Improvements in or relating to Brick-making Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July, 1897- Accepted, 7th Aug, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Brick-making Machines.
i
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We, RICHARD LLOYD GURDEN, Land Surveyor of Melbourne in the Colony of
Victoria, Australia, and HARRY WILLIAMS Engineer, of Richmond in the Colony
of Victoria, Australia, 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 the present invention is to effect certain improvements in machinery
for the manufacture of bricks. This invention relates in particular to machines of
the kind which feed the clay from a pug mill into a mould or moulds carried on a
sliding table, from which mould or moulds the bricks are ejected and carried to
a compressor in which they are subjected to considerable pressure before finally
leaving the machine.
In one form of such a machine the pug mill consists of a vertical cylinder, the
lower end of which is fitted with a tapered or conical mouth by which the clay leaves
the mill and enters the inoulds in the table. In the axis of this cylinder is arranged
a spindle journalled in two bearings and carrying several steel arms or blades which
force the clay fed into the cylinder downwards into the moulds. The table
reciprocates in guide ways formed in a bed block and has two or four moulds. The
motion is received from a crank shaft by means of a connecting rod which rod passes
through an eye piece free to oscillate about a vertical axis fixed at one end of the
sliding table. Two collars are secured a short distance apart upon the connecting rod,
one on either side of the eye above referred to, thus allowing the table to remain
stationary at every half revolution of the crank shaft. When the table is thus
momentarily stopped plungers operated by cams ascend and displace the bricks
formed within the moulds. The cams are affixed to a shaft placed beneath the table,
there being two cams for each pair of uplifting plungers.
Above the press is a horizontal shaft operating two or four rams by means of a
corresponding number of eccentrics and eccentric rods, the rams effecting the desired.
compression of the moulded bricks; plungers are connected with such rams on the
underside of the table by suitable tie rods and eject the pressed bricks. These bricks
are pushed on one side as they ascend out of the press, by means of levers operated
by a crank on the cam-shaft, similar mechanism being employed to push the moulded
bricks from the sliding table to the press moulds.
The improvements comprised within this invention relate to the means for imparting
the reciprocatory movement to the table, to the slides on which the table moves, to the
means for lifting the bricks from the moulds, to the gearing employed in the
machine to the top bearing of the pug mill shaft.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the sliding table, means for reciprocating it, and
of the device for lifting the bricks from the moulds.
Figure 2 is a plan of one end of the table and its parts.
Figure 3 is an end elevation, partly in section, of the table and its support.

page_text: Figure 4 is a plan of one of the slide bars which carry the table.
Figure 5 is an elevation of the slide bar showing in section part of the support on
which the table works:
Figures 6, 9 and 10 show the top bearing of the pug mill shaft and its parts.
Figures 7 and 8 show the disposition of the gear and subsidiary shafting together
with an alternative lifting device for raising the bricks. from the moulds.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
In Figure 1 the crank shaft is shown at A and is connected by the connecting
rod C to the sliding blocks B which are free to move in the slots D³ between the
arms D¹ of the table D. There are four arms of this character, an upper pair and a
lower pair, all clearly shown in Figure 3. The space between the two members of
each pair is closed at one end by the body of the casting and at the other end by an
end plate D. The blocks B slide to and fro in each of the above slots or spaces D³,
the motion being received from the crank shaft A through the rod C which is pivotted
on the pin C. The pin C¹ is reduced in diameter at each end, where it enters the
blocks B, the shoulder C thus formed, serving to separate and maintain the blocks B
at the required distance apart. When the rod C has forced the blocks B to either end
of the slots D³ any further movement of the connecting rod end embracing the
pin C¹ in the same direction will move the sliding table D as will be readily understood
on reference to the drawings. When the direction of movement of the blooks is
reversed at each end of the stroke the table remains stationary during the time
occupied by the blocks in traversing the length of the slots D³:
The advantage of the above arrangement over that usually employed, in which two
collars are affixed to the connecting rod one on either side of an eye bolt through
which the rod passes freely, lies in the fact that the effective length of the connecting
rod is constant when the construction according to our invention is adopted, whereas
in the arrangement just described the effective length of rod is different when one
collar is against the eye-bolt from the effective length when the other collar is acting.
This latter construction is also less durable than that according to this invention.
If preferred I may use only one block B and one slot D³ in which case I fork the
end of the connecting rod and make the pin C extend on both sides of the block B
into holes in the connecting rod forks:
.
With reference now to Figures 4 and 5, E is part of the framework of the machine,
only shown in Figure 5, being the support for the slides on which the table works.
Fis a bar preferably of cast iron or gun metal, attached to the table and sliding to
and fro with the table, in the groove E³, the upper surface E¹ of the frame work E
being faced to receive it. At each end of the surface E¹ is formed a recess E' such
that the slider F projects a short distance beyond the surface E¹ at each end of its
stroke and does not therefore wear the surface E' in such a manner as to leave a lidge
at each end of it. An end plate E is affixed to the frame E at each end of the
groove E by bolts or otherwise, a packing piece of leather or other suitable
material E being interposed to make a tight joint so that the bar F moves in a trough
formed by the groove E³ and ends E².
The bar F is made hollow and forms an oil reservoir the oil being fed on to the
rubbing surface of the slide by wicks passing through holes F¹ and dipping into the
oil in a well-known manner. The bar is affixed to the table by bolts passing through
holés F3 in bosses F2 formed in the bar as shown. These holes are countersunk at
the under face of the bar so that the end of the bolt is well housed in, and does not
come in contact with the face E¹: The upper ends of other bosses F* project above
the sides of the reservoir formed by the bar and are accurately fitted into recesses in
the table made to receive them, thus relieving the bolts of all side or shear stress
this being taken by these upper ends of the bosses F2. The table is also shaped so as
to overhang and cover the slide bars as is clearly shown in Figure leaving a small.
aperture only between the table D and supporting standard E, the object being to
preclude as far as possible, the access of grit and dirt to the rubbing surfaces. We
thus obtain thoroughly efficient lubrication of the slide, means for replenishing the
reservoir being provided at G which is an oil funnel of any convenient shape and

