IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MOULDING, FORMING, AND COMPRESSING OF CLAY FOR THE MANDRAGENDE AD REIAS THEACTURE OF BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER EARTHENWARE
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Bradley and William Craven, of
Westgate Cominon Foundry, in Wakefield, in the County of
York, Engineers and Ironfounders, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MOULDING, FORMING, AND COMPRESSING OF CLAY FOR THE
MANDRAGENDE AD REIAS THE
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Bradley
and William Craven at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 1st July 1853.
Provisional Specification of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MOULDING, FORMING, AND COMPRESSING OF CLAY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER EARTHENWARE."
I, the undersigned, James Scott, of Lincoln's Inn Fields, London,
Gentleman, as the agent for and on behalf of Richard Bradley and
William Craven, the petitioners, for a grant of Letters Patent for the
Invention above described, do hereby, in pursuance of the statute
in that behalf, describe the nature of the said Invention to be as
follows:-

page_text: The said Invention consists of an improved machine for the making
of bricks. tiles, and earthenware, whereby not only greater accuracy in
the moulding and a more perfect compression of the clay are obtained,
but also a saving is effected in the cost of the manufacture.
The machine is thus constructed-A pug mill working with a
vertical shaft, and set in motion by a power communicated through
machinery of the ordinary kind, is placed over a horizontal circular
table connected with the shaft of the pug mill, and rotating with it.
In this table are certain envities or moulding cells. into which the
tempered clay supplied by the pug mill is forced as, by the revolution
of the table, they are successively brought under the orifice of the
pug mill.
At the base of the pug mill, and at the lower end of the shaft, certain
knives or blades are fixed and set. spirally, working immediately over
the face of the table, the netion of which as they revolve with the shaft
is to force the clay into the envities or cells of the table, and thereby
ellectually to fill them in their successive passage under the mill.
To these several cavities or cells pistons are fitted, to which rods are
attached, having friction wheels or studs at their lower extremities, and
working through guides affixed to the under surface of the table.
These rods, by means of the friction wheels or studs, as the table
revolves travel up an incline constructed upon a circular franic fixed
under and parallel to the table, and thereby raising the pistons, press
the clay in the moulding cells, the upward pressure thus communicated
being met and counteracted by a flat plate of metal covering the upper
orifice of the cell. and of sufficient strength to resist such upward
pressure. The angle of the machine may be altered at pleasure by
screws or other like means for adjusting it, so as to increase or diminish
the degree of compression according to the exigency.
The same piston rods in another stage of the rotation travel, by
means of the friction wheels or studs, up a second incline on the same
circular frame, and the said cavities or cells being removed by the
rotation of the table from under the flat plate on the upper surface
thereof, the aforesaid incline forces up the pistons, which thrust out the
moulded material from the cells, and so prepare them for the reception

page_text: of other material as they come in their turn to the pug mill. By these
several processes, whilst the table continues to rotate, the material is
forced into the moulding cells, which are thus completely filled, is
there compressed and perfectly moulded, and is thrust out when so
moulded.
A machine intended to produce the same effect was exhibited by the
petitioners at the Exhibition of the Industry of all Nations in 1851.
but this was found to be imperfect and ineffective, and the present ma-
chine is an improvement upon it. The portions of the present machine
which are entirely new, and did not exist in the exhibited machine, are
the spirally-set knives or blades at the bottom of the shaft, and the
contrivance above described for compressing the clay in the moulding
cells; the whole machine is consequently a new combination, better
adapted to and effectual for the purpose intended.
The inventors disclaim any novelty in the pug mill, or in the
machinery by which the vertical shaft is turned.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Richard Bradley and William Craven in the
Great Seal Patent Office, on the 24th December 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,
RICHARD BRADLEY and WILLIAM CRAVEN, both of Wakefield, in the
County of York, Ironfounders, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seventeenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Richard Bradley and William Craven, Her
special licence that we, the said Richard Bradley and William Craven,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Richard Bradley and William Craven, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,

page_text: should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MOULDING,
FORMING, AND COMPRESSING OF CLAY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS,
TILES, AND OTHER EARTHENWARE," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Richard Bradley and William Craven, by an instru-
ment in writing under our hands and scals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Richard Bradley and William
Craven, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexe (and in the several figures on which
Drawing similar parts are marked and referred to by similar letters or
figures), as follows, that is to say:
The improved method, which is the subject of our Invention. is as
follows: 1. A pug mill working with a vertical shaft, and set in motion
by a power communicated through machinery of the ordinary kind, is
placed over a horizontal circular table connected with the shaft of the
png mill, and rotating with it.
In this table are certain cavities or cells, into which moulds are in-
serted of any required form or size suitable thereto, into which the
tempered clay is supplied by the
פייין
mill.
Upon the shaft of the pug mill are knives or blades set at an angle,
which revolving with the shaft force down the clay in the cylinder of the
pug mill, tempering it in the passage.
At the base of the pug mill, and at the lower end of the shaft,
four other knives or blades are also set at a convenient angle, which
work immediately over the face of the table, and as they revolve with
the shaft force the clay into the moulds contained in the cavities or cells
of the table, and thereby effectually fill them in their successive passage
under the mill.

