IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING AND FORMING INTO BLOCKS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Stocks Walker, of 169, Gresham House,
Old Broad Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING AND FORMING INTO BLOCKS
"
Sealed the 19th December 1873, and dated the 22nd October 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Stocks Walker
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 22nd October 1873.
.
I, ROBERT STOCKS WALKER, of 169, Gresham House, Old Broad
Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING AND
FORMING INTO BLOCKS PEAT, ARTIFICIAL FUEL, AND OTHER MATERIALS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for
compressing and forming into blocks peat, artificial fuel, and other
materials.

page_text: moulds open at both ends, but the inner ends sharpened into cutting
edges; between these two nests is a space open at the top, over which
is to be placed the hopper which feeds in the materials to be operated
upon. In the space between the moulds is a piston or ram which
makes its stroke from the cutting edges of one nest of moulds to the
cutting edges of the other nest, behind which piston or ram the materials
fall of their own gravity to be driven into the moulds by the returning
stroke, and this action is continuous, one set of moulds receiving the
thrust in one direction, and the other set by the reverse action, till the
material is driven through. to the outer ends of the machine in a com-
pressed state, and is there cut off in any required lengths.
I prefer that the piston or ram should be in the form of a hollow box
slotted at both sides to allow of its travel past the driving shaft, and
containing within itself eccentrics or cams keyed on to the driving shaft,
by which the required motion is imparted. The advantages of this
arrangement are continuous unintermitting action, the power to obtain
any required amount of compression by regulation of the length and
taper in the moulds, very great capacity for large quantities of work on
material of low value, extreme simplicity, and fewness of parts, obviating
the need of any separate framework, and portability of the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Stocks Walker in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd April 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
STOCKS WALKER, of 169, Gresham House, Old Broad Street, in the City
of London, send greeting.
.:.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of October, in thic
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert Stocks Walker, Her
special license that I, the said Robert Stocks Walker, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Stocks
Walker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time

page_text: 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 COMPRESSING AND FORMING INTO BLOCKS.
PEAT, ARTIFICIAL FUEL, AND OTHER MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst,
others) that I, the said Robert Stocks Walker, my executors or admin-
istrators, 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 Robert Stocks Walker, 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 thereof, that is to say:-
This machine consists of a horizontal oblong hollow body of cast or
wrought iron or steel, each end of which is divided into a nest of oblong
moulds open at both ends, but the inner ends sharpened into cutting
edges; between these two nests is a space open at the top, over which
is to be placed the hopper which feeds in the materials to be operated
upon. In the space between the moulds is piston or ram which
makes its stroke from the cutting edges of one nest of moulds to the
cutting edges of the other nest, behind which piston or ram the materials
fall of their own gravity to be driven into the moulds by the returning
stroke, and this action is continuous, one set of moulds receiving the
thrust in one direction, and the other set by the reverse action, till the
material is driven through to the outer ends of the machine in a com-
pressed state, and is there cut off in any required lengths.
I prefer that the piston or ram should be in the form of a hollow box
slotted at both sides to allow of its travel past the driving shaft, and
containing within itself eccentrics or cams keyed on to the driving shaft,
by which the required motion is imparted. The advantages of this
arrangement are continuous unintermitting action, the power to obtain
any required amount of compression by regulation of the length and
taper in the moulds, very great capacity for large quantities of work

page_text: Figure 3, an horizontal section; and Figure 4, an end elevation of a
compressing machine constructed according to my Invention.
•
a, a, is the hollow body of the machine, it consists of a box or case
open on two sides, and at the top it is made in' parts which are bolted
together. Into the two side openings are fitted and fixed two similar
nests of tubular moulds b, b. Each nest consists of a casting having a
number of moulding passages 6', ', through it. These passages or tubes
are parallel for the greater part of their length, but at their inner ends
they are expanded by tapering the partitions between them to an edge,
which is sharpened with a file. Each moulding passage or tube is thus
similarly enlarged at its mouth by tapering all the sides of the passages,
as the Drawings shew. c is a hollow piston or ram able to slide to and
fro within the space in the hollow body between the two nests of
tubes b, b. The piston or ram c is actuated by two eccentrics d, d, on
an axis e; these eccentrics rotate within the strap blocks f, f, which are
each made in two parts bolted together so as to embrace the eccentric;
these blocks are able to slide up and down between guides formed
within the piston or ram c.
The material to be compressed is fed by a hopper into the opening at
the top of the hollow body a, and as the piston or ram moves to and fro
each time that the piston or ram recedes from either of the nests of
tubes the material falls in behind it and fills the space which it vacates,
and the material so falling is on the return of the piston or ram forced
into the moulding tubes or passages. The axis e is driven by means of
a spur wheel e¹ upon it, which gears with a pinion on the shaft
upper
The shaft g has fast and loose pulleys upon it to receive a driving belt;
and it also carries a fly wheel.
g.
The moulded material as it issues from the tubes or moulding
„passages b¹, b¹, is cut off in pieces of any length desired. The pieces
·

page_text: may be caused to fall upon an endless apron which conveys them away,
or they may be removed in any other convenient manner.
The cutting apparatus (there is one at each end of the machine)
consists of a frame h, h, which can be slidden up and down in guides i, i.
In the frame a number of steel blades ', ', are strained. These blades
are sharpened on both edges, and as the frame moves up or down they
pass across the moulding tubes or passages and sever the material as it
issues from them. The axis e has upon it two similar. spur wheels k, k,
and these gear with other wheels m, m, turning upon stud axes, and
having attached to them the cams n, n. Each cam n acts upon a forked
lever o, which is mounted and able to rock upon the axis e. The:
levers o work in pairs, and two of them, one on either side of the
machine, operate each frame h. The frame has projections h³, h², upon
it, on which the ends of the forked levers press, and so as the levers
move they carry the frame to and fro with them.
The machine is particularly applicable for compressing peat to form
fuel. I dry the peat and then break it down, first with grooved and
afterwards with plain crushing rollers. I then in a mixer incorporate
gas tar with the peat. This composition when moulded forms an
excellent fuel.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I
claim,―
The compression of peat or other material for fuel by driving it into
and through nests or groups of tubes by means of a ram or piston
actuated by steam or other power.
I claim the reciprocating action of the ram or piston in its travel
between two such nests or groups of tubes alternately opening a space
to receive the materials and driving them through the tubes, both
processes being constantly in operation at one or other side of the ram or
piston, thus utilizing the whole motion given to the ram, avoiding any
loss of power during the return stroke of the machine.
I claim the arrangement of a series of double-edged or other knives
stretched across a strong frame, a knife for each row of tubes in the nest,
also the reciprocating motion cutting off the compressed material at the
mouth of the tubes by both the forward and backward motion.

page_text: ⋅
I claim the arrangement of gearing wheels U levers, and cams, as
shewn in the Drawings, whereby the material driven through the tubes
is cut off while in a quiescent state during the retreating motion of the
ram, the knives remaining quiescent during the forcing of material
through-and out of the tubes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Stocks Walker, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.