, Tile and Pipe Manufacturer and
ISAAC PARKES Foreman at Piercy Blue Brick, Tile and Pipe Works aforesaid do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of the improvements in or additions hereinafter described
to the machinery used in the manufacture of coping bricks, terra cotta building
blocks, kerbs, channels and the like the said improvements having for their object
to facilitate the manufacture of the said coping bricks or the like and to ensure
a perfect or nearly perfect shape or figure in the coping bricks or the like
produced.
In order that our invention may be the better understood we remark that in the
ordinary method of manufacturing coping bricks and the like clay is forced by the
plunger of the machinery through the die of the same the column of clay being
received by a descending table situated underneath the die. When a column of
clay of a length somewhat greater than the coping brick or the like to be made
has been forced through the die the plunger is stopped and the column of clay is
cut by a piece of wire passed by hand across the mouth of the die. The columu
of clay is then removed from the table which rises to the mouth of the die again
and a tube or case of a figure in cross section corresponding to that of the column
of clay produced and of a length equal to the length of the coping brick or the like
to be made is passed over the said column of clay. The excess of clay namely
that standing above the top of the tube or case, is cut by passing a stretched wire
over the top of the tube or case and afterwards removed.
The end faces of coping bricks or the like made by this the ordinary method
of manufacture are rarely if ever truly parallel.
In carrying into effect the improvements constituting our invention we arrange
just above the level of the bottom of the die horizontal rectangular frame
the sides of which are supported by and are capable of a horizontal sliding
motion in vertical hangers situated on opposite sides of the machine. Depending
from the sides of the rectangular frame are two arms or bars between which
two wires are tightly stretched the top wire being situated in the same hori-
zontal plane as the bottom face of the die. The bottom wire is separated from
the top wire by a distance equal to the length of the coping brick or the like to be
made.
The action of the machine is as follows:
The plunger of the machinery having been set in motion and a column of clay of
a length somewhat greater than the length of the coping brick or the like to be
made, forced through the die the said plunger is brought to rest and the rectangular
frame is urged forward so as to carry the stretched wires between the depending
arms of the frame, through the column of clay thereby cutting the said column of
clay at the mouth of the die and at a distance below the said mouth of the die
equal to the length of the coping brick or the like to be made. The said cut

page_text: column of clay is removed from the table of the machine and the stratum of clay
below the lower cut being removed the finished coping brick or the like is ready to
be dried and burnt.
The end faces of coping bricks and the like made by machinery containing our
improvements are truly parallel.
Dated this Fourteenth day of Auril 1896.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Additions to Machinery Used in the Manu-
facture of Coping Bricks, Terra Cotta Building Blocks, and
the like.
We, JOSEPH HAMBLET, of Piercy Blue Brick, Tile and Pipe Works, West
Bromwich in the County of Stafford, Brick Tile and Pipe Manufacturer, and
ISAAC PARKES, Foreman at Piercy Blue Brick Tile and Pipe Works, aforesaid
do hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
Our invention consists of the improvements in or additions hereinafter described
to the machinery used in the manufacture of coping bricks, terra cotta building
blocks, kerbs, channels and the like, the said improvements having for their object
to facilitate the manufacture of the said coping bricks or the like and to ensure
a perfect or nearly perfect shape or figure in the coping bricks or the like,
produced.
'
In order that our invention may be the better understood we remark that in the
ordinary method of manufacturing coping bricks and the like, clay is forced by the
plunger of the machinery through the die of the same, the column of clay being
received by a descending table situated underneath the die. When a columo of
clay of a length somewhat greater than the coping brick or the like to be made
has been forced through the die the plunger is stopped and the column of clay is
cut by a piece of wire passed by hand across the mouth of the die. The column
of clay is then removed from the table which rises to the mouth of the die again
and a tube or case of a figure in cross section corresponding to that of the column
of clay produced and of a length equal to the length of the coping brick or the like
to be made is passed over the said column of clay. The excess of clay, namely,
that standing above the top of the tube or case, is cut by passing a stretched wire
over the top of the tube or case and afterwards removed.
The end faces of coping bricks or the like inade by this the ordinary method of
manufacture are rarely if ever truly parallel.
In carrying into effect the improvements constituting our invention we arrange
just above the level of the bottom of the die a horizontal rectangular frame the
sides of which are supported by and are capable of a horizontal sliding motion in
vertical hangers situated on opposite sides of the machine. Depending from the
sides of the rectangular frame are two arms or bars between which two wires are
tightly stretched, the top wire being situated in the same horizontal plane as the
bottom face of the die. The bottom wire is separated from the top wire by a
distance equal to the length of the coping brick or the like to be made.
The action of the machine is as follows.
The plunger of the machinery having been set in motion and a column of clay of
a length somewhat greater than the length of the coping brick or the like to be

