IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BRICKS AND TILES, PARTS OF WHICH MACHINERY ARE APPLICABLE TO MOULDING OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HART, of Bermondsey Square, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Second day of
November; One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, in the eleventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Hart, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James
Hart, my exors, adññors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said James
Hart, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BRICKS AND TILES, PARTS
OF WHICH MACHINERY ARE APPLICABLE TO MOULDING OTHER SUBSTANCES;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said James
Hart, should cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: My Invention relates,―
Firstly, to a mode of arranging and combining apparatus to be used in
washing and cleansing clay and other earths used in the manufacture of bricks
and tiles.
Secondly, my Invention relates to a mode of arranging compressing rollers to
be used in compressing and grinding clay, and other earths and materials used
in the manufacture of bricks and tiles, and in moulding other articles; and,
Thirdly, my Invention relates to a mode of arranging parts of apparatus
to be used in the manufacture of bricks and tiles, and in moulding other
articles.
But, in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a side view, and Figure 2 a cross section of apparatus
arranged according to the first part of my Invention. The clay or other earth
to be washed and cleansed is placed in the trough a, which I prefer to be of
metal or of wood; and it should be so supported that trucks or other vessels
may readily be brought under the trough a, for the purpose of receiving accu-
mulations of stone or other refuse which may from time to time, in the
working of the apparatus, be allowed to fall through the openings b, b. These
openings are at other times closed by doors, as shewn. The trough a is sup-
ported by standards c, c. And I would here remark, that I am aware that
troughs, similar in form to that shewn, are now in common use for cleansing
clay and other earth; but, as far as I have been able to ascertain, such troughs
have heretofore been built of brick, or otherwise been permanently fixed, so
that when it has been found necessary to discontinue their use where they
were erected considerable loss has been sustained.
Now, one part of my improvements under this head of my Invention con-
sists in forming them of parts capable of being readily put together, or taken
to pieces and again refixed in another situation, and also in their being so
arranged as to admit of trucks or other carriages being brought under the

page_text: trough to get rid of the stones and other. accumulations. Water, for the pur-
pose of washing, is fed in by any suitable means at one end of the trough a,
and having been used to cleanse the clay or other earth under operation, it
flows out at the other end by the spout d. e is a shaft supported in bearings,
as shewn at each end of the machine, such bearings consisting each of three
adjustable friction rollers, as is well understood. This shaft a has affixed upon
it the toothed wheel f, to which motion is to be given in any suitable manner.
It also carries the arms g, g, each of which is made fast in sockets e', attached
to the shaft e. The arms g are formed of steel towards the outer ends, and
thin, so as to afford some degree of yielding as they revolve round in the
material under operation, whereby, should they meet with stone, or other
unyielding substance, they will not be materially injured. And it is this mode
of forming the arms e capable of yielding which constitutes another peculiarity
of this part of my Invention. p is an opening closed by a door to let out the
washed material when required.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, a sectional view of
parts of apparatus arranged according to which is shewn at Figure 3. I
would here state, I am aware that it is not new to use rollers for compressing
clay and other earths, as apparatus have been so arranged and commonly used
for this purpose; and I mention this in order to state that my Invention con-
sists in arranging the rollers with their axes out of the centre, so that, in
revolving, the rollers worke excentrically, by which I obtain a grinding as well
as a compressing action upon the material under operation, and the quality of
the material so operated upon is materially improved. The clay or other earth
as it passes through between the rollers a, a, passes into a box c, provided with
apertures to receive suitable dies for moulding tiles or "quarries;" or when
other plastic material, such as plaster of Paris, is used with suitable dies at d,
the apparatus may be used for moulding other articles, such as cornices for
rooms and other places.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention, apparatus according to
which is shewn at Figures 4, 5, 6. a, a, is the framing. 6 is the trough or
hopper to receive the clay or other earth which passes down through the
chamber c, in which the material is in part worked by means of the blades or
arms d, d, carried by the axes e, f, g, h, which have motion given to them in
the following manner :-e is a toothed wheel, affixed on the axis e, and capable
of being driven by the toothed wheel i, affixed on the shaft, supported in
suitable bearings carried by the main framing. The shaft is to be driven by
suitable horse or it might be by steam power, or, when required, the wheel e¹
may be driven by a pinion on the shaft j, which may be driven by hand or

