IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRESSING BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Julius Frederick Moore Pollock and Frederic Christopher
Wyvill, both of Longclose Works, Newtown, Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRESSING
BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Sealed the 18th December 1877, and dated the 19th July 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Julius Frederick Moore Pollock
and Frederic Christopher Wyvill at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 19th July 1877..
JULIUS FREDERICK MOORE POLLOCK and FREDERIC CHRISTOPHER WYVILL, both
of Longclose Works, Newtown, Leeds, in the County of York, Engineers,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRESSING BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES.
This Invention of improvements in machinery for pressing bricks and other articles
has reference to the use, in combination with the moulds and their pressing plates of
screws in conjunction with levers or beams in such manner as that moveable plates
corresponding to two opposite sides of an article to be pressed may be caused, to
approach each other by turning a screw in one direction, and to recede from each
other by turning the screw in the contrary direction, without the adoption of right
and left hand screws.
The Invention has reference furthermore to a method of delivering the pressed
article from the mould during the return movement of the screw.
Our improved machinery may be employed for various pressing purposes. Among
its principal applications we inay mention the pressing of bricks or blocks, tiles, and
such like articles.
In one of our improved machines a brick or other object of, for instance, four
inches in thickness, may be compressed in its mould on the downward stroke, and
delivered clear for removal on the upward stroke by one revolution or less (in each
direction) of a screw having only 21 inches pitch, the remainder of the motion to
give the necessary 4 ins of "lift" being obtained by the levers above referred to
actuated by the screw. The rapidity of the lever, the advantage of self delivery

page_text: of the compressed article, and the solid compression of the screw, are thus combined
with extreme simplicity and a minimum of wearing surface.
That the nature of our Invention may be the better understood we proceed to
describe the general construction of a vertical machine according thereto, suitable for
pressing bricks, premising that the arrangement may be modified to suit circumstances,
without departure from the distinctive character of our Invention.
A base plate, mounted preferably on wheels for facility of locomotion, carries
at each end a vertical pillar. The pillars support on their upper ends a strong cross
head, and are provided with guide plates or slides so arranged that a table may rise
and fall between them, and be guided vertically by them. This table is for carrying
press moulds or dies. It has projecting bosses to act as guides, working against the
guide plates or slides of the pillars, and extending inwards to the centres of the
pillars so as to hang at each end on a rod passing down the centre of the corresponding
pillar. The rods are connected to the projecting bosses by eye bolts or other suitable
means. The upper surface of the table is made of convenient size for fixing moulds
or dies to it, and is provided with a hole in the centre to receive a vertical sliding
ram by which the compressed object is removed upwards from the mould.
When the object to be pressed is very large, two or more of these vertical rams
may be used.
The top cross head carries in its centre a nut through which passes the vertical
pressing screw, which is attached at its lower end to a plate; this plate rises and
falls with the screw, but the end of the screw is free to turn round in the plate. There
are several well-known means of effecting this "swivel connection." This plate is
provided with vertical guide rods, passing through carefully fitted holes or guides in
the cross head; there may be one at each side of the central nut. The guide rods
are coupled at their upper ends by small cross heads, pins, or trunnions, to rocking
levers or short beams; the centre of oscillation of each lever or beam is on a rocking
link, situate between the centre of the corresponding guide rod and the centre of the
pillar at that side of the machine.
The outer end of each lever or beam will therefore be over the centre of the
corresponding pillar. To the outer ends of the levers or beams are linked the two
vertical rods which pass downwards, one through a portion of each pillar, and to the
lower ends of which rods the table, before referred to, is hung. It will thus be seen
that as the plate is forced downwards by the screw the table is caused by the
combination described to rise, so that if the levers or beams have their fulcra
or rocking links central, 2/2 ins. vertical motion of the screw will cause an
approximation of the plate to the table of 5 ins, a proportion which may be varied
by arranging the fulcra of the levers or beams to one or the other side of the
centre.
The "plate" above named is made suitable for the fixing to it of the pressing
plates, which may be of various forms and sizes, and the table, as before mentioned,
is arranged to carry the mould for receiving the article to be compressed. This mould
has a bottom plate fitted into it, which bottom plate is free to rise and fall, and rests
on the ram passing through the table centre, so that when this ram rises it lifts the
bottom plate and expels the compressed article.
Assuming for the sake of illustration that for the act of compressing, the downward
motion of the screw is 21/2 ins., and the upward motion of the table also 21/2ins.,
giving in the return motion a total divergence of 5 ins., and assuming the compressed
article to be 4 ins. thick, thus allowing a clearance of 1 in.; it is evident that by
simply arresting the downward motion of the ram in the table, the table in descending
will deliver the brick upwards 2 ½ ins, the ram must therefore not only be arrested
but raised 1/2 ins. (or probably a little more for clearance).
The lower end of the
ram is for this purpose connected with a lever, which has its fulcrnm in a boss on
the undier side of the table, near to one of the pillars; between this fulcrum and the
end connected with the ram this lever is made to come against a fixed stop adjustable
vertically. The motion upwards of the ram may thus be made sufficient to expel

