Improvements in the Method of and in Hydraulic Presses for making Concrete Slabs, Blocks, or the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July, 1899-Accepted, 26th Aug., 1889
CUMI LEIM
DIBUITIVA
Improvements in the Method of and in Hydraulic Presses for
making Concrete Slabs, Blocks, or the like.
I, HENRY BERRY, of Croydon Works, Hunslet, Leeds, in the County of York,
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 :-
According to this invention concrete slabs, blocks or the like are made by com-
pressing moist concrete in moulds or dies by means of hydraulic pressure, the top and
bottom surfaces of the concrete having sheets of paper interposed between them and
the juxtaposed' surfaces or plates between which the concrete is compressed; and the
hydraulic press employed being so constructed and arranged as to facilitate the
introduction of the lower paper sheet and the concrete, the upper paper sheet and a
loose plate, hereinafter referred to, the compression of the material within the mould
and the removal or discharge of the slab block or the like therefrom.
One arrangement of hydraulic press according to this invention comprises a table
or hed over a portion of which is mounted a hydraulic ram provided with a suitably
guided male die and upon which table is mounted a revolving die carrier provided
with a number, preferably four, female dies. Beneath the hydraulic ram the table
las secured to it a bolster formed on its upper surface with a number of longitudinal
grooves therein. The press head is preferably supported on three columns, or
supports, above the press table and has formed in its lower side the main cylinder in
which a ram carrying a guide plate reciprocates and to which latter is secured the
male die; one of said columns is arranged in the centre of the table and forms the
axis about which the die carrier, which is formed with four apertures adapted to
receive the female dies and arranged radially about said axis at equal distances
apart.
The guide plate works in fixed guides secured to the underside of the press head;
The ram, with the attached male die, is so arrauged as to be forced downwards.by
fluid acting on its upper surface, and there is provided in the upper part of
the press head a cylinder and ram arranged to raise the ram with attached
male die. A crosshead attached to the upper end of the second ram is connected
with the guide plate secured to the main ram by means of connecting bolts
or rods. Attached to the centre column, and making with the main cylinder
and ram
an angle of about 90° is another cylinder with ram and to the
lower end of the ram there is secured a plate, suitably guided, for discharging
the slabs or blocks as they are formed from the female dies in the revolving die
carrier on to a truck or other receptacle. The revolving die carrier is forined with an
upwardly extending boss which surrounds the centre column of the press; ratchet
teeth are formed on this boss and are adapted to engage with ratchet teeth on the
underside of a double chain pulley, loosely mounted on the same column, and which
receives motion from two cylinders placed on opposite sides of the press head. To
the outer end of each of these rams, a guide pulley is attached, over each of which
passes a chain one end of which is secured to a projection on one of the cylinders
and the other end is secured in its respective groove in the double chain pulley; the
arrangement being such that the chain pulley can be turned in either direction-by
I

page_text: the motion of the rams in the cylinders so that when one ram moves inward and the
other outward the ratchet teeth of the double pulley ride up the inclined backs
of the ratchet teeth on the boss of the die carrier until they drop over the
points thereof, and when the rams move in the opposite direction the teeth on the
chain pulley engage with the teeth on the boss of the die carrier and thereby cause
it with its dies to turn through about a quarter of a revolution.
Referring to the accompanying illustrative drawings Fig. 1 is a plan of a machine
according to this invention.
Figs. 2 and 3 sections partly in elevation on the lines A-B; C-D Fig. 1.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are detail views to a larger scale and hereafter more particularly
referred to.
On the press table 1 is a metallic bolster 2 formed with horizontal grooves 3 and on
which rests a metallic plate 4 formed with perforations 5 as shown in Fig. 4. 6, 6ª
and 6° are columns carrying a press head 7 provided on its underside with a main
cylinder 8 in which works a ram 9, to the lower end 9 of which is secured a guide
piece or plate 10 moving between guides 10%, 10° secured to the underside of the
head 7. 11 is a male die secured to the lower side of the guide piece 10 and having
on its lower surface longitudinal grooves 11ª (see Fig. 5). The guide piece 10 is
connected to a crosshead 12 by bolts 13, 13 by which it and the ram 9 are moved up
after making a downstroke by an auxiliary ram 14 working in the cylinder 15 formed
in the upper surface of the head 7.
On the column 6 is mounted a revolving die carrier 16 having four openings 17,
17, 17, 17 placed at equal distances apart on a circle, the longitudinal centre line
of each opening being arranged radially and each opening having secured in it a
female die 18 which rests during the time it is being charged with material for
forming the concrete blocks on a table 20, carried by brackets 21 secured to the.
press table 1.
