IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles John Carr, of Belper, in the County
of Derby, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Sealed the 22nd December 1852, and dated the 1st October. 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles John Carr
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 1st October 1852.
I, CHARLES JOHN CARR, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS AND
OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES" to be as follows:-
This Invention of improvements in machinery for making bricks and
other similar articles consists of an improved machine for making or
forming bricks from clay or other materials; and the Invention con-
sists principally of a drum or wheel mounted in horizontal bearings,
and furnished round its periphery with one or more series of moulds,
consisting of any convenient even number. On the shaft or axle of
this drum is fixed a ratchet toothed wheel, which may be moved round
or actuated at stated times by means of an arm or lever furnished
with a pall or click, and is connected to a crank or excentric on the

page_text: counter shaft. The clay or material of which the bricks are to be
made is placed in a pug or clay mill immediately above the mould
wheel, and the clay is by the action of the knives in the pug mill, or
of rollers in the clay mill, brought down to an opening and delivered
into one of the moulds of the wheel. A piston connected by a link
to one end of a vibrating lever (the opposite end of which com-
municates by a rod with a crank on the counter shaft) is mounted
immediately above the topmost mould of the mould drum, and this
piston is moved up and down by the action of the vibrating lever.
The edge of the piston works against a fixed plate, which stands
vertically above one side of the mould. Each of these several moulds
is furnished with a moveable piston within it, which forms the bottom
of the mould.
In order to explain the operation of the machine I have shewn, in
the accompanying Drawing a diagram representing the position of the
principal moving parts. In Fig. 1, a, a, represents the rotating
drum or cylinder on which the peripheries of the moulds, b, are
placed. Each of these moulds is furnished with a piston c, and the
clay or material to be moulded is placed in a pug or clay mill d, and
conveyed down the channel e, to the entrance of the mould. A piston f
connected by a link to one end of the vibrating lever g, is by the
motion of this latter brought down, and made to force the clay into
the mould, which remains stationary during this operation. While the
piston f, is forcing the clay into the topmost mould to form a brick,
the brick in the lowermost mould (which is exactly opposite to the one
under operation) is being forced out by a pendent arm h, (connected
at one end to the vibrating lever g) being made to press down the
'mould piston e, and cause the brick to fall out on to an endless travel-
ling belt i, i, whereby the bricks are convoyed away as they are made.
When a brick has been made in one mould, and another brick has
been forced out of the opposite mould, the piston f, and pendent arm h,
rise, and then the drum or cylinder a, a, is moved round the proper
distance to bring another empty mould under the piston f. This is
effected by means of the lever j, which, by being connected to the
excentric, on the main shaft, will at every revolution of the excen-

page_text: tric push round the ratchet wheel I, on the axle of the drum a, and as
this latter moves round the moulds pass under the fixed plate m,
(against which the piston f, works,) and any superfluous clay in the
mould will be cut off. Each of the mould pistons are furnished with
studs and antifriction rollers, which, when the mould is emptied, are by
the rotation of the drum brought against a curved inclined bar or rail n,
and by this means the pistons are drawn back into their original posi-
tion ready to receive another charge. Of course it will be understood
that the motions of all the parts must be timed so as to come into
operation at the right moment and at the proper speed. Two or more
drums with moulds may be mounted on the same shaft, and have their
proper parts. adapted thereto, so that at every rotation of the main shaft
two or more bricks may be simultaneously made.
The Drawings I have given are intended merely as diagrams to
illustrate the principle upon which the machine is proposed to be con-
structed, and not as any definite arrangement of the parts, which are
susceptible of considerable modification, according to the precise pur-
pose to which the machine is intended to be applied.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles John Carr in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st of April 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
CHARLES JOHN CARR, of Belper, in the County of Derby, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the First day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the sixteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Charles John Carr, Her especial licence
that I, the said Charles John Carr, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as T, the said Charles John Carr, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no