page_text: To the several moulds appropriate pistons are fitted with rods, having
rollers, castors, or studs at their lower extremities, and working through
guides affixed to the under surface of the table. These piston rods,
by means of the rollers, castors, or studs, as the table revolves travel
up an incline constructed upon and attached to the frame of the
machine, and thereby raising the pistons press the clay in the moulds:
The upward pressure thus communicated being met and counteracted
by a flat plate of metal covering the upper orifice of the cavity or mould,
and fixed to the framework of the machine, and of sufficient strength
to resist such upward pressure. The angle of the incline may be
altered at pleasure by screws or other like means for adjusting it,
so as to increase or diminish the degree of pressure, according to the
exigency.
The pressure having been thus effected, the pistons and rods, with,
their rollers, castors, or studs, descend, and, after proceeding for a short
distance on the level, again ascend up a second incline fixed to the
same frame; and the cavities or cells being now removed by the rotation
of the table from under the flat plate on the upper surface thereof, the
last-mentioned incline forces up the pistons, which thrust out the
moulded material from the moulds, and so prepare them for the
reception of other material as they return to the pug mill, the pistons
in the meantime descending by a downward incline to their original
position.
To prevent any exudation or deposit between the table and the pug
mill, whereby the action of the machine might be clogged, and the
dimensions of the moulded material altered, two or more rollers are
affixed to the frame of the pug mill, and support the table in its revo-
lution, and are adjustable by screws, and the effect of them is to keep
the face of the table close to the face of the pug mill.
By these several processes, whilst the table continues to rotate, the
material is forced into the moulds, which are thus completely filled,
and is there compressed and perfectly moulded, and is thrust out when
so moulded.
The machine as above described is represented in the annexed
Drawing, whereof,-
Figure 1, is a vertical section of the whole machine.

page_text: Figure 2, is a plan shewing the circular revolving table, with the
moulds fitted into the cells, and the base plate of the pug mill and
machinery.
3
Figure 8, is an end elevation shewing the inclines for raising the pistons.
Figure 4, is a plan shewing the table, with the forcing or filling 5
knives at the bottom of the pug mill shaft. The same letters indicate
corresponding parts in all the Figures.
(a) is the motive machinery adapted to steam or other power.
(b.) is the pug mill.
(c) is the pug mill shaft.
(d) are the knives or blades on the shaft of the pug mill.
(e) are the knives or blades place at a convenient angle, four in
number, working immediately over the face of the table, and forcing the
clay into the moulds.
(f) is the gear connecting the pug mill shaft with the shaft of the 1
revolving table.
(g) is the shaft of the table.
(h.) is the revolving table.
(1.) are the moulds fitted into the table.
(i) are the pistons fitted to the moulds.
() are the piston rods working through guides in the table, and
having rollers, castors, or studs at their extremities.
(.) is the incline first above mentioned for pressing the material in
the moulds.
() is the second incline above mentioned for foreing the moulded
material out of the moulds.
(m,) are adjusting screws to the first incline.
() is a descent in the incline to relieve the pressure before the
cell passes the edge of the plate (g).
(o) is a strong plate fitting close to the surface of the table to g
prevent the material being thrust ont of the cell by the action of the
first incline (k).
(7) is a scraper to clear the surface of the table.
(4.) is the frame placed underneath made of strong ironwork.
() are the rollers affixed to the frame of the pug mill for keeping g
the face of the table close to the face of the pug inill.
1
20

page_text: Having thus described the machine whereby the process is effected,
we would have it understood that we do not confine ourselves to any
definite number of the knives or blades indicated by the letter (d,) nor
to the precise number of four knives or blades indicated by the letter (e),
but we think that less than three would not be sufficient, and that
more than four would not be convenient.
Neither do we confine ourselves to the exact form or dimensions of
the several parts of the machine, as shown in the Drawing, nor to the
mode of working the machinery, as any of the ordinary modes of
applying motive power may be used for that purpose. Neither do we
confine ourselves to the inclined planes or inclines as the only means
of raising the pistons, inasmuch as the same result may be obtained,
though not, as we think, so conveniently, by means of eccentrics, levers,
or other like mechanical appliances.
And we do not claim as novel all the parts of the machine.
But we claim the improved method of moulding clay by the machine
above described as a whole, and we claim separately as new the knives
or blades at the base of the pug mill, the fitting of the cavities with
moulds, the raising of the pistons for pressing the clay in the moulds,
and the rollers fixed to the frame of the pug mill.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals,
this Twenty-second day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Signed, scale, and delivered
by the above-named Richard
Bradley and William Craven
in the presence of
RICHARD BRADLEY. (L.S.)
WILLIAM CRAVEN. (L.S.)
Tuo TAYLOR, Sol, Wakefield.
JOHN STOCKS, his clerk.