Improvements in Machinery used in the Making of Bricks and similar Articles.
Year: 1898

page_text: -
Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1893
Conplate Specification I eft 16th Dec. 1398 Accepted 23th Jan. 1899
Date of Application, 12th Apr., 1893
-Complete Specification Left 16th Dec 1398 Accepted 23th Jan. 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery used in the Making of Bricks and
similar Articles.
I, THOMAS BUCK, of Stanley Road, Newmarket Road, Cambridge, in the County
of Cambridge. Brick Marufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that form of machinery whereby bricks are made by
severing them from a stream of clay advancing from the die of brick machine
on to a cutting table with which are arranged a number of cutting wires.
In machinery of this class it is the usual way for an attendent to cut a length
of clay off to make a certain quantity of bricks say eight or ten he then passes
it by hand onto the cutting table on one side are arranged a number of wires
another attendant having put a board on table and cleaned the wires an attendent
by a lever cuts the length of clay into bricks by the clay being pushed against
the wires by the press plate or the wires are drawn through the clay. The bricks
at the same time pass onto the board the machine is then returned to its original
position ready for use again. Two attendants then take hold of the ends of the
board and lift it and bricks from cutting table and pass it onto a barrow or truck.
According to my invention which is to economize labour and do it better I maka
the machinery do most of the laborious movements automatically and so there is
not so much dependence upon the attendants.
In carrying out my invention the cutting table is made in two parts a upper and
lower frames the lower frame is a fixture to carry the machinery and for the upper
frame with table to work upon.
Fixed to the back side of the lower frame are two brackets with bearings for
a spindle to work in which is in a line about parallel with the stream of clay
which is continuously rotated from the brick machine or by some other suitable
motor which said shaft is fitted with two sets of suitable arranged clutch
machinery.
The upper frame and table upon which the stream of clay is deliverd as it
advances from die of brick machine passes along the table a stop is fixed with or
without rollers on the end of the upper frame which being able to move longi-
tudinaly upon rollers on the lower frame the clay as it moves along with the
frame and table puts into gear one set of clutch machinery which draws the
cutting wires across the line of travel of the stream of clay which are fixed upon
one side of the table the table having an independent movement traverse to the
travel of the stream of clay which is thereby severd into bricks. Immediately
the wires are pulled through the clay the upper frame and table with the severed
bricks are caused to travel longitudinally faster then the stream of clay issues
from die and then the table with bricks which now rest on the board are pushed
back to the front side of machine and then the upper frame and table is moved
longitudinally back to its first and original position which then sets the other
clutch machinery into motion.

page_text: And upon the front side of the lower frame are fixed two brackets carrying a
spindle upon which spindle is fixed a sprocket wheel which is connected by a
chain to another sprocket wheel on the clutch machinery on back spindle and
upon the ends of the said spindle are fixed two cranks carrying arms and, as
the spindle revolves it lifts the board with bricks of the cutting table by the arms
passing under the board and carries and lowers them onto a table fixed to the
said brackets. The spindle has loose upon it two sprocket wheels with a tooth
at one end next crank into which a pawl with spring drops into fixed upon the
crank and causes them to revolve with spindle and are connected by chains which
slide upon the top of table to another spindle at the unloading end of the table
carrying two sprocket wheels the table being made to hold one or several boards
and bricks as are suitable for loading onto a barrow or truck and so as each
board is taken from cutting table onto the loading table the others are carried
forward by the chains the barrow or truck being held at the unloading end are
pushed onto the barrow or truck direct by machinery. Each clutch machinery
does all its has to do in one revolution and is then stopped and is ready to start
again when required or a crank fixed on end of spindle the attendant turns it
and so pushes the boards and bricks onto the barrow or truck.
The wires are kept clean by attendent passing his fingers up or down one at a
time but I have a light frame swinging upon pins fixed on arms of the cutting
table and swinging upon that frame is another with a bar of wood or metal which
the attendant by pushing against and down the wires all the wires are cleaned
by one movement of frames the frames are lifted up again by springs or weights
out of the way of the cutting or it can be operated from the lifting machinery
so that by the combined movements of the machinery it does most all that the
attendents done in a certain and better manner and so one attendants is only
required instead of three by the old table in making the same quantity of bricks.
Dated this Twelfth day of April 1898.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery used in the Making of Bricks and
similar Articles.
I, THOMAS BUCK, of Stanley Road, Newmarket Road, Cambridge, in the County.
of Cambridge, Brick Manufacturer, 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 :-
This invention relates to that class of brick-making machines wherein the
bricks are formed by being severed from a stream of clay advanced from a die
on to a cutting table having a number of cutting wires, the object being to so
construct such machines that the operations can be effected automatically whereby
labour is economized and the work is more efficiently performed than hitherto.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a brick making machine constructed according
to the invention:
Figure 2 is a plan thereof:
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 Figure 2:
Figures 4 and 5 are a sectional elevation and a plan respectively of a detail of
the machine; and,
Figures 6 and 7 are a side elevation and a plan respectively drawn to a larger
scale of a portion of a chain hereinafter described.