page_text: others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, 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
MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," upon the
.co Edition. (amongst others) that I; the said Charles John Carr, by an
in trument in writing under my hand and seal; 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles John Carr, do hereby de-
clare the nature of my 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 Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the, letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say)
My Invention of'improvements in machinery for making bricks and
other similar articles relates to an improved arrangement or construction
of machinery whereby. these articles may be made with great facility,
and of good quality, without the necessity of employing hand labor,
except to dig the clay, feed the same to the machine, and to stack the
bricks when made. In carrying out my Invention I have sometimes
found it necessary to vary the arrangement of the parts of my im-
proved machinery according to the peculiar nature of the clay or other
substance intended to be operated on, or the description of brick or
other article intended to be made. The improved machines under
all their modifications consist principally of a drum or wheel mounted
in horizontal bearings, and furnished round its periphery with one or
more series of moulds of any convenient & even number. On the
shaft or axle of this drum is fixed a ratchet toothed wheel, which
may be moved round or actuated at stated times by means of an
arm or lever furnished with a pall or click, and is connected to a crank
or excentric on the counter shaft. I have also adapted this mould

page_text: wheel to a machine, in which it is made to rotate with a regular speed.
instead of with an interimittent motion. These several and other modi-
fications will, however, be best understood by referring, to the accom-
panying Drawings, in which Fig. 1, is a vertical section of one arrange.
ment of the machine. The clay or material of which the bricks are to.
be made is placed in a pug mill immediately above the mould wheel,
and the clay is by the action of the knives in the 'pug 'mill brought
down to an opening, and delivered or forced into one or more of the
moulds of the wheel. A piston connected by a link to one end of a
vibrating lever (the opposite end of which communicates by a rod with
a crank on the counter shaft) is mounted immediately above the top-
most mould of the mould druin, and this piston is moved up and downi
by the action of the vibrating lever. The edge of this piston works.
against a fixed plate which stands vertically above one side of the
mould; each of these several moulds is furnished with a moveable piston
within it, which forms the bottom of the mould.
In order to explain the operation of the machine I have shewn in the
accompanying Drawing several views. representing the position of the
principal moving parts. Fig. 1, is a sectional view of a machine con-
structed according to my improvements. Figure 2, is a plan view
thereby, as seen from above. a, a, Fig. 1, represents the rotating drum
or cylinder, or mould wheel, on the periphery of which the moulds b, b,
are placed, as shewn by dots in the Drawing. Each of these moulds is
furnished with a piston c, and the clay or material to be moulded is
placed in a pug mill d, which is shewn detached in elevation at Fig. 3,
and is conveyed down the channel e, (shewn by dots in Fig. 1,) to the
entrance of the mould. A piston f, connected by a link to one end of
the vibrating lever g, is by the motion of this latter brought down and
made to force the clay into the mould or moulds, which remain station-
ary during the operation. While the piston f, is forcing the clay into
the topmost mould to form a brick, the brick in the lowermost mould
is being forced out by a pendent arm h, (connected at one end to th
vibrating lever g,) which arm h, is made to press down the mould
piston c, of the lowerinost moulds, and cause the bricks to fall out on to

