IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGEMENTS AND MACHINERY FOR PREPARING FOR MANUFACTURE, AND FOR MANUFACTURING CLAY AND OTHER PLASTIC EARTHS INTO BRICKS, TILES, PIPES, AND OTHER ARTICLES FORMED OF SUCH MATERIALS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Eccles, of Blackburn, in the County of
Lancaster, Cotton Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ARRANGEMENTS AND MACHINERY FOR PREPARING FOR MANUFACTURE, AND FOR
MANUFACTURING CLAY AND OTHER PLASTIC EARTHS INTO BRICKS, TILES, PIPES,
AND OTHER ARTICLES FORMED OF SUCH MATERIALS."
Sealed the 7th June 1859, and dated the 9th December 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Eccles at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th December 1858.
I, JOSEPH ECCLES, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN ARRANGEMENTS AND MACHINERY FOR PREPARING FOR MANUFACTURE,
AND FOR MANUFACTURING CLAY AND OTHER PLASTIC EARTHS INTO BRICKS, TILES,
PIPES, AND OTHER ARTICLES FORMED OF SUCH MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
The object of the first part of my Invention is to prepare clay and other
plastic earths direct from the bed, ready to be moulded by machines acting on
the principle of those known as "dry clay machines," in which system of
manufacturing articles of clay or other plastic earths the process of tempering
or pugging of the materials is unnecessary. My improvements consist in
drying the clay earths by currents of hot or cold air produced by mechanical
means in combination with arrangements and mechanism described as
follows:-The clay earth is passed through one or more pairs of rollers, which

page_text: deliver it on to a travelling endless belt, apron, or lattice, upon which it is
broken up into small particles by suitable mechanism. This travelling
arrangement conveys the clay earth to any suitable and convenient distance,
and during the time it is in progress it is subjected to heat, and to a current
or to currents of hot or cold air produced by mechanical means, so that by
the time the travelling arrangement has conveyed the material to its destina-
tion or point of delivery it has been dried sufficiently to be ready for moulding
into bricks, tiles, or other articles. Instead of the endless travelling belt,
apron, or lattice, any other suitable arrangement may be substituted which
will cause the materials delivered by the rollers to travel along any determined
path, so as to be readily subjected to the current or currents of hot or cold air
produced by mechanical means.
Secondly, my improvements relate to machines or apparatus which mould
or form articles by expressing plastic earths through moulding orifices, and
consist in an improved method of securing the moulding cores so as to keep
them more correctly in their places. This is accomplished by applying stays
in addition to the usual means of securing the cores.
Thirdly, my improvements relate to machinery or apparatus for jointing or
socketing pipes, when such pipes are first moulded in the cylindrical form, and
are subsequently socketed when partly dry by removing a portion. of the
interior of one end and the exterior of the other end of each pipe, which
operation has been hitherto performed by hand. This part of my Invention
consists in performing this operation by a machine having rotating cutters,
which will operate on one end of a pipe at once, or on both ends of a pipe
simultaneously.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Eccles in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th June 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
ECCLES, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton. Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria;. by Her. Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of. Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Eccles, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph. Eccles, my

page_text: executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
Eccles, 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
ARRANGEMENTS AND MACHINERY FOR PREPARING FOR MANUFACTURE, AND FOR
MANUFACTURING CLAY AND OTHER PLASTIC EARTHS INTO BRICKS, TILES, PIPES, AND
OTHER ARTICLES FORMED OF SUCH MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Joseph Eccles, 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 Joseph Eccles, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say) :-
:-
The object of the first part of my Invention is to prepare clay and other
plastic earths direct from the bed, ready to be moulded by machines acting on
the principle of those known as "dry clay machines," in which system of
manufacturing articles of clay or other plastic earths the process of tempering
or pugging of the materials is unnecessary.
My improvements consist in drying the clay earths by currents of hot or
cold air produced by mechanical means in combination with arrangements of
mechanism described as follows:-The clay earth is passed through one or
more pairs of rollers, which deliver it on to a travelling endless belt, apron, or
lattice (upon which it may be broken up into small particles by suitable
mechanism). This travelling arrangement conveys the clay earth to any
suitable and convenient distance, and during the time it is in progress it is
subjected to heat, and to a current or to currents of hot or cold air produced
by mechanical means, so that by the time the travelling arrangement has con-
veyed the material to its destination or point of delivery it has been dried
sufficiently to be ready for moulding into bricks, tiles, and other articles.
Instead of the endless travelling belt, apron, or lattice, any other suitable
arrangement may be substituted which will cause the materials delivered by
the rollers to travel along any determined path, so as to be readily subjected
to the current or currents of hot or cold air produced by mechanical means.