page_text: a is a lower fixed frame designed to carry the various parts of the machine
and upon which the upper frame with the cutting table can slide; b, bare
brackets fixed to the rear part of the lower frame a, the said brackets being
provided with bearings b¹, adapted to receive a shaft or spindle c arranged
practically parallel to the direction in which the stream of clay A is fed from the
die of the machine which is here not shewn. This spindle c is rotated from any
suitable motor or machine and has keyed upon it two ratchet wheels c¹², c¹ and
mounted loosely upon it two discs d, e. The discs d, e have pivoted to them
pawls d, el respectively provided with springs d², e² which normally tend to hold
them in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheels c¹.
f is the upper frame of the machine, the said frame being adapted to slide in
the direction of the axis of the spindle c upon wheels a¹, al mounted upon the
lower frame a, the said movement of the upper frame f being effected as herein-
after described. g is the frame supporting the table of the machine, the said
frame g being adapted to slide in the frame f in a direction transversely to that
in which the frame f slides, upon rollers g¹ rotatably mounted on the frame f.
The sliding frame g is provided with a table formed of a fixed part g² and a
removable part g³; the fixed table 2 being provided with stop rollers y' of
ordinary construction.
h is the guide forming a part of the frame f and against which the clay bears
when fed from the die of the machine. i, i are the cutting wires, the said wires
being of ordinary construction and being mounted in the usual manner in a
frame fixed to the frame g of the machine.
The stream of clay A when fed from the die of the machine in the direction
indicated by the arrow, Figure 3, that is to say, in a direction parallel to the
axis of the spindle c which is, as above mentioned, rotated by any suitable means,
advances on to the fixed table 2 and bears against the guide has before mentioned;
the stream advances until it reaches the stop rollers g when it pushes the frame f
together with the table g² in front of it. This movement of the frame f effects
the automatic cutting of the stream of clay into bricks and the removal of the
cut bricks on to the loose part 3 of the table and the shifting of the said part
supporting the bricks on to a travelling arrangement whence it is conveyed to
any suitable truck or the like. The mechanism employed for enabling the
movement of the frame f to effect these results is as follows:-
The travelling frame f is provided with arms f¹ carrying rollers f2 which
rollers, when the frame is in its normal position, that is to say, before it is moved
forward by the stream of clay, hold the pawls d, e¹ (against the action of the
springs d², e²) out of engagement with the ratchet wheels c, d as shewn in Figure 1
of the drawings. It will, therefore, be obvious that before the table is moved
forward by the clay the discs d, e are not rotated by the spindle c through the
medium of the ratchet wheels c', c. When, however, the table is moved forward
by the clay in the manner above described, the rollers 2 upon the arms flare
pushed off the tails of the pawls d, el so that the spring e² presses the pawl e
into engagement with its ratchet wheel c¹, whereby the disc e is caused to rotate
with the spindle c. The pawl is, however, immediately on its release by the
roller held as hereinafter described. The disc e is provided with a crank-pin e³
which is connected by means of a rod e to a rocking levere hinged at e to the
frame a of the machine and at e to a rod e8; the rod is forked at its outer
end and is provided with rollers between which passes a bar go secured to
the travelling frame g. With this arrangement it will be obvious that the
rotation of the crank-disc e will reciprocate the rocking lever and the rod es
so as to cause the table g2 to travel in the direction of the arrow 1, Figure 1,
whilst at the same time allowing the frame f to travel upon the frame a. The
movement of the table g in the direction of the arrow 1 causes the cutting wires i
to pass through the stream of clay A into notches h¹ formed in the guide h to
receive them so that the said stream of clay is cut into a number of bricks which,
in the new position of the travelling table 92, now rest upon the removeable

