Improvements in Machines for Making Clay Conduits for Electrical and other Purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 2nd May, 1892-Accepted, 4th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Making Clay Conduits for Electrical
and other Purposes.
We, JAMES JEROME POWERS of 10, Court Square, Brooklyn, in the County
of Kings, State of New York, United States of America, Sanitary Engineer, and
ROBERT VAN BUREN of 13 Boerum Place, Brooklyn aforesaid, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a simple and efficient machine for making clay conduits
for electric mains and other uses, and consists in the combination of a hydraulic
cylinder, a moulding cylinder connected therewith, a removable head placed
between the hydraulic and moulding cylinders and carrying rods extending down
into the moulding cylinder and forming cores for the conduits, a removable
resistance head supported in the lower end of the moulding cylinder by a spider
frame and an automatic device for releasing the spider frame. It also consists in a
counterpoise elevator arranged to support the spider frame, resistance head, and
superposed load and in the combination, with the moulding cylinder, of a hydraulic
filler for introducing the clay into the moulding cylinder.
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The frame is pyramidal being formed of inclined corner posts attached to a collar
at top and to a base plate and girders at bottom. In the collar is placed the
hydraulic cylinder to the lower head of which is attached the moulding cylinder
which is supported by side brackets and beams upon cross-beams attached to the
corner posts of the frame. The lower end of the moulding cylinder is flared and
terminates in a short cylindrical portion of larger diameter than the body of the
cylinder in which the spider frame is fastened by a bayonet joint" fastening:
formed by two arms of the spider engaging in L-shaped notches in the lower end
of the cylinder, the projecting ends of said arms having bevelled faces. The
spider supports the resistance head and is itself supported by an elevator_con-
sisting of a bracket slide travelling upon vertical guides and operated by a windlass,
through a pair of ropes or chains which are attached to the slide and wound around
the drum of the windlass, their other ends extending over pulleys and attached to
counterweights. Core rods are fixed in the lower head of the hydraulic cylinder
and extend down through the moulding piston and cylinder, their lower conical
ends entering corresponding cavities in the resistance head, the upper surface of
said head being of a configuration adapted to countersink the socket ends of the
bores of the conduit-sections.
In the hydraulic cylinder is a piston connected by two rods with the piston in
the moulding cylinder, the moulding piston being adapted by the configuration
of its lower face to form the spigot ends of the conduit-section. The hydraulic
piston is double acting and is connected by a piston rod with a crosshead above,
to which are attached side rods extending down through guides on the sides of
the cylinders, the lower ends of the rods being provided with bevelled blocks or
wedges which, as the hydraulic and moulding pistons descend, act on the bevelled
ends of the spider arms, thereby turning the spider and releasing the arms.
filling cylinder is connected, by a conical connecting pipe, with an aperture in the
side of the moulding cylinder, the said filling cylinder being provided with a feed
mouth and hopper. To the outer end of the feed cylinder is secured a hydraulic
cylinder whose piston is connected with the follower or piston in the filling
cylinder.
A
The operation of our improved machine is as follows:-The main hydraulic
compressing and moulding pistons being raised and the resistance head being sup-
ported in place, the prepared clay in the feed cylinder is forced by the hydraulic

page_text: feed piston and follower into the moulding cylinder beneath the moulding piston
which is then forced downwards by the operation of the main hydraulic com-
pressing piston thus causing it to press upon the clay in the moulding cylinder so
that it is forced around the core rods and into the cavities in the said piston and
the resistance head. When the moulding piston approaches the completion of its
downward stroke, the wedge blocks enter between the bevelled ends of the spider
arms and fixed lugs, causing the spider to turn sufficiently to unlock it, the pistons
continuing their downward motion, thus discharging the moulded conduit from
the moulding cylinder. In this operation the resistance head descends with the
moulded conduit upon it, this descent being permitted by the sliding bracket
support, windlass and counterweights. The holes left by the core rods form the
longitudinal passages of the electrical conduit and when the compressed clay is
discharged from the moulding cylinder it has the required form and only requires
drying, baking and glazing, to render it a perfect conduit-section. The unfinished
section is then removed from the resistance head which is returned, by the
windlass and elevator, to its position in the moulding cylinder and secured in the
manner already described. The pistons are raised by hydraulic power and
the machine is ready to receive another charge of material.