page_text: the pressed article, i.e., it may move upwards as much as the table moves downwards,
or more or less according to the adjustment.
As already stated we do not confine ourselves to the precise arrangement described
above. The machine may be arranged horizontally instead of vertically, and details
may be varied to suit the material to be compressed, so long as the particular
combination of screw and lever by which the mutual approximation of the opposite
plates or parts is obtained, and the means employed for multiplying the downward
motion of the table so as to use it for the expulsion of the pressed object, are
retained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Julius Frederick Moore Pollock and Frederic Christopher Wyvill in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th January 1878.
JULIUS FREDERICK MOORE POLLOCK and FREDERIC CHRISTOPHER WYVILL, both
of Longclose Works, Newtown, Leeds, in the County of York, Engineers.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRESSING BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES."
This Invention of improvements in machinery for pressing bricks and other
articles has reference to the use in combination with the moulds and their pressing
plates of screws in conjunction with levers or beams in such manner as that move-
able plates corresponding to two opposite sides of an article to be pressed may be
caused to approach each other by turning a screw in one direction, and to recede
from each other by turning the screw in the contrary direction, without the adoption
of right and left hand screws.
The Invention has reference furthermore to a method of delivering the pressed
article from the mould during the return movement of the screw.
Our improved machinery may be employed for various pressing purposes. Among
its principal applications we may mention the pressing of bricks, or blocks, tiles,
and such like articles.
In one of our improved machines a brick or other object of, for instance, four
inches thickness, may be compressed in its mould on the downward stroke, and
delivered clear for removal on the upward stroke by one revolution, or
less (in each direction) of a screw having only 2 inches pitch, the remainder
of the motion to give the necessary 4 ins. of "lift" being obtained by the
levers above referred to actuated by the screw. The rapidity of the lever, the
advantage of self delivery of the compressed article, and the solid compression of
the screw, are thus combined with extreme simplicity and a mininium of wearing
surface.
That the nature of our Invention may be the better understood, we proceed to
describe the general construction of a vertical machine according thereto suitable
for pressing bricks, premising that the arrangement may be modified to suit circum-
stances, without departure from the distinctive character of our Invention.
A base plate, mounted preferably on wheels for facility of locomotion, carries at
each end a vertical pillar. The pillars support on their upper ends a strong cross
head, and are provided with guide plates or slides so arranged that a table may rise

page_text: and fall between them and be guided vertically by them. This table is for carrying
press moulds or dies. It has projecting bosses to act as guides, working against the
guide plates or slides of the pillars, and extending inwards to the centres of the
pillars, so as to hang at each end on a red passing down the centre of the corre-
sponding pillar. The rods are connected to the projecting bosses by eye bolts or
other suitable means. The upper surface of the table is made of convenient size
for fixing moulds or dies to it, and is provided with a hole in the centre to receive
a vertical sliding ram, by which the compressed object is removed upwards from
the mould.
When the object to be pressed is very large, two or more of these vertical rams
may be used.
The top cross head carries in its centre a nut, through which passes the vertical
pressing screw which is attached at its lower end to a plate; this plate rises and
falls with the screw, but the end of the screw is free to turn round in the plate.
There are several well-known means of effecting this "swivel connection." This
plate is provided with vertical guide rods passing through carefully-fitted holes or
guides in the cross head; there may be one at each side of the central nut. The
guide rods are coupled at their upper ends by small cross heads, pins, or trunnions
to rocking levers or short beams; the centre of oscillation of each lever or beam is
on a rocking link, situate between the centre of the corresponding guide rod and
the centre of the pillar at that side of the machine.
The outer end of each lever or beam will therefore be over the centre of the
corresponding pillar; to the outer ends of the levers or beams are linked the two
vertical rods which pass downwards, one through a portion of each pillar, and to
the lower ends of which rods the table before referred to is hung. It will thus be
seen that as the plate is forced downwards by the screw, the table is caused by the
combination described to rise, so that if the levers or beams have their fulcra or
rocking links central, 21, ins. vertical motion of the screw will cause an approxima-
tion of the plate to the table of 5 ins., a proportion which may be varied by arranging
the fulcra of the levers or beams to one or the other side of the centre. Moreover,
the moving parts are balanced, thus friction and wear are reduced, and a saving in
labour is effected.
The "plate" above named is made suitable for the fixing to it of the pressing
plates, which may be of various forms and sizes, and the table, as before mentioned,
is arranged to carry the mould for receiving the article to be compressed. This
mould has a bottom plate fitted into it, which bottom plate is free to rise and fall,
and rests on the ram passing through the table centre, so that when this ram rises it
lifts the bottom plate and expels the compressed article.
ing.
Assuming for the sake of illustration that for the act of compressing, the down-
ward motion of the screw is 21/2 ins., and the upward motion of the table also
2ins, giving in the return motion a total divergence of 5 ins, and assuming the
compressed article to be 4 ins. thick, thus allowing a clearance of 1 in, it is evident
that by simply arresting the downward motion of the ram in the table, the table in
descending will deliver the brick upwards 21, ins, the ram must therefore not only
be arrested but raised 1/2 ins. (or a little more for clearance). The lower end of the
ram is for this purpose connected with a lever, which has its fulcrum in a boss on
the under side of the table near to one of the pillars, between this fulcrum and the
end connected with the ram; this lever is made to come against a fixed stop,
adjustable vertically. The motion upwards of the ram may thus be made sufficient
to expel the pressed article, i.e., it may move upwards as much as the table moves
downwards, or more or less, according to the adjustment and the position of the
fixed stop in relation to the fulcrum of the lever.
As already stated, we do not confine ourselves to the precise arrangement described
above. The machine may be arranged horizontally instead of vertically, and details
may be varied to suit the material to be compressed so long as the particular com-
bination of screw and levers by which the mutual approximation of the opposite
plates or parts is obtained, and the method of imparting by the downward motion

