IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MOULDING AND COMPRESSING MATERIALS, MORE ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FUEL
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Grant, junior, of 50, Augusta Street, Splottlands,
Cardiff, in the County of Glamorgan, Fuel Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MOULDING AND COMPRESSING MATERIALS,
MORE ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FUEL."
Sealed the 24th April 1878, and dated the 24th October 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Grant at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th October 1877.
THOMAS GRANT, junior, of No. 50, Augusta Street, Splottlands, Cardiff, in the County
of Glamorgan, Fuel Engineer. " IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MOULDING AND
COMPRESSING MATERIALS, MORE ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE
OF ARTIFICIAL FUEL."
This Invention has for its object chiefly the construction of an efficient apparatus
for moulding and compressing substances used for artificial fuel into blocks of any
desired form, but which is also applicable for compressing other substances which it
may be required to form into blocks.
For the purpose of moulding or compressing the substance or material into
blocks, I introduce such substance, material, or mixture (after it has been treated.
by any of the known methods now in use) into a hopper at the top of the machine.
Beneath this hopper I place one or more horizontal tables, which, by preference,
I make of a circular form. These tables have in them moulds of the desired form,
arranged at equal distances apart. Each mould has inside a plunger or piston, and
on the face of each plunger or piston is any suitable design, mark, or lettering
for the purpose of marking or stamping the block of fuel or other substance.
The above-mentioned tables have cogs or teeth arranged all around their external
circumference or riu (as in the case of a spur wheel) in order that they may be
driven by a toothed pinion placed on a shaft for that purpose.
Where more than one table is used, each may be driven by a separate pinion, or
one pinion can be placed to drive one table, and the teeth or cogs on the said table

page_text: made to gear in the teeth or cogs of the other table or tables, and this latter arrange-
ment I prefer to adopt.
The hopper herein-above mentioned is provided with one or more holes in its
bottom, one over each table, to allow of the mixture, substance, or material entering
the moulds, but it is prevented from passing right through the same by the plunger
or pistons, herein-before mentioned. As the tables revolve on their axes by the
action of the toothed pinion or pinions the moulds pass in succession under the
hopper to be filled in regular rotation, and on leaving the hopper after being
filled, they pass between a pressing cylinder having a ram or piston, or a lever
and pressing cylinder having a ram or piston and a resistance piece, the resistance
piece and cylinder being bolted together by means of two or more bolts or columns.
As each table has its own pressing gear, one bolt or column of each cylinder also
acts as a carrier for one of the tables, so that the centre of the pressing rain shall
have the same radius as the centres of the moulds, the two pressing arrangements
being joined by a connecting rod. Immediately the centre of the mould is over
or under, as the case may be (preferably the former) the ram or lever, the said
ram or lever rises by the opening of the valve which lets the pressure into
the cylinder, thereby giving the block the necessary pressing, and, by its own
force, squeezing the block against the resistance piece with such force that the
cylinder and resistance piece, with their attachments already described, are carried
around with the table a certain distance, pulling back with them the cylinder
and attachments that are on the other table, bringing it into position to press a
block.
When the exhaust valve opens and lets the pressure off the first cylinder, and
another valve opens and allows the pressure to go into, the second cylinder, which, in
its turn, makes part of a revolution with the table, bringing back with it the first
cylinder and attachments into position for pressing, and so on, as long as the machine
is in motion, the pressure being let in and out of the cylinders alternately by means
of a slide valve or other suitable valve or contrivance. The pressing power may be
water, steam, compressed air, gas, or other power capable of effecting the required
object.
The block after being pressed is delivered by means of an incline, up which
the pistons or plungers travel, actuated by arms and levers attached to the
cylinders.
An arrangement may also be attached to the cylinders from the driving shaft to
move the cylinders backwards and forwards in case anything should happen to the
rams or pistons and prevent them from rising at the right moment.
The blocks may also be pressed by means of an incline and resistance pieces only,
the resistance pieces being connected together by means of a rod. In this case the
centre columns, upon which the table revolves, will pass through the resistance
piece, as in the other arrangement, the other columns being dispensed with, the
outside edge of the resistance piece having lugs passing under the bottom side of
the table to prevent it lifting as the pressure increases. The resistance pieces are,
in this case, moved backwards and forwards by means of a connecting rod from the
driving shaft.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Grant in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th April
1878.
