IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES OF CLAY
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert Kunstmann at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st January
1867.
I, ROBERT KUNSTMANN, of Nuremburg, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, now
of No. 384, City Road, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE
OF AND MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES OF
CLAY," to be as follows:-
The said improvements relate, first, to constructing the framing of the
grinding machinery in such a manner that the rolls or cylinders can be
adjusted or removed without taking down the said framing; to the employ-
ment of adjustable scrapers to keep the rolls clean while in operation; and
also to the employment of a friction device by which they are stopped, to
prevent the passage between them of stones or other hard substances.
Second, to the arrangement in a box or cylinder of a series of spiral blades of
varying diameter, by which the clay is more effectually mixed and pressed
before being formed into bricks or other articles; and to the combination with
these blades of a second series of blades, which may be caused to rotate in the
opposite direction to the first series; also to the arrangement of the bearings
for the main axis or shaft (which carries the first series of spiral blades)
outside the said box or cylinder; and to providing steel centres at the end of
the said shaft to receive the "thrust" or longitudinal pressure on the same.
Third, to constructing the die which forms the clay "band" with adjustable

page_text: zine side pieces, by which the size and shape of the said "band" is varied as
desired. Fourth, to the arrangement in front of the said die of a wire or series
of wires by which the clay "band" is divided longitudinally into a number of
"bands" or layers. Fifth, to constructing the wire frame (which is attached
to an adjustable table carrying a series of rollers) so as to allow the number
and distance apart of the wires in the said frame to be varied, and to the
employment of side plates in combination with the said wire frame to hold
the clay "band" against the wires while being cut; also to the employ-
ment of an adjustable gauge whose distance from the wire frame can be
varied to form bricks or other articles of various sizes, and which stops the
clay "band" while the same is being cut, but which is adjusted to allow the
bricks or other articles when cut to pass, and also to allow the table to be
moved back. Sixth, to the employment of trucks consisting of an open frame-
work mounted on wheels, and provided with a number of shelves with slightly
rounded edges upon which the bricks or other articles are placed to be dried,
the said shelves being readily taken out and replaced to facilitate the proper
arrangement thereon of the said bricks or other articles. Seventh, to the con-
struction of a kiln consisting of a series of cells which are filled with a
number of the bricks or other articles to be burnt, and with the fuel required
for the same; one after the other of these cells being lighted, and each cell as
it is burnt out being shut off from those that are still burning; also to the
construction of a circular kiln with a fire-place on one side, and with a
revolving floor by which the bricks or other articles are all brought nearer to
or further from the said fire-place as required.
The grinding machinery consists of rolls or cylinders which are mounted in
suitable bearings with their surfaces in the proper relation to each other to
produce the desired effect upon the clay as it passes between them; the said
bearings are carried in a strong framing of cast iron or other suitable
material. The bearings for one roll in each pair are made adjustable, so that
the space between the two rolls may be varied as desired; the said framing is
mounted upon upright columns, or is otherwise raised to leave a space below
the rolls, in which space the clay falls from the said rolls and remains without
requiring any labour in shovelling or other attention on the part of the work-
man until it is finally removed to the mixing and pressing machine. The
framing is constructed with horizontal apertures in which the bearings are
fitted; these apertures are closed at one end, the other end being open to allow
the rolls and bearings to be introduced and removed when required. Each
side of the said framing is made. in two pieces, the larger or main portion
is firmly secured to the foundation plate of the machine, the other portion

