IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MOULDING OR COMPRESSING SMALL COAL
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Grant, of Blackweir, near Cardiff, in the
County of Glamorgan, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MOULDING OR COMPRESSING SMALL COAL AND
Sealed the 7th November 1871, and dated the 13th May 1871.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Thomas Grant at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 13th May 1871, pursuant to the 9th Section of
the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
GRANT, of Blackweir, Cardiff, in the County of Glamorgan, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MOULDING OR COMPRESSING SMALL COAL AND
OTHER MATERIAL INTO BLOCKS FOR FUEL," and have petitioned Her Majesty
to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal
Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I
am the true and first Inventor thereof.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said Thomas Grant, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and scal,
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, that is to say :-
I. The arrangement of machinery or apparatus for compressing small
coal into blocks which I prefer to employ with my Invention consists
mainly of a pug mill or mixing machine having beneath it on the same
vertical shaft a distributing pan. Connected with these parts by means
of a lever and catch is a revolving table contracted with a number of
moulds which receive the fuel from the distributing pan. The blocks
thus formed are each compressed by means of certain pressers or mould
bottoms operated by a steam or hydraulic cylinder having a piston or
ram. To the opposite end of this piston is connected a lever and rod
which by means of other pressers lift the compressed block out and
from the moulds. Now my Invention consists in an arrangement of
springs and spring levers for holding the said mould bottoms or pressers
in certain required positions. The whole of the herein-before described
arrangement of mechanism is mounted upon wheels, so that it can be
moved from place to place as may be desired.
II. In order that the nature of my said Invention, and the means by
which I effect the same, may be particularly described and ascertained
this Specification is accompanied by two Sheets of Drawings numbered
I. and II., and having figures and letter of reference marked thereupon,
the like letters being used to denote a similar or corresponding part in
each Figure.
III. In these Drawings Figure I. is a front elevation, Figure 2 a plan,
and Figure 3 a side elevation of machinery or apparatus provided with
an arrangement of springs and spring levers in accordance with my
Invention. It is arranged so as to be operated by steam power. In
the Drawings the steam cylinder is marked A, A, and its piston A¹.
A, A, is fixed to a sole plate B. The pressers or mould bottoms are
marked C. D is a lever attached to the piston rod of cylinder A, A,
and F is an upright shaft connected with D. The moulds are marked E.
ני
H, II, are the twin springs which retain the pressers C in the position
shewn at G, Figure I. I is the table carrying the moulds E. K is a
spring, and La slide block for retaining the pressers C in the position
shewn at J, Figure I.
M is a lever with catch N by means of which

page_text: the table I is moved one-eighth of its circumference at a time. P is an
incline down which the pressers slide by gravity to an opening R in
the distributing pan Q, where the moulds receive the small coal and
mixture.
IV. The small coal is placed in the revolving heater or cylinder X,
which cylinder has rivetted within it a number of angle irons (one only
is shewn) for the purpose of heating and lifting the small coal, which
when sufficiently heated passes from X to the pug or mixer Y, there to
be mixed with a given quantity of agglomerating substance, and in
order to insure the more perfect delivery the cylinder X is made of a
conical form and the angle irons rivetted at an angle, as shewn on plan,
Figure 2. The mixture passes from Y to Q, the distributing pan,
thence to the moulds E in table I, which it fills one by one as the table I
revolves. When the mould bottom (or presser) C is lifted by the piston
or ram A¹ in the action of pressing the fuel it is kept in the position
shewn at G (Figure I.) by the twin spring levers H, H, until the table I is
moved round one-eighth of its circumference by the lever M and catch N;
then the mould bottom or presser is lifted by the upright rod F and the
lever D and kept in the position shewn at J by the spring K and slide
block L delivering the compressed fuel block finished at E'. The table I
is again moved round as before one-eighth of its circumference, by
which the fuel block is moved into contact with the spring O; it thence
passes to an endless band and is conveyed out to the piling ground for
stacking or shipment. This mode of action is repeated so long as the
apparatus is at work, each mould with its bottom or presser coming
in its turn first to the pressing ram and thence to the lifting rod or
lever.
It will be seen by reference to the Drawings that the apparatus is
provided with wheels upon which it rests, and by means of which it can
with facility be moved.
It will be obvious that with some slight modifications the apparatus,
although described with reference to steam, is capable of being operated
by hydraulic power where more convenient so to do.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
I wish it to be distinctly understood that what I claim as my Invention

page_text: is, the arrangement of springs and spring levers for holding the mould
bottoms or pressers in certain positions as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Grant, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of May; in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
.
THOMAS GRANT. (L.S.)