IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE ОР ARTIFICIAL FUEL BLOCKS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING THE SAME, WHICH MACHINERY IS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR COMPRESSING OTHER MATERIALS INTO BLOCKS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Cory and Edward Cory, both of
No. 25, Royal Crescent, Notting Hill, in the County of Middlesex,
for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE ОР
ARTIFICIAL FUEL BLOCKS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING THE SAME,
WHICH MACHINERY IS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR COMPRESSING OTHER MATERIALS
INTO BLOCKS."
Sealed the 23rd July 1872, and dated the 21st February 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Cory
and Edward Cory at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 21st February 1872.
We, WILLIAM HENRY CORY and EDWARD CORY, both of No. 25,
Royal Crescent, Notting Hill, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FUEL BLOCKS, AND IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING
THE SAME, WHICH MACHINERY IS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR COMPRESSING OTHER
MATERIALS INTO BLOCKS," to be as follows:-
One part of our Invention consists in agglomerating small coal, coal

page_text: dust, or other carbonaceous matter, so as to produce blocks of fuel by
mixing plastic cement, such as Portland, Roman, or Puzzolana cement
with the carbonaceous matter, and adding to the mixture red lead or a
solution of silicate of soda or silicate of potash. The proportions in
which we prefer to mix these materials are from 5 to 15 parts of the
cementitious ingredients with from 95 to 85 parts of the carbonaceous
matter, but we do not limit ourselves to these proportions. The materials
are thoroughly mixed together, and the mixture is then consolidated into
dust, or other carbonaceous matter, so as to produce blocks of fuel by
mixing plastic cement, such as Portland, Roman, or Puzzolana cement
with the carbonaceous matter, and adding to the mixture red lead or a
solution of silicate of soda or silicate of potash. The proportions in
which we prefer to mix these materials are from 5 to 15 parts of the
cementitious ingredients with from 95 to 85 parts of the carbonaceous
matter, but we do not limit ourselves to these proportions. The materials
are thoroughly mixed together, and the mixture is then consolidated into
blocks.
Another part of our Invention consists in an improved machine for
compressing such artificial fuel into blocks, such machine being
applicable also to the compressing of other materials into blocks.
The machine consists of a continuously revolving table containing
moulds placed at an equal distance from the centre. In each mould is
fitted a plunger, at the bottom of which is a friction roller. Part of the
upper surface of the table is covered with a strong plate of metal.
Under the circular table is a fixed circular inclined plane or a tram-
way upon which the friction rollers of the plungers run. Above the
table there is a fixed hopper from which the moulds are fed.
The material to be compressed is put into the hopper from which it
passes into the successive moulds as they present themselves beneath it
in their revolution, the plungers at this time being at the lowest part of
the inclined plane. The table continuing to revolve the plungers are
compelled to ascend the incline, thus pressing the material between their
upper surface and the fixed cover before described. The plungers having
reached a certain elevation on the inclined plane their respective moulds
pass from under the top cover containing the pressed blocks, the
plungers continue to ascend the inclined plane and so force the com-
pressed blocks out of the moulds. The blocks so delivered are removed
from the surface of the table by being carried along oblique guides, and
are then carried away by an endless band, or they may be removed from
the table by means of arms attached to a travelling band, which arms
come behind the successive blocks and push them gently off the table on
to a travelling band. The plungers then descend the incline and the
moulds come under the hopper again for a fresh supply. In order to
round off the corners of the moulded blocks the angles of the mould are
rounded so as to give rounded vertical corners to the block. The top

page_text: and bottom corners are rounded thus:-The upper surface of the plunger
is hollowed out to form the lower surface of the block, but as the block
would not clear itself from this hollow without some additional means,
an inner plate of metal is so arranged in this cavity of the plunger that
when the plunger rises to the surface of the table this inner plate of
metal by means of a lever is also made to rise to the upper surface of the
table, thus lifting the block out of the hollow and leaving it ready to be
swept off by means of the guides before mentioned. To round the upper
corners of the block, each mould is provided with a cover forming a
corresponding hollow to that which is in the upper surface of the
plunger. This cover is divided across its centre, and in order to get the
block out of the mould, as also during the filling of the mould, these two
halves of the cover are drawn aside so as to leave the mould open
by means of a circular fixed cam, which acts upon the friction rollers
mounted on them.
To regulate the amount of pressure, the lowest part of the inclined
plane is made an adjustable spring. By raising or depressing this
spring a smaller or larger charge of the material is received into the
moulds, and a corresponding amount of pressure is consequently given
to it while it passes under the fixed plate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Henry Cory and Edward Cory in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th August 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, WILLIAM
HENRY CORY and EDWARD CORY, both of No. 25, Royal Crescent,
Notting Hill, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said William Henry Cory and Edward Cory, Her
special licence that we, the said William Henry Cory and Edward Cory,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
William Henry Cory and Edward Cory, our executors, administrators,

page_text: 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 THE MANUFACTURE
OF ARTIFICIAL FUEL BLOCKS AND IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING THE SAME,
WHICH MACHINERY IS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR COMPRESSING OTHER MATERIALS INTO
BLOCKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said William
Henry Cory and Edward Cory, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us or them, 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 immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Henry Cory, on behalf
of myself and the said Edward Cory, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
-
This Invention relates to a method of compounding and agglomerating
small coal, coal dust, or other carbonaceous matter into blocks of fuel
by mixing it with certain ingredients which cause it to cohere, and sub-
jecting the mixture to compression in suitable moulds, which are
arranged and worked in connection with mechanism for their supply
and discharge, the said moulds and mechanism being also applicable for
producing blocks of other plastic material.
For the purpose of giving cohesion to the small coal, coal dust, or
other carbonaceous matter, we compound it with plastic cement, such as
Portland, Roman, or Puzzolano cement, or with fire-clay or other plastic
clay, and with a solution of silicate of soda or silicate of potash. The
proportions of the ingredients may be varied, but we find that from two
to four parts by weight of silicate of soda or of potash in solution, of
a specific gravity about 1·3, with four to five parts of the cementitious
ingredients are sufficient for one hundred parts by weight of the car-
bonaceous matter.

