IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BRICKS AND TILES
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
MCHENRY, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twentieth day of July, in the sixteenth year of Her reign,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said James
McHenry, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said James McHenry, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said James McHenry, my exors, admors, and 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 and Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man,
and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING BRICKS AND TILES;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said James
McHenry, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be enrolled in
Her 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: NOW KNOW YE, that, in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James M Henry, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention to
consist :-
Firstly, in improvements in extracting moisture from clay or other plastic
material.
Secondly, in placing rollers for crushing clay in an inclined position, in
order to facilitate the removal of stones mixed with the clay.
Thirdly, in improved combinations of machinery for screening clay or other
plastic material.
Fourthly, in improved combinations of machinery for compressing clay or
other plastic material in moulds to form bricks or tiles.
Fifthly, in improved machinery for removing the bricks or tiles from the
pressing machine, and for lubricating the pistons of the same.
Sixthly, in conveying the clay or other plastic material from the first to the
succeeding operations by mechanical agents.
Seventhly, in the application of loose mould boxes to machines for making
or pressing bricks.
And lastly, in an improved arrangement and construction of kilns for burning
bricks or tiles.
Now, in further compliance with the said proviso, and in order that my
Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will
proceed to describe the means pursued by me, reference being had to the four
Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of an arched oven
through which I cause wet clay or other plastic material to pass in order to
evaporate a part of the moisture. Figure 2 is a side elevation, and Figure 3
a plan, of part of the same. a is the brick-work of the oven or stove, which is
furnished with a reverberatory arch of the usual construction. b is a fire
place, having a firing door at each end for heating the oven; and c, c, are the
openings under the hearth, through which the smoke escapes to the chimney.
Only one of these openings is shewn in the Drawing, but several of them are.
placed at suitable distances apart to distribute the beat uniformly. d, d, are
three troughs extending through the oven, and each trough is provided at each
end with a bearing for the screws d¹. These screws are cast in several pieces
fixed on a wrought iron shaft, but they may be made entirely of cast metal, if
preferred. The material to be operated upon is fed into the hopper e, and as

page_text: tlie screws revolve slowly they carry the material forward until it drops into
the recess f, from whence it is elevated by the buckets 9 fixed on an endless
belt g'. This belt passes under the pulley 92, and over another similar pulley
not shown in the Drawing, but placed high enough to allow the buckets to
discharge their contents into a trough, which conveys the material to the
crushing rollers or to the succeeding operation. The mode of driving the
screws d is shewn clearly in Figure 3; and I wish to observe here that the
action of the screws partially kneads the material under operation, as well as
brings it gradually from the feeding to the delivering end of the oven. The
above described oven is only required when the clay or other material under
operation is too moist to be taken directly to the crushing rollers. In dry
weather the clay is generally sufficiently dry to undergo the process of
crushing as soon as it is dug from the bank. When the clay has passed
between the crushing rollers, which are made in the ordinary manner, but
which are placed in an inclined position for the purpose of facilitating the
separation of the stones from the clay, I clevate it again by means of buckets
similar to those before described with reference to Figure 2, and convey it to
the oven represented in Figures 4 and 5. This oveu is also on the reverberatory
principle; but the clay or other plastic material, after descending the trough h,
drops in the box h', and is conveyed through it, and through the stove, by the
rakes projecting from cross bars h³ fixed at each end to chains h'. These
chains pass over the pulleys h³, to which motion is communicated in any
convenient manner. When the clay drops into the recess i, it is elevated again
by the buckets g, and is deposited by them in a trough, which conveys it to the
screen or reel represented in Figures 6 and 7 on Sheet 2. On referring to
these Figures, it will be seen that Figure 6 is a side elevation, partly in section,
and Figure 7 is an end view, also in section, of my improved screen, which
consists of a drum j. The circumference of this drum is made of strong wire
cloth, or of metal bars, extending over the pulleys j', which are loose on the
shaft k. This shaft is furnished with a series of cross arms k', the outer extremi-
ties of which extend to within half an inch or more or less of the interior of
the drum j. is a pulley on the shaft k, by which it is turned round by a
crossed strap, and the drum j is turned round in the contrary direction by an
open strap passing round one of the pulleys j'. The drum j is placed in a
slanting position, in order that the clay or other material as it comes from the
trough may gradually pass by its own gravity from the upper to the lower
end thereof. The action of the cross arms pulverizes the material, which drops
through the meshes of the wire cloth or between the bars of the drum into the
recess, but the stones and other foreign substances fall out at the lower end

