CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING, BRICKS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING, BRICKS."
-A communication from abroad by Egbert Cox Bradford and James
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th August 1865.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING
BRICKS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to that class of brick-making machines in which the
clay is tempered by a series of knives secured in a revolving shaft, and the
clay is afterwards discharged on a grate which forms the bottom of a box in
which the plunger moves. By the action of the plunger the clay is forced
through the grate into the moulds, which are fed to the machine through a
lateral opening, and are brought under the grate by the action of a pusher
working on a roller platform.

page_text: The Invention consists in a peculiar mechanism for operating the plunger
and the gate, which cuts off or opens communication between the box for
tempering the clay and the press box, whereby very little friction is occasioned
and provision is afforded for conveniently regulating the movement of the
plunger according to the thickness of the bricks to be made. The press box
is provided with a slide, through which stones and other extraneous matters
'can be discharged from the press box at any moment, and the pusher which
serves to bring the moulds under the grate is operated either by power or by
a hand lever through the agency of a rock shaft furnished with toothed sectors
gearing with racks on the pusher.
The clay is placed in a box made of wood or any other suitable material,
and of any suitable size and shape. Through the centre of this box ex-
tends a vertical shaft, to which a rotary motion is imparted. This shaft
is provided with a series of arms or knives, which serve to mix or temper the
clay. Curved scoops are also inserted in the lower end of the shaft to force
the tempered clay out into the press box. The bottom of this press box
is formed by a grate, the bars of which are at the same distance apart as
the partitions of the moulds.
A plunger which is fitted in the press box forces the clay through the
spaces between the grate bars into the moulds, which rest upon a roller plat-
form. A horizontal pusher carries the moulds under the grate, and is
"operated by a lever that is secured to one end of a rock shaft. To this rock
shaft are firmly secured two toothed sectors which gear with racks on the
bottom of the pusher.
The operation may be effected by hand, but it is preferable to have it.
effected automatically, and for this purpose the lever has connected with it a
rod, having a hook at the upper end, by which to attach it to the wrist pin of
a crank. The plunger is suspended from the lower end of a toothed rack, to
which motion is imparted by a cog wheel or toothed segment, and the com-
munication between the clay box and the press box is opened and closed by a
gate, which is suspended from the lower end of a toothed rack, to which
motion is imparted by one of the cog wheels or toothed segments. One of the
toothed segments is mounted and turns loosely on a stationary axle, motion
being imparted to it by a slotted arm or lever.
An oscillating motion is imparted to the lever by the crank, the pin of which
passes through the slot in the lever, and the motion of the lever is transmitted
'to the toothed segment by means of two pins inserted into the segment on
either side of the lever. In order to regulate the motion of the segment,, the
pins are placed at such a distance apart that the lever itself will not come in

page_text: contact with them in either direction; but a tapering slide is secured to the
lever by means of a set screw, and it is provided with a slot, so that it can be
moved up or down and adjusted in any desired position.
The cog wheel or segment which imparts motion to the gate has its bearing
on a pin secured in the side of the mixing box, and it is rigidly connected to a
slotted arm or lever, the slot of which receives the crank pin of the crank the
same as the slot in the other lever. The second lever is not adjustable, and
the stroke of the gate remains unchanged, no matter what the size of the
bricks to be produced. The crank is mounted on the end of a shaft, and
motion is imparted to it from the central shaft by bevil gearing. By the
action of the crank pin on the slotted levers, the motion of the central shaft
is transmitted to the gate and plunger with the least possible loss by friction.
Another crank is secured to a horizontal shaft, which is arranged at right
angles to the main shaft, and is furnished with a bevil wheel, and gearing with
the main bevil wheel on the central shaft, so that the shafts and cranks make
the same revolutions.
The moulds are introduced into the machine through an opening in one
side of the box into a chamber just large enough to receive them, situated
behind the press box, which is provided with a gate in front, which can be
opened or closed by means of a hand lever. By means of this gate, stones or
other impurities which may find their way into the press box can be removed
without stopping the motion of the press,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th February 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all

page_text: 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
45 CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS," being a com-
munication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said William Edward Newton, my executors or administrators; 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)
r
This Invention relates to that class of brick-making machines in which the
clay is tempered by a series of knives secured in a revolving shaft, and the clay is
afterwards discharged on a grate, which forms the bottom of the box in which
the plunger moves. By the action of the plunger the clay is forced through the
grate into the moulds, which are fed to the machine through a lateral opening,
and are brought under the grate by the action of a pusher working on a roller
platform.
The Invention consists in a peculiar mechanism for operating the plunger
and the gate which cuts off or opens a communication between the box for
tempering the clay and the press box, whereby very little friction is occasioned,
and provision is afforded for conveniently regulating the movement of the
plunger according to the thickness of the bricks to be made. The press box is
provided with a slide through which stones and other extraneous matters can
be discharged from the press box at any moment, and the pusher which serves
to bring the moulds under the grate is operated either by power or by a hand
lever through the agency of a rock shaft furnished with toothed sectors gearing
with racks on the pusher.
i
Fig. 1 in the accompanying Drawing represents a front elevation of a brick
machine with the improvements adapted thereto; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal
vertical section of the same in the line x, x, of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a horizontal
section of the machine in the line y, y, in Figures 1 and 2.
The clay is placed in a box A, made of wood or any other suitable material,
and of any suitable size and shape. Through the centre of this box extends a

