IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AND PRESSING FIRE-BRICKS, WHICH MACHINERY OR APPA- BATUS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE AND PRESSING OF COMMON CLAY AND OTHER BRICKS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Christopher John Crondace, of Potter House, Kim-
blesworth, in the County of Durham, Colliery Agent, and John Field,
of Framwellgate Colliery, in the same County, Brick Manufacturer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
MANUFACTURING AND PRESSING FIRE-BRICKS, WHICH MACHINERY OR APPA-
BATUS IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE AND PRESSING OF COMMON
CLAY AND OTHER BRICKS."
Scaled the 13th July 1866, and dated the 17th January 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Christopher John
Crondace and John Field at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 17th January 1866.
We, CHRISTOPHER JOHN CRONDACE, of Potter House, Kimblesworth, in
the County of Durham, Colliery Agent, and JOHN FIELD, of Framwellgate
Colliery, in the same County, Brick Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR MANUFACTURING AND PRESSING FIRE-BRICKS, WHICH MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE AND PRESSING OF COMMON CLAY AND
OTHER BRICKS," to be as follows:
Upon the main driving shaft of the machine (which is driven direct by
a steam engine of suitable power) is keyed a bevil wheel, which by means
of a similar wheel keyed upon a vertical shaft drives a pair of grinding

page_text: stones mounted upon a horizontal axis carried by the said vertical shaft.
These stones roll upon a circular bed, and are for the purpose of grinding
up the clay or other material, which then falls into a receiver beneath.
From this receiver the ground clay or other material is carried up and
deposited in the "pug" or puddling mill by means of an endless travelling
chain of buckets passing over rollers and driven by toothed gearing from
the same main driving shaft. The clay or other material is kneaded and
brought to a proper consistency by means of knives or paddles fixed to a
vertical revolving shaft driven by a pair of bevil wheels. Beneath the
pug or puddling mill is a cylinder into which the clay or other material
passes by gravitation, the lower end of the cylinder being contracted and
furnished with plates which slope towards a square receiver, the bottom
of which is divided into two openings, each of the form and size of a brick:
Below this receiver is a sliding frame provided with two pairs of moulds,
and caused to slide backwards and forwards by means of a chain actuated
by a mangle wheel and pinion driven from the main shaft by a pair of
bevil wheels. At each side of the pug mill is a press driven by a crank
shaft in such a manner that their action is alternate and takes place at the
precise moment when the sliding frame is at the full extent of its move-
ment in either direction and before its motion is reversed by the mangle
wheel. The distance between the two pairs of dies is the same as the
distance between the receiver and either of the presses, so that whilst one
pair, of dies is being filled with clay the other pair is under the action of
one or other of the presses, and vice versa. As each pair of bricks is
successively pressed they are elevated from the moulds and placed upon
endless travelling belts by means of an elevating apparatus driven by a
crank or excentric actuated by the same crank shaft which drives the
Dresses
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Christopher John Crondace and John Field in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th July 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wе, CHRISTOPHER
JOHN CRONDACE, of Potter House, Kimblesworth, in the County of
Durham, Colliery Agent, and JOHN FIELD, of Framwellgate Colliery, in
the same County, Brick Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her Most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of January, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year
of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto us, the said Christopher John Crondace and John Field, Her special
licence that we, the said Christopher John Crondace and John Field, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Christopher John Crondace and John Field, our 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 OR APPARATUS FOR
MANUFACTURING AND PRESSING FIRE-BRICKS, WHICH MACHINERY OR APPARATUS 18
ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE AND PRESSING OF COMMON CLAY AND OTHER
BRICKS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Christopher
John Crondace and John Field, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our, or one of our, 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 we, the said Christopher John Crondace and John
Field, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement in writing, and on reference to
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, that is to say:-
Upon the main driving shaft of the machine (which is driven direct by
a steam engine of suitable power) is keyed a bevil wheel, which by means
of a similar wheel keyed upon a vertical shaft drives a pair of grinding
stones mounted upon a horizontal axis carried by the said vertical shaft.
These stones roll upon a circular bed, and are for the purpose of grinding
up the clay or other material, which then falls into a receiver beneath.
From this receiver the ground clay or other material is carried up and
deposited in the "pug" or puddling mill by means of an endless travelling
chain of buckets passing over rollers and driven by toothed gearing from
the saine main driving shaft. The clay or other material is kneaded and
brought to a proper consistency by means of knives or paddles fixed to a
vertical revolving shaft driven by a pair of bevil wheels. Beneath the
pug" or puddling mill is a cylinder into which the clay or other material

