IM- PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF CLAY AND BRICK EARTH, OR OF THE LIKE MATERIALS."
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Francis Porter, of 11, Park Street, Westminster,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF CLAY
AND BRICK EARTH, OR OF THE LIKE MATERIALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Francis Porter
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
10th January 1857.
I, JOHN FRANCIS PORTER, of 11, Park Street, Westminster, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES
OF CLAY AND BRICK EARTH, OR OF THE LIKE MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in improvements in the preparation of clay for
making bricks and other articles. These improvements have reference to the
pug mill described and shewn in Specification of Letters Patent granted to me
by Her Majesty, the Thirty-first of January, One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-five.
The improvements consist in producing the casing or trunk of the
pug mill across the hopper, on each side of it leaving an opening for the
admission of the clay into the pug mill of the width of about the distance
between the two shafts of the same. The width of the hopper when measured

page_text: across the pug mill shafts has been heretofore made the same width as the
interior of the pug mill, in consequence of which, the knives of the pug mil
by their revolutions, especially with some descriptions of clay, have caused the
clay to be thrown up from each side of the pug mill towards the top of
the hopper. I remedy this by constructing the opening at the bottom of the
feeding hopper as described. I also facilitate the entrance of the clay into
the pug mill by a roller on each side of the hopper, within it, immediately
over the plates or produced casing of the pug mill, previously described, to
prevent the clay returning into the hopper. These rollers are revolved
towards each other, so as to have tendency to draw the clay into the pug
mill; their surfaces, if not covered with fustian, are cleaned by scrapers.
When it is desired to feed the pug mill with clay by machinery, I make use
of one of these rollers as the bounding roller, round which an endless web
works, on which web clay is brought up to charge the pug mill, or I place an
endless web with bounding rollers over one of the said rollers. I also form the
pug mill knives of wrought iron, two blades being forged on a collar to
embrace the shaft, to which they are secured by any suitable means.
And my Invention also consists of apparatus for moulding bricks, by which
apparatus the material used in the formation of such articles is moulded at
less cost from all descriptions of clay, and better effected in respect of the
inferior kinds of clay, that is, the less plastic sorts of clay. I perform the
moulding of the bricks as follows:-The clay is delivered in any suitable
.manner to the machine or from a pug mill in the ordinary way through an
opening of any convenient size, and is received on and by a series of rollers
covered with a porous fabric, some of which are caused to revolve, in order to
compress or roll out the clay and to mould the same into the required form;
the bricks or other articles are then divided by cutting wires, in the visual way.
The surface velocity of these series of rollers varies after an inverse ratio of
the sectional area of the material being moulded. The distinctive feature of
this Invention is that the clay is moulded into shape by rollers in seriatim.
Each set of rollers consists of two rollers in the same plane, followed by two
other rollers at right angles to the former in another plane; these rollers are
disposed in pairs, parallel and opposite to each other, their axles being in the
same plane. If the pair of rollers which first lay hold of the clay, mould or
form two opposite sides, another pair of rollers in front of the former and at
right angles to them form likewise two other opposite sides, and these rollers
are repeated as often as the nature of the clay may require, in order to produce
the required trueness of form.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Francis Porter in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th July 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, Í, JOHN
FRANCIS PORTER, of 11, Park Street, Westminster, in the County of Middle-
sex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Francis Porter, Her special licence that the I, said John Francis
Porter, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Francis Porter, my 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 lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF CLAY AND BRICK
EARTH, OR OF THE LIKE MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) tliat I,
the said John Francis Porter, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Francis Porter, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say) :-
The first part of my Invention consists in improvements in the preparation
of clay for making bricks and other articles. These improvements have
reference to the pug mill described and shewn in Specification of Letters
Patent granted to me by Her Majesty, the Thirty-first day of January, Oné
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
The second part of my Invention consists of apparatus for moulding bricks
and other articles, by which apparatus the material used in the formation of
such articles is moulded at less cost from all descriptions of clay, and better
effected in respect of the inferior kinds of clay, that is, the less plastic sorts of

