IMPROVEMENTS IN MOULDING BLOCKS, SLABS, PIPES, AND OTHER ARTICLES, AND IN THE APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Buckwell at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 21st June
1860.
I, WILLIAM BUCKWELL, of Phoenix Stone Works, East Greenwich, in the
County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MOULDING BLOCKS, SLABS, PIPES, AND OTHER ARTICLES, AND
IN THE APPARATUS TO BE EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
The chief object of this Invention is to produce by means of cement pipes
and slabs and blocks of various forms suitable for building and other purposes,
and of a quality that will possess the consistency of stone by subjecting the
cement to percussive or rolling pressure while in a moist state. To this end when
percussive pressure is to be the means of imparting solidity to the mouldeḍ
articles, I provide moulds of suitable form and capable of sustaining great
pressure, and so constructed that they will readily expand or open to permit of
the discharge of the moulded article contained therein. When, for example,
I wish to mould blocks for building purposes I adopt by preference the form
of a double hexagon. Blocks of this form in cross section I make of
any required length, and get by their use a most perfect bond. For draining
and irrigating purposes, and such like uses, I propose to make such blocks

page_text: use.
hollow by the insertion of a core or cores in the mould box. As blocks manu
factured according to this Invention have great tenacity and little tendency
to friability, I propose to adapt them for supporting the rails of railways.
To this end I form a strong cast-iron mould with two hexagonal chambers,
and in each I insert a triangular metal case, which is rounded at the angles,
and has fitting against its sides three radial plates which meet three angles of
the chamber, and thus each chamber is divided into three compartments.
The moulded blocks or railway sleepers produced in this mould will have
for their base two sides of the hexagon, and for their upper part inclined sides
and a recess capable of receiving a rail and suitable wedges or elastic bearings
. or filling pieces for holding it in suspension as in the best form of chair now in
The slabs moulded according to this Invention may have either flat or
corrugated surfaces, and the pipes may be cylindrical on their exterior as well
as their interior when so desired. I have said that the moulding of the various
articles proposed to be manufactured according to this Invention is effected by
percussion or impact. To ensure equable blows at all stages of the filling of
the moulds I employ a peculiar arrangement of suspended drop hammer, but
before describing this I will explain the construction of the moulds which will
effectually resist the lateral pressure of the moulded articles and permit of their
being readily discharged from the moulds. The moulds for large hexagonal
blocks I construct of two heavy iron castings of any given length, according to
the number of teirs of blocks to be made at one operation. The flanges of
these castings I connect together at two opposite angles by means of clamps
operated upon by excentrics, which are carried by vertical shafts mounted in
bearings outside the mould. The same arrangement is provided for moulding
the railway sleepers and the hexagonal tubes, a division plate being inserted
in the mould to divide the double hexagonal chamber into two, and the proper
cores being applied as above explained. The bottom of the mould is closed
by a loose plate formed to correspond to the sectional area of the mould
chamber, and the parts of the mould being firmly clamped together, the drop
hammer is brought over the mould, such hammer being fitted with a hammer
head to suit the sectional form of the article to be moulded. Cement is then
thrown in by small quantities, the same being in a slightly moist state, and
the hammer is caused to operate thereon and condense it by rapid blows. A
further quantity is then thrown into the mould, and the blows repeated, and
this alternate operation is continued until the mould is filled to the required
depth. When sufficient material has accumulated in the mould to form a
given length of block, a division plate is inserted in the mould plate and more

