IMPROVEMENTS IN BRICK-MAKING MACHINES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents, 66,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRICK-MAKING MACHINES." A communi-
cation from abroad by William A. Graham, of Carlisle, in the State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Sealed the 23rd May 1876, and dated the 6th March 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th March 1876.
ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 60, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN BRICK-MAKING
MACHINES."
This Invention consists first, in combining with a polygonal mould wheel a
cylindrical pressure wheel, held by the compression of a screw against the surface
of the mould wheel by an adjustable pressure applied in the line of the axis of
the two wheels, and having a spring of india-rubber (or equivalent springs) sup-
porting the strain, so as to afford a yielding resistance to accommodate itself to
a varying strain, so that by the contraction and expansion of the spring the clay
may be uniformly packed into the moulds at the point of contact of the two wheels
under the hopper.
The second improvement consists in combining with the mould and pressure
wheels a cylindrical or equivalent inclined cam or bearing resting against an
elastic support placed above the point of contact of the two wheels in such
position as to engage the inner ends of the stems of the plungers, and force them
slightly outward for the purpose of imparting a pressure to the bricks while being
formed from both sides, first, from the side of the plunger or bottom of the mould,
and then from the sido of the pressure wheel or outside of the mould, for the
purpose of compressing the clay in the mould with a more equal density throughout
its thickness than will be imparted where the compression comes entirely from
one side.
The third improvement consists in combining with the polygonal mould wheel
an adjustable knife, held against the wheel or in near proximity thereto by elastic
pressure, through a frame supported by friction wheels, and an adjustable elastic
pad bearing against the frame.
The fourth improvement consists in combining with the polygonal mould
wheel and a knife held against the wheel, or in near proximity thereto, by elastic
Drine 71

page_text: pressure, an auxiliary knife, also having an elastic support for shaving the clay
from the solid sides of the mould wheels, so as to make a clear track on the
metal for the friction wheels.
The fifth improvement consists in attaching an india-rubber or equivalent
scraper so as to bear on the surface of the mould wheel after the bricks have
been delivered to scrub any adhering clay from the face of the wheel and plunger,
and then return the moulds perfectly clean to the hopper to be refilled.
The sixth improvement consists in running the pressure wheel at a different
speed from that of the mould wheel, so that the clay may be more perfectly
packed in the mould. This may be accomplished either by allowing the former
to run free, or by gearing it to run faster or slower.
The seventh improvement consists in constructing the mould wheel in the
following manner:-The mould wheel is cast with a recessed face formed by rebated
flanges at the edges thereof. These rebated flanges are used to retain in position
transverse steel plates, which form the sides of the moulds. These steel plates
are rebated to receive cross plates, which form the ends of the moulds, and gauge
the distance between the transverse plates.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th September 1876.
ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRICK-MAKING
MACHINES." A communication from abroad by William H. Graham, of Carlisle,
in the State of Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This Invention consists, first, in combining with a polygonal mould wheel a
cylindrical pressure wheel, held against the surface of the mould wheel by an
adjustable elastic pressure applied in the plane of the axis of the two wheels, so
as to afford a yielding resistance, to accommodate itself to a varying strain,
whereby the clay may be uniformly packed into the moulds at the point of
contact of the two wheels under the hopper.
The second improvement consists in combining with the mould and pressure wheel
a cylindrical or equivalent inclined cam or bearing, resting against an elastic support
placed above the point of contact of the two wheels, in such position as to engage
the inner ends of the stems of the plungers, and force them slightly outward for
the purpose of imparting a pressure to the bricks while being formed from both
sides, first from the side of the plunger or bottom of the mould, and then from
the side of the pressure wheel or outside of the mould, for the purpose of com-
pressing the clay in the mould with a more equal density throughout the
thickness than will be imparted where the compression comes entirely from
one side.
The third improvement consists in combining with the polygonal mould wheel
an adjustable knife held against the wheel, or in near proximity thereto, by
elastic pressure through a frame supported by friction wheels, and an adjustable
elastic pad bearing against the frame.
The fourth improvement consists in combining with the polygonal mould wheel
and a knife held against the wheel, or in near proximity thereto, by elastic pressure,
an auxiliary knife, also having an elastic support for shaving the clay from the
solid sides of the mould wheel, so as to make a clean track on the metal for the
friction wheels.
The fifth improvement consists in attaching an india-rubber or equivalent
scraper so as to bear on the surface of the mould wheel after the bricks have
been delivered, to scrub any adhering clay from the face of the wheel and plunger,
and thus return the moulds perfectly clean to the hopper to be refilled.
The sixth improvement consists in running the pressure wheel at a different

page_text: speed from that of the mould wheel, so that the clay may be more perfectly
packed in the mould. This may be accomplished either by allowing the former to
run free, or by gearing it to run faster or slower.
