IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS, TILES, AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1862

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Thomson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 19th June
1862.
I, WILLIAM THOMSON, of the Thorney Gas and Water Works, Thorney,
near Peterborough, in the County of Cambridge, do hereby declare the nature
of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS, TILES,
AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for making
bricks, tiles, and other articles. For these purposes a pug mill is mounted in
the centre of a base plate, and provision is made for the delivery of two streams
of clay or brick earth through two openings at the opposite sides of the pug
mill. The two streams of clay are received on to two sets of rollers, and are
by them supported to two pairs. of pressing rollers from between each pair of
which the clay or brick earth is forced through a suitable die in front of the
rollers, and the stream of clay or brick earth thus moulded is cut by a suitable
cutting wire or wires, as is well understood. Motion is transmitted from a
steam engine or other power to the axis of the pug mill and to the axes of the
two pairs of pressing rollers in the following manner.:-On the driving shaft,
which turns in suitable bearings under the bed plate, is fixed a drum or pulley
to receive the driving band of the steam engine or other power. On the other
end of the driving shaft is fixed a pinion, which gears into and drives a cog
wheel on another shaft which is parallel to the driving shaft, and passes under

page_text: the centre of the bottom of the pug mill. The pug mill shaft or axis passes
through the bottom of the pug mill, and has fixed on it a bevilled toothed
wheel, which gears into and is driven by a bevilled pinion fixed on the shaft
which is below the bottom of the pug mill; and on the same shaft are two
chain wheels, which give motion to two endless chains, one of which gives
motion to a chain wheel fixed on the axis of the upper pressing roller of one
pair, and the other endless chain gives motion to a chain wheel fixed on the
axis of the lower pressing roller. of the other pair, by which means and by the
axes of the pressing rollers of each pair being geared together, the two pairs of
pressing rollers are caused to turn in the proper direction for receiving their
respective streams of clay or brick earth, and forcing the same through their
respective dies. The dies used in this machine may be of the ordinary con-
struction; but when making bricks or other articles where it is desired to
produce true edges at right angles to the top and bottom surfaces of the
streams of clay as they pass out of the dies, I prefer to form the interior of the
dies of a rectangular section both at their entrance and at their delivery end;
but the top and bottom surfaces which connect the two ends of the die are
each formed of a convex curve in both directions, whilst the two end surfaces
are simply inclined but slightly curved outwards or proud in the middle of
the cross section.
In raising clay or brick earth from one level to another in order to supply
a pug mill or otherwise, rails are laid on a suitable incline, and the upper ends
of the rails are bent upwards, so as to form stops to the fore wheels of the
truck, and the body of the truck is hinged to the fore end of the frame or
carriage, so as to be capable of being tipped when it comes to the upper part
of the incline. The end of the wire or other rope, band, or chain used for
raising the truck, is fastened to the back end of the body of the truck, so that
when the fore wheels of the carriage of the truck are stopped at the upper end
of the incline, the continued movement of the rope, chain, or band causes the
body of the truck to be tipped forward, so as to discharge its load. The body
of the truck then strikes a lever which is connected to or arranged to act on a
clutch, by which the pulley or drum by which the trope, band, or chain is
driven is disconnected from its shaft, and the truck remains stationary till the
workman by a suitable hand lever or otherwise causes the pulley or drum
to be connected with its shaft or axis, when the truck will be lowered down
the incline. In order to prevent the body of the truck being tipped on the
incline, in case of any impediment before it reaches the top, provision is
made for retaining the truck to its carriage till it arrives at the top, when the
friction or other stop used for fixing the body of the truck to its frame or

page_text: carriage is, by coming against a fixed projection on the incline, moved out of
action, so as to admit the body to be tilted. In order to insure the body of
the truck assuming its proper position on its frame or carriage immediately the
rope, chain, or band is slacked, a raised projection is fixed at the upper end of
the incline, over which the fore end of the body of the truck passes when it is
tipped, the upper edge of the projection being inclined, so that the highest part
of the projection is next the truck, hence the truck cannot descend till the
fore end of the body is raised by the upper edge of the projection.