IM- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES FROM CLAY AND OTHER PLASTIC MATERIALS."
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Beckett Johnson, of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRICKS AND
OTHER ARTICLES FROM CLAY AND OTHER PLASTIC MATERIALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Beckett
Johnson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 14th December 1853.
I, WILLIAM BECKETT JOHNSON, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer. do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRICKS
AND OTHER ARTICLES FROM CLAY AND OTHER PLASTIC MATERIALS" to be as
follows:-
My Invention refers to a method of pressing clay, artificial fuel, or
other plastic material into moulds, and consists in adapting two or more
pistons to each of a travelling set of moulds in conjunction with suitable
apparatus for causing the said pistons to advance gradually towards each
other, so as to press the material on more than one side by a continuous

page_text: action as the moulds travel onward. In order to illustrate this, I will
mention one arrangement of machinery which may be employed. A
frame is mounted upon suitable parts so as to be capable of a recipro-
cating motion; towards either end of this frame is a series of moulds,
each one provided with two pistons. The central part between the two
series of moulds is occupied by a hopper, to which clay is supplied, and
forced from thence by rollers or other apparatus into the moulds beneath.
As the frame travels backward and forward the two sets of moulds
alternately become filled, and the rods of the pistons by moving against
inclined bars are caused gradually to advance towards each other and
effect the required pressure, after which the articles are discharged by
the rising or falling of a piston, and removed in any convénient manner.
In addition to the pressure effected by the gradual advance of the two
pistons just described, I also propose in like manner to press the
material at right angles thereto."
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Beckett Johnson in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 14th June-1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM BECKETT JOHNSON, of Manchester, in the County of Lan-
caster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-'
cessors, give and grant unto me; the said William Beckett Johnson,
Her especial license that I, the said William Beckett Johnson, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Beckett Johnson, niy executors, administrators, and 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 law
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom

page_text: of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS. FOR
MAKING BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES FROM CLAY AND OTHER PLASTIC
MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Beckett Johnson, by an "instrument in writing under.my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office:
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.
.
14
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the' said William Beckett Johnson, do
hereby declare tlie nature of my 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 and accompanying Drawings
(that is to say):-
My Invention refers to a method of pressing clay, artificial fuel, or
other plastic material into moulds, and consists in adapting two or more
pistons to each of a travelling set of moulds in conjunction with suitable
apparatus for causing the said pistons to advance gradually towards;
each other so as to press the material on more than one side by a con-
tinuous action as the moulds travel onward. The peculiar character of
mý Invention may be adapted to machines of various constructions. I
have, however, to this my Specification appended Drawings of one form,
which will serve to shew how the same may be carried into practical
effect, and which I will now proceed to describe. Fig. 1, is a longitu-
dinal section of the machine; Fig. 2, a cross section; and Fig. 3, a.
plan view. The side framing is shewn at a, provided with flanges at
top, to which is attached a table b, carrying by means of arched brackets,
a central projecting part c, for a portion of its length. There are two,
sets of mould boxes d, d, each having an orifice at its bottom part.
rather larger than the dimensions of the articles to be made. Within
these orifices is, situate the raised. part c of the table b, which part c.
therefore constitutes a. portion of the; bottoms of the moulds. The
mould boxes d, 'd*, 'aro each provided with two pistons f. f*, the rods
g, g of which are capable of slitting therein, and are furnished with

page_text: rollers h, h, bearing against the sides of inclined rails i, . The rods
9, 9, project beyond these rollers and through grooves formed through-
out the length of the rails i, , and carry at their extremities projecting
parts k, k, which are situate within the recesses formed within the rails
The rails rest upon and are attached to the table b, and aro
united at intervals by arched cross pieces 1, the strengthening ribs m
of which pass through recesses formed to receive them in the side
framing; the cross pieces are turned upward at the middle of the
machine, and there serve as main supports for the part c. Upon the
under sides of the mould boxes d, d, are formed toothed racks n, passing
through openings formed in the table b, and taking into pinions o,
mounted upon a cross shaft driven by means of a wheel and pinion p, q,
the latter of which is mounted upon a boss turning loosely upon the
main driving shaft r, and carrying a pulley s. Upon the shaft r is
also mounted loosely, but independent of the pinion q, a pulley (, and a
third pulley, shewn at u, is fast upon the shaft r. The axle of the
pinions carries a wheel , taking into the teeth of a pinion w,
mounted upon a shaft which receives rotary motion from the shaft r
by means of a wheel a. By this arrangement the series of mould
boxes may be caused to travel in one direction by being driven from
the pulleys, or in the other direction from the pulley u, or may remain
stationary if the driving strap be thrown on to the loose pulley t. The
mould boxes are cast together in two set, there being a division A
between them, and are capable, by means of the wheel work described,
of being brought alternately under the hopper y, into which the clay or
other material is placed. This hopper is provided with a shaft, upon
which are placed spiral vanes, after the manner of an ordinary pug
mill, and rotary motion is communicated to them from any con-
venient moving part of the machine. Within the hopper are also
mounted two rollers 1, 1°, adapted for the purpose of facilitating a
supply of material to the mould boxes, beyond which rollers extend
plates 2, 2, cast with or affixed to the hopper. These plates occupy a
position over the mould boxes, and constitute the tops thereof during
the pressing of the article. They are bolted securely to the stationary
framework so as to resist the force arising from the compression of the