Other minor points will be covered and indicated in the following Specification
and claims.
In the annexed Drawings making a part of this Specification, Fig. 1 is a plan
view of the machine partly in section; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3
is a sectional elevation; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the knife and its frame;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the device for holding the knife against an
india-rubber bearing; Fig. 6 is a section of the stud and wheel which gives the
first compression to the clay by the outward thrust of the plungers; Fig. 7 is a
plan, and Fig. 8 is a section, showing the manner in which the moulds are formed
of steel plates.
The same letters are employed in all the Figures in the indication of identical
parts.
In the Drawings, the machine is represented as being supported upon a strong
frame A to which the housing B is bolted. This housing carries the bearings of
the pressure wheel C and mould wheel D. The screw B¹ passes through the end
of the housing and bears against a plate B'. The bearing B2 of the pressure wheel
slides in the housing, and a solid sheet or thin block of india-rubber B is compressed
between the plate B' and the box B³. The screws B¹ acting against the ends of
the shaft of the pressure wheel through the parts B2, B, and B', regulate at the will
of the operator the force of compression with which the wheel C will act on the
clay to force it into the moulds.
In my present machine I make the pressure wheel cylindrical and smooth upon
its face. It is kept in constant contact with the face of the polygonal mould
wheel by the compression and expansion of the spring B³. As the pressure wheel
runs against the mould wheel and is round its tendency is to constantly push
against the clay drawn down between the two and force it into the mould, and
to prevent its escaping between the faces of the two wheels. As the spring B³ is
being constantly compressed by the passage of the angles of the polygon, and as
it expands while the flat faces are passing the point of contact, it is evident that
the clay will be packed into the moulds not by a mere dead pressure, but by an
elastic and varying force, resembling in character and effect the kneading action
of the human hands.
It will be seen that this is a different action from that where two flat faces are
presented, which, catching the clay between them, force it with the direct action
of a plunger into the moulds, and compress it with a force due only to the strain
brought on the wheel by the screw.
I have illustrated this Invention in connection with a double mould wheel
containing two sets of moulds side by side in parallel rows, but one set only or
two or more may be used.
E are plungers in the moulds having stems E¹ projecting radially toward the
centre, and which are projected by the stationary cam Gand retracted before passing
under the hopper by the cam F, which engaging the pins E2 on the side of the
stems E¹ draws back the plungers so as to present a succession of open moulds to
receive the clay from the hopper H. The curvature of the face of cam F is not such,
however, as to draw the plungers to the bottom of their moulds until they have
passed the cam I and have been projected slightly forward. When this has taken
place the plungers are drawn entirely back and there held by the cam F. This
projection of the plunger is for the purpose of applying a preliminary pressure to
the clay in the mould as soon as the approximation of the two wheels is such that
the clay packed in the mould will be held in front sufficiently firmly to resist the
forward thrust. This sudden impact will condense the clay in the bottom of the
mould, and when pressure comes from the wheel on the other side the alternate
compression from each sido will tend to compact the clay in the mould to a uniform
density. The cam I rests on a stud I¹ attached to a plate on the frame. The cam

page_text: 8
may be made to turn on a sleeve or it may be fixed, or instead of being in the form
of a circle it may be any inclined surface placed to give impact to the clay by
projecting the plunger. It should be supported upon india-rubber (shown at 1³,
Fig. 6,) so that it may yield to an excess of pressure without breaking or suddenly
checking the mould wheel. The knives K are spring blades resting on the solid
rim of the mould wheel, one on each side, and intended to shear off adhering clay,
so as to give a clear track for the friction wheels of the frame of the knife L, which
is placed so as just to clear the metal of the wheel D and sever the clay, leaving a
smooth surface to the brick at the outside of the mould. If the edge of the knife
bore against the wheel it would be soon ground away and need to be replaced.
The cleaning knife Lis secured to a frame f mounted on a horizontal shaft f. This
knife is slotted and made adjustable by set screws. Immediately above the edge
of the knife two rollers n, n, are pivotted, and which are so placed that they will
bear against the outer edges of the mould wheel D. The shafts of these rollers n
find their bearings in lugs & secured to or otherwise formed on the frame f of knife L.
The frame fis mounted on its under side by means of the pivotal shaft f¹ in bearings
formed in two standards m, which are respectively secured to the central portion
of the two sides of frame A, as shewn in Figures 2 and 3. The upper part of
frame fis supported on a block or blocks of rubber M', in order to enable the knife
to sustain the pressure exerted upon it. M represents a suitable box for holding
the block of rubber which supports the pressure on the knife frame f. This box is
secured in any suitable manner to the frame A of the machine, and is constructed
with a lug through which passes the india-rubber spring M, which is cylindrical or
prismatic, and of such length as to pass through the lug and be held in place by a
yoke M, which is drawn against it by the set screw M³ so as to confine the spring.