page_text: otherwise. On the shaft e is affixed another toothed wheel e³, which takes
into and drives the toothed wheels f, g, on the axes f, g, respectively.. The
-toothed wheel g₁ takes into and drives the toothed wheel.h' on the axish.
The clay or other earth used in the making of the bricks is carried downwards
into the moulds, formed partly by the endless chain of plates k and partly by
the plates l, m, which travel forward in the direction of the arrow under the
roller n, by which the material becomes compressed; thence under the
scrapers o, o. The endless chain of plates is caused to travel forwards by
means of the wheels k¹, the points of which take into recesses formed in the
under side of each of the plates k. The wheels k are affixed to the axis ;
upon which is affixed a toothed wheel k', which, by means of the intermediate
wheel k*, receives motion from a pinion ³, affixed on the axis g. The chain of
plates. also passes over wheels k, affixed to the axis k, as shown: Separate
views of part of the chain of plates k, and parts forming the moulds, is shown at
Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, on a somewhat larger scale, by which the nature of these
parts will be more clearly seen. The plates are connected together by hinge
joints (cast with the plates k) at ; and each of the plates k has a pair of
rollers k*, which run upon the guide ways p, p, by which the plates k and
parts forming the moulds are supported so as to travel in contact with the
under surface of the chamber c; and in order to a correct adjustment of these
parts the tramways p are connected together by means of the cross bars p¹, to
which are attached rods p, p, which pass up through the flanges of the framing,
and are retained in position by screw nuts p³, as shown. The bearings of the
axes k² and k² are also capable of being similarly adjusted and retained by
means of the nuts k and k¹0. On each of the plates k is formed a pallet k",
and there are also holes formed through the plates k to facilitate the removal
of air from the moulds when the clays is forced in, and also by admitting air
thereat to facilitate the removal of the bricks. The parts l, m, are hinged
together as shewn, and they are applied to the plates k at the point A, there
being stops on the plate k to adjust the position of the parts l, whilst the
projections on the parts I act as stops to the parts m previously applied to
prevent those parts being forced outwards. m³, m³, are handles to facilitate the
opening of the sides of the moulds. When the moulds arrive at the position
B the bricks are removed by means of the parts l, m, which are lifted from
the chain of plates k, and then, by opening the parts m, the brick may be
deposited on to a pallet board as is well understood, and the parts l, m,
removed from the chain of plates k, are then to be placed on to the endless
cloth or apron q, by which they are conducted back to the front of the
machine, when they are to be again applied at A to the chain of plates.k.

page_text: 66
The endless cloth or surface q. is supported upon rollers q', 9. The roller q³
has motion given to it by means of the tooth wheel q* gearing into the toothed
wheel on the axis of the roller q³. The. roller n receives motion from the
axis g, there being a pinion g³ on that axis, which takes into a toothed wheel
affixed on the axis of the roller n. r, r, are brushes for the purpose of clearing
or washing the plates k. These brushes are carried by the axes r¹; r¹, which
have pulleys affixed thereon to receive bands by which they are driven as
shown. When making ordinary, or such as the "London bricks," I should use
only one of the brushes . revolving in water; when making what are called
slop" bricks, I should use both of the brushes, one to sweep off the loose
material and the other to apply water. 3, 3, are cylinders of reticulate work,
formed with doors in part of their surface in order to place sand therein,
which in, the revolution of the cylinder will become sprinkled over the parts.
These cylinders are affixed to axes s¹, s', to which are affixed the pulleys s², s³,
to receive bands, which also pass over pulleys formed on the axes g, h.. t is an
axle to receive supporting wheels, as is indicated by the blue line t¹, when
required to transport the machine from one part to another; and in order that
a horse may be applied, shafts, as indicated by the dotted lines u, may be affixed
to the bolt holes u', u'. When being removed from one place to another.
the legs v. v, and the driving wheel i, would be removed. I would here
remark, when required to mould other articles, than bricks, the form of the.
parts and m, and the surface of the parts k, may be varied.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I would have it.
understood that I do not confine myself to the various details so long as the
peculiar character of either part of my Invention be retained. But what I
claim is,―
First, the mode of arranging and combining mechanical parts. for. the
purpose of washing and cleansing clay and other earths for making bricks
and tiles, as described.
Secondly, I claim the mode of applying rollers (placed excentrically of their
axes) for the purpose of compressing clay and other earths and plastic mate-
rials for the manufacture of tiles, 'quarries,' cornice ornaments, and other
articles.
Thirdly, I claim the mode of supporting the endless chain of plates k
(forming parts of the moulds) with a capability of adjustment to the mouth of
the chamber c, as described.
And I also claim the forming endless chains of plates with their axes (by
which the plates are connected together) cast thereon, as described.