page_text: being secured to the said main portion by bolts, screws, or other suitably
strong fastenings, but so as to be readily removed when required; this
adjustable piece form a cap or cover for the open ends of the horizontal
apertures, and is provided with sockets through which screws or bolts for
adjusting the bearings are passed. By means of this arrangement the rolls
can be drawn out of the framing and removed, when required, without taking
down the said framing as is necessary in grinding machines of ordinary con-
struction. Near each roll an adjustable scraper is arranged which extends
across the framing in the proper position to act on the surface of the said
roll; the said scrapers consist of plates of steel or iron, the edge of each of the
said plates being properly sharpened or beveled; these plates are each
secured by set screws to a strong bar, which is supported in brackets fixed or
formed on each side of the framing, and is provided at each end with screws
or other suitable and convenient means of adjustment. The set screws which
secure the scrapers to the bars pass through slots or oblong holes in the
former, which slots allow each of the said scrapers to be readily adjusted, so
as to bring any portion thereof into contact with the surface of its roll, and
thereby keep the same clean and in good condition for operating on the clay.
The main shaft of the said grinding machine is connected by suitable gearing
to the rolls, and is provided with a friction apparatus by which the latter are
stopped to prevent the passage of stones, pieces of metal, or other hard sub-
stances between them. This friction apparatus consists of a loose driving
pulley having an inner conical surface, and arranged in combination with a
friction cone which is secured upon and turns with the said shaft, but which
by means of a key or feather is allowed to slide freely endwise thereon. The
surface of the said cone is formed to correspond with the conical surface of
the driving pulley, and when the two are in contact the shaft will revolve..
The friction cone is provided with a double collar or flange for a handle or
lever to act upon; the said handle extends upward to a convenient position
to be operated by the workman in charge of the machine, who can thereby
immediately stop the rolls and remove any stone or other hard substance
before it passes between them; the said frictional apparatus may be arranged
in combination with either one or any desired number of pairs of rolls. Pipes
or tubes are arranged upon the machine, through which pipes water is sup-
plied to the clay during the process of grinding, the quantity supplied being
regulated by a stop-cock or other suitable apparatus.
The mixing and pressing machine, to whose action the clay is subjected
after being ground, consists mainly of a series of spiral blades arranged upon
a central axis which turns in a box or cylinder. The clay enters at one end

page_text: of the box or cylinder through a hopper, and passes out through a die at the
other end of the said box. The clay when it enters the box is in a much
less compact condition than when it leaves the same, and the spiral blades are
gradually decreased in diameter and pitch from the entrance to the exit
apertures of the said box. This diminution of the blades may either be made
gradually from end to end of the box or cylinder (which will in that case be
made regularly taper or conical); or the said box may be made cylindrical
with an enlarged portion at its entrance end. On the end of the central shaft
which lies in this enlarged portion just under the bopper through which the
clay enters a broad bladed screw is fixed, whose diameter and pitch are
greater than those of the spirally arranged blades in the cylindrical portion of
the box. Another screw of smaller diameter and pitch is fixed on the said
The blades and screws are thus
shaft near the outlet aperture of the box.
proportioned to the varying compactness of the clay as it passes through the
box or cylinder. To produce a more perfect mixing and pressing action upon
the clay, knives or blades may be secured to the inner surface of the box or
cylinder, the said knives being arranged to project between the spiral blades
on the central axis or shaft. To accelerate the mixing and pressing of the
said clay the portion of the cylinder which carries this second series of knives
may be made to revolve in the opposite direction to the knives or blades
carried on the central axis; this motion may be easily produced by means of
suitable gearing in connection with an intermediate shaft arranged below the
box or cylinder. The bearings for the central axis or shaft on which the
spiral blades are fixed are all arranged outside the box or cylinder, the end of
the said shaft being extended for that purpose. These bearings may be
formed or fixed upon the framing of the machine, or may be supported upon
a separate foundation; the said shaft is provided at its rear end with a steel
centre which is fitted to work against a steel pin or stud fixed in a bracket or
portion of the framing; this pin receives the "thrust" or longitudinal pressure
produced upon the said shaft by the action of the spiral blades upon the clay.
The steel centre is provided with a screw. thread and nut by which it is
adjusted or removed from the end of the shaft when desired. The steel pin
or stud is passed through a socket fixed or formed on the framing, and is
provided with adjusting nuts at each end. The said pin has an oil hole
communicating with a perforation formed in its front end, and the faces or
bearing surfaces of both the steel centre and the said pin or stud are grooved
crosswise to allow the oil to spread freely on the said surfaces.
The die through which the "band" of clay is forced is formed of cast iron
or other suitable metal. The said die is provided at the top and at one side