page_text: clay. I perform the moulding of the bricks as follows:-The clay is delivered
in any suitable manner to the machine or from a pug mill in the ordinary
way, through an opening of any convenient size or form, and is received on
and by a series of rollers covered with a porous fabric, some or even all of
which are caused to revolve, in order to compress or roll out the clay, or to
mould the same into the required form. The bricks or other articles are then
divided by cutting wires; disposed in the usual way.
Figure 1 of the Drawings annexed is a plan of brick-making machine with
pug mill attached (a portion of the machinery belonging to the cutting appa-
ratus not being shewn); Figure 2 is a longitudinal elevation of the same;
Figure 3 is a section of the same on line A, B, of plan; Figure 4 is a trans-
verse section of the same on line C, D; Figure 5 is a transverse section on
line E, F, of plan; Figure 6 is an end elevation of machine towards the line
G, H, the parts beyond which towards the pug mill are not shewn. Similar
letters and numerals refer to the same parts of the machines in the following
description of the Drawings.
also
a is the framing of the machines; b is a pug mill, similar to that described
in Specification before referred to; c, c, are riggers (live and dead) by which
the pug mill is set in motion; c', c', are the riggers or pulleys by which the
moulding apparatus is worked. These riggers c and c¹ ought to be driven by
the same primary power, so that the variations in the rate of travelling of the
pug mill knives and the moulding rollers may be alike. d is a shaft, on which
one of the pulleys c is keyed, to give motion thereto; e is a pinion keyed to
the same shaft, working in gear with the toothed wheel el; e¹ are wheels
gear with each other, and are keyed to the shafts d', which pass into the
interior of the pug mill, and upon which the pug mill knives f are fixed. These
knives are made of wrought iron, two blades being forged on a collar, which
embraces the shaft d', and to which they are secured by any suitable means.
I do not wish it to be understood that I lay any claim to the formation of pug
mill knives of wrought iron where two blades are forged on a collar, as the
formation of knives in such a manner is not new. g is the hopper, through
which the clay or brick earth is put into the pug mill; g' is the casing of the
pug mill, produced partially across the hopper 9 on each side of it, leaving an
opening for the admission of the clay into the pug mill of the width of about the
distance between the two shafts d'. The width of the hopper when measured
across the
pug mill shafts has been heretofore made the same width as the inte-
rior of the pug mill; in consequence of which, the knives of the pug mill, by their
revolutions, especially with some descriptions of clay, have caused the clay to
be thrown up from each side of the pug mill towards the top of the hopper.

page_text: I prevent the clay from rising by constructing the opening for the admission of
the clay at the bottom of the feeding hopper with the projecting plates g³, as
described. g' are rollers on each side of the hopper, within it and immediately
over the plates g', or produced casing of the pug mill. These rollers are
revolved towards each other, so as to have a tendency to draw the clay into the
pug mill; their surfaces, if not covered with fustian, are cleansed by scrapers,
that is to say, the clay which may adhere to these rollers is removed therefrom
When it is desired to
by scrapers of iron, in the usual well-known manner.
feed the png mill by machinery, I make use of one of these rollers as the
bounding roller, which an endless web works (which I have not thought
necessary to shew in the Drawing), on which web clay is brought up to charge
the
pug mill; or I place an endless web with bounding rollers above one of
the said rollers g. g is the discharging orifice of the pug mill. I have found
that for making ordinary bricks from some sorts of clay a circular opening of
about ten inches diameter from pug mill is more convenient for my method;
but I do not confine myself either to this dimension or form. h, h, h², h³, h³,
are a series of moulding rollers, the rollers h being curved, as shewn in Draw-
ing; a little less curved, and h³ less curved than h', in pairs, set in motion
by the riggers c. is a shaft, to which one of the riggers c¹ is keyed; i is a
roller, turned true, capable of being slidden on the shaft de, for the purpose of
varying the velocity of the disc plate , which is set in motion by frictional
contact with the roller i; d³ is the shaft on which the disc plate is keyed, and
the pinion in gear with the wheel e, keyed to shaft d'. At the other
extremity of the shaft d' the pinion e' is keyed, which works in gear with the
wheel, keyed to the shaft d' of lower roller h. The wheel e³ is in gear with
the wheel e, keyed to the shaft d of upper roller h. e' is a mitre or bevil
wheel keyed to the same shaft, and being in gear with the bevil or mitre wheel
es, keyed on the shaft d", which is common to the several pinions e, which are
varied in their respective dimensions, as well as those on rollers h1, h2, h³, ht, ho,
to suit the required velocity of each moulding roller. There is a similar shaft
furnished with similar wheels immediately under the shaft d to drive the
lower series of moulding rollers. h are rollers, intermediate to the rollers
h, h1, h2, h3, h, h, on which the clay or partially moulded article is supported
whilst it passes from one roller to another. These rollers are not driven, but are
free to revolve on their axles d", on contact with the moving clay. The form
of the peripheries of these intermediate rollers should nearly agree with that of
the adjoining moulding rollers. ' are a series of vertical rollers, placed on
each side between the horizontal moulding rollers h, h³, h², h³, h', h. These
rallers h, or some of them, may be driven when the stiffer sorts of clay are

page_text: moulded, or when the pugmill orifice is large across its section, in proportion
to the size of the finished article measured sectionally across; but in all cases
the surface velocity of the driven rollers must be an inverse ratio, or nearly
so of the section of the clay in contact with them. h³ are a series of rollers
for reducing any slight inequalities on the surface of the moulded article
after the same has passed the last roller 5 of the series h, et cetera. These
rollers may be about one inch and one quarter in diameter, and placed as near
to each other as their diameters and the interposed vertical rollers will allow;
the whole of the rollers ought to be covered with fustian or porous fabric.
The size of the internal opening formed by the top and bottom rollers and the
vertical rollers 8 coincides as nearly as possible with the finished size of
the moulded brick or other article, that is to say, the rollers 8 are equidistant
one from the other when measured across, and form a parallel chamber; but I
do not confine myself to this form. It will be observed, from the Drawings, as
well as from consideration of the nature of the Invention itself, that only two
rollers are found in one and the same vertical plane. I am aware that four
rollers have been heretofore used in the same plane, but for a different purpose;
their use has been where plastic clay or brick earth is expressed through a die
or opening of a form and size nearly of that of the form of the brick or
required article. The clay then passes between four rollers driven at like
surface speed, by which the form of the brick is obtained with greater exactness.
In this case the area of the clay when it leaves the expressing machinery is
very much the same as that of the finished moulded article. This area must
be nicely adjusred to the opening between the four rollers, otherwise (in the
case of bricks) if the area of the clay exceeds that which will just pass between
them the surplus will find its way out at the intersections of the rollers, and,
by being torn off thereby, the corners of the bricks will be jagged. In my
improved method the rollers are not so disposed. The clay as it issues from
the pug mill, or otherwise supplied to the machine, is laid hold of and com-
pressed by two rollers h (shewn in the Drawing horizontally disposed), one
directly over the other, being set a suitable distance apart. The clay thei
passes between two vertical rollers h7, which I find convenient when such are
not driven to keep the same distance apart throughout, and this distance to be
the same as the finished size of the article to be moulded. The clay then
passes between another pair of horizontal rollers ³, set a little closer together,
and then between another pair of vertical rollers 7, placed between the rollers
h' and h², and so on, until it reaches the horizontal rollers h, the last of the
series shewn in the Drawing, and the reduction is by them nearly completed,
and the clay brought to the finished dimensions nearly. But I do not confine

page_text: myself either to the number or dimensions of the rollers, nor to the relative
diameters or form of the rollers, or the distances between them, as these will
depend in a great measure on the desired quality of the manufactured goods
and the stiffness of the clay, and must be ascertained by experiment.. With
some descriptions of clay from which ordinary sized bricks are to be made the
clay may be supplied from a circular orifice of pug mill, say, about ten inches
in diameter, (but if the clay is supplied in a squaro form I should use in such
case rollers in addition set at an angle of 45° to depress the corners of such
square section;) the horizontal rollers h, h', et cetera may be from four to six
inches in diameter, and the vertical rollers h of the like diameter. The body
of clay as it issues from the pug mill is reduced in seriation by the several
rollers in succession. I have shewn the moulding rollers of equal diameters
throughout, the surface velocities of which I vary to suit the different sections
of the clay whilst being moulded by such rollers in seriation, by driving the
same at increased speed as the section of clay becomes less; or I drive the
rollers at a uniform angular velocity, and increase the diameters in an inverse
ratio of the sectional area of the clay at the point of contact with the said
rollers; but I prefer the mode represented in the Drawings. When the clay
has been compressed by the first pair of rollers h (which are according to the
Drawing placed horizontally, but I do not confine myself to commence
the moulding with the rollers so disposed), such compression will press it out
on those sides where there are no rollers to retain it. The clay will then pass
between two of the vertical rollers, and will be compressed in another direction,
slightly raising the top surface. The clay will then be laid hold of by another
pair of the scries of rollers, and will be further compressed, and also pressed
out at the sides, until it reaches the second pair of vertical. rollers, and so on
alternately. By this alternate method of disposing of the moulding rollers
the corners of the article to be moulded are preserved intact. The rollers h³
are a series of rollers in pairs, alternately horizontally and vertically disposed;
their object is to impart a good finish to the article moulded, and are intended
also to remedy the irregularities which are consequent upon the moulding of
clay by a pressure given alternately at right angles. In order to admit of the
clay being severed to form bricks without stopping the machine, I have
introduced an improved method of severing the same, which in its leading
features corresponds with a cutting apparatus shewn and described in Specifica-
tions and Drawings of Letters Patent granted to me by Her Majesty,
December Twenty-third, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, and
October Twenty-third, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.. The bricks
are severed in this case by wires & inclined, strained to a frame k', which is