page_text: an endless travelling belt i, i, whereby the bricks are conveyed away
as they are deposited thereon; when a brick has been made in one
mould, and another brick has been forced out of the opposite mould,
the piston f, and pendent arm h, rise, and then the drum or cylinder
a, a, is moved round the proper distance to bring another empty mould
or set of moulds under the piston f. This is effected by means of the
pawle j, which, by being connected to the disc k, on the counter
shaft Y, will at every revolution of the said shaft push round the ratchet
wheel, on the axle of the drum a, and as this latter moves round the
moulds pass under the fixed plate m, (against which the piston f,
works,) and any superfluous clay in the mould will thereby be cut off..
Each of the mould pistons are furnished with studs and anti-friction
rollers, which, when the mould has been emptied by the means first
described, are by the rotation of the inould drum brought against a
curved inclined bar or rail n, n, and by this means the pistons are
drawn back into their original position ready to receive another charge
of clay if thought desirable. In some cases this curved inclined bar or
rail n, may be dispensed with, but when such is the case the pistons
will not be forced down in the moulds until they come under the pas-
sage e, when they will be pushed down by the clay. Of course it will
. be understood that the motions of all the parts must be timed so as to
come into operation at the right moment, and also to work at the
proper speed. Two or more drums with moulds may be mounted on
the same shaft, and have their proper parts adapted thereto, so that
at every rotation of the main shaft two or more bricks may be simul-
taneously made. As the operation of the various parts of this machine
are very similar to those of the modification shewn in Figures 4, 5,
and 6, hereafter described, I will not now enter into any more minute
explanation of those parts which are common to both machines, merely
observing that as the same description will equally apply in both cases
the same letters of reference are marked on corresponding parts in all
the Figures. Fig. 4, is a vertical section, Fig. 5, is a front elevation,
and Fig. 6, an end view, and Fig. 7, a partial back view of the modifi-
cation above referred to, the principal difference being the substitution

page_text: of two or more pairs of rollers for working, delivering, and forcing clay
into the moulds, instead of merely pugging it into the moulds, as shewn
in Figures 1, 2, and 3. a, a, is the main shaft of the machine, which
is intended to be driven by steam power. b, b, is a pinion mounted on
this shaft for driving two pair of clay rollers c, c, and d, d, and a pair
of pugging rollers e, e, (which are shewn detached and in plan at
Fig. 8,) by means of the toothed wheels f, g, and h, as will be clearly
understood by referring to the Drawings. i, i, are two pairs of scrapers
or doctors for clearing the clay rollers from any clay that may adhere
thereto. A similar pair of scrapers must be adapted to the pugging
rollres e, e, and the edges of these scrapers must be made to fit the
teeth or indentations of the pugging rollers. These scrapers or doctors
are adjustable by means of screws, as shewn in the Drawings. *, *,
is the hopper, into which the raw clay is fed from the clay pit by
webbing, endless cloth, or other convenient means extending from
the clay pit to the hopper. The clay passes from the hopper between
the first pair of clay rollers c, c, where it is partially crushed, and
from thence it descends between the pair of grooved pugging rollers
e, e, shewn detached at Fig. 8. By forcing the clay between these
grooved rollers it becomes divided up and delivered to the next pair
or into the channel e, direct, in the form of a thin corrugated sheet,
so that by this means when the clay is compressed or consolidated.
it will become thoroughly niixed or pugged. These rollers may some-
times be dispensed with, and for some kinds of clay I find that if
the clay rollers d, d, are grooved in a similar manner to the pugging
rollers e, e, one pair of rollers will be sufficient for crushing the clay,
pugging it, and forcing it into the moulds. The clay passes from
the pugging rollers e, e, between a second pair of crushing 'rollers d, d,
which should be set much closer together than the first set, and
the clay is by these rollers d, d, forced down the vertical channel e*,
into one or more moulds 1, 1, which are arranged radially round the
mould wheel m, m, m. These moulds have a fixed bottom, and are also
furnished with a false bottom or piston n, n, which is fixed on one end
of the rods o, o, which pass through holes made in the fixed bottoms of

