IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MACHINERY FOR AND METHOD OF PREPARING POTTERS AND OTHER CLAYS
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOSEPH HENRY KEY of Greenbank Newton Abbot in the County of Devon
Clay Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MACHINERY FOR AND METHOD OF PREPARING POTTERS AND OTHER CLAYS
to be as follows:-
I. Improvements in the preparation of the clays.
The various clays to be operated upon are first dried in the usual manner after
which the different sorts in the proportions desired are placed separately in the
different divisions of the machine or shoot Number one (after described) from
which shoot the clays fall into the box or truck attached to the shoot. The Clays
are then drawn up in the truck to the top of the machine Number two (after
described) and placed in the hopper at the top wherein they are all mixed together
and the lumps broken up. From the hopper the mixed clays pass to screens (after
described) and are there acted upon by. rubbers and brushes (after described)
which process causes the finer parts of the clay to pass through the screens leaving
the coarser parts and the impurities behind which are removed by the brushes.
The clay so screened is next passed through a mill after described where it is
ground still finer and then falls upon and passes through ordinary gauze wire sieves.
From these it is carried to an ordinary pugmill. The coarser parts of the clay and
the impurities so removed by the brushes are placed in the machine Number three
(after described) in sieves working in water and are reduced to a creamy or "slop
state and cleansed by such action. The dissolved clay is then pumped into the
pugmill where the dry and wet clays are mixed together and pass through the mill
coming out in marketable cubes or balls.
II. Improvements in the Machinery.
"
These consist of a new arrangement of machines some of which are also new as
follows.
Number 1 is a wooden shoot with moveable divisions leading to a wooden box
with corresponding divisions also moveable so as to increase or diminish the
quantity of any sort of clay in the combination required This truck has a
moveable hinged bottom divided into two or more parts. From the truck is an
incline or shoot made of wood or iron up which the truck when filled is drawn to
the top of Number two machine by means of a chain or rope winding upon a drum
Prine Q77

page_text: this incline has an opening near the top and upon reaching this the bottom of the
truck falls and its contents are discharged. The truck in passing automatically
releases the drum and the rope unwinding allows the truck to descend another
rope with a weight attached is so fixed as to regulate the descent of the Truck.
Number 2 is a machine having an ordinary hopper at the top with a revolving
vertical shaft in the middle carrying knives for breaking up the clay. Below the
hopper are two or more screens made of metal or wooden bars placed horizontally
and V-shaped in cross section the lower screen or screens being finer than the top
one and upon all of which revolve two or more rollers or runners attached to the
same central shaft. These are covered with rubber or other elastic covering. Sets
of moveable horizontal brushes are also attached to the shaft capable of being set
at any angle and which sweep the surface of the screens.
Below the screens is a mill consisting of a lower grinding surface of stone or
metal on which if necessary the clay can be ground still finer by revolving stones
or other grinding substances driven round by arms attached to the central shaft,
Below the mill is an ordinary gauze wire sieve shaken by means of a crank
attached to the same shaft through which sieve the clay falls into a bin and is
conveyed by an ordinary worm to the pugmill.
Number 3. This is a water sieve with two or more surfaces of wire gauze of
graduated fineness revolving or shaken about in water in a tank having brushes
so arranged as to sweep the surfaces of the gauze when required. The liquid clay
is then by an ordinary chain or other pump conveyed to the pugmill to be mixed
with the dry clay.

