IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DREADING CLAY FOR MID MAVI Razars
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Platt, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanical Engineer, and John Whitehead, of the same Place, Foreman,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
DREADING CLAY FOR MID MAVI Razars"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Platt and John'
Whitehead at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 25th October 1855.
We, the said JAMES PLATT and JOHN WHITEHEAD, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR PREPARING CLAY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS" to be as follows:
In our arrangement the clay conducted downward by rollers is, forced
against, an apparatus by which it is divided-into smaller parts;;: a certain form
we adopt for this purpose is a transverse. rail situate between the lower parts.
of.the said rollers and, constructed, with a zig-zag, or, corrugated edge, and by
which the clay therefore, becomes, divided or chopped up; as it, were,, into frag-
ments, the openings, allowing stones to pass; these openings we continue
downward so, as to conduct the-material on each side, and we also there, operate.
upon it by rollers armed with projecting teeth, which teeth at the same time
strip it from the rollers first mentioned. In order to enable the feed rollers
to gain a hold upon the clay, we propose adapting stampers or plungers for
forcing, it downward, and to which notion: máy be communicated by means of,

page_text: excentrics or otherwise. The broken-up. clay may now fall into a revolving
screen, which, according to our Invention; is constructed by placing a number
of rings at suitable distances apart, or by other arrangements by which the
openings are caused to extend in the direction of the circumference.
Within the screen we adapt a shaft, carrying a number of projecting teeth
revolving sufficiently near to the inward periphery to strip the material there-
from, and enable the broken-up pieces to pass through.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Platt and John Whitehead in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 25th April 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we,. JAMES
PLATT, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Mechanical Engineer, and
JOHN WHITEHEAD, of the same Place, Foreman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing. date the Twenty-fifth day of. October; in the year of our Lord:
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James Platt and John. Whitehead, Her especial license that we, the said.
James Platt and, John Whitehead, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said James Platt and John Whitehead, our, execu-
tors, 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 MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR PREPARING CLAY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS," upon the condition,
amongst others, that we, the said James Platt and John Whitehead, or one
of us, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us, 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 James Platt, do hereby declare the
nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be 'per

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to, say) :-: .
The objects of our Invention are to divide "crude" or untempered clay,
into small particles, and to separate stones or other hard materials therefrom.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a vertical section of one portion of
the apparatus; Fig. 2, asimilar. view of another portion thereof;. Figs. 3.
and 4, detached views of one part of Fig. 1. Within a hopper a are placed
two rollers b, above which a series of stampers, one of, which is shewn at
c, are mounted in guides d, in which they are caused to move upward.and
downward by a crank 6, the pin of, which works within a transverse slot.
Between the lower. portions of the rollers b, and extending from side to
side of the hopper, is a division bar f,. the sides of which extend downward
corresponding to the peripheries of the rollers, b. The upper edge of the
bar f is of a corrugated form, as, seen in the detached plan view, Fig. 3, by,
which means openings or channels are formed, leading alternately to the one
side and to, the other.. At 9 are two toothed rollers, the points of which
run nearly in contact, with the peripheries. of the rollers, b.. The clay..
to be prepared is fed at the upper parts of the rollers 6 by any ordinary
ö
means, and is by them conveyed downward on to the division bar f; here it
becomes severed into portions, which are forced through the spaces formed by
the corrugations, one portion passing in one direction, and the remainder in the
other; as the rollers b, to effect this, travel in the direction of the arrows,
the toothed rollers g effect a scraping off of the material, and break it up into
still smaller particles, which then fall through an orifice h. During these
operations the stampers c will be caused to move upward and downward at
intervals so as to assist the rollers b in gaining a hold upon the material.
The several parts are caused to revolve by wheels, denoted by the red lines;
but the driving may be effected in any convenient manner. Fig. 4 shews
another form which may be employed for the dividing bar f, but it may be.
otherwise constructed, and will answer the same purpose partially if it consist
of a simple straight edge. The divided clay passing through the orifice h, may
be conducted direct to the moulds of any ordinary brick-making machine, or it
may fall into a revolving screen for effecting a separation of particles. Fig. 2.
shews our method of constructing an apparatus for this purpose. k, k, are two
rings, between which are placed a series of bars 1, so as to constitute a circular
grid with annular spaces, and the whole is bound together in cylindrical form
by means of rods or bolts; the rings kfare provided with grooves m, within
which are situate rollers n mounted upon a shaft o, and there are also other
rollers at different parts of the circumference, but which are not seen in the

page_text: Drawing; by these rollers, therefore, the cylindrical grid or screen is carried,
and it is prevented from bearing against the sides thereof by means of rollers,
one' of which is shewn at p. Upon the shaft o are pinions 7, taking into 'racks
formed upon the rings by which means the screen is caused to revolve.
The clay from the aperture h, or from any other source, falls into a hopper r
and from thence into the screen, which as it revolves causes the smaller
particles to pass through the spaces formed by the bars 7, the stones and larger
pieces being delivered at the end. A:
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention; and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, 'I desire it to be understood
that we claim 'as secured to "us under the above in part recited Letters
Patent,
Firstly, the use of the division bar or plate as illustrated at f, Fig. 1,
whether such bar or plate be corrugated or of other form:
Secondly, the revolving toothed rollers g.
"Thirdly, constructing 'screens 'for the purpose aforesaid, so that the openings
are concentric with the circle through which the said screen moves.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Platt, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.