IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FUEL
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
MIDDLETON, of Loman Street, in the Borough of Southwark, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Fifth day of August, in the eighth year of Her reign, did
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Middleton, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Thomas Middleton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and
such others as I, the said Thomas Middleton, my executors, administrators,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark,
and Man, my Invention of certain "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FUEL;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso obliging me, the said Thomas Middleton, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, J, the sard
Thomas Middleton, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
My Improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of Artificial Fuel
consist of an improved machine by which the fuel is formed into blocks and
submitted to considerable pressure. As my Invention does not in any way
relate to the employment of any particular materials for the composition of the
fuel, I do not think it necessary to say more on this point than merely to
mention that my improved machinery is more particularly applicable when a
bituminous semi-fluid, such as pitch or tar, mixed with small coal or other
carbonaceous substance, is employed. I do not, however, intend to confine
its use to the manufacture of artificial fuel from these substances, as many
other compositions may be employed. My improved machine consists of a
horizontal wheel or circular mould plate, in or on which are formed or placed
a series of moulds or recesses, which are ranged radially round the upper part
of the wheel or plate, which is caused to revolve round its centre with an
alternating motion. The moulds are consecutively brought under a hopper
and filled with the mixture of ingredients of which the artificial fuel is com-
posed, and by the wheel or mould plate continuing to revolve they are also
brought consecutively under the pressing part of the machine, where the fuel
is properly compressed and formed into blocks, which are afterwards pushed
upwards out of the moulds and removed from the machine. The circular
mould plate rests upon a fixed circular plate or bed, in which one opening or
orifice, corresponding in size and position to the moulds, is formed, and when
a mould, with a brick or block therein, comes over this opening, a piston or
plunger rises up through the said opening in the bed plate, and pushes out the
block of fuel. The means whereby these several motions are effected will be
best understood by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Fig. 1
represents a plan or horizontal view of the machine complete, and as seen
from above, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. The wheel or circular
mould plate in or on which the moulds are formed is seen at a, a, a, a, and
a, a, is the circular bed plate on which the mould plate moves as before
mentioned, and b, b, is the main or driving shaft of the machine. This shaft
is mounted in bearings at c, c, and carries the fast and loose pullies or
drums d, d, and the fly wheel e. A small pinion f is also mounted on one
end of the shaft, and gears into and drives the large toothed wheel g, g, on the

page_text: crank shaft h, h, which is mounted in bearings on the upper end of the side
standards i, i. On the outer end of the shaft h one of a pair of mitro.
wheels j, j, is mounted. The corresponding wheel j is mounted at the upper
end of the vertical shaft k, which turns in bearings connected to the side
standards, and carries at its lower end a pair of cams land m, for the purpose.
of actuating that part of the machine which causes the rotation of the mould.
wheel or plate a, a, and which is effected in the following manner:-A vibrating
arm or lever n, n, having its centre of motion at o, is furnished at its outer end
with a pall or click, which takes into the ratchet teeth p, p, p, p, on the sile
of the revolving circular mould plate a, a. A rod or beam q, q, with a slotted
end, connects the arm or lever'n with the cams 7 and m on the vertical shaft k.
The slotted end of the rod q embraces the lower extremity of the shaft k, and
is also furnished with anti-friction rollers 1, r, which bear against the cams
and m; and as the vertical shaft k rotates, and carries the cams round with
it, the lower cam / forces out the rod q, and by that means draws forward the
vibrating arm or lever n,, thereby causing the circular mould plate to turn
round the distance of one mould. It then becomes necessary to push the arm.
or lever n back into its original position. This object is effected by the cam m,
which comes into contact with an anti-friction roller connected to the rod g,
and drives the latter back. The pressing operation is effected by means of
the toggle joint s, 5, to the lower end of which a plunger t, t, is attached. A
front elevation of this part of the machine is shewn at Fig. 3, some of the
parts, such as the mould plate a and circular bed plate a*, being shewn
in section. The plunger is made to descend perpendicularly by means of the
guides and guide bars u and u*, attached to or formed on the side standards.
A connecting rod w is at one end attached to the middle of the toggle joint,
and at the other end to the crank of the shaft h, and therefore as the crank
revolves it straightens the toggle joint, and causes the plunger to descend into
the mould and compress the fuel; then, when the plunger is raised out of the
mould, the circular mould plate is moved round one tooth, thereby bringing
another mould beneath the plunger. When the blocks of fuel have been
formed in the mould and properly compressed, they are forced out by means of
piston (see Fig. 2), which is actuated by the lever y. This lever is mounted
on a centre, as seen in the Drawing, and its other end is, by means of the rod,
connected to and worked by a part of the apparatus connected with the
plunger. It will now be seen that when the plunger descends and compresses
one block in a mould, and thereby depresses one end of the lever y, the other
and opposite end of this lever is raised and a block of fuel is thereby forced
out of one of the moulds, from which it is then removed by hand.
a
I

page_text: Having now described my Invention, and the manner of carrying the same,
into effect, I claim, as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent, the employment of a toggle. joint for the purpose
of compressing the fuel in the moulds, and also the arrangement or disposition-
of the several parts of the machine, whereby the various motions of the appa-
ratus are effected as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Middleton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord
housand sight hundred and Comter fin
Inrolled the same Fifth day of February, in the year above written.