IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESSES FOR COMPRESSING ARTIFICIAL FUEL AND OTHER ANALOGOUS MATERIALS INTO BLOCKS
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Ferdinand Philippe Girard at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 30th July 1878.
FERDINAND PHILIPPE GIRARD, de Douai (Nord), France, Ingénieur
5 Directeur des Fab. de Coke, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRESSES FOR COMPRESSING ARTIFICIAL FUEL
AND OTHER ANALOGOUS MATERIALS INTO BLOCKS," to be as follows:-
Heretofore in presses for compressing artificial fuel and such like
-matters pressure has in some cases been applied to the materials when
O contained in a mould by a plunger acted upon by vertical toggle jointed
levers, the central joint of which by a connecting rod has been con-
nected to a crank on a revolving axis. The lower extremity of the
levers has been caused to act upon the plunger whilst the upper end of
the levers has been connected to a heavy weight in order to govern the
5 amount of pressure which can be placed upon the materials. This plan
has however many inconveniences.
According to this Invention the compression is effected by toggle
jointed levers, but in place of compressing the material downwards, they

page_text: compress it upwards, and the toggle levers in place of having to raise a
heavy weight rest upon a plunger working in an hydraulic cylinder.
The machine is constructed as follows:-The several moulds are
formed in a circular revolving platform, to which a step-by-step
revolving motion is imparted. Each mould is fitted with a plunger
at the bottom, and is open at the top. As the platform revolves the
moulds after being filled come in succession above a cross head to which
the upper end of the toggle levers are jointed. The plungers of the
moulds are then forced upwards by the action of the toggle levers, and
force the materials in the moulds up to and against a solid fixed beam
which then covers over the top of the mould. The amount of pressure
which can be placed upon the materials being controlled by the lower
end of the toggle levers resting upon the plunger of a hydraulic
cplinder. The pumps for supplying water under pressure to this
cylinder are worked continuously, and on the pipe leading from the
pumps to the cylinder is a loaded escape valve which limits the pressure
in the cylinder.
The lower part of the plunger is hollow, and small passages lead from
this hollow to the sides of the plunger, so that when the plunger has
been raised a certain distance, and these side openings come above the
cup leather packing of the cylinder, the water is free to escape and the
plunger rises no further. The moulds are arranged in two concentric
circles around the platform, so that the contents of two moulds may
simultaneously be subjected to pressure, the plungers of both moulds
being acted upon by the cross head at the top of the toggle levers, thus
the materials may be kept under pressure for twice the length of time
and yet perform as much work as when the moulds are one by one
brought under pressure. The pumps are worked by eccentrics on the
driving axis. On this axis is a pinion gearing with a toothed wheel,
upon the axis of which is another pinion to gear with a toothed wheel
upon the crank axis which works the toggle levers, and a slow revolving
motion is thus imparted to this axis; on the crank axis is also a bevel
wheel gearing with a corresponding wheel on a vertical shaft, upon
which is a toothed wheel to gear with teeth upon the circumference of
the circular platform. The platform is not formed with teeth around the
whole of its circumference, but spaces are left between the teeth at
intervals, so that after the platform has been turned a distance, the
toothed wheel ceases to gear with the teeth on the platform; and then

page_text: although the toothed wheel continues to revolve, the platform remains
stationary, and the material in two of the moulds is then compressed by
the action of the toggle levers; subsequently an arm on the axis of the
toothed wheel which drives the platform comes round and encounters a
prjection on the platform and sets the platform in motion sufficiently
to again cause the toothed wheel to gear with the next set of teeth upon
the circumference of the platform. The platform is then continued to
be turned until the moulds which have been subjected to pressure have
been moved away from the toggle levers, and the next pair of moulds
brought over them. The platform then stops, the materials in the
moulds are subjected to pressure, the platform is again moved a distance,
and so on continuously.
After the materials have been compressed in the moulds and the
moulds have by the revolving of the platform been carried away from
above the toggle levers, the plungers of the moulds come on to an incline
by which they are raised, and the compressed blocks are thus expelled
from the moulds. The moulds are then again filled.and the materials
filled into them again subjected to pressure, and the compressed blocks
again expelled, and so on continuously.