Improvements in Machines for Moulding Briquettes and Blocks.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1898--Accepted, 18th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Moulding Briquettes and Blocks.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the County
of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a
communication to me from Thomas Alva Edison, of Llewellyn Park, in the County
of Essex and State of New Jersey, in the United States of America, Inventor) and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The invention relates to a machine for forming into compact solid bricks or
briquettes finely pulverized material such as concentrated iron ore and coal.
In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view; Fig. 2 a side view; Fig. 3 a
longitudinal section; Fig. 4 a section through the feed trough; Fig. 5 a cross
section through the mould carrier; Fig. 6 a longitudinal section through the mould
carrier, plungers and feed troughs; Fig. 7 a plan view illustrating safety catch ou
main driving well; Fig. 8 a side view of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 an enlarged detail view of
drunken worm and worm gear; and Fig. 10 an enlarged section through the feed
trough.
In all of the views, corresponding parts are represented by the same numerals.
1, 1 are parallel side frames cast to the base 2. 3 is the main shaft, mounted in
bearings 4. 5 is the driving pulley. 6 is a disc keyed to driving shaft 3 and
having a rim 7. 8 is a block bolted to rim 7 and cut away at 9. 10 is a link
connected to a heavy bolt 11 extending through one of the spokes of wheel 5, and
its lower and engaging a brass shear bolt 12 extending through the block 8. The
said bolt will be cut off by unusual strain, thereby stopping the machine. A wedge
block 13 on bolt 14 engaging a collar 15 on the link 10 prevents back lash of the
driving wheel from shearing off the bolt 12. 16 are bearing boxes, having caps 17
for mould carrier shaft 18. Shaft 18 is driven by a drunken worm 19 engaging a
worm gear 20 keyed to shaft 18. The drunken worm 19 is keyed to shaft 21 driven
through bevel gears 22 from shaft 3. These gears are preferably incased and run in
oil. 23, 23 are plates carrying bearing boxes 24 supporting the shaft 21. 25, 25 are
bushings surrounding said shaft within the bearing boxes 24 and engaging both
sides of the worm 19. The bushings 25 are each provided with lugs 26, carrying
adjusting screws 27, which may be operated to adjust the worm 19 with respect to
the worm gear 20.
The drunken worm 19 will, during one third of its rotation, advance the worm
gear 20 one tooth, holding the gear stationary for the remainder of the time. 28
is a cam on shaft 18 and bolted to side frames by bolts 29 passing through heavy
ears 30. Cam 28 is concentric from X to Y, is slightly eccentric from Y to Z, and
is of greater eccentricity from Z to X. 31 is a mould carrier, mounted on shaft 18
and comprising a sleeve 32, a disc 33 and a concentric head 34. 35 is a steel ring
bolted on the inside of the mould carrier and on the outside of the mould carrier in
a retaining ring 36.
37, 37 are a plurality
in place by screws 38.
of moulds carried on the face of the mould carrier and held
Each is provided with a movable bottom 39 sliding on the

page_text: cam 28.
Each bottom 39 is slotted at 40, and a bolt 41 engaging said slot prevents
the mould bottoms from falling out.
In bricking pulverized iron concentrates or pulverized coal with which a binding
material is mixed, the mould carrier is preferably heated by steam supplied through
pipes 43, so as to prevent sticking of material in the moulds.
1
Three plungers 41, 45 and 46 co-operate with the moulds, the said plungers
effecting a progressively increasing pressure on the briquette in process of
formation.
The plunger 44 works in bearings 47 carried by bridge piece 48 at the rear of
the machine.
Trunnions 49 on plunger 44 are connected by links 50 to the upper ends of the
lever 51 mounted on shaft 52 carried in bearings 53. 54 is an arm keyed to shaft
52, the upper end of said arm engaging the lever 51 at its centre. Extending from
said arm through the lever is a rod 55 carrying adjusting nuts 56 and a heavy
spring 57 mounted between the lever 51 and washer 58. 59 is a crauk keyed to
shaft 52. 62 is a lever mounted on a shaft 63 and connected at its rear end to
crank 59 by a link 64. The forward end of lever 62 is provided with two
arms 65 and 66, each carrying a friction roller 67.