page_text: material. At either end of the machine are situate standards 3, shewn
at one end in Fig. 1, upon which are mounted levers 4, carrying at
their outward ends by means of joints a series of pistons 5, so situate
as to occupy positions over the mould boxes when they are run out to
the extent of their traverse; one of the levers 4, is continued beyond
the other side of its centre of motion, as shewn by dots in Fig. 2.
The Drawings show the machine as broken off at the left hand, but
supposing both ends to be the same the operation will be as follows:-
Suppose the parts to be in the position shewn in the Drawing, and that
rotatory motion is communicated to the pulleys, so as to cause the
mould boxes to travel in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1, the mould
boxes will have passed under the hopper, and have been supplied with
material by the revolution of the blades upon the shaft =, and will have
received a more perfect filling by travelling under the roller 1, during
which time the rollers h will have been carried along the inclined rails
i, and the pistons will have been caused to advance gradually towards
each other so as to compress the material from either side against the
stationary plate 2, and table c. A further revolution of the pulley s in
the same direction will bring the rollers h successively to receding parts
of the rails i, the grooves formed within which will now operate upon
the parts &, so as to draw the pistons f from each other and liberate the
moulded article from pressure. The travelling of the mould boxes is
continued until they have been brought under the series of plungers 5,
by which time a projection beneath will have arrived in contact with a
lever 6, turning upon a fixed centre and carrying at one end a loop,
through which the driving strap passes, whereby the driving power is
thrown on to the loose pulley t, and the motion of the machine is arrested.
The mould boxes are now situate over an opening 7, the central table
c, which formed their bottom parts, being discontinued from the proper
point for that purpose; and the attendant, by lowering the lever 4, will
cause the plungers 5 to descend, so as to force the moulded articles
downward on to a travelling apron 8, or other receptacle placed for the
purpose. During the operations above described, the mould boxes dat
the other end of the machine will have been caused to travel under the
hopper, and will have received a supply of material, as described in

page_text: reference to the right hand set. The plunger 5, being again brought
to the position shown in the Drawing, and secured there by any con-
venient attachment to the lever 4, the attendant will throw the driving
strap on to the pulley u, by which means motion will be communicateḍ
to the racks n, through the intervention of the train of wheels a, w, v,
and the mould boxes will be caused to travel back, passing under the
hopper; and receiving a supply of material. In order to secure the re-
entrance of the pieces k, to the grooves of the rails i, they are made
trumpet shaped at their ends, but, if desired, grooves parallel to the
traversing motion may be adapted as continuations of the rails; as
the moulds & return, the other set d* will a second time pass under the
hopper, and will then be carried to the other end of the machine-(not
shown in the Drawing), at which situation the moulded articles will be
expelled, as already described; a stop beneath having in like manner.
acted upon the lever 6, so as to shift the driving strap on to the loose
pulley t, after which the attendant will again apply the power to the
pulleys, and the same operations-will-take place. The degree of com-
pression to, which the material is to be subjected may be modified by
forming small holes in the pistons f, f*, through which it will therefore
be more or less allowed to escape; and in order to prevent it from.
filling the space behind the pistons, other holes may be formed in the
mould boxes, through which it will be expelled; or the required com-
pression may be regulated by forming the rails i, , in separate parts,
and adjusting them at different angles to each other. I have described
the pressure as being effected in two directions ouly. I do not, however,
intend to confine myself thereto, as another series of pistons may in like
manner operato gradually and successively upon the material. To
illustrate how this may be done, I will suppose the mould boxes to be
formed as at Fig. 4, with a lower portion 10, within which is a piston
11, taking in this instance the place of the fixed table c; with this
arrangement the material will be forced from the hopper into the recess
10, as well as into the other portion d of the mould. The two-pistons
f will operate as before described, advancing towards each! other, and
compressing the material against the plate 2 simultaneously, with which
operation the piston 11 will be forced upward by another inclined rail.

page_text: until level with the bottom of the mould, as at d'. In this instance
the moulded article may be discharged by causing the piston 11 to rise.
after the moulds have passed the plate 2.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it
to be understood that although I have shewn in the Drawings two sets
of mould boxes acting in conjunction, yet I do not intend to confine
myself thereto, or to the arrangement and construction of machinery
I have selected for example, for it will be evident to all competent
mechanics that many variations may be made without departing from
the spirit of my Invention; that which I claim as secured to me under
the above in part recited Letters Patent, and for the purposes above set
forth, being, the adaptation of two or more moveable surfaces to a
travelling set or sets of moulds, such surfaces being caused to advance
towards each other from two or more sides of the moulds as they travel
onward.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Beckett Johnson, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-four.