OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING OR MANUFACTURING BRICKS AND TILES, OR OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1854

page_text: OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING OR MANUFACTURING BRICKS AND TILES, OR OTHER
SIMILAR ARTICLES"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Riley Cunliffe at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th November
1854.
I, RILEY CUNLIFFE, of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, Surveyor,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING OR MANUFACTURING BRICKS AND TILES, OR
OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
I propose to construct a machine or apparatus with a hopper, into which I
put the clay from the said hopper. The clay passes into moulds, and is
conveyed under a presser by means of a horizontal rack worked by a pinion.
This presser is worked direct from the beam of the engine, being connected to
it by a vertical rod, so that every motion of the beam will give the necessary
pressure to the clay in the moulds, and finish the bricks at once; the pressure
being sufficient to press out the moisture, and thus prevent the necessity of
drying them, which is a tedious process. They will also be delivered from
the machine as quickly as they are made by the motion of the aforesaid rack
Tand pinion.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Riley Cunliffe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd May 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RILEY
CUNLIFFE, of Accrington, in the County of Lancaster, Surveyor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year
of Her reign, did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Riley Cunliffe, Her special licence that I, the said Riley Cunliffe,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Riley
Cunliffe, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR MAKING OR MANUFACTURING BRICKS AND TILES, OR OTHER SIMILAR
ARTICLES," upon the condition: (amongst others) that Is the said Riley
Cunliffe, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature 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 imme-
diately after the date-of the-said Royal Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Riley Cunliffe, do hereby declare the
nature of the 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):
i
My Invention relates to the manufacture of bricks and tiles by means of a
machine or apparatus having a pressure direct from the beam of a steam
engine, from the piston rod-of-a-steam cylinder, or by-means-of-a-crank-or-
eccentric, and consists of a hopper, into which I put the clay, from whence it
passes into moulds, and is conveyed under a presser by means of a ram worked
by levers and connecting rods.. In the machine described, the said presser is
connected to the beam of the, engine by rods or other convenient means, so
that every-downward motion of the beam-will-give the necessary pressure to
the, clay in the moulds, and finish the bricks at once; the pressure being
sufficient to press out the moisture, and thus prevent the necessity of drying,
which is a very tedious and expensive process. They will also be delivered

page_text: from the machine as quickly as they can be moved away by means of a carriage
moved by racks and toothed segments or pinions. This my said Invention
will be clearly understood by reference to the accompanying Drawings of Sheet
and the letters of reference thereon.
".
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation of my said machine or apparatus; Fig. 2,
an end elevation of the same, as seen at the line' A, B, in Fig. 1; Figs. 3, 4;
and 5 are views of the moulding box attached to the carriage and wheels:.
The clay is put into the hopper.a, see Fig. 1, from whence it passes into a
box.m, then through the conductor.n. on to the top. of the moulding .box.c,.by
means of the ram b, to which motion is given through the medium of the levers o,
attached to a shaft on the end of the beam p, the connecting rods q, and the
levers r, which latter vibrate on. their centres s. The clay being on the moulds
is subjected to the action of a presser d, which is made to cover only one-half
of the moulds, so that when one-half are pressed down or moulded, the. other
half are lifted at the same time to the surface of the moulding box, ready to be
taken to the kiln. The said presser is attached to the beam p by means of the
connecting rods t, which beam, derives its motion from the piston of the steam
cylinder e..giving a direct action to the presser d, and pressing the clay into the
mould boxes c, though not coming into actual contact with them, but leaving.a
small space for the clay and air to escape,, and to preserve the mould .boxes
from damage. The surplus clay remaining on the mould boxes and the surface
of, the bricks is removed by means of a steel scraper or doctor coming in
contact with them as the moulded bricks pass,out of the. moulding chamber.
.The moulds may be of any desired number, and are attached to.a.frame; or
carriage.u, furnished with wheels running in guides or conductors. The. under
side of the said carriage.u rests upon the strong iron wheels v, which resist the
pressure of the presser d. The wheels are keyed on the shaft w, and have
fixed to them, the toothed segments f... To the carriage à are fixed the racks y,
into which the toothed segments of work. Backward and forward motion is
given to the shaft, seginents, and carriage by means of the beam p acting upon
the connecting rod z, which gives motion to a slide a', moving in grooves or
frames b', fixed to the plate c', keyed on the shaft w. A front view of this
contrivance is shewn at Fig. 6. Within the grooves or frames are two spring
catches.d, acted_upon_by_studs or projections. fixed to the framing of the
machine. When a catch does not project through the plate c¹ the slide a¹ can
pass freely in the grooves, and no motion of, the plate, segments, or carriage
takes place; but when a catch holds the slide, the connecting rod of a necessity
pulls the plate round as far as the stroke will allow, as seen by t
by the dotted lines
in Fig. 6, and the connecting rod pulls the plate round the reverse way; the
1

page_text: catch is then released, and the operation continued as before. The length of
stroke can be adjusted by lengthening the connecting rod and shifting. the
catches. The traverse of the carriage is about half its length, which depends
upon the number of moulds required. The moulded bricks are removed from
the mould boxes by the following arrangement: To the dies f¹, see Fig. 3,
are attached rods g', fastened to the frames h¹, connected to a beam- or 'double
lever. ², working upon its fulcrum . When one end of the beam is pressed
down the other end goes up, and the pins, lift.the dies and bricks to the surface
of the mould boxes, thus leaving them free. By.disconnecting the rods and t,
and extending a roller table from h to i, fitted up with wire cutters in the
ordinary manner, and then making the presser. d fast by the set screws m²,
dies being fixed upon the plate n¹ in the front of the presser d, the supply
of clay being as before, the machine is then rendered' complete for making
hollow bricks or tiles.
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I.desire it to be
distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the exact details. herein
set forth, as such may be varied or modified without departing from the prin-
ciple thereof; but I claim as of my Invention, and which, to the best of my
knowledge and belief, has not been hitherto used within this realm,-
Firstly, the peculiar construction and arrangement of the machine or
apparatus, with direct action of the presser and horizontal 'motion of the
moulds by rack and pinion or segments, for making bricks..
And, secondly, the employment of the said direct action in making tiles,
with the modifications of the machine or apparatus, as such improvements are
herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
"In witness whereof, I, the said Riley Cunliffe, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of May, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-five
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-
named Riley Cunliffe, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
RILEY CUNLIFFE.