page_text: description. The special bearing for the top end of the pug mill shaft is clearly
shown in Figure 6 H being the end of the shaft K the frame of the machine and
Ĺ discs of steel grooved and drilled as is shown at L L and L³ in the plän änd
sectional elevation marked Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 respectively which two views to are to
a larger scale than that of Figure 6.
One method of lifting the bricks from the moulds D is shown in Fig. 1 in which
M is a circular table or disc having a cam-like projection M¹ on its under side.
This
disc M is keyed to the crank shaft and rotates with it: N are levers jonrnalled at O
and having anti-friction rollers N¹ on their ends which are below the disc M and
having table-like formations, N2 with curved surfaces at their opposite ends. The
lengths N¹ O and O N2; and the vertical travel of the rollers N' are so proportioned
that the ends N2 have a very nearly straight line motion throughout the range
required to lift the bricks thus obviating uneven lifting of the plungers D³ and
consequent jamining in the moulds D'.
An alternative construction is shown in Fig. 7 where the disc M is replaced by
cains P driven by an auxiliary shaft T the operation being in other respects identical
with that above set forth and requiring no explanation.
The method of driving the various shafts is however of importance and is clearly
shown Q1 Q2 being fast and loose pulleys respectively upon the shaft Q, power being
applied to the machine by means of a belt running on the fast pulleys Q. The
pinion Q3 on the shaft Q gears with the spur wheel R¹ which is keyed to the shaft R.
The shaft R drives all the working shafts of the machine through cog-wheels, without
the intervention of any intermediate shafting. It drives the crank shaft A, through
the pinion and wheel R² A¹, the pug mill shaft by similar gearing R³ H¹; and the
press shaft by means of the pinion and spur R+ S', the press shaft being shown at S.
We thus obtain a very compact machine with very few gear parts and very little
friction, and we have found that with this arrangement of gear we obtain a
successful machine where many other arrangements have failed to make a workable
machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
claim is:-
we
1. In a brick-making machine of the kind described the combination with the
sliding table D and connecting rod C of one or more blocks B reciprocating in one or
more grooves D³ of the table, providing for lost motion and the stationary condition
of the table at each end of the stroke substantially as and for the purpose described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. A hollow slide-bar forming an oil reservoir, having lugs fitting into recesses in
a sliding piece of mechanism, in such a manner as to relieve other attachments of
shearing stresses.
3. A slide-bar connected to a moving piece of mechanism and having a recess
forming an oil reservoir closed or covered in by a sliding piece to which it is
attached.
4. In a slide bar to be connected to a moving piece of mechanism, the combination
of one or more recesses forming an oil reservoir, a hole extending through the bar
from the reservoir to the working face of the bar, a wick to conduct the lubricant
from the reservoir to the working face, and a cover formed by the moving piece
of mechanism substantially as described or illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
5. In a brick machine of the kind described the combination with the mould D*
and plunger D7 of a cam such as M and levers such as N. having ends such as N
substantially as and for the purpose described.
G. In a brick machine of the kind described the alternative arrangement of brick-
lifting device shown in Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings in which the
cams are carried upon a shaft other than the crank shaft.
7. In a brick machine of the kind described the arrangement of shafts and gearing

page_text: such that from one shaft such as Rare driven, without the intervention of intermediate
shafting, the crank shaft pug-mill shaft and press shaft.
8. In a brick machine of the kind described the thrust bearing for the pug-mill
shaft illustrated in Figures 6 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
9. In a thrust bearing the employment of one or more discs or washers such as L
having grooves and perforations such as L-L2 and L³ for the purpose of carrying and
transmitting the lubricant substantially as described:
Dated this 6th day of T... 1007
R. L. GURDEN.
HARRY WILLIAMS.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicants.