CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING BRICK EARTH AND OTHER MATERIALS.”
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Weston Grimshaw, of Lower Broughton, near the
City of Manchester, Gentleman, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING BRICK EARTH AND OTHER MATERIALS.”
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING BRICK EARTH AND OTHER MATERIALS.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Weston Grimshaw at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th July 1860.
I, WESTON GRIMSHAW, of Lower Broughton, near the City of Manchester,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING BRICK EARTH AND
MATERIALE," to be as follows:-
My Invention is chiefly applicable to those machines in which the direct
action of steam is employed for compressing the brick earth or other material.
The first part of my Invention consists in an improved mode of stopping the
piston, in order to produce bricks or other articles of a uniform thickness; the
piston rod is made with a slot, through which passes a beam attached to the
lid or other convenient fixed part of the machine; this beam is adjustable by
screw nuts or otherwise, and when the piston has performed its requisite
traverse, the beam arrests it; the same object may be accomplished by making

page_text: a shoulder on the piston rod, which shoulder comes against an adjustable beam
or stop piece.
Secondly, in admitting steam to the top of the piston, after the stroke bas
been given, in order to bring the piston down, so as to be in its proper position
for the succeeding stroke.
Thirdly, where compressing articles that do not require to be of a uniform
thickness, such as artificial fuel, flour, or other vegetable matter, but where the
full force of the steam is required in providing a passage for the escape of the
steam when the mould fails to receive its proper supply, the passage may
merely allow the steam to blow off or convey it to the opposite side of the
piston.
And, fourthly, in the application of an adjustable slide or false bottom to the
mould boxes, by which the supply of brick earth or other material can be
regulated according to its density.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Weston Grimshaw in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th January 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WESTON
GRIMSHAW, of Lower Broughton, near the City of Manchester, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Weston Grimshaw, Her special licence that I, the said Weston Grimshaw,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Weston
Grimshaw, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING BRICK EARTH AND OTHER MATERIALS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Weston Grimshaw, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature

page_text: 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters-
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Weston Grimshaw, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-.
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following.
statement (that is to say) :-
The nature of my Invention consists, first, in an improved mode of stopping
the pistons of those machines, in which the direct action of steam is employed
for compressing brick carth and other materials, in order to produce bricks or
other articles of a uniform thickness; the piston rod is made with a slot,
through which passes a beam attached to the lid or other convenient fixed part
of the machine; this beam is adjustable by screw nuts or otherwise, and when
the piston has performed its requisite traverse the beam arrests it; the samo-
object may be accomplished by making a shoulder on the piston rod, which
shoulder comes against an adjustable beam or stop piece.
Secondly, in admitting steam to the top of the piston after the stroke has.
been given, in order to bring the piston down so as to be in its proper position
for the succeeding stroke.
And, thirdly, when compressing articles that do not require to be of a
uniform thickness, such as artificial fuel, flour, or other material, but where tho-
full force of the steam is required in providing a passage for the escape of the
steam when the mould fails to receive its proper supply, the passage may
merely allow the steam to blow off or convey it to the opposite side of the
piston.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to
describe the two accompanying Drawings, reference being had to the figures.
and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Fig. 1 is a plan of my improved machinery for compressing
brick earth and other substances or materials, shewing the general arrangement
of all the parts; Fig. 2 is an elevation in section of the main compressing
cylinder, and of the cylinder in which works a piston for raising the bricks or
other articles that have been compressed out of the mould boxes.
On Sheet 2, Fig. 3 is an elevation of the whole machine; and Fig. 4 is a
section through the cylinders in which work the pistons for giving the pre-
liminary and the final compression to the bricks or other articles.
a is a circular table containing, in this instance, eighteen mould boxes a' of

