Improvements in Presses for Bricks, Tiles, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Presses for Bricks, Tiles, and the like.
JOHN JONES Mechanical Engineer Britannia House Loughborough Leicestershire.
I do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
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The object of my invention is to produce certain improvements in the construction
& details of presses for bricks, tiles, & the like, whereby bricks, tiles &c. can be
pressed to a uniform thickness independant of the exact bulk of clay fed into the
brick box." I will describe my invention as I prefer to apply it to a hand press.
To the bottom end of the plunger, I fix a head or top die so constructed that the
central portion of the said head or top die shall be the size & shape of the "frog)
or "indent" of the brick or tile required. This portion of the top die I will call
the "frog piece." The said "frog piece" fits into & can pass through (as herin
after described) a plate or cap. The said cap is attached to the head or top die by
pins or bolts (I prefer to use four) in such a manner that it can slide up and down
on the said "frog piece" without falling right off. Upon the said pins or bolts
(or in other convenient positions) 1 place compression, spiral, or other convenient
forms of springs. The said springs tending to keep the said cap at the bottom end
of the said "frog piece."
The action of the said "frog piece" & cap is then as follows:-
The bottom die is first set & adjusted in the "brick box" to such a position that
the distance from the face of the bottom die to the top face of the "brick box" is
exactly the same as the thickness of the bricks or tiles required. Then as the top
die descends, the "cap" herein before described first comes into contact with the
top face of the "brick box" & as the top die continues to descend, the herein
before described springs are compressed, & the frog piece passes through the said
cap and forms the frog or indent in the brick or tile.
the
It will be seen that as the said frog piece passes through the said cap pressure
upon the said cap is increased by the springs. Thus when the said springs are
properly adjusted the pressure of the said cap on top of the brick box is increased
exactly as the pressure of the clay is increased upon the said cap consequent upon the
descent of the frog piece.
Thus it will be seen that any reasonable variation in the bulk of the clay placed into
the brick box will not affect the thickness of the brick or tile produced but will only
affect the depth of the frog or indent.
In some cases I arrange the brick box in such a manner that when the said cap
comes into contact with the brick box, the brick box can be forced downwards on to
the bottom die by the pressure of the cap on the top of it, by these means I ensure
getting sharp corners at the bottom of the brick. In this case I arrange suitable
springs or other convenient attachment to the said brick box. So that when the
pressure of the cap is removed by the lifting of the plunger, the brick box will again
rise into its normal position. It will be evident that when arranging the brick box to
move as above described it would be necessary to allow for the said movement when
setting the bottom die. It will be evident that the herin before described arrange-
ments are applicable to many forms of brick presses, the details of which are too well
understood to need description here.

page_text: improvements in Presses for Bricks, Tiles, and the like.
I, JOHN JONES Mechanical Engineer, of Britannia House, Meadow Lane
Loughborough in the County of Leicestershire, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to he particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to produce certain improvements in the construction
and detail of presses for bricks, tiles and the like, whereby bricks tiles and the like
can be pressed to a uniform thickness independent of the exact bulk of the clay fed
into the "brick-box."
I will describe my invention as I prefer to apply it to a hand-press.
"
To the bottom end of the plunger I fix a head or top die so con-tructed that the
central portion of the said head or top die shall be the size and shape of the "frog'
or "indent" of the brick or tile required.
This portion of the top die I will call the "frog-piece." This said frog-piece fits
into and can pass through (as herein after describe 1) a plate or cap. The said cap is
attached to the head or top die by pins or bolts (I prefer to use four) in such a manner
that it can slide up and down on the said frog-piece without falling right off. Upon
the said pins or bolts (or in other convenient positions) I place compression, spiral or
other convenient forms of springs. The said springs tending to keep the said cap at
the bottom end of the said frog-piece. The action of the said frog-piece and cap
is
then as follows:-
"
The bottom die is first set and adjusted in the brick-box to such a position that the
distance from the face of the hottom die to the top face of the brick-box is exactly the
same as the thickness of the bricks or tiles required. Then as the top die descends
the "cap" herein before described first comes into contact with the top face of the
brick-box and as the top die continues to descend the herein before described springs
are compressed and the frog-piece passes through the said cap and forms the "frog
or "indent" in the brick or tile. It will he seen that as the said frog-piece passes
through the said cap the pressure upon the said cap is increased by the springs.
Thus, when the said springs are properly adjusted the pressure of the said cap on the
top of the brick-box is increased exactly as the pressure of the clay is increased upon
the said cap consequent upon the descent of the frog-piece.
Thus it will be seen that any reasonable variation in bulk of the clay placed in the
brick-box will not affect the thickness of the brick or tile produced, but will only
affect the depth of the frog or indent.
In some cases I arrange the brick-box in such a manner that when the said cap
comes into contact with the brick-box, the brick-box can be forced downwards on to
the bottom die by the pressure of the cap on the top of it. By these means I ensure
getting sharp corners at the bottom of the brick or tile.
In this case I arrange suitable springs or other convenient attachment to the said
brick box so that when the pressure of the cap is removed by the lifting of the plunger
the brick-box will again rise into its normal position.
It will be understood that when arranging this brick-box to move as above described
it will be necessary to allow for the said movement when setting the bottom die.
Figs. 1 to 4, Sheets 1 to 4 show this arrangement. Fig. 1 is a plan of a brick-box
and its component or adjacent parts as herein before described. Fig. 2 is a front
elevation of the same. Fig. 3 an end elevation of the same and Fig. 4 is a front
elevation of the same shown with its component parts in the relative positions which
they occupy when the brick or tile is pressed.
A is the head or top die which is attached to the bottom end of the plunger B.
The said plunger B may be attached to and raised and lowered by a screw, lever
or levers, or other convenient well known device for producing the power necessary