page_text: .The method in which I prefer to carry this part of my Invention into effect
is illustrated, on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings by two views, Fig. 1,
a longitudinal elevation in section, and Fig. 2, an end elevation in section.
The machine may be made of any convenient length, and any convenient
number of endless belts or lattices may be arranged, one above the other, in 'a
manner herein-after more particularly explained, so that an extensive drying
surface may be obtained in a comparatively short length of machine. a is the
framing of the machine; b, a pair of rollers geered together by spur wheels bi
(shown by dotted circles in Fig. 1); above the rollers a hopper (c) is placed,
into which the clay earth to be operated upon is fed, and passes between the
rollers (b), which are set about half an inch asunder, more or less; any clay
which may adhere to the rollers is removed by the "doctors" (d), one to each
-roller. When the clay leaves the rollers, it falls upon a pair of breakers
formed by two shafts (e) carrying a series of arms, those on one shaft passing
between those on the other shaft, the arms on each shaft also passing between
teeth (f) fixed to the side (f) of the passage conducting the material to the
travelling lattice; both the shafts (e) are geered together by the spur wheels
e and e² (represented by dotted circles in Fig. 1), but one moves faster than
the other. The clay is broken up by the arms on these shafts (e), and falls
upon the surface of the upper lattice. In Fig. 1 the endless belts (g) (formed
of leather or other suitable material) are only shown, the laths (h) being
omitted, but are represented in Fig. 2. The upper lattice carries the clay in
the direction pointed by the arrow on Fig. 1, and on arriving at the end, the
material falls on a spout i, which conducts it on to the surface of the second
lattice, moving in the opposite direction to the first lattice, which, in like
manner to the first lattice, delivers it to the third lattice, which finally delivers
it at the spout sufficiently dried for use. Between each endless lattice a
series of pipes (j and k) are arranged, an air pipe alternately with a steami
pipe; these pipes are branches from a main pipe ( and k¹) passing along the
side of the machine, as seen best in Fig. 2. The air pipes (5) have a row of
small holes formed in the upper side, blowing upwards against the under side
of the upper surface of the lattice. The air is supplied to the main pipes (¹)
by a centrifugal fan, which I prefer, but any other of the well-known engines
for producing a blast of air may be employed instead. There is an outlet
from the steam pipes (¹), at the ends most distant from the source of supply,
sufficient to convey away condensed steam and maintain the temperature of
the pipes. Each endless lattice is formed by laths (h) of thin iron, say one-
fourth of an inch thick, one inch and a half broad, and may be of galvanized
iron, shod at each -end, and -on both sides with pieces of steel or other hard

page_text: metal, which may be secured to the ends by rivetting; these laths are secured
to the endless belts (9) by rivetting, and are about one-eighth of an inch apart.
The ends of the laths (h) rest upon rails (1), as seen best in Fig. 2, the
shoeing pieces on the ends of the laths being to provide against the friction in
sliding on the guiding and supporting rails (l). By this arrangement it will
be seen that the belts (9) do not support, but merely give motion to. the laths.
To diminish the friction, the rails should be kept well greased. The endless
belts (9) pass round pulleys (m) on shafts. (m!) at each end of the machine;
the shaft (m³) at one end only of each endless lattice is driven, but when long
belts are employed, it will be advisable to drive the shaft (m') at each end.
The endless belt shafts (m') at one end of the machine are all geered together
by spur wheels (m²); the first receives motion through the wheel m³ from
the wheel m' on one of the shafts e, which receives motion through a wheel
m from the wheel n on the axis of one of the rollers b, to which wheel
motion is imparted by a pinion from the motive power employed. The pitch
lines only of the wheels are shown in dotted line in Fig. 1. The clay may be
broken up when on the suface of each lattice, just when about to fall from one
lattice to another, by providing each lath with a row of short teeth, to pass
between other teeth in a bar fixed to the framing of the machine, or
fixed to the spout i (on a level with the shaft (m',) round which the lattice
passes), which conducts the material from one lattice to the other. It may
be found convenient, in some cases, to arrange the rollers 6 and breakers (e)
in a room above the drying part of the machine. The speed and length of
lattice required for drying any particular clay earth in a given time will
depend, as will be obvious, upon the quantity of moisture, the thickness of the
layer of clay delivered to the lattice, the temperature of the steam, and
quantity of air employed.
The second part of my improvements relate to machines or apparatus which
mould or form articles by expressing plastic earths through moulding orifices,
and consists in an improved method of securing the moulding cores (especially
where a number of such are employed), so as to keep them more correctly in
their places. This is accomplished by a stay or stays in addition to the usual
means of securing the cores. This part of my Invention is illustrated by
Figs. 3, a cross section, and Fig. 4, a front view, of a die (p), with cores (9) for
moulding perforated bricks. It will be seen that the cores (9) are carried by
three cross bars q'. Now, the two outside bars are liable to be bent, thus
deranging the position of the cores, and my improvements consists in con-
necting the bars carrying the cores by one or more cross stays (r), as shown.
Since the filing of my Provisional Specification I have discovered that the

page_text: improvements referred to therein under the third head do not possess sufficient
.novelty or utility, and I therefore make no claim to the same.
I have now particularly described my Invention,, and the methods by which
it may be carried into effect, and wish it to be understood that I claim as my
Invention,
Firstly, the drying of clay earths preparatory to manufacture by the com-
.bination of means and arrangements, substantially as. herein-before described."
Secondly, the improved method of securing cores, substantially as herein-
before described....
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Eccles, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
JOSEPH ECCLES. (L.S.)