page_text: of the table simultaneous upward motion of the plate for the expulsion of the pressed
object are retained.
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation; Fig. 2 is a
side elevation; and Fig. 3 is a plan of a press for bricks, arranged according to our
Invention.
The same letters denote similar parts in the several Figures.
.
a, a¹, are two hollow columns bolted at their lower ends to the base plate b, and at
their upper ends to the cross head c. The cross head c has a nut a fixed in its
central part, and consequently in the centre of the space between the two columns a, a'.
Through this nut passes vertically a screw d', actuated by a hand lever d² provided
with balls d³, d³, and a handle d', by which motion is given to the lever causing it
to revolve one revolution or more or less alternately in each direction, and thereby
causing the screw to rise and fall in the nut d. The lower end of the screw d' is
connected to the centre of the presser block e, in such a manner that though the
screw is free to rotate the block e must rise and fall with it. Two guide pins f, f',
are also attached to the block e, and serve both to prevent it from rotating and to
guide it in a true vertical line of ascent and descent, for which purpose these
guide pins pass through carefully fitted holes in the cross head c, as shewn. The
guide pins ff, are extended upwards above or beyond the cross head c, and
attached at their upper extremities to two trunnions or cross pins f2, f³, which
hinge into the inner ends of the beams or levers g, g', g², g³, these beams are pre-
ferably arranged in pairs, so that the joints can be placed between them, but it will
be observed that practically the beams g, g', form one lever, and the beams 92, I³,
form another. The fulcra of these levers are respectively formed by the rocking
links or joggles h, h', hinged at the upper ends to the centres of the said levers, and
at the lower ends to projecting brackets on the cross head c. The outer ends of
these levers g, g', g³, g³, carry the two pendent rods i, i, the lower ends of which
passing down the interior of the columns a, a, are attached by means of the eye
bolts,, to the projecting ends of the table j, which is free to rise and fall in
guides formed in the said columns at a², a², and consequently is supported by and
pendent from the outer ends of the said levers by means of the rods i, i. To the
upper side of the table j is fixed the pressing mould or die k, in which the bottom
pressing plate is free to rise and fall. The top pressing plate e' is secured to the
presser block c. Through the centre of the table j passes a plunger 1, on the upper
end of which the bottom plate k' rests, connected at its lower end with the lever m,
having its fulcrum in the boss m' projecting from the under side of the table j.
Below this lever is a projecting bracket n attached to the column a' through a boss
in the end of which passes a screw n', adjustable vertically, its upper portion coming
vertically under the central part, or thereabouts, of the lever m.
In the Drawings, the screw d¹ is shewn in its highest position, and the table j in
its lowest, while the bottom pressing plate k resting on the plunger 1, is brought to
the level of the top of the mould or die k, so that the brick or other object upon the
plate is ready for removal.
Supposing an object to be pressed be now placed on this plate k' and the handle d'
moved so as to cause the screw d' to descend, the table j will consequently ascend,
and in so doing allow the plate to descend into the mould k, the top plate e' will
come in contact with the object in the mould, and the impetus given to the balls d³, d³,
be expended in compressing the object.
It will be evident if the pitch of the screw d¹ be 21/2 inches, that one revolution
will cause a divergence of 5 inches between the upper and lower pressing plates.
To make the press portable it may be mounted on wheels, as shewn.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of
carrying it into practical effect, we desire to have it understood that the application
of the main features of our Invention, as herein-after defined, is not limited to the
precise arrangement of machine shewn in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
Also we would remark that save and except as herein-after mentioned, we do not
intend to claim any of the mechanical parts of the apparatus herein-before shewn

page_text: and described when taken separately and apart from the combination or appli-
cation thereof, in manner and for the purposes herein described; but what we
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as secured to us by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,—
First. The above-described combination of screw levers and rods, whereby
the opposite pressing plates are made mutually to approach, and a divergence
is obtained in excess of the pitch of the screw.
Secondly. The method herein described of causing the downward motion or
receding of the table to deliver the object pressed.
Thirdly. The construction of the pressing machine, substantially as described and
shewn in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Julius Frederick Moore Pollock and Frederic
Christopher Wyvill, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixteenth day
of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
aight
JULIUS F. M. POLLOCK.
FREDERIC CHRISTOPHER WYVILL. (L.S.)
(L.S.)