THOMAS GRANT, junior, of 50, Augusta Street, Splottlands, Cardiff, in the County
of Glamorgan, Fuel Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MOULDING AND
COMPRESSING MATERIALS, MORE ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE
OF ARTIFICIAL FUEL."
My said Invention has reference chiefly to a machine for moulding and com-
pressing artificial fuel into blocks of any desired form.
For the purpose of moulding and compressing the material into blocks, I intro-
duce the mixture (after it has been treated by any of the ordinary methods now in
use) into a hopper on the top of the machine, beneath which I place one or more,
preferably circular horizontal tables with moulds of the desired form in them,
arranged at equal distances apart, each mould having a plunger or piston inside
with any suitable design or letters on the face of each plunger or piston for the
purpose of marking or stamping the biocks of fuel.
The aforesaid tables have cogs or teeth arranged all around the outside or rim
(as in the case of a spur wheel) so that they may be driven by a toothed pinion
placed on a shaft for that purpose; each table may have its own pinion to drive it,
or one pinion can be placed to drive one table and the teeth or cogs on the said
table made to gear in the teeth or cogs of the other table, the latter way preferably.
In the aforesaid hopper there is one or more holes in the bottom over each table
to allow of the mixture entering the moulds, which is prevented from passing right
through by the aforesaid plungers or pistons, and as the tables revolve on their axis
by the action of the toothed pinion or pinions, the moulds pass in under the hopper.
to be filled in regular rotation, and on leaving the hopper after being filled, they
pass between a pressing cylinder having a rain or piston or a lever and a resistance
piece, the resistance piece and cylinder being bolted together by means of two or
inore bolts or columns, each table having its own pressing gear.
One bolt or column of each cylinder also acts as a carrier for one of the tables, so
that the centre of the pressing rain or lever shall have the same radius as the
centres of the moulds, the two pressing arrangements being joined by a connecting
rod, and immediately the centre of the mould is over or under (as the case may be,
preferably the former) the ram or lever, the said ram or lever rises by the opening
of the valve which lets the pressure into the cylinder, thereby giving the block the
necessary pressure, and by its own force squeezing the block against the resistance
piece with such force that the cylinder and resistance piece with their attachments,
already described, are carried around with the table a certain distance, pulling back
with them the cylinder and attachments that are on the other table, bringing them
into position to press a block.
The exhaust valve then opens and lets the pressure off the first cylinder, and
another valve opens and allows the pressure to go into the second cylinder, which,
in its turn, makes part of a revolution with the table, bringing back with it the
first cylinder and attachments into position for pressing, and so on, as long as the
machine is in motion, the pressure being let in and out of the cylinders alternately
by means of a slide valve or other description of valves, preferably a slide valve,
the pressing power being either water, steam, compressed air, gas, or other pressing
power.
up which
The block after being pressed is delivered by means of an incline
the plungers or pistons travel, or by means of arms and levers attached to the
cylinders.
An arrangement may also be attached to the cylinders from the driving shaft to
move the cylinders backwards and forwards in case anything should happen to the
rams or pistons, and so prevent them from rising at the right moment.

page_text: The blocks may also be pressed by means of an incline and resistance pieces only,
the resistance pieces being connected together by means of a rod, the centre columns
upon which the tables revolve passing through the resistance pieces as in the other
arrangement, the other columns being done away with, the outside edge of the
resistance piece having lugs passing under the bottom side of the table to prevent
it from lifting as the pressure increases, the resistance pieces being moved back-
wards and forwards in this case by means of a connecting rod from the driving
shaft.
.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to
the several Figures on the explanatory Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in both the Figures.
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) of my Drawings represents a side elevation of my improved
moulding and compressing machine, and Figure 2 (Sheet 2) is a plan of the said
machine.