page_text: part of the table. The continued rotation of the crank-disc e now returns the
table g² to its outermost position but before this is effected it is necessary to
remove the severed bricks from the main stream A and this is effected as follows.
The end of the connecting rod et which engages with the rocking lever e³ is
slotted as shewn at e so that at the dead point in the rotation of the crank-pin e
it has a certain amount of free movement before it returns the table g to its
outermost position; during this inoperative interval the frame f is run along the
frame a more quickly than the stream of clay A advances so that the severed
bricks are separated from the main portion of the clay. The necessary increase
in the velocity of movement of the table y is obtained by the following
mechanism; a bow-crank j is mounted upon one end of a spindle jo held in a
bearing or bracket fixed to the frame a of the machine; the other end of the
spindle is provided with a crank which is in connection with one end of
a connecting rod the other end of which is pivoted to the travelling frame f
of the machine. This mechanism is shewn in detail in Figures 4 and 5.
With this arrangement as the crank pin e is about to reach its dead point it
comes in contact with the underside of one of the horns of the bow crank j
in such a manner that the said crank is raised thereby partially turning the
spindle and the crank 2 so as to cause the connecting rod to jush forward
the table g at a greater velocity than it is being pushed forward by the clay A;
the continued rotation of the crank disc e causes the pin e³ to come in contact with the
other horn of the bow crank j so as to return the frame f and consequently the
table to its initial position.
The disc has connected to it a chain wheel which is in connection by
means of a chain with a chain wheel k, the said chain being kept taut by
means of the adjustable guide chain wheels d, on the bracket Figure 1. The
chain wheel is keyed upon a spindle carried by standards 10 which spindle is
provided with a couple of chain wheels, connected to the spindle by means
of ratchet gear so that the said wheels can be rotated independently of the spindle
but are rotated by the said spindle when the latter is actuated by the chain
The spindle is also provided with a crank 12 at each end, the said cranks being
connected to cranked ends 3, of side bars + the other ends of which work in guides
The ends of the bars are arranged to project so that when the cranks are
rotated, the said ends are swung under the removeable part g³ of the table as
clearly shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1, so as to lift the said part 3 on to the
two chains 40, 40 which run over the chain wheels and chain wheels 12, 12 mounted
upon a spindle supported in suitable standards k; the said board is by the
movement of these chains, caused to travel on. to a barrow or truck B provided
at the end thereof and held in position by means of a projecting tongue or the
like B which rests on a roller 5 secured to the standards.
The spindle is provided with a handle so that the carrier can be operated
by hand independently of the spindle 7. Each chain is also provided with one
or more projecting rollers (Figures 6 and 7), which said rollers 7, when the
chains are turned either from the shaft c or by the handle 6, come into contact
with the rear part of the board g³ which has been lifted on to the chains in
the manner herein before described so as to push it forward with the chain.
As the spindle is only required to be operated from the shaft c at the end of
each cutting operation when it lifts the board g³ from the sliding table on to the
chains, it will be obvious that the disc d should only be operated for a short
interval during each cutting operation. To obtain this result I provide the
following device, that is to say, I employ in conjunction with the arm f¹ and
roller which engages the tail of the pawl das herein before described, the
bracket which is fitted to the sliding table f at a level below that of the said
roller the front end of the bracket is practically in a line with the rear face
of the roller f so that when the frame f is advanced by the clay the roller fis
slid off the pawl d¹ which, however, is immediately held by the bracket f³ before
it can come into engagement with the ratchet wheel c. The said bracket is

page_text: of sufficient length to hold the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet wheel
for the rest of the movement of the frame f. On the return movement of the
frame f, however, which is effected in the manner above described through the
medium of the bow-crank j, the pawl d, when released by the bracket f³, is
forced by the spring into engagement with the ratchet wheel e¹ thereby rotating
the discd until it has made one revolution when its tail is again caught by the
roller fso as to release it from engagement with the ratchet wheel thereby allowing
the shaft c to run idly. The one revolution of the disc d is sufficient for effecting
the removal of the board g³ from the table on to the chains in the manner
above described.
n, nare springs which press against the peripheries of the discs d, e so as to
hold them in position when the pawls are out of engagement with the ratchet
wheels.
To clean the wires i I provide a frame m having a slotted bar m¹ through the
slots of which the wires can pass; the said frame m is pivoted to a frame m²
working upon bolts m³ pivotally held on bolts m* fixed to the arms in such a
manner that when it is desired to clean the wires it can be pressed down by the
handle m; springs m are provided for returning the frame m to its normal
position shewn in Figure 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In a machine for making bricks and the like the combination of a lower
fixed frame, of a frame adapted to slide transversely upon the said fixed frame and
carrying a table frame adapted to slide longitudinally thereon and of means for
operating the sliding frames, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In a machine for making bricks and the like the combination of a lower
fixed frame, of a frame adapted to slide transversely therein, of a table frame
arranged to slide longitudinally upon the sliding frame, of cutting wires supported
upon the sliding table frame and of a continuously rotating shaft having clutch
gear whereby the sliding table and the sliding frame can be actuated, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
3. In a machine of the kind described in Claim 1, the employment of a table
comprising a fixed portion carrying the cutting wires and a removable part adapted
to receive the cut bricks and to be removed therewith, substantially as herein-
before described.
4. The combination with a machine of the kind described in Claim 1, of a carrier
adapted to be operated from the machine and to remove the table board carrying
the cut bricks from the machine, substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts forming the improved brick-
making machine, hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
ו.
11 11 J of Dugambar 1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury. London,
Agents for the Applicant.