page_text: of the drum which is open. The pulverized material in the recess is now in
a fit state to be made into bricks or tiles, and it is elevated by the buckets g,
and deposited in the trough for conveying it to the pressing machine. I wish
to observe, that instead of the revolving cross arms ¹, I also propose to use
a stationary shaft, furnished with levers hanging down from it. The drum j, in
revolving on this stationary shaft, would crush the material between the arms
and the inner circumference of the drum, thereby pulverizing it, as before
described. It may in some cases be found desirable to screen the clay before
it is made to pass between crushing rollers. I also propose to work the
screen above described in a cistern partially filled with water, the action of
the water facilitating the separation of the stones from the clay.
one
My improvements in machinery for compressing clay or other plastic
materials in moulds is represented in Figure 8 of Sheet 2, and in the four
views on Sheet 3, Figure 9 being a longitudinal section, Figure 10 a transverse
section near the hopper, Figure 11 another transverse section near
of the repressure rollers, and Fig. 12 a plan of part of the mould board.
The standards m and other stationary parts of the machine are fixed to the
longitudinal beams m'. The pillars m³ support the outer ends of the side
plates n³, which are also supported by the standards m. Between the side
plates m is the mould board n, which is supported in the centre of the
machine by the rollers o, fixed on the shaft o', and near each end of the
machine by the rollers o. The mould board is guided laterally by blocks of
wood, fitting end ways of the grain into boxes attached to the miculd board, and
touching against the inner sides of the side plates, as seen in Figure 10. p
is the pressing roller, supported in bearings fitted in the standards m, and q
is the hopper, into which the clay is deposited by the troughs q'. The mould
board n is in this instance supposed to contain fourteen compartments or
moulds for making bricks. These moulds are arranged in two sets of seven
in each, placed at a suitable distance apart; but a greater or less number of
moulds may be made in the mould board, if more convenient. Each mould
is furnished with a piston 23 of the size of the brick or other article to be
produced, and cach piston has a shank na passing through a hole in the
bottom of the mould board. When the machine is at work, the mould
board has a to and fro motion imparted to it by the mangle pinion on the
shaft, see Figure 10, gearing into the mangle wheel o³, fixed on the shaft o'
and by the wheels o, also fixed on the shaft o', gearing into the racks n', fixed
to the mould board. The pressure roller p is also put in motion by the spur
wheel p', gearing into the wheel o³ on the shaft o'. The racks n' gear into
.the pinions s and s', fixed on the same shafts as the repressure rollers s² and

page_text: These plates extend
the office of which will be explained hereafter. Within the hopper are
mounted in suitable bearings the rollers 2 (it may in some cases be more
convenient to employ stationary bars instead of the rollers q), near to which,
but beyond the hopper, are fixed the repressure plates 93.
from one of the side plates m³ to the other, and they are firmly held to the
beams m by long bolts, passing through the bearings of the rollers s³, the
side plates m³, and repressure plates . are two more rollers, also revolving
in bearings fixed to the side plates. The object of these rollers is to press
down the pistons n², in case they should project beyond the mould board.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-When the hopper is sufficiently
full of the material to be formed into bricks or tiles, motion is communicated
to the various parts by the wheels, pinions, and racks before enumerated.
The moulds in the mould board, in passing under the
pressure roller P, become
filled with the material in the hopper; but as it is indispensable, in manu-
facturing bricks of a superior quality, that very great pressure should be
exerted on the material when in the moulds, I cause the shanks 8 of the
pistons to be slightly elevated in their passage over the rollers s. By this
means the material in the mould becomes reduced in depth about three
eighths of an inch; because, the material rising above the level of the mould,
is pressed into it again by the roller q, or by the stationary bar when tho
roller is not used, thereby consolidating it in a proportionate degree. When
the motion of the mould board has carried the shanks of the pistons over
the roller s2, they slide on to and are supported by the block s until they
come to the roller s, the upper surface of which, being about one eighth of
an inch higher than the roller s2, again elevates the piston, and reduces the
depth of the material in the mould. The repressure plate q³ being directly over
the rollers, it is evident that the rising of the piston causes the material
to be still more consolidated, while at the same time a good surface is given
to the brick or tile in the mould by its friction against the under side of the
repressure plate. As soon as the mould board arrives near the end of its
traverse, the pistons n² are elevated simultaneously, and the bricks or tiles
removed by the following means:-Near each end of the machine is a
levert and on each side of each of the rollers o is another lever t'. To the
upper ends of each end of each pair of levers t' is binged an elevating bar t²,
which is connected to the swivel piece 3 at the top of the lever t by the
bar t'. Each of the pieces 3 is furnished with an antifriction roller t³, against
which the end of the mould board acts, for the purpose of elevating the
levers and t', as shewn, to the right-hand side of Figures 8 and 9. The
bricks are then in a position for being swept off the mould board n on to
the side plate m³, as seen in Figure 11, by the lubricating sweeps u, which are