page_text: made forced through the die the said plunger is brought to rest and the rectangular
frame is urged forward so as to carry the stretched wires between the depending
arms of the frame, through the column of clay below the die thereby cutting the
said column of clay at the mouth of the die and at a distance below the said mouth
of the die equal to the length of the coping brick or the like to be made. The
said cut column of clay is removed from the table of the machine and the stratum
of clay below the lower cut being removed the finished coping brick or the like is
ready to be dried and burnt.
The end faces of coping bricks and the like made by machinery containing our
improvements are truly parallel.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings represent front elevations of
the machinery containing our improvements, Figure i showing the machinery
before the clay plastic terra cotta or the like has been forced through the die,
and Figure 2 showing the same after a column of clay or the like has been
forced through the die; Figure 3 represents the said machinery in side elevation
the parts being in the same positions as in Figure 2: Figure 4 represents partly
in elevation and partly in section a portion of the die and elevating blocks of the
table; Figures 5 and 6 represent a column of clay produced by the machinery and
cut by the appliance constituting the improvements in or additions, hereinafter
particularly described, to the said machinery.
Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10 represent the cutting appliance detached and drawn to a
larger scale than in Figures 1, 2 and 3; Figure 7 is a side elevation of the said
cutting appliance, Figure 8 a plan of the same, Figure 9 a vertical section on the
line, Figure 7 and Figure 10 a vertical section on the line y, y Figure 8.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.
a is the hopper or cylinder of the machinery which is charged with the clay or
plastic material to be made into coping bricks, building blocks or the like and b is
the plunger working in the said hopper. The said hopper a terminates at bottom
in an open die c the bottom of which die is closed before each intermittent action
of the plunger by wooden elevating blocks d, d on the rising and falling table e
of the machinery. The weight of the table e is slightly more than counter-
balanced by the weights f, so that when the said table is free it automatically
rises until the blocks d, d on it come in contact with and close the open bottom of
the die c as will be seen by reference to Figures 1 and 4. The height of the pile of
blocks d, d depends upon the length of the brick to be made. When the plunger b
is made to descend the clay is forced through and shaped by the die c, the table e
descending before the column of clay thus produced. The descent of the
plunger bis continued until the column g of clay (see Figures 2 and 3) which has
been forced through the die has a length slightly greater than that of the coping
brick or the like to be made. When the desired column of clay has been produced
the descent of the plunger b is arrested in the ordinary way by the workman or
attendant.
The column g of clay is now severed or separated from the clay in the die c and
simultaneously cut at a distance below the mouth or bottom of the die exactly equal
to the length of the brick to be made by the pushing forward horizontally by
hand of the sliding frame i,, of the cutting appliance attached to the machine.
The said sliding frame i, i, carries two stretched parallel wires h, 2 the upper
wire when the frame is pushed forward working across the mouth of the die c
while the lower wire cuts through the column of clay near its bottom. When
the column of clay has been thus cut the table is pulled down by hand into the
dotted position indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1 when the spring catch k engages
with the edge of the table and holds it in its lowered position until released by the
pulling back of the spring catch k. The cut column g, g' of clay is removed from
the table as represented in Figures 5 and 6 and is placed on the floor with its waste
layer g downwards until the brick is carried to the drying shed when the waste
layer or stratum g' of clay is removed. By the placing of the brick g and its

page_text: Stratum or waste layer.g on the ground in the way described the lower race of
the brick is protected from injury.
The horizontal sliding frame, and cutting wires h, 2 and parts connected
therewith constitute the essence of our invention and we will now proceed. to
more particularly describe the same.
It will be seen by reference to Figures 7, 8 and 9 that the frame consists
essentially of two horizontal parallel arms, preferably in one piece with
the front crossing part i constituting the handle of the cutting appliance. From
each horizontal arm i¹ a vertical arm or-bar 2-depends. The horizontal-armisi, i
work, that is have a sliding motion when the frame is pushed forward and pulled
backward, in plumber blocks 1, 1 carried by adjustable brackets 12, 1² fixed on
opposite sides of the machine. We do not limit ourselves to the use of plumber
blocks to guide the horizontal sliding frame,, as other guides may be
substituted therefor with the same or nearly the same effect. The wires h, h
are stretched by pairs of bolts m, m2 to the upturned ends of which the ends
of the wires are attached. The upper pair of bolts m, m pass through holes
near the top of the depending bars, and are drawn outwards by coiled
springs p, and fly nuts q, q on the screwed stems of the said bolts. The
lower pair of bolts m² m² pass through and are adjustable in slots n, n (see
Figure 7) in the said bars . The lower pair of bolts m², m². are provided with
coiled springs p, and fly nuts 9. y similar to those of the upper bolts m, m.
The stretched wires h, h² pass through holes in templates r, on the inner sides of
the bars, the said templates being changed when a change is to be made
in the length of the coping bricks manufactured by the machinery.
It will be understood from the description herein before given that when a column
of clay has been produced, by the descent of the plunger b, of a length equal or
nearly equal to that shown in Figures 2 and 3, the workman or attendant,
having arrested the downward motion of the plunger b, grasps the handle i of
the cutting appliance and pushes it horizontally across the machine for effecting
the cutting of the column of clay by the wires h, h2, the cutting appliance being
returned to its normal position by a backward sliding motion.
By the employment of the cutting appliance hereinbefore described and
represented great economy in time is effected in the manufacture of coping bricks
and the like and a uniformity in the length and shape of the coping brick and
the like produced is obtained unattainable by the ordinary methods of mauufacture.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim
as our invention :-
The combination with or addition to machinery of the kind herein before described
and represented for manufacturing coping bricks, terra cotta building blocks and
the like, of a clay column cutting appliance consisting of a horizontal sliding frame
carrying stretched cutting wires, the distance between the said wires being equal to
the length of the brick to be made, the several parts of the said cutting appliance
being constructed, arranged and worked substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the Eighth day of December 1896.
JOSEPH HAMBLET.
ISAAC PARKES.