page_text: The materials having been well mixed in a pug mill or other mixing
machine of known construction, are fed into the hopper of the machine
for compressing and moulding, which we will now describe, referring to
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings and to the figures and letters
marked thereon.
Fig. 1 represents partly a vertical section and partly a side elevation
of the machine; Fig. 2 represents a plan of the same; and Figs, 3, 4, 5,
6, and 7, various parts which will be referred to more particularly in the
course of the description.
The machine consists of a base I and cover G, connected firmly
together by a ribbed framing H. In the centre of the base is a
standard F, from which projects upwards a bolt E forming an axis for a
circular revolving table A, which is held down by the nut on the axis E.
Bevil gearing O is attached to the table A, and a bevil pinion is fixed on
a shaft P mounted in a bearing Q. The shaft P being caused to rotate
by any suitable power gives rotation to the table A in the direction of
the arrow.
The revolving table A has in it several cavities B with
rounded corners, which with their covers and bottoms, presently
to be described, constitute the moulds for the blocks to be produced.
One of the covers of these moulds is shewn in longitudinal section at
Fig. 5, in transverse section at Fig. 6, and in plan at Fig. 7. It consists
of two parts L and L' fitted to slide in guides in the table A. to or from
the centre thereof. On each of the parts L and L' is mounted a roller,
marked respectively L' and L, which projects into a cam-shaped groove
formed in the cover G, this groove being so shaped that during one part
of the revolution of the table A the two slides L and L' are kept apart,
as shewn in Fig. 7, so as to leave open the top of the mould to which
they belong, and during another part of the revolution of A. they are
closed together so as to form a cover for the mould. It will be observed
that these covers are recessed on the under side, and that the sides and
ends of the recesses are rounded so that when they cover the mould the
block within it has its upper edges rounded off.

page_text: a roller which bears upon an inclined or helical tram or rail D, shewn in
plan at Fig. 3 and in side view at Fig. 4. The plungers C being carried
round with the table A, their rollers travelling along the tram or rail D,
during one part of the revolution push the plungers upwards, and during
another part of the revolution allow them to descend. Within the pro-
jecting edge of the plunger C is a false bottom or inner plunger M,
which rests on a rod N worked by a lever in such a manner that when
the plunger C is at the upper extreme of its stroke as determined by the
position of its roller on the highest part of the rail D, the inner plunger
M lifts the block somewhat above the level of the upper face of the
table A.
By referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the cover G is of such form
as to leave part of the table A exposed, and that at one side of this
exposed part it takes the form of a guide J. It also supports a hopper K
(of which a sectional plan is shewn in Fig. 2), into which the matter to
be agglomerated into blocks is fed. By the rotation of the table A the
mould cavities B are successively brought under the mouth of the
hopper K, their covers L, L', being then withdrawn so as to leave the
moulds open, and the plungers C which form the bottoms of the moulds
being then down. The moulds, charged with material from the hopper
as they pass under it, then pass under the cover G. Their covers are
then closed by the movement of their rollers along the cam-shaped
groove in G, and their bottoms C are gradually raised by the movement
of their rollers along the incline D, so that the contents of the moulds
are compressed. When the moulds reach that part of their revolution
where the cover G ceases to cover them, then the sliding covers L, L',
are withdrawn, and their bottom plungers still rising lift the moulded
blocks out of the moulds, and the inner plungers M rising somewhat
farther raise the lower sides of the blocks somewhat above the level of
the upper face of A. The blocks thus cleared of the mould cavities
and of the projecting edges of the mould bottoms are by the continued
rotation of the table A carried along the guide J. From this part of
the machine the blocks may be removed by hand, but it is more con-
venient to remove them by means of apparatus which we will now
describe.
In continuation of the guide J there is a straight shoot R leading to
an endless travelling hand T which may be carried along the stacking

page_text: ground where the blocks are stacked to harden and season. The blocks
are transferred to the band T by means of wipers S fixed on an endless
travelling band mounted on pullies above the machine. The travelling
bands S and T are driven by the gearing & shaft U.
The quantity of material fed into each mould determines the amount
of compression to which it is subjected. This quantity can be adjusted
by making the lowest part of the incline at V a moveable plate that can
be raised or lowered by adjusting screws. This plate being raised, the
moulds when presented to the hopper K to be fed have less depth and
consequently receive a smaller supply of the material. Also that part of
the incline D which gives the final pressure by raising the bottom
plungers, just before the moulds are uncovered, may be a plate W sup-
ported on powerful springs which yield when the pressure exceeds such
an amount as may be desired.

page_text: Sixth. The method of adjusting the charge of the moulds and the
amount of compression, substantially as herein described with reference
to V and W.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Cory, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.