page_text: I JOSEPH HENRY KEY of Greenbank Newton Abbot in the County of Devon
Clay Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR AND METHOD OF PREPARING POTTERS AND OTHER CLAYS and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, as explained by the accompanying
plans and elevations I II and III to which the letters hereinafter appearing refer:-
I. Improvements in the preparation of the clays.
The various clays to be operated upon are first dried sufficiently to crumble into
powder when crushed. The different sorts of clay are then placed separately in
the divisions of the shoot A after described in the several proportions in which
they are to be combined and used and from this shoot they fall into the Truck B
at the end of the shoot. The Truck is then drawn up the incline C where the clay
falls into the hopper D wherein they are all mixed together and the lumps broken
up. The clay then falls on to a screen F where it is crushed by Rollers after
described and from thence it falls on to a sifter K where the coarser particles of the
clay and of the impurities in it are separated from the rest by a sieve V and fall
into the shoot U and thence into the Tank Y. The rest of the clay falls through
the first sieve on to a second and finer sieve W where a further separation takes
place the finest particles of clay pass through the second sieve as dry powder
and are conveyed thence to the pugmill and what will not pass through the second
sieve falls into a shoot O and is conveyed to the water sifter P. In the water
sifter the particles of clay which would not pass through the dry sieves are reduced
to a cream or slop state and pass through the wet sieves into the Tank Q while the
remaining impurities fall over the end of the sieve into the Receiver R. The slop
clay is then pumped into the pugmill where the dry and wet clays are mixed and
pugged together in such proportions as to bring them out in marketable cubes or
balls in a state of the required consistency.
II. Improvements in the Machinery.
These consist of a new arrangement of machinery some parts of which are also
new as hereinafter described A is a shoot with moveable divisions a. a. slanting
downwards and converging to the Truck B which has corresponding divisions
b. b. also moveable (so as to increase or diminish the proportions of the different
sorts of clay according to the combination required) and with a hinged door on the
underside opening downwards. C is an incline up which the Truck when filled is
drawn (by a rope or chain winding on a drum and having an opening near the top
upon reaching which the door under the truck falls open and its contents are
discharged.
The truck in passing releases automatically the drum and the rope unwinding
allows the Truck to descend. D is the hopper into which the clays fall from the
Truck E is a revolving vertical shaft worked by steam or other power having
knives attached e. e. working in the hopper for breaking up the lumps of clay.
F is a horizontal screen which may be made of perforated steel or parallel bars placed
very close together on to which the clay broken by the knives falls. G G are
rollers attached to the shaft and covered with rubber or other elastic material
which revolve on the screen and crush the clay small Sets of moveable brushes
and scrapers c. c. c. c. are also attached to the shaft capable of being set to any
angle which sweep the surface of the screen and remove the clay when sufficiently
crushed. K is the sifter or sifting apparatus consisting of an upper and second
sieve V W of gauze wire placed in an inclined position and shaken by cranks

page_text: connected with the horizontal shaft. M is a bin or hopper placed under the screens
and attached to and shaken with them and with a trough at the bottom into
which the fine powdered clay falls (after pressing through both the sieves) and
along which it is conveyed by a revolving worm N to the pugmill. The coarse
particles of clay (which with the coarse impurities) are caught by the first sieve V
and fall through the shoot U into the Tank Y are then dissolved in water the
impurities fall to the bottom and the dissolved clay is then pumped into the water
Sifter P the smaller particles of clay and the impurities which have fallen through
the first sieve and are afterwards caught by the second sieve W fall into the
shoot O and from thence into the water sifter P. The water sifter contains two or
more sieves of gauze wire (shown in section of water sifter 1. 2 3) Plan III of
graduated fineness working in water in an inclined position and shaken by
machinery by which the coarser particles of the clay are reduced into slop and pass
through the water sieves to the Tank Q and the impurities which have been
separated by the sieves pass over the end of the sieves into the Receiver R. S is a
pump or elevator by which the slop clay is raised to the worm N along which
for a short distance it passes partially mixing with the dry powdered clay to the
pugmill X.
If it is desired to reduce the crushed clay to a greater degree of fineness than is
affected by the rollers as described a second set of them may be placed between the
screen F and 'the sifter.
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. First The process of drying and crushing the clay to powder and sifting out
of it the iron pyrites and other impurities:
1.497
2. Second The arrangement of the machinery described and its application to
the screening and cleansing of clay.
"
.
ད
"
द
3. Third The covering of the Rollers with rubber or elastic material to avoid
crushing the hard impurities while the clay is being crushed.
4. Fourth The water sifter dissolving the particles 'of clay not fine enough to
pass through the dry sieves and separating the impurities.
5. Fifth The combining of the slop and dry clay in the pugmill so as to convert
the whole into marketable cubes of the required consistency.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1884.
1
.1
BISHOP & TOPHAM,
Agents for the said Joseph Henry Key,
Hanley, Staff re