page_text: vertical shaft B, to which a rotary motion is imparted by a suitable lever, and
by horse or any other desirable power. This shaft is provided with a series
of arms or knives a, which serve to mix or temper the clay; curved scoops b
are also inserted in the lower end of the shaft to force the tempered clay out
into the press box C.. The bottom of this press box is formed by a grate c;
the bars of which are at the same distance apart as the partitions of the
moulds.
A plunger d, which is fitted in the press box, forces the clay through the.
spaces between the grate bars into the moulds, which are made of wood or any
other suitable material, and they rest upon a roller platform D, Fig. 2. The
pusher E carries the moulds V, V, under the grate, and is operated by a lever
F that is secured to one end of a rock shaft e, and to this rock shaft are firmly
secured two toothed sectors f.f, which gear with racks 9, 9, on the bottom of
the pusher.
The operation may be effected by applying the hands to the lever F, but it
is preferable to have it effected automatically, and for this purpose the lever F
has connected with it a rod g', having a hook g at the upper end by which to
attach it to the wrist pint of a crank s, which will be herein-after referred to.
The plunger d is suspended from the lower end of a toothed rack h, to which
motion is imparted by a cog wheel or toothed segment i, and the communi-
cation between the clay box A, and the press box is opened and closed by a
gate j, which is suspended from the lower end of a toothed rack k, and to
which motion is imparted by a cog wheel or toothed segment 7. The cog
wheel i is mounted and turns loosely on a stationary axle i, motion being
imparted to it by means of a slotted arm or lever 1, which also turns loosely
on the axle or pin i¹; an oscillating motion is imparted to the lever by the
crank F1, the pin of which passes through the slot in the lever, and the motion
of the lever is transmitted to the wheel i by means of two pins inserted into
the wheel-on either side of the lever 2. In order to regulate. the motion_of_the
cog wheel i, the pins are placed at such a distance apart that the lever itself
will not come in contact with them in either direction; but a tapering slide **
is secured to the lever by means of a set screw 2, and it is provided with a
slot, so that it can be moved up or down and adjusted in any desired position.
When the slide is depressed to its lowest position, it fills up the space between
the pins, and the full motion of the lever is transmitted to the cog wheel i
and through it and the rack to the plunger. When the slide it is raised, it
'does not fill the space between the pins 3, and the lever i oscillates over a
certain arc before it imparts motion to 'the cog wheel i, and the stroke of the
plunger is diminished in proportion to the height the slide-is raised. .

page_text: .
The cog wheel which imparts motion to the gate j, has its bearing on a
pin 3 secured in the side of the mixing box A, and it is rigidly connected to a.
slotted arm or lever 1, the slot of which receives the crank pin of the crank F
the same as the slot in the lever . The lever 1, however, is not adjustable,
and the stroke of the gate remains unchanged, no matter what may be the
size of the bricks to be produced. The crank F¹ is mounted on the end of a
shaft G, and motion is imparted to it from the central shaft B by bevel
gearing H, I. By the action of the crank pin on the slotted levers, P, the
motion of the central shaft B is transmitted to the gate and plunger with the
least possible loss by friction. Another crank S³, herein-before mentioned, is
secured to a horizontal shaft S, which is arranged at right angles to the main
shaft G in suitable bearings on the top of the box A, and which is furnished
with a bevil wheel S having the same number of teeth as H, and gearing
with the main bevel wheel I on the central shaft B, so that the shafts S and
eranks S make the same revolution for revolution with the shaft G and
crank F. In every revolution of the crank S₁, its wrist pin F will catch the
hook on the rod g¹, which is connected with the pusher lever F, and so lift
up the lever and produce the operation of the rock shaft, by which the pusher
is moved out to push one set of moulds under the press box to receive the clay
and push out from the press box a set which have been filled and had the clay
pressed thereinto. When the lever F has been raised high enough the hook g
is caused to escape from the crank wrist pin t by the rod coming in contact
with a portion u of the shaft S (see Fig. 1) which protrudes through the
crank, and when the book escapes the lever F drops and moves back the pusher.
The moulds are introduced into the machine through an opening v, v, in one
side of the box A into a chamber w, w, just large enough to receive them, and
situated behind the press box C, which is provided with a gate m in front,
which can be opened or closed by means of a hand lever n. By means of this
gate, stones or other impurities which may find their way into the press box,
can be removed instantaneously and without stopping the motion of the press.
The front of the press box is hinged and can be thrown open whenever it may
be desirable to obtain free axis to the same.
Having now described this Invention as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid,
First, the slotted levers 7, 7, and cog wheels i, 1, or their equivalents, in
combination with the gate j, plunger d, mixing box. A, and press box C, for
the purpose set forth.

page_text: Second, the adjustable tapering slide in combination with the lever,
pins, or their equivalent and plunger d, for the purpose described.
Third, the rising and falling slide or gate m in combination with the press
box C, for the purpose specified.
Fourth, the pusher E in combination with the roller platform D, press
box C, and gate j, for the purpose specified.
Fifth, the crank S, hooked rod g', lever F¹, rock shaft e, toothed sectors f,f,
and racks 9, 9, applied and arranged as herein described to operate the pusher
automatically.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)