page_text: worked by hand or by machinery, in communication with the shaft r', by which
the mangle wheel o³ is worked, as before described. This shaft is now shewn
in Figure 10 in its lowest position, but it rises into the position shewn by an
inclined red line when the mangle pinion r is working in the inner teeth of
the mangle wheel. To the shaft is fitted loosely a clip 2. A chain ³ is
attached to the upper side of the clip, and, after passing over suitable guide
pulleys, is made fast to the lever, at one side of the machine. Another
chain is attached to the under side of the clip, and is in like manner
made fast to the lever ut. At the other side of the machine the sweeps 2
are guided by grooved rails us, and they are jointed to the links ', the
other ends of which are connected to the levers u², fixed on the same shafts
u as the levers above mentioned. By this means the up and down
motion of the shaft is made to push the sweeps u from the position in
which they are shewn in Figure 10 into the position shewn in Figure 11;
and as the under side of the sweeps is furnished with a padded ruler or
roller, saturated with oil or other libricating substance contained in the
sweeps u, it is evident that the actions of pushing the bricks off the
mould board and of lubricating the tops of the pistons are simultaneous.
The counterweight us, suspended to the lever ut, is to bring back the sweeps
into the position shewn in Figure 10, when the bricks have been removed.
When the mould board n travels back, the moulds, which are shewn
in Figure 9, under the hopper, receive an additional quantity of clay
into them, and then undergo the operation of repressing, as before
described. The spring t, acting on the lever t', is to cause the bar t² to
assume the position shewn to the left-hand side of Figure 8, as soon as the
mould board has moved beyond the reach of the antifriction roller t³, so that
the bar t may be in readiness to clevate the pistons n² when the shanks n³ are
above it. The little rollers are to bear upon and press down the pistons ²;
so as to prevent them coming in contact with the repressure plates q³. In
order to facilitate repairs, and to enable the mould board n to be used for
making bricks or tiles of different sizes, the division plates between the moulds
and the end plates of the same are made adjustable. The division plates
can be fastened to the mould board by a screw at each side, as shewn in
Figures 11 and 12, or they may be secured by a single screw entering from
below, as shewn in the last division plate at the right hand of Figure 9. The
lower end of the shanks n³, and the upper surface of the blocks s³, are made
of hardened steel, in order to render them more durable; but when they
do become injured by friction the steel pieces can easily be replaced by
others.
In Sheet 4, Figure 13 represents an clevation, partly in section, of a rotary

page_text: machine for pressing bricks and tiles; and as this machine is very similar in
many respects to the one herein-before described, the same letters and figures
of reference are put upon corresponding parts. Figure 14 is a front view,
and Figure 15 a plan of Figure 13. The principal difference between this
machine and the one represented in Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 is, that the
to-and-fro motion of the mould board n in the first machine is converted into
a continuous rotary motion in the machine I am now going to describe.
The mangle wheel and pinion shewn in Figure 10 are dispensed with, and
the shaft o', in Figures 13 and 14, may be driven direct from the steam
engine, or in any other convenient manner, the motion being communicated
to the rotary mould board n by the bevel pinion 0', gearing into the bevel
wheel ', fixed to the circular mould board n.
The pressing roller p is turned
board n is supported at suitable
round by the wheels o' and p¹, and the mould
distances by the bevel antifriction rollers and v', one pair of which are
fixed on the shaft o', and the others are on short shafts supported by the
pillars m, which also support the circulate side plates m³. The action of
the machine is as follows:-The clay or other material, after it has been
screened, is supplied to the trough q', by which it is deposited into the hopper
9. The rotary motion of the mould board n and of the roller p presses the clay
into the moulds, which are furnished with pistons n² and piston rods n³, as
before described. As the mould board revolves it brings all the piston rods in
contact with the re-pressure roller s, the action of which raises the pistons
in the moulds, so that the piston rods 223 slide over the block s, while the
roller in the hopper is compressing the clay projecting above the mould
board into the mould. The progressing motion of the mould board then
brings the piston rods on to the second re-pressure roller 53, the action of
which, by bringing the clay in the mould in contact with the re-pressure plato
7, forms the top surface of the. brick, and completes the pressing. The
inclined plane w is for the purpose of elevating the pistons n² to the level of
the mould board, in order that the bricks or other articles may be easily
removed from the machine. This inclined plane answers the same purpose
as the levers t and t', and bars t, shewn in Figures 8 and 9.
When the top
of the pistons and the bottom of the bricks are on a level with the mould
board n and side plates m³, the bricks may be removed from the machine by
hand or by mechanical agents. As soon as the bricks or other articles are
removed, the pistons are cleaned and lubricated by revolving brushes or other
suitable machinery, and the pistons are made to drop into the moulds before
they pass under the hopper by the roller q, as before described. The moulds
in the circular mould board n are divided by adjustable wedge plates n 7, and
the end plates ns are also adjustable, in order to facilitate repairs. When