2
"These arms engage cams 68 and 69 respectively, keyed to main shaft 3. Each
cam has a concentric portion 70 for about one half of its diameter, so that during
such half of its rotation, the arm 62 will be kept stationary. The cams 68 and 69
are inversely arranged, whereby the cam 68 will elevate the lever 62 and depress
the same, the cam 69 providing for positive movement of said lever. The shaft 3
carries crank arms 71 connected together by pin 72 working in block 73. Said
block is mounted in a slot 74 cut in the curved forward end of the lever 75 mounted
on shaft 76 carried in suitable bearings 77. Mounted on said shaft 76 are
levers 78, the forward ends of which are normally in engagement with projections
on the sides of lever 75. Rods 79.extend up from said projections through the
levers 78, and carry heavy spiral springs 80. One of these levers 78 connects at
its rear end by links 82 with lever 81 mounted on a shaft 83 carried in a
standard 84. Lever 81 connects with the upper portion 85 of plunger 45. 86 is a
guide for said plunger, and 87 are steam passages in the plunger connected by
steam pipes 88 of flexible metal, so as to heat the plunger. The other lever 78'is
connected by links 89 to a knuckle.lever 90 mounted on shaft 91. The connecting
pin 92 between links 89 and lever 78 is mounted on eccentrics 93 so as to be
adjustable. The plunger 46 is carried on a pivoted arm 94, and connecting said
arm with the knuckle of the lever 90 is a steel connecting block 95 bearing against
concentric shoulders which take up the thrust strain.
Steam pipes 96 may be used to heat the plunger 46. Behind the machine is a
trough 97 having an opening 98 directly above the plunger 44, beneath which
opening is a U-shaped pocket 99 in which said plunger works. 100 is a sharpened
edge on the further side of pocket 99 for cutting off material and directing it into
said pocket. The material is moved along the trough 97 by a flight conveyor
which is shown as consisting of three endless wire ropes 101 carrying flights or
scrapers 102. The flights 102 clear the cutting tool 100, but I also use several
spring pressed flights 103 which press tightly in the bottom of the trough. These
latter comprise the clamp 104 on the wire ropes, and downwardly extending
arm 105 to which the flight 106 is pivoted, a rod 107 extending from the
bracket 105 through the flight, and a coil spring 108 being carried on said rod. In
order to arrest the feed of material in the pocket 99, a slide 109 (see Fig. 4)
working in groove 110 may be used.
Operation: The shaft 3 is driven from pulley 5 and material is fed to the trough
97 by flights 102 and 106, the pocket 99 being filled by the cutting tool 100. The
cam 68 will elevate the lever 62, rocking the shaft 52 and forcing the plunger 4+
towards the mould carrier, ejecting the material from the pocket 99 and compress-
ing it into the. proper. mould. The shaft 3 continuing to rotate, moves the lever 62

page_text: in the opposite direction, withdrawing the plunger, whereupon the pocket 99 will
be again filled with material.
These operations are repeated until the material in the first mould under con-
sideration has been brought in line with plunger 45, which is operated through the
crank arms 71. Said crank-arms in moving downwards swing the lever 75 on
shaft 76, and through the spring connections 80 oscillate both levers 78.
81 will be oscillated, forcing the plunger 45 with great pressure against the material
in the mould, so as to further compress the briquette therein.
Lever
As the machine operates, the first mould is advanced towards the plunger 46, in
which movement the mould bottom has been elevated by the cam 28 until the
outer surface of the partly finished briquette is in line with the periphery of
the mould carrier. Consequently when the knuckle lever 90 is oscillated through the
lever 75 and links 89, an enormous pressure will be exerted against the plunger 46
to give to the briquette its necessary solidity and firmness.
As the mould carrier advances, the bottoms of the moulds will move outwards to
eject the finished briquettes, and if desired a spring finger 111 may engage with
the same to make their ejection positive. By employing safety springs between the
plungers and the driving shaft, I prevent the possibility of breakage in the event
of unusual strains being imposed upon the plungers or their connected levers, since
the springs will yield under such strains.
The operation of my improved bricking machine and its principles being under-
stood in the production of briquettes of iron ore, coal and similar substances, the
ways in which it may be modified for other purposes will be apparent to skilled
persons.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A. machine for forming briquettes, comprising a rotatable mould carrier hav-
ing a series of moulds therein and advanced intermittently by suitable power con-
nections, a plurality of radially arranged plungers co-operating with said moulds,
the said plungers giving to the briquette in process of formation progressively
increasing degrees of compression, and suitable feeding devices for feeding material
to the mould carrier so that in the operation of making briquettes the plungers will
co-operate simultaneously with different briquettes and successively with the same
briquette.
2. An improved machine for bricking pulverized materials, comprising a rotatable
mould carrier carrying a plurality of moulds having movable bottoms which move
outwardly during the process of forming the briquettes by the co-operative effect
therewith of a stationary cam, a plurality of radially disposed plungers co-operating
with the moulds for compressing the material therein, and suitably arranged levers
connected with said plungers and operated from a main shaft, safety springs being
employed with said levers to prevent breakage of the machine by unusual strain
hereon.
Dated
101