page_text: cement is added, and the blows of the hammer repeated until a second block
has been formed. Another separating plate is then introduced, and above it
more cement, which is added and rammed down between separating plates until
the mould is filled. When this has taken place, and the cement has been left a
sufficient time in the mould, the excentrics are turned so as to slacken the
mould, and the blocks or pipes are drawn out. In the moulding of pipes by
this Invention a ring is used to form the bottom of the mould; when therefore
the core is withdrawn a clutch may be let down through the pipe, and being
so made as to expand when not subject to compression it will expand when it
has passed through the pipe and present shoulders for the ring to rest on.
The clutch is then to be raised, and the mould having been slackened the
moulded pipe is free to be moved out of the mould. For moulding large slabs
I I propose to form a mould in the following manner :-I cast a large bed' or
foundation plate, on which I mount massive adjustable standards suitable for
sustaining great lateral pressure. When I require to mount, say, two vertical
moulds, I employ three series of standards, and these I secure by vertical
clamping plates to the foundation or bed plate to enable them to resist great
lateral pressure. The middle or central series I give the shape of a double
wedge in side elevation, their breadth increasing upwards from the foundation;
and the side standards are wedge-shaped also, but on their inner faces only:
The central series of standards may be permanently attached to the foundation
plate, but the two side series of standards must be adjusted nearly to or further
from the central standard, according to the thickness of slab required to be
made. Midway between the standards, and resting on the foundation plate,
are placed the blocks which form the bottom of the moulds, and standing up
above these and bearing against the inclined faces of the standards are wedge-
shaped plates, which form the sides of the moulds; the ends of the moulds are
formed by narrow plates inserted between the wedge-shaped plates. These
wedge-shaped plates are supported near their edges by pairs of link rods, which
are jointed at their lower ends to the bed plate, and at their upper ends to the
mould plates by means of excentric shafts which pass through the several sets
of mould plates. By turning these shafts, therefore, the mould plates are
simultaneously lowered, and while moving down, the plates recede from the
moulded slabs and leave their sides free. The ends are also in like manner
freed; the wedges by which the end plates are pressed up into position being
at the same time slackened. By inserting other forms of moulds between the
standards, blocks of other forms may be moulded in this apparatus.
.
I also use moulds in portable sections for constructing blocks and other

page_text: articles, in place, when required, of a size that would not be easily moveable;
as monoliths of many tons weight. The moulds in sections being.made.to
connect together or used separately..
For effecting the compression of the materials used to form blocks and other
articles in moulds constructed as above explained, I employ a steam hammer
pendent from a travelling carriage, which runs on rails set above the moulding
apparatus. The hammer works over guide rods of such length as to permit of
its adjustment vertically to ensure equable blows of the hammer on the accu-
mulating cement in the moulds below during the whole of the moulding
operation. The hammer cylinder may be fed with steam from a boiler above,
mounted on the carriage, or from an adjacent stationary boiler, and it is intended
by a rapid series of blows imparted to the cement in the mould to consolidate
any addition supplied to the mould until a block.or series of blocks or slabs (as
the case may be) is completed. I also propose to effect the compression of
cement into slabs or parts of buildings by beating the same with rammers, and
pressing it with rollers in moulds. The materials being first rammed or beaten
and finished by rolling, or rolling only may be used.
When applying this process to the forming of floors in place, I provide rails
which form the edges of moulds and serve to sustain the pressing rollers which
are traversed over the bed of cement. Where a large surface is required
strips are rolled between rails, leaving alternate spaces to be filled in and
impacted on by the rollers, running on the strips first manufactured, between
the rails.
I also form fire-proof floors and ceilings by impacting the cementing
materials between joists; when the floor or ceiling thus formed becomes firm
the temporary supports are to be removed.
I would remark that I do not confine myself to the use of any particular
cement or ingredient in carrying out the objects of this Invention, but for
impermeable hydraulic structures I prefer to use pure hard carbonate of lime-
stone in fragments, or clean sea-beach, or both, with the latter one-tenth more
or less of pure hard carbonate of lime in a pulverized state should be used
to be thoroughly mixed with granitic breccia cement of a weight of 112 lbs. or
more to the bushel, or the cement known as best Portland cement, which should.
not be less than 100 lbs. weight to the bushel. For fire-proof work or
structures of floors, archings, ceilings, linings, or buildings, brick, tile, or
pottery fragments, clinker, and any porous furnace scoria may be used in
lieu of the. fragments preferred for impermeable or bydraulic work. The
components are to be pugged or mixed together in a slightly moist state.

page_text: Other materials, as tar, resin, cements, fluid or semifluid by heat, may also be
used suiting the locality as to economy and the work required. Where great
hardness of surface is desired I use clean chippings of millstones, of French
burr stones or other hard stones, sprinkling the same with silicate of potash,
adding to the cement pulverized or small clean chippings of hard marble or
other tolerably pure hard carbonate of lime. When the structure formed is
nearly set or dry, I spinkle the same with or immerse it in silicate of potash.
And lastly, when nearly dry, treat it in a similar way with chloride of
calcium.