page_text: moved up or down to make the cut.
This frame slides in another frame,
working in guides or with rollers k, which is caused to move horizontally.
whilst the cut is being made by the pressure of the clay against the pallet
board . The upward and downward motion of the frame k is caused by a
half revolution of the crank o keyed on shaft o8, which is revolved on with-
drawal of the stop o' from the disc o. This crank o makes one half revolution,
when it is arrested by the stop o¹ entering into another opening in disc o³.
The bolt o¹ is released by means of the travelling frame coming in contact
with the cranked arm o, which depresses the rod o³, and consequently the
lever o, to which the bolt o' is attached. When the crank has performed its
half revolution the bolt o¹ is forced into the recess of disc
spring o'. The crank arm of not being fastened to the
means of the spiral
studs of travelling
frame, the stud passes over the arm on the return of the travelling frame
towards the machine after the pallet board has been removed from the
pressure of the clay against it. The horizontal moving frame k² is carried back
by means of the balance weight k. The pallet board ³ is released from its
contact with the clay by means of the withdrawal of the bolt s¹ from the recess
in discs keyed to shafts. The shafts os and s³ are revolved by the wheels s
at one end of the said shafts, but between these wheels and their respective
cranks a friction plate and spring is interposed between each, for the purpose
of giving motion to the said cranks as soon as their respective bolts are with-
drawn. The bolt s¹ is withdrawn from the recess in disc s2 after the cut has
been made, but before the termination of the stroke of crank which works the
cutting frame, by a stud r on the disc plate o acting on a cranked arm s³,
one end of which presses the lever s, and consequently the bolt s' attached
thereto, away from recess in disc s³; there being another recess in this disc
opposite the crank arm will make one half revolution, and by means of the
connecting rods the arm ss of such lever will be depressed, and the pallet
board k³ will rise up and permit the severed bricks to be removed on a delivering
table in the ordinary way. On the spindle of this delivery table n is fixed a
pall n with ratchet n keyed to shaft n³ and wheel n'. This wheel works in
the pinion no, on which pinion a stud n is fixed in order to release the bolt s¹
at the proper time, and the ratchet wheel with the wheel and pinion likewise
must be so arranged and proportioned, that when the number of bricks corre-
sponding with the number of cutting wires has fallen on the delivering table
the bolts' may then be released, and the pallet board ³ be brought again in
contact with the moving clay in order that another cut may be made whilst
the same is in contact with the clay, and carried forward by it a small space,
during the traverse of which sufficient time must clapse to perform the cut.

page_text: are rollers on which the clay travels for the purpose of being severed, and
between which the cutting wires pass; h¹ is the delivering roller on which
the bricks turn and fall on the loose pallet boards m for their removal.
The disc and sliding roller i serve more easily to accommodate the velocity
of the moulding rollers with the rate of the delivery of the clay from pug mill.
The roller shewn between the moulding roller h and the pug mill orifice is
for the purpose of supporting the clay as it issues from the pug mill. a' are
bearings of the various shafts; a² are standards to which part of the cutting
apparatus is attached.
The parts I have not minutely described. or shewn I think will be easily
understood by any practical person. These, though necessary to the working
of the machine, do not affect my improvements.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the means
whereby the same is carried into effect, I do not claim the separate parts of
the machine; but I claim the combinations of the machine; also I claim the
method of moulding clay or brick earth by a series of rollers disposed as shewn
and described herein, whereby clay, brick earth, or the like material is
moulded in the manner herein set forth; I also claim the combination of the
apparatus for cutting or dividing the bricks, as herein shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Francis Porter, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
JOHN FRANCIS PORTER. (L.S.)