page_text: with loose lining pieces of zinc. By adjusting these lining pieces the size and
shape of the clay "band" is varied, the said adjustment being effected by
screws or other suitable means. Packing strips of wood are introduced
between these zinc lining pieces and the inside of the die, which packing
strips are removed and replaced by thicker strips of the same material as the
zinc plates become, worn. Wires are arranged in an inclined position in front
of the said die, by which wires the clay "band" as it passes from the said die
is divided longitudinally into a number of "bands" or layers of any desired
thickness; the said wires are by preference passed over a round bar and
secured at each end to regulating screws, and are tightened or slackened by
adjusting the same. The number and thickness of the layers into which the
clay "band" is divided is regulated by varying the number and distance apart
of these wires. Lateral guide rollers are provided at the sides of the clay
"band" to keep the same in the proper position while being divided. A table
furnished on its upper surface with a series of rollers for the clay "band" to
travel forward upon as it leaves the die is arranged in the proper position in
front of the latter. The said table is supported upon wheels, and rails are
provided for the latter to run upon, the said rails being carried on the top of
suitable uprights or brackets; these wheels allow the table to travel endwise a
short distance (say, two inches) upon the rails. The wire frame for dividing
the clay "band "transversely in forming the bricks, tiles, or other articles is
jointed or pivotted to the travelling table. The said frame consists of an
upright bracket with a projecting horizontal bar at the top; the said projecting
bar allows a number of wires to be employed in the said frame at the same
time; these wires in cutting or dividing the clay "band" have to pass between
the rollers on which the said "band" travels, and the bearings for some of
the said rollers are made adjustable to allow the distance between the same to
be varied according to the number and distance apart of the wires employed
in the said frame. Upright plates are provided in connection with the wire
frame, between which plates the clay "band" passes. These plates on one
side of the frame are fixed, while those on the other side of the said frame are
made adjustable. When the said wine frame is cutting or dividing the clay
these adjustable plates are pressed closely in contact with the said clay, and
the same is firmly held between them and the fixed plates, and is cut clearly
and sharply through without any dragging or tearing of its edges. An adjustable
gauge or stop is supported upon the table to regulate the length or thickness
of the bricks, tiles, or other articles being manufactured; this gauge consists
mainly of a plate which is pivotted to the top of a pair of standards; the
latter are secured to the said table by bolts which pass through longitudinal

page_text: slots formed therein, by means of which slots the gauge may be arranged
nearer to or farther from the wire frame as desired. The said plate extends
across the table, and is adjusted in a horizontal position to stop the end of the
clay "band" when the same is to be divided by the wire frame. When the
cut or division of the "band" has been made the said plate is turned into a
horizontal position. While the plate is in this position the clay "band"
which still advances pushes the bricks or other articles (which have just been
cut) forward on the rollers; the table is at the same time moved backward,
the gauge and frame being again adjusted to operate on the next portion of
the "band."
The bricks, tiles, or other articles as they are cut are removed to the drying
chambers by trucks or carriages. The said trucks are constructed of a series
of horizontal iron bars which are supported upon upright columns or slabs of
iron or other suitable material. A series of transverse shelves or bars are
provided, upon which the bricks are supported during the process of drying.
The said shelves are preferably of a T-shaped section, and the horizontal side
bars of the truck are cut or recessed to receive the ends of the same. The
said shelves are made in width about one-third the length of the bricks or
other articles, and are slightly rounded at their edges to allow the shrinkage
of the said bricks or other articles while drying to take place without
obstruction. The said shelves are made so as to be easily removed or
replaced, and when a truck is to be filled they are first all removed therefrom;
a shelf is then placed in the lowest position at one end of the truck, and is
loaded with bricks or other articles; when this is done the next shelf above is
put in its place and loaded, and then the next; when this row is complete
from the top to the bottom of the track the next row is filled up in a similar
manner, and so on till the truck is full.
The burning kiln may be constructed in the form of an oblong chamber,
whose walls are formed of brick in the usual manner. The said chamber is
divided longitudinally into two portions, and is so constructed that these two
portions can be divided transversely into a number of cells or partitions,
which by means of doors may communicate with each other or not as desired.
Each of these cells is filled with a certain number of the bricks, tiles, or other
articles to be burnt, and the necessary quantity of straw and other fuel is
placed between and around the same. Holes or apertures are formed on the
top or side of each cell to supply the quantity of air required for the com-
bustion of the said fuel, which apertures are closed or otherwise regulated by
adjustable covers. A fan is placed at or near the end of the main flue, by
which fan the air is drawn through the said apertures and through the kiln.

page_text: Suitable dampers are provided by which each of the cells may be put in
communication with the said fan as required. In commencing to work with
this kiln all of the cells or divisions may be filled with the bricks and fuel,
but the fuel in one only is lighted. The fire is progressively communicated to
each of the cells, and as the bricks in each cell are burnt and become
sufficiently cool the damper is removed from behind the said cell and placed
in front of the same. The bricks which have been burnt are thus shut off
from those which are still burning.
The kiln may be constructed somewhat in the form of a cupola, having a
furnace or fire-place on one side. The floor or platform upon which the
bricks are supported during the process of burning is made to revolve so as to
bring all of the bricks in turn near to the said furnace. The said floor may
be supported to turn upon rollers, or may be constructed to float in water. A
central vertical axis to which the said floor or platform is attached extends
upward through the centre of the kiln, and the power required for moving
the platform may be applied to the said shaft in any suitable and convenient
manner.