The core rods may be of different sizes and different diameters, and different
heads are supplied for conduits of different forms. The moulding cylinder may be
round in cross-section, or it may be square, or of any other desired form.
Dated this 10th day of November 1891.
J. J. POWERS,
R. VAN BUREN,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Making Clay Conduits for Electrical
and other Purposes.
We JAMES JEROME POWERS of 10, Court Square, Brooklyn, in the
County of Kings, State of New York, United States of America, Sanitary
Engineer, and ROBERT VAN BUREN of 13, Boerum Place, Brooklyn aforesaid,
Civil Engineer, 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 object of our invention is to construct a simple and efficient machine for
the economical making of clay conduits for electrical wires and other uses.
Our invention consists in the combination of a hydraulic cylinder, a moulding
cylinder connected with the hydraulic cylinder, a removable head placed between
the hydraulic and moulding cylinders, and carrying rods extending down into the
moulding cylinder, a removable resistance head held in the lower end of the
moulding cylinder, a spider for supporting the resistance head, and an automatic
releaser for releasing the spider. It also further consists in the combination,
with the moulding cylinder, of a hydraulic filler for introducing the clay into the
moulding cylinder; also in a counterpoise elevator arranged to support the spider,
resistance head, and superposed load, all as will be hereinafter more fully described.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, in which
Figure 1 is a side sectional elevation of our improved machine.
Figure 2 is a front elevation, partly in section."
Figure 3 is a plan view of the head supporting spider, and Figure 4 is a
longitudinal section of one section of the conduit.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.
The frame A of the machine consists of the four corner posts a attached to a

page_text: collar 6 at their upper ends and secured to a base plate c and girders d at their
lower ends. The corner posts a are inclined inwardly at the top, giving the frame
a pyramidal form. In the collar 6 is placed the hydraulic cylinder B which is
flanged at its upper and lower ends. To the upper end is attached the head e and
to the lower end is secured the head to which is attached the flange g of the
moulding cylinder C. The moulding cylinder C is provided at opposite sides with
brackets h to which are attached angle beams & which rest upon cross-beams j
attached to the corner posts a of the frame A. The lower end of the moulding
cylinder C is flared and terminates in a short cylindrical section k of larger diameter
than the body of the cylinder. In the section are formed angled notches for
receiving the arms of the spider m. The said spider consists of the arms and l',
the arms extending beyond the periphery of the part k and being provided with
inclined faces, as shewn in Figure 2. The fastening of the spider in the lower
end of the moulding cylinder is of the kind known as the "bayonet-joint." The
spider m supports the resistance head o and the spider itself is supported by an
elevator D consisting of the bracket p attached to the slide 9 travelling upon
vertical guides r. The windlass E, journaled in boxes s on the vertical guides r,
receives a pair of ropes or chains which are attached to the slide wound
around the drum of the windlass and extend over pulleys supported by the
frame A and are attached to the counterweights v. The windlass E is provided
with a hand wheel w having a crank handle a' by which it may be turned. In
holes in the head fare inserted core rods 6' which extend downwardly towards the
lower end of the cylinder and are provided with conical ends which enter corre-
sponding cavities in the resistance head o and in the said head around the cavities
are made angular spaces for forming recesses e¹ in the end of the conduit section F
(shewn in Figure 4).