page_text: for pressing the brick or tile. A1 is the frog-piece which is fast to the head A
and fits into and can pass through the plate on cap C.
To convenient parts of the cap C, I attach pins or bolts D (in this case four are
shown) these pins or bolts are screwed or otherwise fastened into the cap C and pass
through holes in the head A so that the cap C can slide up and down on the frog-
piece A 1, the pins or bolts D being of such a length that when the cap C is in its
lowest position the heads of the pins or bolts D rest upon the top of the head A. and
so prevent the cap C leaving or falling off the frog-piece A 1.
Surrounding the said pins or bolts D are compression springs E. It will be seen
that these springs tend to keep the cap Cin its lowest p sition upon the frog-piece A 1.
F is the brick-box, built up and bolted together in any convenient well understood
manner so as to leave or form the necessary space or mould in the centre, for the size
of the brick or tile to be pressed. G is the bottom die which fits into the brick-box F
and may rest upon the base plate H as shewn in Fig. 2 or may be attached to or rest
upon a bottom plunger or stork J as shown in Fig. 3.
This bottom plunger or stork may rest upon or be carried by suitable lover or
levers, (which may also be used for the expulsion of the pressed brick or tile) and
adjusting screws, or the like so as to adjust the height of the bottom die G in the
brick-box F by which means the thickness of the brick or tile may be adjusted.
To the base plate H, I attach bolts or pins K (in this case four are shown) these
bolts or pins K pass through the brick-box F and are surrounded by the compression
springs L.
It will be seen that these springs L tend to lift and keep the brick-hox F lifted
from the base plate H.
The action and effect of these several parts are as follows:-The top die with
its component parts consisting of the head A. The frog-piece A1 and the cap
with their adjacent parts is attached to the plunger B, as herein before described,
so that when the plunger B is raised the whole of the top die is raised also to
adinit of the brick or tile being placed in the brick-box F.
Then as the top die descends the cap C first comes into contact with the top
face of the brick-box F, then as the plunger B continues to descend the frog-piece A 1
passes through the cap C and forms the frog or indent or other impression in the
brick or tile.
The pressure of the springs E on the cap C causes the brick-box F to descend
on to the base plate H. Now when the plunger B has been brought to its lowest
position the several parts will occupy the positions shown in Fig. 4 and it will be
seen that although the original bulk of the brick or tile may vary the ultimate
thickness of the brick or tile will always be the same, i.e. the distance between the top
face of the bottom die G and the top face of the brick-box F, when the said brick-box
is down on the base plate H. The only variation being the distance the frog-piece Al
penetrates the brick, and consequently the ultimate depth of the frog or indent in the
brick or tile.
It will be seen that as the said frog-piece A I passes through the said cap C the.
pressure of the springs E upon the cap C increases with the pressure in the brick-box,
so that when the springs E are properly adjusted the cap Chaving once touched the
top of the brick-box F it never leaves it until the plunger B is again raised. It will
also be seen that by making the brick-box to lower on to the bottom die simultaneously
with the descent of the top die 1 ensure getting sharp corners at both top and bottom
of the brick or tile. In some case the brick-box F may be fast to the base plate H
but I prefer to make it movable as herein before described.
It will be evident that the arrangements herein before described are applicable to
many forms of brick-presses the details of which are too well understood to need
description here.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. A brick-box having a top die consisting of two or more chief parts moving

page_text: the one upon the other, one part to form the top face of the brick or tile and the other
part to form the frog or indent, the depth of the said frog or indent varying with the
bulk of the clay in the brick-box, substantially as herein before described.
Second. A brick-box having a top die consisting of two or more chief parts moving
the one upon the other, one part to form the top face of the brick or tile, and
the other part to form the frog or indent in combination with compression or other
springs, for regulating, operating or controlling the relative positions and actions of
the said parts substantially as herein before described.
Third. A top die consisting of two or more chief parts moving the one upon the
other, one part to form the top face of the brick or tile and the other part to form the
.frog or indent in combination with a movable brick-box lifted by springs, substantially
as herein before described.
Fourth. The combination and arrangements of a brick-box dies and adjacent parts,
substantially as herein before described.