IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND TILES, AND IN THE MACHINERY' OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN.
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Franklin Prestage, of Broseley, in the County
of Salop, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND TILES, AND IN THE MACHINERY' OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN.
"3
Sealed the 3rd March 1876, and dated the 11th September 1875.

page_text: pugged, after which it is led into the improved apparatus to a part
which I denominate the arrester which further pugs.it, and regulates the
-supply-of-clay-to-the-finishing-pug-screw-and-die-machine-or-mill. _The_
arrester is a box containing on each side a rack formed of steam piping.
These racks although they do not move can be adjusted-to-any-angle,-so-
that the quantity of clay passed down to the mill can be regulated at
will. In the case of the arrester is a revolving hollow shaft also heated
by steam, and into which are fixed knives, which if desired may be made
tubular, so that they may be heated by steam; these knives work
between the fixed tubes or knives of the racks. The revolving hollow
shaft is placed in the centre of the case or box, and is made to revolve.
By this means the clay is pugged and heated, but is arrested and kept
back so that it can only pass down in regulated quantities. From the
arrester the clay falls into the ordinary horizontal pug, the screw in
which forces the clay out through the die which may be of the proper
section to produce the article required.
On the clay issuing from the die it is cut up into bricks or tiles by
means of any suitable machinery, and the bricks, tiles, slabs, or blocks
are pushed forward by the cutting .apparatus on to an endless perforated
travelling band of wire gauze or some such material. This band for the
intended purpose should be about 100 feet long and should travel the
100 feet in about an hour, so that it will hold one hour's supply of tiles
or other articles. This band may be enclosed in a covered trough and
wrought or cast iron steam pipes are to be fixed beneath the band in
order to keep the temperature up to about 100° Ft. From the end of
this band or gridiron the tiles or bricks are taken off and stacked if
desired on a much stronger travelling-band-of-the-same-length, but
which travels only, 10 feet an hour, so that it will contain one day's
supply of tiles. This band may also be covered in and heated by steam
pipes, and from the other end of the band the tiles or bricks are to be
taken off and passed through a press, after which they are delivered on
to endless bands of canvas and distributed to the hacks.
kilns.
The same bands of canvas may be used to carry them when dry to the
Or the slabs of clay may be taken direct from the mill or
gridiron and distributed to the hacks by endless bands, and travelling
steam presses may be worked on rails between the hacks for the purpose
of pressing the tiles when sufficiently dried.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Franklin Prestage in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 11th March 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANKLIN
PRESTAGE, of Broseley, in the County of Salop, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Franklin Prestage, Her special
licence, that I, the said Franklin Prestage, my exccutors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Franklin Prestage, my exe-
cutors, 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, 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 MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND TILES, AND IN THE
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Franklin Prestage, my executors or admini-
strators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, 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 Franklin Prestage, do hereby declare
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 Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :—
This Invention relates to the preparation of the clay for moulding
into bricks or tiles and after moulding to the drving or partial drving of

page_text: In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 is a longitudinal
sectional elevation of the, apparatus which I employ for preparing the
clay and for moulding the same into bricks or tiles; Fig. 2 is a plan
view of the same, the hopper for feeding in the clay and a portion of
the casing being removed to show the construction of the parts imme-
diately.below the hopper; and Fig. 3. is a sectional elevation. taken. .in
the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1.
The clay which I employ may be raised, ground, rolled, and tempered
in the ordinary way preparatory to its.admission to the hopper A; Fig. 1;
it may also, (for fine qualities of goods,) be once pugged before being
admitted to the hopper; this hopper A is situated immediately above and
opens into a chamber B, which I term the "arrester," where the clay is
detained while being subjected to pugging in the presence of dry heat,
and from which it is discharged at any desired rate into a horizontal
trough or channel C containing a propelling screw D. In the centre of
the arrester B and extending from end to end thereof, is a hollow shaft b
provided with hollow radial tines 6', which work between adjustable
tubular comb-shaped grids 62 set at opposite sides and extending from
end to end of the chamber. The hollow shaft 6 has its bearings in the
ends of the chamber B, and to it is keyed a spur wheel c which gears
(see Fig. 3) into the teeth of an intermediate wheel c' that is driven
by a pinion c on the main driving shaft E. The tubular grids 6ª are
carried by the ends of the chamber B and are capable of being set to
any required angle of inclination to regulate the amount of clay passing
down from the hopper. These grids 6 and also the hollow shaft bare
brought into connection with a steam pipe 63, whereby they are heated
and maintained at any desired temperature_for_the_purpose_of_heating_
the clay as it is being passed down under the action of the rotating
shaft b between the grids to the trough C. The shaft of the propelling
screw D carries a spur wheel & which gears into a pinion d' on the
driving shaft E which receives motion from a band and pulley E¹. The
trough C has a tubular extension C³, to the extremity of which is fitted
a removable die Cs the form of which will depend upon the nature of
the work in hand.
The die shown in the Drawing is intended for the manufacture of
tiles. The propelling screw D reaches to near the end of the tubular
extension C¹, and the length of its blades is proportioned to the diameter
of the part C¹, the object being that the screw shall run just free of the

page_text: tube. The tube O₁is made conical at both ends to allow of the free
passage of the clay from the trough to the tube, and to provide for a
slight accumulation of the clay at the discharge end thereof. The
discharge opening in the die tapers towards the exit, and this tapered
passage is lined with brass or other suitable sheet metal to allow of a
steam jacket being formed around the exit passage. A steam pipe 6*;
connects this jacket with the steam supply pipe 6³, and thus the heating
of the clay at the moulding point is secured.
The mouth of the die is fitted with cutting wires which will divide
the clay horizontally and vertically as it issues from the moulding
apparatus, and thus slabs of clay of any desired length may be delivered
on to a receiving table.
In Fig. 1 F represents a receiving table, and close adjoining.it is
placed a tile-cutting machine of well-known construction. The slabs as
they are pushed forward over the table F are received on to the bed of
rollers of this cutting machine, and by an intermittent action of the
cutting wire frame the requisite transverse cuts are given to the slabs to
convert them into tiles.
:
From the foregoing explanation it will be understood that when
motion is given to the driving shaft E the hollow shaft 6 of the arrester
will be caused to rotate and force its heated radial tines through the
clay lying upon the grids, thereby heating and dividing up the same,
and allowing it to descend past the grids to the trough C. These grids
(see Fig. 3) have one an upward and the other a downward inclination,
and by increasing their inclination a freer space will be provided for the
descent of the clay, whereas by diminishing their inclination the reverse
effect will be produced.
The clay as it falls into the trough C is carried forward to and pressed
through the moulding die in one continuous stream, which may be
intermittent if desired to suit the convenience of the attendants whose
duty it will be to divide up the moulded clay, as above mentioned, and
to transfer the bricks or tiles to the drying apparatus, which I will now
proceed to described.
In Sheet II. of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional
elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan view of my improved drying apparatus,
the middle portion being broken away to contract the length of the
Figures:

page_text: Apparatus employed therein," and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim,―
First. Subjecting the clay to dry heat both before and after it is
moulded, in the manner and by the means above set forth.
Secondly. The arrangement of automatic apparatus described with
reference to Sheet I. of the Drawings for moulding bricks and tiles.
In witness whereof, I, the said Franklin Prestage, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Eleventh day of February, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.