"
In the hydraulic cylinder B is placed a hydraulic piston d' which is connected
by two piston rods e¹ with the piston in the moulding cylinder C. The said
piston is provided with angular recesses g¹ for forming the tubulated ends ' of
the conduit section F. The hydraulic cylinder B is provided with lateral pipe
connections for receiving water under pressure. The piston rods el are made
to pass through stuffing-boxes on the head to allow water to enter underneath the
piston d' without escaping to the moulding cylinder. The piston rod j connected
with the centre of the piston d' extends through a stuffing box in the head e of the
cylinder B and is connected with a yoke k' which carries the rods 12 extending
downwardly through guides m¹ on the sides of the cylinders B C. The lower ends
of the rods are provided with bevelled blocks or wedges n' which as the
hydraulic and moulding pistons descend enter the space between the bevelled ends n
of the spider arms and the lugs o projecting from the sides of the moulding
cylinder C thereby turning the spider and releasing the arms. In the side of the
moulding cylinder C is formed an opening p' which is covered by the flaring
tube to the outer and larger end of which is attached the filling cylinder r',
the said filling cylinder being provided with an opening in its upper side and
with a hopper t communicating with the said opening. To the upper end of the
cylinder is secured a hydraulic cylinder G containing a piston which is con-
nected by rods with the follower w in the filling cylinder . The piston u¹ is
provided with a piston rod which extends through the upper head of the
cylinder G. The filling cylinder and the hydraulic cylinder C are supported
by beams y and struts a², the beams y' being stayed by braces b².
The operation of our improved machine is as follows:-The piston d' being
forced into the upper part of the cylinder B drawing the piston f1 above the
opening p', and the resistance head o being in place and sustained by the arms / in
the manner already described, and the piston u being drawn up into the upper end
of the cylinder G with the follower w¹ in the upper part of the filling cylinder,
the prepared clay is introduced into the cylinder through the hopper t¹ until it
is entirely filled with the loose material when water under pressure is admitted to
the upper end of the cylinder G through a pipe attached to the tube c³ forcing the

page_text: piston u¹ and the follower w' downward towards the moulding cylinder C thereby
delivering the material to the moulding cylinder. Water is then introduced
into the upper part of the cylinder B through the tube thereby forcing the
piston downward, thus carrying the piston f¹ downwards and causing it to
exert a pressure upon the clay contained in the moulding cylinder so that it is
forced around the core rods and into the spaces in the piston and resistance
head v.
When the piston approaches the completion of its downward stroke,
the wedges n¹ enter between the bevelled ends n of the arms and the lugs o¹
causing the spider m to turn sufficiently to release the arms from the angled
notch in the lower part of the moulding cylinder C. The pistons d' f', in con-
tinuing their downward motion, thus discharge the moulded conduit from the
moulding cylinder C. The holes left by the core rods form the longitudinal
passages of the electrical conduit and when the compressed clay is discharged from
the moulding cylinder C it has the form indicated in Figure 4, requiring only
drying, baking, and glazing, to render it a perfect conduit section. The unfinished
section is then removed from the head o and the head is returned to its position in
the moulding cylinder C and secured by turning the arms in the manner already
described. The movement of the spider m and the resistance head o is effected
by the elevator D and windlass E. By admitting water to the lower end of the
cylinder B through the tube i', the pistons d'are raised and the machine is
ready to receive another charge of material. The head f is adapted to receive
core rods of different sizes and different diameters and different heads are supplied
for conduits of different forms. The moulding cylinder C may be round in cross-
section, as shewn in the drawings, or it may be square, or made in any other
desired form.
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. In a machine for making clay conduits, a moulding cylinder provided with a
removable head furnished with rigid rods extending down into the cylinder and
forming cores for the bores of the conduits, substantially as specified.
2. In a machine for making clay conduits, the combination, with the moulding
cylinder, of rods forming the cores of the conduits and fixed and movable heads
provided with projections and recesses for moulding the spigot and sockets ends of
the conduit sections, substantially as specified.
3. In a machine for making clay conduits, the combination, with the moulding
cylinder C having bayonet slots at the lower end, of the head-supporting spider m
provided with the arms projecting through the bayonet slots of the moulding
cylinder and provided with bevelled surfaces n and wedges n' operated by the
propelling power of the moulding cylinder for releasing the spider, substantially
as specified.
4. In a machine for making clay conduits, the combination of the power cylinder,
the moulding cylinder, an intermediate head carrying core rods, the moulding
piston, the resistance head, the spider support, and means, substantially as
described, for elevating and lowering the spider.
5. The combination, with the moulding cylinder, of a lateral power filling
cylinder, substantially as specified.