page_text: passes by gravitation, 'the lower end of the cylinder being contracted and
furnished with plates which slope towards a square receiver, the bottom of
which is divided into two openings, each of the form and size of a brick.
Below this receiver is a sliding frame provided,with, two pairs of moulds
and caused to slide backwards and forwards by means of a chain actuated
by a mangle wheel and pinion driven from the main shaft by a pair of
bevil wheels, or the sliding motion may be obtained by a crank. At each
side of the pug mill is a press driven by a crank shaft or an excentric in
such a manner that their action is alternate and takes place at the precise
moment when the sliding frame is at the full extent of its movement in
either direction and before its motion is reversed by the mangle wheel or
crank. The distance between the two pairs of moulds is the same as the
distance between the receiver and either of the presses, so that whilst one
pair of moulds is being filled with clay the other pair is under the action
of one or other of the presses, and vice versa. As each pair of bricks is
successively pressed they are elevated from the moulds and placed upon
endless travelling belts by means of an elevating apparatus driven by a
crank or excentric actuated by the same crank shaft which drives the
presses.
Such being the nature and object of our said Invention for "Improve-
ments in Machinery or Apparatus for Manufacturing and Pressing
Fire-bricks, which Machinery or Apparatus is also applicable to the
Manufacture of Common Clay and other Bricks," we will now proceed
to describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may
be performed or carried into practical effect. And in order that the same
may be distinctly understood we have annexed hereunto a Sheet of
Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked the same with letters of
reference corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof,
that is to say:
The annexed Drawing represents a general elevation of our improved
imachinery shown partly in section. A, A, represents the steam engine
and fly wheel giving direct motion to the main driving shaft B, B. Upon
this shaft is keyed a bevil wheel C giving motion to a similar wheel C
keyed upon a vertical shaft I), D, and thus driving a pair of grinding stones
E, E, mounted on the horizontal axis F, F. The stones E, E, roll upon a
circular bed G, G, and grind the clay or other material which then falls
into the receiver H, H, beneath; I, I, is an endless travelling chain of
buckets passing over two rollers J, K, and actuated from the main driving
shaft by the toothed gearing L, L. This endless travelling chain of

page_text: buckets I, I, takes up the clay or other material from the receiver H, H,
and delivers it into "the "pug" or puddling mill M, M, where it is kneaded
or brought to a proper consistency by means of the knives or paddles N, N,
attached to the vertical revolving shaft O, O, which is driven from the
main shaft B, B, by the pair of bevil wheels P, P. Q, Q, is a cylinder
placed beneath the "pug" or puddling mill, its lower end being contracted
and furnished with plates R, R, which slope towards a square box or
receiver S, S, the bottom of which is divided into two openings of the
form and size of a brick. T, T, is a sliding frame placed below this
receiver upon suitable supports and caused to slide backwards and forwards
by means of a chain U, U, actuated by the mangle wheel and pinion V, V,
driven also from the main shaft B, B, by the pair of bevil wheels W, W.
The sliding frame T, T, is provided with two pairs of moulds X, X, and
X, X. On each side of the pug mill is a press Y, Y, and Y', Y', driven
by the crank shaft Z, Z, in such a manner that their action is alternate
and takes place at the precise moment when the sliding frame is at the full
extent of its movement in either direction and before its motion is reversed
by the mangle wheel. The crank shaft Z, Z, is driven from the main
shaft by the spur wheel and pinion a, a. The presses Y, Y, Y¹, Y', are
provided with dies b, b, for pressing the bricks in the moulds X, X, X', X',
and it will be seen on referring to the Drawing that the distance between
the two pair of moulds is the same as the distance between the box or
receiver S, S, and either of the presses Y, Y, Y¹, Y', so that when one pair
of moulds is being filled with clay from the box S, S, the other pair of
moulds is under the action of the dies of one or other of the presses Y, Y,
Y', Y. In the Drawing the sliding frame is represented as moved to the
left, so the bricks in the moulds X, X, are being pressed by the dies of the
press Y, Y, whilst the moulds X', X', are about being filled with the clay
from the box S, S, the mangle wheel being just on the point of reversing
the motion of the sliding frame. It will be evident that when this motion
is reversed the moulds X, X, will be brought under the box S, S, to be
refilled with clay, whilst the newly filled moulds X, X', will be brought
under the press Y¹, Y¹, and receive their pressure from the dies, and so on
vice versa. As each pair of bricks is successively pressed they are to be
removed from the dies and placed upon travelling belts by any well known
elevating apparatus, such apparatus being also driven from the crank shaft
Z, Z, as shown at c, c.
.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention
for " Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Manufacturing and

page_text: Pressing Fire-bricks, which Machinery or Apparatus is also applicable to
the Manufacture of Common Clay and other Bricks," together with the
manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, we would remark in conclusion that we claim as our
Invention the construction and arrangement of machinery or apparatus
for such purposes as above described and represented in the Drawing
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Field, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
JOHN FIELD. (L.S.)