page_text: the moulds: The opposite ends of the rods o, are provided, with anti-
friction rollers p... When the mould or moulds immediately below the
channel have received their supply of clay, the mould wheel is
made to rotate by means of gearing hereafter, described, and the clay
contained therein is thereby cut off from the upper stratum of clay
contained in the channel e. A fresh pair of moulds is by the same
action brought under the channel e*, to receive a supply of clay, and
the former pair passes, under the curved plate q, to a pressing roller. 7,
which being made by the force of a strong spring, as shewn in the
Drawing, to bear on the surface of the clay in the mould, will press
down and consolidate the clay therein, and force it into all the vacant
or unfilled spaces of the mould. In Fig. 1, I have shewn 'at q*, a
modification of the curved plate q. In Fig. 1, the plate q, instead of
being fixed, as in Fig. 4, is jointed, and is kept in contact with the
mould wheel by a strong spring. The pressing roller 7, runs on the
edge of the end plates of the mould wheel, which at the ends of the
moulds are filed down flat, so as to allow the roller r, to press on the
clay in the mould. By the onward progress of the mould wheel the first
pair of moulds will then be brought under a scraper s, which will remove
any superfluous clay therefrom, and make the surface of the brick
level. It will be understood that the mould wheel m, moves periodi-
cally, being stationary while the moulds are being filled and emptied;
and as the mould wheel m, from time to time moves onward, the full
moulds are in turn brought to the under side, as. at 1, when one end
of a pair of levers t, is made to descend and force down the friction
roller p, at the end of the rod o, of the piston n, and thereby push.out
from the mould the newly formed brick, which will be deposited on the
endless cloth or web u. When the clay to be operated upon is. very
adhesive I perforate the pistons n, all over with small holes, and cover.
the surface, thereof. with flannel, cloth, or other porous material, which
will prevent the clay from sticking to the bottom of the piston.
In order further to facilitate the delivery of the brick from. the
mould a plate. or board t*, (Figures 1, and 6,) attached to a rod t¹
worked by a cam u*, is made to act against and push forward the brick

page_text: so as to detach it from the piston n, of the mould, and allow it to drop
on to the endless cloth u. It will be seen that the surface of the piston
n, is made to project slightly from the edge of the mould, and by so
doing every piston in its turn is brought under the action of a rotating
brush v, whereby it will be cleared, and any clay that may have ad-
hered thereto will be removed therefrom. The pistons n, will remain
elevated until the moulds come again under the channel, when the
pistons will be forced down by the clay being pressed into the moulds,
as before. The intermittent or periodical action of the mould wheel is
effected by the pall or lever j, (Figures 1, and 6,) which is jointed to
a disc k, on the end of the shaft y; the joint pin of the lever is fixed
in a block y", which is inserted in a dove-tailed groove w, made in the
circular plate or disc k, and is secured by a screw and nut in such a
manner that it may be adjusted therein at any point according to the
desired length of stroke, or to compensate for wear in the bearings or
working parts of the machine. The end of this pall or lever j, takes
into the notches or teeth of the ratchet wheel, which is secured on to
the same shaft as the mould wheel m. The circular plate or disc k, is
fixed on a horizontal shaft y, which is driven by a toothed wheel on the
axle of one of the clay rollers d, being made to gear in and drive a
similar wheel on the said shaft y. By the rotation, of the circular plate
the pall, will thus be driven forward, and cause the mould wheel m,
to rotate so far as to bring another mould or moulds under the channel
e, as before described. I would observe that I-find it convenient to
attach or connect the lever to the circular plate k, by means of the
moveable or adjustable block y*, as shewn in the Drawing, as in the
event of any hard substance getting into the moulds from the channel
e, by accident or otherwise,, the block y*, will be forced back in the
dove-tailed groove w, and the machine may be then stopped, and the
hard or extraneous substance removed therefrom, without any serious
derangement of the machinery having been occasioned thereby. The
speed of the mould wheel m, and consequently the number of bricks
made in a given time; will depend upon the relative diameters of the
toothed wheels which actuate the shaft y, as above described; and as