page_text: figures or devices in relief are required to be produced on the ends and sides of
bricks, I make use of a mould box furnished with joints at its angles, and open
above and below, in the same manner as the mould boxes now used in making
bricks by hand. These mould boxes are placed inside the compartments of
the mould board, and the interior of them is made of the figure or device
required, and of the depth of the finished brick. These detached mould boxes
may be used in either of the machines herein-before described, and they are also
applicable to some of the machines now known and in use. When they are used
in combination with the machines shewn in Figures 8 to 15, it will be necessary
to increase the size of the moulds in the mould boards n, so that the finished
bricks may be of the usual size. Before the machine is put in motion, each
compartment of the mould board must be furnished with one of the loose
moulds, jointed at the angles, as above described. The moulds in passing
under the press roller p become filled with clay, which, in being compressed
by the action of the pressure rollers s² and s³, is made to fill every part of the
mould. When the bricks are raised to the level of the mould board, the
jointed mould boxes are removed, and replaced into the compartments of the
mould board, in order that they may be ready to enter the hopper again.
When pulverized clay has been compresssed and formed into bricks or tiles by
the machines herein-before described, they are sufficiently dry to be taken im-
mediately to the kilns in which they are burnt. This kiln may be of the ordinary
construction; but I prefer to use the kiln represented in Figures 16, 17, and 18,
as the heat in it is capable of being regulated and distributed with great
facility. Figure 16 is a sectional elevation, Figure 17 is an end view, and
Figure 18 a plan of one end of the kiln. A, A, are the outer walls, and B
the roof; C is the floor; and D, D, are fire grates placed at equal distances
apart on each side of the kiln, the length of which can be varied, according to
circumstances. D¹ are doors for the fire-places, and E' are doors for the
ash pits E, or spaces under the fire-places. F is a flue reaching the whole
length of the kiln, and communicating with the ash pits E by the branch
flues F. These flues have each a damper F, furnished with a bandle F³, as
shewn in Figure 18. Through the flue F is a strong current of air, produced
by a fan or other mechanical means. The bricks or other articles to be
burnt are piled in the usual manner on the floor C, care being taken to arch
them over the fire-places D. The fires are then ignited, and the attendant,
by increasing or diminishing the current of air in the flue F, and by opening or
closing the doors D₁ and E', and dampers F, is enabled to regulate and distri-
bute the heat in the kiln so as to burn the articles evenly and expeditiously.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be under-

page_text: stood that I do not confine myself to the details herein given, so long as the
peculiar character of any part of the Invention be retained; but what I
claim, is,
Firstly, the improvements in extracting moisture from clay or other
plastic materials, herein-before described, and shewn in Sheet 1.
Secondly, placing the rollers for crushing clay in an inclined position for
the purpose herein-before described.
Thirdly, the improved combinations of machinery for screening clay and
other plastic materials, as described, and as represented in Figures 6 and 7.
Fourthly, the machinery for elevating the clay or other plastic materials,
as shewn and described.
Fifthly, the machinery for repressing clay or other plastic material in
moulds, as shewn and described in reference to Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12,
or any mechanical equivalents for the same.
Sixthly, the improved machinery for removing the bricks or tiles from the
pressing machine, and for lubricating the pistons, as shewn and described in
reference to Figures 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.
Seventhly, the application of loose mould boxes to machines for making
or pressing bricks and tiles, in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
described.
And lastly, the improved construction of kiln for burning bricks and tiles,
or other similar articles, as shewn and described in reference to Figures
16, 17, and 18 of Sheet 4.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Me Henry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of January, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-three.