The revolving die carrier 16 is provided with a boss 22, which surrounds the
column 6, and has ratchet teeth 22ª formed on its upper part which are adapted to
engage with ratchet teeth 23 formed on the underside of a double chain pulley 24:
loosely mounted on the column 6. The pulleys 24 are rotated, in either direction, by
chains 25, 26, one end of each of which is connected to a projection on one of a pair
of cylinders 27, 28 arranged on opposite sides of the head 7 and which pass over guide
pulleys 29, 29 mounted on the ends 30, 30° of rams 31, 31° in the cylinders 27, 28,
the other ends of the chains being secured to and wrapped round the double chain
pulley 24 in opposite directions. The pulley 24 is rotated in a forward direction by
the ram 31 and is rotated in a backward direction by the ram 31 until the teeth 23
on the double chain pulley 24 pass over the points of the ratchet teeth 22" on the
boss 22 of the revolving die carrier 16, and engage therewith; the ram 31 being then
moved outwards, causes the two sets of ratchet teeth 22, 23 to engage and move the 4
revolving die carrier in a forward direction through about a quarter of a revolution,
the inward movement of the ram 31ª occurring simultaneously with the outward
movement of the ram 31 and vice versa. 32 is a lug on the head 7 and 21ª, 21b
brackets secured to the press table 1. These brackets and lug support bolts 34 34ª, 34°,
which pass through arms 35, 35, 35% of the stripping or discharging cylinder 36. 4
The cylinder 86 is provided with a double acting ram 37 to the lower end 37 of which
is secured a stripping plate 38 of the same shape and size as the female dies 18; on
the upper surface 38 of the stripping plate 38 are cylindrical guide rods 39, 39ª, 39b
which pass through and work in cylindrical openings 40, 40°, 40° in the arms 35, 35°
and 35b.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
Each female die 18 when in the position a bas placed in it a sheet of press paper
so as to rest on the fixed table 20, the concrete material is then placed in the die and
strickled, or levelled off; the revolving die plate is then moved a quarter of a
revolution to position b where a sheet of paper is placed on the top of the concrete 5
in the die 18. The perforated metallic plate 41 is then placed upon the top of the
paper the revolving die plate is moved through another quarter of a revolution to

page_text: position when the die with paper bottom, concrete material, paper covering and
perforated plate 41 will be over the perforated plate 4 and bolster 2, and will then
receive the required pressure from the ram 9 thus removing from the concrete the
superfluous water which escapes through the holes 5 in the plate 4 and grooves 3 in
the bolster 2;, on pressure being removed, the die is moved another quarter of a
revolution to position d, where the now formed slab is pushed through and removed
from the female die by the stripping rams on to a truck or other receptacle and
removed to the drying room. These various operations take place in each die
simultaneously a slab or block thus being made at each quarter of a revolution of the
die carrier.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. The method of making concrete slabs, blocks or the like wherein a sheet of
paper is placed in a die which is then filled with concrete; the concrete covered
with another sheet of paper and a superposed metal plate; pressure applied to the
material contained in the die so as to remove superflous water; and the compressed
slab, block or the like then forced from the die, the die being intermittently moved
forward so as to facilitate these operations being successively effected, substantially as
described.
2. A hydraulic press for making concrete slabs, blocks, and the like provided with
a revolving die-carrier adapted to move the female dies over a fixed supporting table
with the requisite step-by-step motion so as to successively bring each die into
position for filling, covering, compressing and stripping as mentioned in Claim 1,
substantially as described.
3. In a hydraulic press of the kind specified in Claim 2, means for imparting to
the revolving die-carrier the requisite step-by-step motion comprising a pair of
hydraulic rams acting upon chains that are attached to and wrapped in opposite
directions round a double chain pulley formed on its underside with ratchet teeth
that engage with or ride over other teeth upon the die-carrier according to the
direction in which the chain pulley is rotated, substantially as described.
4. In a hydraulic press of the kind referred to in Claim 2 means for stripping or
discharging the slab block or the like from the female die comprising a double-acting
ram provided with a plate adapted to be forced into the female die substantially as
described.
5: A hydraulic press for making concrete blocks, slabs or the like constructed
arranged and operating substantially as described with reference to and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 6th day of July 1999.
R. E. P. CRAVEN,
Chartered Patent Agent,
King Street Chambers, 52, Wellington Street, Leeds,
Agent for the Applicant.