A is the hopper into which the mixture, to be compressed is placed; B, B¹, are
spaces through which the mixture is worked into the moulds C, C₁, by the arm D;
E, E', are the loose bottoms in the moulds to regulate the quantity and to prevent
the mixture from running through; F, FL, are the two mould tables which gear
into one another; G, G', are the two resistance pieces; H, H¹, are the two steam
cylinders (or water, or gas, or compressed air), containing each a piston and rod I, I';
K, K, and K!, K, are the four columns to connect the resistance pieces to the
cylinders H, H respectively; L is the connecting rod for the cylinders and resistance
pieces; M is a vertical shaft, and N is a pinion for driving the tables F, F¹. The
arm D is for stirring the mixture in the hopper; 0, 0', are columns for supporting
the hopper; P, P', are inclines for discharging the blocks after pressing; Q is the
horizontal driving shaft; R is a pair of bevel wheels for transmitting motion from
the horizontal to the vertical shaft M; S is the slide valve box for containing the
valve, and T is an eccentric on the driving shaft for working the said valve; U, U¹,
are trunnions on the cylinders; V, V¹, are the steam pipes from the valve box to
the trunnions; W is the inlet steam pipe; X is the exhaust pipe; Y, the main
driving pulley; and Z, the sole plate supporting the entire machine.
The action of the press is as follows:-Each mould C as it comes in under the
hopper A is filled with the mixture through the opening B or B₁ by the action of
the arm D, and when it comes between the cylinder H and resistance piece G, the 3
slide valve S opens and allows the steam to enter the cylinder H or H', as the case
may be, thereby causing the piston I or I¹ to rise, which thus forces the loose
bottom E into the mould C, thus compressing the mixture contained in the mould
into a solid block. Immediately the piston rises, there is sufficient force exerted to
allow the mould table as it is moved by the pinion N to carry the cylinder H and 4
its resistance piece G a certain distance with it.
The cylinder H³ and resistance piece G₁ being connected to the cylinder H
and resistance piece G by means of the connecting rod L, the cylinder H¹ and
resistance piece G¹ are thereby brought into position for pressing, and so on alter-
nately so long as the tables F, F', are moving.
After the block is pressed it is forced out of the mould by the loose bottom E
travelling up the incline P as is well understood, and is then removed by the man
in attendance or by any suitable or well-known mechanical self-acting appliance.
From the foregoing description, it will be seen that for every revolution of the
main driving shaft the pistons and rods I, I, are caused to compress a mass of 5
mixture in a mould in the mould tables F, F, alternately.
I do not confine or restrict myself to the combination of two or any other number
of moveable compressing cylinders and moulding tables, and propose in some cases,
when found desirable, to use a single moveable compressing cylinder and moulding
table, in which case the back motion of the cylinder may be effected direct from the 5
main driving shaft. Neither do I confine myself to the coupling or connecting of
one cylinder and resistance piece with another, as shown in my Drawings (although

page_text: I prefer this arrangement) as it is obvious that each cylinder with its resistance
piece may be made to work in concert with the other alternately by mechanism
worked from the driving shaft itself.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
First. The application and use to and in machinery or apparatus for moulding
and compressing any materials or compounds employed in the manufacture of blocks
or slabs of artificial fuel, bricks, and other similar articles of one or more compressing
cylinders, with their plungers and resistance pieces caused to move through any
given distance along with the rotary moulding table or tables so soon as the pressure
is applied, and to be brought back again to their normal position either by
mechanism worked direct from the driving shaft or by having one cylinder and its
accessories coupled to another cylinder and its accessories, when arranged to operate
substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described, and illustrated by my
Drawings.
Second. Making the axis of the rotary moulding table the fixed centre of motion
of the said moveable cylinder and resistance piece, substantially as herein-before
described, and illustrated by my Drawings.
Third. The peculiar combination and arrangement of gearing for driving or
actuating two or more moulding tables simultaneously and continuously from one
pinion, substantially as herein-before described, and illustrated by my Drawings.
Fourth. The general combination and arrangement of parts constituting a
moulding and compressing machine when arranged to operate together, substantially
in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described, and illustrated by my
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Grant, junior, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
Witness,
EDWIN P. ALEXANDER,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
14, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane,
W.C.
THOS. GRANT, JUN³. (L.S.)