Improvements in Mills for Treating Clay and like Materials.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Mar., 1898-Accepted, 7th May, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mills for Treating Clay and like Materials.
I, THOMAS HAWKINS, of 25, Providence Place, East Street, Epsom, Surrey, General
Labourer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:---
My invention relates to improvements in mills for treating clay and like materials.
It is more especially intended for treating clay for making into bricks, but may be
employed for treating clay and other materials for other purposes than brick making.
The improvements provide a machine in which goes forward simultaneously the
mixing, crushing, pugging, and shaping of the clay or other material to be cut into
bricks or otherwise dealt with. I shall for the purpose of describing the invention in
this Specification speak of it more particularly in connection with clay for brick
making, but I do not confine it to that one use or material. Briefly described, the
clay is placed in a hopper opening into a cylinder or barrel containing rotating
knives, from which barrel it passes to a crusher for breaking up nails, stones, and
other lumps. The clay then passes into a pugging cylinder or barrel from which it is
forced out and through a die or other former on to the brick cutting table or else-
where to be dealt with. In order that my invention may be the more readily under-
stood, I make reference to the accompanying drawings of which, Fig. 1, is a plan.
Fig. 2, a cross section through Z, Z, Fig. 1. Fig. 3, a section through Y, Y, Fig. 1.
Fig. 4, an end view. Fig. 5, a side view, and Fig. 6, a front view of a detail to be
hereafter described. Similar letters denote similar parts in all the figs.
The clay is put into the hopper a opening into the mixing and cutting barrel b
supported at one side of the brackets c c. Within 6 is the shaft d running in
bearings e of bracket c¹ and also in bearing f of a third bracket c². The part of the
shaft d which is within b and below a is provided with radially placed knives g which
cut up the clay and at the same time by their screw like action carry it from below
the hopper a and pass it (through an opening in the barrel) into the crusher between
the rollers h and i of which it is forced. The shafts of the rollers h and i run in
suitable bearings provided in the brackets c c¹. From the crushing rollers h and i
the clay passes to the second or pugging barrel ; supported in the brackets c c'.
From the clay is forced out through the die k by which it is compressed and shaped
into the desired cross section. On issuing from the clay passes on to the cutting
table or elsewhere. Within is the shaft running in bearings in c c¹ c², the shaft
being furnished with knives m near the rollers h and i, and with a screw conveyer n
near the die k. Running in bearings provided in the brackets c¹ c² is the counter
shaft o carrying the pinions p¹ p² 3, and the fast and loose pullies q¹ q², connected
with any convenient source of power. The pinions p¹ and p² gear respectively with
the toothed wheels 12 provided respectively on the shafts d and l. The third
At the
pinion p³ gears with the toothed wheels on the shaft of the lower roller i.
opposite end of the shaft of i is a toothed wheel gearing into the tcothed wheel u on
the shaft of the upper roller h. In order to prevent the mill being brought to a
standstill by unbreakable material getting to the rollers h and i, I provide one end of
the shaft of i with a friction clutch of any suitable kind. This clutch may consist

page_text: of two blocks u¹ u² bolted to the wheel s which is free to run on the shaft of i. The
blocks u¹² are formed to embrace s on opposite sides and they are also provided
with bolts v1 v2 by tightening up which u¹ and u² can be caused to grip the shaft of
2, in which conditions goes round with it. By slackening v₁ v², s simply runs round
the shaft of i. Covers w may be provided for removal when it is required to have
access to the rollers hi, and scrapers x may also be provided for removing the clay
from the said rollers. Suitable provision may be made on any of the shafts for taking
up end wear. The brackets c c c² are bolted to a base plate or foundation y. If
desired, there may be two upper rollers to the crusher instead of the single one h.
The mill is driven by any source of power connected to the fast one of the
pullies q¹ q².
I do not confine myself to the precise shapes, configurations, relative proportions
or dispositions of parts shown in the drawings, as any or all of them may be.con-
siderably varied without departure from the essential features of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
CLAIMS.
1. In mills for treating clay and like materials the combination, in one machine
and for simultaneous operation, of (1) a hopper communicating with a mixing
barrel or mill and accessories: (2) a crusher for receiving and crushing the clay
or like materials, and (3) a pugging mill or barrel having a suitably formed exit
for giving the required cross section and homogenity to the escaping clay or other
materials, the whole constructed, provided for and operating substantially as described
in the above Specification and exemplified in the accompanying drawings.
2. Improved mills for treating clay and other materials, the said mills being
constructed and operating substantially as described in the above Specification, and
exemplified in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 1st day of March 1898.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23, Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents for Applicant.