page_text: these wheels are merely keyed on their respective shafts, it will be seen
that the speed of the mould wheel can be changed, when required, by
merely altering the relative diameters of the two wheels on the shafts
of the clay roller d, and the shaft y. It will now be understood that
while the clay rollers can be driven at one speed suitable for crushing,
working, and delivering the clay, the mould wheel m, can be driven at
different speeds, according to the number and quality of bricks required
to be produced within a given time. It has been said that the bricks
when made are forced out of the moulds by the levers t, t; these levers
are connected by a rod z', to an excentric 1, on the shaft y, of the cir-
cular plate k. The endless web u, on to which the bricks are depo-
sited from the moulds, is actuated by a system of bevel gearing 2, 2, 2, 2,
(as seen best in Figures 1, and 6.) which is driven by a toothed
wheel 3, on the axle of which is mounted a ratchet wheel 4, which is
actuated intermittently by a pall lever 5, attached to another excentric 6,
on the shaft y.
Fig. 9, is a detached sectional view of part of a mould wheel fitted
with a number of moulds for making hollow bricks. For this purpose
any convenient number of core pins 7, 7, of any suitable form, are
fixed into the bottom of the moulds 1, and pass through holes made
in the pistons n, n; the ends of these core pins 7, 7, may be made
either to come flush with the top of the moulds, as shewn at 1, in
which event they will form holes entirely through the bricks, or
they may be made somewhat shorter, as shewn at *, when the bricks
will be made solid on one side. It will be evident that if a mould
wheel with two or more sets of moulds is employed each of these sets
of moulds may be made to produce bricks of different characters, or
articles of different kinds or shapes, and they may be so arranged that
either set may be used, leaving the others inoperative. Of course when
only one set of moulds is intended to be used, the hopper c*, and
channel, must be divided off so as to conduct the clay only to that
set of moulds which is to be employed.
Fig. 10, is an end elevation of a machine in which the mould drum
is made (by a train of gearing shewn in red lines) to rotate con-

page_text: tinuously, instead of with an intermitten motion, as in the Figures
above described.
Having now set forth my Invention of improvements in machinery
for making bricks and other similar articles, I would observe that
although I have described the best means with which I am at present
acquainted for carrying out my improvements, I do not mean or intend
to confine myself rigidly to the precise arrangement or construction of
parts herein shewn and described, as they may doubtless be varied
without departing from the nature and object of my Invention; nor do
I intend to claim exclusively making and pressing bricks in moulds
ranged round a rotating circular plate or wheel, as I am aware that
machines of such a character have been heretofore made for similar
purposes. But that which I consider to be new, and therefore wish to
claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,
is, First, the combination of a vertical mould wheel with a feeding
apparatus for supplying the mould with clay. Second, I claim the
adaptation to the mould wheel of the pressing roller 7, for the purpose
of compressing or consolidating the bricks made in the moulds. I
claim also the use of the curved plate q, and 7, and also the use of
the grooved mixing or pugging rollers e, e, in whatever position they
may be placed in the machine. Third, I claim the method above
shewn and described of making hollow bricks. Fourth, I claim
actuating the mould wheel by means of a pawle or lever j.. or any
equivalent contrivance attached to the disc or circular plate k, by joint-
ing it to a block y", which may be secured in any convenient manner
at any point along the dove-tailed groove of the disc or circular plate k,
so as to admit of the said block being forced back in the groove when
any undue strain is put upon the machine. I also claim actuating the
shaft y, by means of toothed wheels or gearing connected with the shaft
of one of the clay or pugging rollers, so that by merely changing
the said toothed wheels so as to alter their relative diameters the speed
of the mould wheel m, and consequently-the amount and quality of the
work performed by the machine, may be regulated at pleasure. Fifth,
I claim the method above shewn and described for pushing out or

page_text: delivering the bricks from the moulds: I also.claim the use of per-
forated pistons covered with some porous material for the purpose of
preventing the brick from sticking. or adhering to the piston, and also
the use of the mechanical contrivance shewn at *, Figures 1, and 6,
or any mere modification thereof, for detaching the bricks from the
pistons after they have been forced out of the moulds..
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles John Carr, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
CHARLES JOHN CARR. (L.S.)
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane,
London.