IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING BRICKS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Longley, Builder, of Leeds, in the County
of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING
BRICKS."
Sealed the 6th April 1863, and dated the 25th November 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Longley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
November 1862.
I, WILLIAM LONGLEY, Builder, of Leeds, in the County of York, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
MAKING BRICKS," to be as follows
This Invention relates, firstly, to the application of heat by steam or other
means to the moulds and pistons of brick-making machines. For this purpose
when steam is used, I make the cylinders containing the moulds hollow, or the
sides and bottoms of the moulds, and the pistons themselves can be made
hollow to allow of the steam circulating therein.
Secondly, to the combination of the application of heat as above described,
with an improved arrangement of machinery, consisting of a horizontal cylinder
this
mounted in suitable journals and worked by an intermittent movement;
cylinder contains a number of moulds which are filled with clay or other plastic
material as they pass under an inverted spiral screw, working within a conical
hopper, placed above the cylinder. The plastic material is then compressed in

page_text: the moulds by means of a horizontal plunger actuated by a cam, and the
moulded and pressed bricks are afterwards discharged upon an endless travelling
band or sheet.
By means of the combination of heat with this arrangement of machinery, I
am enabled to produce bricks of greater solidity and smoother exterior from
clay or other material containing a much less amount of moisture than has
hitherto been practicable with machines in which "wet" clay is used.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Longley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th May 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LONGLEY, Builder, of Leeds, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Longley, Her special license, that I, the said William Longley,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Longley, my executors, 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
FOR MAKING BRICKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Longley, by an instrument 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 William Longley, do hereby declare.the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, 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):-
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of brick moulding machinery
whereby I am enabled to produce from "wet "clay bricks, combining great

page_text: solidity with a smooth exterior, and containing a less amount of moisture than
those produced by hand or by machinery at present in use.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved
machine; Fig. 2 is a partial end elevation shewing in longitudinal section the
cylinder which carries the moulds, and presents them successively to a conical
hopper to be fed with clay; Fig. 3 is a cross section of the mould cylinder,
shewing its connection with the hopper; and Fig. 4 shews the means used for
locking the cylinder, so as to keep the moulds stationary while being filled and
discharged.
A, A, is the main framing of the machine, upon which is mounted in
suitable bearings a horizontal cylinder B. This cylinder is cast with open ends
and it is fitted near the middle of its length with a series of four moulds C, C,
arranged radially around it. These moulds are formed by recesses cut through
the periphery of a projecting band a, a, that surrounds the cylinder, having
their ends closed by the rings b, b, (bolted to the cylinder) a series of close
chambers D, D, are formed in a similar manner between the moulds for
receiving steam for heating the moulds. Immediately above this concentric
projection of the cylinder B, and in close proximity thereto, is situate the
hopper E, in which a screw is mounted for forcing down the clay into the
moulds as they are presented to the hopper. Fitted into the moulds are
plungers F, the stems of which project through the inner periphery of the
cylinder B, and are intended for discharging the bricks from the moulds; the
inner periphery of the cylinder B is also pierced to receive the ends of a
cruciform arrangement of steam pipes G (Fig. 3) for supplying steam from a
central pipe running in the direction of the axis of the cylinder to the
chambers D; an intermittent axial motion is given to the cylinder, for the
purpose of bringing the moulds severally under the hopper to be filled and
subsequently under the action of a rocking presser lever H, for the discharge
of the moulded bricks in the following manner:-To one end of the cylinder
(outside the framing A) is keyed a kind of ratchet wheel B₁ having four teeth,
one of which takes into a stud pin fixed to the extremity of a bent arm K,
which arm is jointed to a rock lever K', having its fulcrum on a stud projecting
from the side framing. A bowle on this arm K rolls over a track formed by
the boss of a cog wheel B', (hereafter to be referred to) and thus the smooth
working of the ratchet movement is ensured. In the inner face of the
lever K', a longitudinal recess is cast to receive a guide pin projecting from
a crank arm L on a transverse cam shaft L', which turns in suitable bearings
in the main framing. To the opposite end of this shaft is keyed a cog
wheel L. with internal teeth, into which gears a pinion on the boss of a

page_text: bevil wheel M, mounted on a stud axle, carried by the ain framing. This
wheel M is driven by a bevil pinion, which receives its motion from any prime
mover. It will now be understood that 'for every rotation of the cam shaft L',
the arm K will be caused to pull round the cylinder B, one-fourth of a revo-
lution, and then move forward to bring its stud pin in front of another ratchet
tooth. When the uppermost mould Chás been filled by the driving down of
clay from the hopper E, through the rotation of the propelling screw, 'this
axial motion of the cylinder takes place, and at that moment a knife edge
situate at the bottom of the hopper scrapes the lips of the mould clear of clay.
The mould is now brought down opposite a horizontal plunger N, which I
term the compressing plunger, and by it the clay is compressed in the mould:
The rod of this plunger N slides in a fixed guide, and it is fitted with a bowle
which is kept in contact with a cam L on the cam shaft by means of a
weighted crank lever, with which the plunger rod is connected. As the
increasing radius of this cam presses on the bowle, the plunger will be forced
forward into the mould presented to it, and compress the 'clay contained
therein. When this is effected, and the cam L in its revolution has passed
out of action, 'the weighted crank lever will draw back the plunger 'N out of
the mould. Another movement of the cylinder B'will now take place, and
the compressed brick will be brought down to the position for being discharged
on to an endless apron O. This is effected by the stem of the plunger F of
the mould being pressed upon at its rear end by the rock lever H. This rock
lever is mounted on a bent bracket arm attached to the main framing, and it
is provided with a bowle, which bears upon a rocking cam H' (see Fig. 4)
having a stud pin on the fraining for its fulcrum. This rocking cam H' is
jointed to a rod H2, which connects it with a rocking arm H³, pendent from a
bracket on the framing. The arm H³ carries a bowle which bears against a
cam L³ on the cam shaft. The revolution therefore of the cam shaft gives a
reciprocating motion to the cam H, thereby causing it to rock the lever H, and
This
depress the plunger that has been brought beneath its inner end.
dépression of the plunger effects the discharge of the brick, which is facilitated
by the heating of the moulds through the admission of steam as before explained.
To prevent the adherence of the clay to the compressing plunger, 'I make that
also hollow, and convey steam thereto by an arrangement of jointed steam
pipes, as shewn at Fig. 1. The discharged brick is received on to an endless
apron, which receives motion from the spur wheel B2 on the cylinder B
gearing into a spur wheel on the axle of one of the carrying rollers of the
endless apron O. The cylinder B is also furnished with a ring B', in the
periphery of which are four notches, corresponding with the moulds. These

page_text: notches (see Fig. 4) are for the purpose of receiving the taper end of a locking
bar P, which, when it is desired temporarily to lock the cylinder (as at the
moment of filling, pressing, and discharging the moulds) is thrust forward by a
cam L on the cam shaft pressing upon a bowle, mounted on the end of
the locking bar which slides in guides provided to receive it. The release
of the cylinder is effected by throwing back the locking bar by means of a
weighted crank arm, as in the case of the compressing plunger.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
Machinery for Making Bricks," 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 the construction of machinery above described;
whereby the moulding of bricks and their discharge from the moulds is
effected in a simple and expeditious manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Longley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-second day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
WM. LONGLEY.
(L.S.)