page_text: the shape required in making bricks; it is, however, evident that a greater or
less number of mould boxes may be provided in the table, and that their shape
can be varied to suit the shape of the articles to be produced. The table a is
fixed upon a vertical shaft b, which revolves in suitable bearings in the frame-
work; to the shaft b is fixed the intermittent wheel c, which is turned round
at intervals by the studs d, fixed in the disk d', keyed on the upright shaft e;
on this shaft is fixed a bevel wheel e', which is driven by the pinion f' on the
shaft f, which is driven from the shaft g by the pinion g' gearing into the
wheel; this wheel is connected to the shaft f by a friction box f³, in order
to prevent injury to the machinery in case of any derangement of the parts.
The shaft g is turned round by a strap from the steam engine or other
motive power passing over the driving pulley 9. The machinery for com-
pressing the brick earth or other materials in the moulds a', consists of the
steam cylinder h, see Figs. 1 and 4, which is provided with a piston and a
piston rod h' passing through a stuffing box; the upper end of the piston
rod has a head of sufficient size to act upon, two of the plungers a³, fitting in
the mould boxes a'; this cylinder h is for imparting the preliminary pressure
to the brick earth or other material which is deposited into the mould boxes by
a hopper in the usual manner. The main cylinder i, which gives the final
compression, is provided with a piston, having a piston rod i passing through
the stuffing box in the lid of the cylinder; the upper end of this piston
rod is of sufficient size to act on two of the plungers a². To the lid are con-
nected the lower ends of the strong bolts j, the upper ends of which pass
through eyes in the beam, and this beam passes through a slot in the piston
rod ; the object of this is to limit the stroke of the piston according to the
depth of the brick or other article to be compressed in the mould boxes a¹; the
position of the beam is adjustable by lock nuts or otherwise, consequently
the depth or thickness of the brick or other article can be regulated with the
greatest facility. I wish to remark that the same object can be attained by
making a shoulder on the piston rod, which shoulder comes against an adjust-
able beam or stop piece. The piston rod h¹ is furnished with a similar beam
for the same purpose. The main beam k passes over the centres of the
cylinders and i, and it is supported by the pillars k', which connect the
foundation beam m and centre plate n; these beams, plates, and pillars form
the framework of the machine. The lower surface of the beam k is provided
with plates corresponding to the upper surfaces of the piston rods h' and ',
and these plates form the top of the mould boxes against which the brick earth
or other material is compressed, when the pressure is applied to the under sido

page_text: of the pistons in the cylinders h and i; these plates and the plungers of the
mould boxes are perforated with fine holes to facilitate the escape of the air in
the manner described in former Letters Patent granted to me. The small
cylinder o is also provided with a piston, the rod of which has a plate similar to that
on the top of the piston rod h¹; this cylinder serves to raise the bricks or other
articles partly out of the moulds, the remainder of the lift being performed by
the inclined rails n'and the rollers as, which are mounted on studs on the
lower part of the plungers a³. The steam for simultaneously raising the pistons
in the cylinders h, i, and o, enters the steam chest p, in which is a slide valve
for opening and closing the ports in communication with the passage p'; this
passage gives steam to the main cylinder i, from whence it is supplied to the
cylinders h and o; the passages p² between the cylinders h, i, and o, shewn
best in Figs. 2 and 4, are for admitting the exhaust steam to the top of the
pistons when the stroke has been given, in order to bring the pistons down and
ready for the succeeding stroke, thereby preventing the accidents that would
result from any of the pistons remaining up after the stroke has been given.
I will now proceed to describe the operation of the machine, which is supposed
to be at work, and to have performed one entire revolution; the intermittent
action of the wheel c allows the table a to remain stationary until the two
moulds directly under the hopper have received their full charge of brick earth
or other material; the hopper is placed at Z, but it is not shewn in the Drawing,
being made in the ordinary manner; the table a is now moved round one-ninth
or other portion of a revolution, according to the number of divisions in the
wheel c, thereby bringing the full mould boxes over the cylinder h, the piston
of which acting on the plungers a³ in the mould boxes a', gives the preliminary
pressure to the clay or other material; the final compression is given by the
action of the piston in the cylinder and at the same time the piston in the
cylinder o raises the bricks or other articles partly out of the moulds; as soon as
the bricks or other articles have been raised up to the surface of the table a, by
the inclined rails n' above referred to, they are removed by hand or otherwise; the
plungers are then immediately drawn down by the action of other inclined rails
like n', so that the moulds may be ready to receive the brick earth or other
material when they arrive under the hopper; the rails n' extend at intervals
all round the plate a, and they serve also to prevent the plungers of the mould
boxes from dropping when passing from one cylinder to the other.
I wish to observe that the mould boxes in the table a are made in the
usual manner, or in the manner described in former Letters Patent granted to
It is also necessary to remark that in compressing artificial fuel or flour
me.

page_text: or any other material or article that does not require to be of a definite or
uniform thickness, but where the full force of the steam is required, I provide
a passage for the escape of the steam when the mould does not contain its
proper supply; by this means the injury otherwise resulting from the sudden
rise of the piston is prevented, the passage may merely allow the steam to
blow off or convey it to the opposite side of the piston.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, together with the
method of carrying the same into practical effect, I wish it to be understood
that I do not limit myself to the details set forth, but what I claim is,―
First, the improved modes of stopping the piston shewn and described, for
the purpose of obtaining bricks or other articles of a uniform thickness.
Secondly, the admitting the exhaust steam to the top of the pistons, for
bringing them down after each stroke, as described.
And, thirdly, the application of a passage for the escape of the steam when
the moulds are not properly supplied with clay or other material, as described:
In witness whereof, I, the said Weston Grimshaw, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
H. B. BARLOW,
Manchester.
W. GRIMSHAW. (L.B.)