By this means the spring may be adjusted to bear against the knife frame with
more or less force, according to the quality of the clay, less pressure being required
when the clay is very plastic than when it is very tenacious. When the bricks
have been expelled by the action of the cam G on the stems of the plungers they fall
upon an endless belt N by which they are carried away. Another endless belt R
running in the opposite direction is placed under the knives to catch the clay shaved
off by their action and carry it off to the tempering mill to be mixed with the other
clay. Under the mould wheel there is attached an india-rubber scraper S; this
is a thick sheet of india-rubber fastened between two plates, by which it is held so
that its edges may scour the face of the plungers after expelling the bricks. The
inoulds are made in the manner shewn in Figures 7 and 8. The mould wheel is
cast with a recessed face formed by rebated flanges on the sides, as shown in Fig. 8,
at D¹, D². At one place in the wheel the horizontal portion of the flange D is cut
away so as to permit of the insertion of the transverse steel plate O into the recess
on the face of the mould wheel. When the plate O has been moved to its place the
end pieces O¹ (also of steel) are inserted and placed under the flange D, and the
partition piece O2 is placed in the middle. Then another transverse piece O is
inserted and brought up against the pieces O¹, 0%, and we have one pair of moulds
finished. In this manner all the moulds are successively formed. By this means I
am enabled to make the mould of flat plates of steel, which may be formed on a
planing machine and separately finished before being inserted. In single moulds of
course plate O2 is not used. The pulley P receives motion from the prime mover,
and is keyed to the hollow and extended hub of the pinion P' which gears into the
spur wheel P, on whose shaft is the pinion P³. This drives the spur wheel P* on a
countershaft which passes through the hub of pinion P¹, and carries a pinion P
which gears into a spur wheel X on the shaft of the mould wheel. A pinion Po on
the shaft of the wheels P³, P, also drives the spur wheel Pi and the belt N, and
this wheel P' gives rotation in the opposite direction to the pinion Ps and the
endless apron R. Q is a bar which stops the bricks, and if they should adhere to
the face of the plunger causes them to fall. The pressure and feed wheel C may be
driven by gearing, taking into the driver X of the mould wheel the two should be
geared to run at a different speed, the one either faster or slower than the other.

page_text: In the machine illustrated in the Drawings it is not required to employ any
driving gear for the pressure wheel. By this plan the pressure wheel will slip on
the face of the mould wheel and thus run slower than the latter, whereby the same
effect is obtained as by gearing it to run at a slower speed. This movement it has
been found compacts the brick more perfectly than when wheels geared to run at the
same speed are used. As the mould and pressure wheels run in the bottom of the
hopper they in revolving tend to draw the clay down and compress it into the
moulds. Thus the wheel C is not only a pressure wheel but also to some extent a
feed wheel, and in the claims when the expression "feed and pressure wheel" is
used, I wish it to be understood that I refer to the wheel C running in the bottom
of the hopper and performing these two functions, and not a mere finishing wheel
running against the face of the mould outside of the hopper to finish the bricks
already formed in the moulds, for such wheels have been used before with elastic
bearings and free running.
Having now described the Invention of "Improvements in Brick-making
Machinery," which has been communicated to me from abroad by my foreign
correspondent as aforesaid, and having explained the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I claim-
First. In combination with the hopper the polygonal mould wheel D and the
cylindrical feed and pressure wheel C, which has its adjustable bearings elastically
seated for forcing the wheels together in the planes of their axes, substantially as
set forth.
Second. In combination with the mould wheel and radial plungers, and pressure
wheel C, the cam I resting on an elastic bearing for giving an impact to the clay
in the bottom of the moulds from the centro outward, its compression being
completed by pressure applied in the opposite direction, substantially as set forth.
Third. In combination with the mould wheel and knife L supported against the
solid rim of the mould wheel, substantially as set forth, an auxiliary knife K
bearing on the said rim to clean it of clay and give a clean track to the friction
wheels of the former.
Fourth. In combination with the mould wheel with radial plungers and cam for
projecting the latter, a rubber S for scouring the face of the wheel and plungers,
substantially as set forth.
Fifth. In combination with the hopper the mould wheel D and feed and pressure
wheel Cadapted to run with different peripheral velocities, substantially as set forth.
Sixth. In combination with the knife L and its frame the india-rubber spring M'
adjustably held in position by the yoke M² and set screw M³.
Seventh. The moulds constructed in the recess on the periphery of the flanged
mould wheel by inserting the steel plates 0, 0¹, substantially in the manner set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the 4th day of September, in the year of our Lord One
A. V. NEWTON. (LS.)