IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS, SLABS, AND OTHER ARTICLES MADE OF CLAY, AND IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, of the Firm of Harris
and Mills, of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
BRICKS, SLABS, AND OTHER ARTICLES MADE OF CLAY, AND IN MEANS OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN." A communication from abroad by Michel
Poletti, of Fribourg, in the Republic of Switzerland.
led the 21st December 1876, and dated the 14th July 187
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard
Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th July 1876.
BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and Mills, of 23,
" IMPROVE-
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent.
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS, SLABS, AND OTHER ARTICLES MADE OF
A communication
CLAY, AND IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
from abroad by Michel Poletti, of Fribourg, in the Republic of Switzerland.
The Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of bricks, slabs,
and other articles made of clay, and in means or apparatus employed therein.
For this purpose the clay is nixed or tempered with hot water obtained by
preference by passing the waste steam of a steam engine into a tank containing the
water to be heated. The water thus heated is conveyed by pipes or tubes provided
with regulating cocks to the clay to be tempered or mixed. The clay thus soaked
is lifted by means of an endless or continuous elevator to a double crushing or
grinding mill in which the clay is first crushed or ground under one cylinder and
then falls under another cylinder where it is ground or triturated a second time.
The clay is then submitted to the action of a vertical pug mill consisting of a series
of wings or blades munted in a spiral line on a vertical shaft or axis working in a
cylinder, which shaft or axis by its rotation reduces the descending clay into a
compact, firm, and uniform mass. The clay is then forced out of the mill by a
clearer on to a table or bed, where the workman prepares it by moulding it to its
first form or shape and then covering it entirely with brick or tile powder.
In obtaining this powder a mill is employed consisting of a heavy hard cone
rolling horizontally in a circular or annular groove.
The masses of clay thus shaped and covered with brick or tile powder are then.
carried to a drying room, situated by preference above the furnace or furnaces, into
[Price Gd.1

page_text: which the waste heat from the furnaces is directed. After drying for about three
days these masses of clay are placed in a screw or other press in order to give them
their definite shape, and at the same time submit them to an extra pressure. After
this the products are again placed for about three days in the drying room, they
are then put into the furnaces where they are baked for about five days.
The furnace employed for the above purposes is provided with a flat surface of
refractory material, on which the articles to be fired or baked are placed. This
surface is perforated with a number of openings through which the products of
combustion pass into flues and then into a collector which conducts them to the
chimney.
Doors or dampers are employed for the purpose of regulating the passage of the
products of combustion at will." A door or opening is also provided through which
the articles are placed in the furnace and removed therefrom. These doors or
openings may be closed with bricks and clay, or mortar or cement.
Openings are also provided in the crown of the furnace to permit the licat to
escape when the articles are sufficiently fired or baked. These openings must be
opened very gradually in order to avoid the too sudden cooling of the products
which would make them crack. The heat escaping through these openings is
directed into the drying rooms, which should be as much as possible over the
furnace or furnaces in order to take advantage of all the heat which they emit.
By the means above described bricks, slabs, and other articles may be made very
dense and hard and perfectly impermeable, as also capable of resisting extremes
of heat and cold, thereby enabling them to be used for floors, side walks, passages,
cellars, and other places, as also as substitutes for paving stones for roads and
streets.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th January 1877.
BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and Mills, of 23,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS, SLABS, AND OTHER ARTICLES MADE OF CLAY,
AND IN MEANS OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN." A communication from abroad
by Michel Poletti, of Fribourg, in the Republic of Switzerland.
The Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of bricks, slabs,
and other articles made of clay, and in means or apparatus employed therein.
For this purpose the clay is mixed or tempered with hot water obtained by
preference by passing the waste steam of a steam engine into a tank containing
the water to be heated. The water thus heated is conveyed by pipes or tubes
provided with regulating cocks to the clay to be tempered or mixed.
The clay
thus soaked is lifted by means of an endless or continuous clevator to a double
crushing or grinding mill in which the clay is first crushed or ground between one
pair of cylinders, and then falls between another pair of cylinders where it is
ground or triturated a second time. The clay is then submitted to the action of a
vertical pug mill, consisting of a series of wings or blades mounted in a spiral line
on a vertical shaft or axis working in a cylinder, which shaft or axis by its rotation
reduces the descending clay into a compact firm and uniform mass. The clay is
then forced out of the mill through a mouth or orifice on to a table or bed where
the workman prepares it by moulding it to its first form or shape and then covering
it entirely with brick or tile powder. In obtaining this powder a mill is employed
consisting of a heavy hard cone rolling horizontally in a circular or annular groove.
The masses of clay thus shaped and covered with brick or tile powder are then
carried to a drying room, situated by preference above the furnace or furnaces, into
which the waste heat from the furnaces is directed. After drying for about three

page_text: After
days these masses of clay are placed in a screw or other press in order to give them
their definite shape, and at the same time submit them to an extra pressure.
this the products are again placed for about three days in the drying room, they
are then put into the furnaces where they are baked for about five days.
The furnace employed for the above purposes is provided with a flat surface of
refractory material on which the articles to be fired or baked are placed. This
surface is perforated with a number of openings through which the products of
combustion pass into flues and then into a collector or main flue which conducts
them to the chimney.
Doors or dampers are employed for the purpose of regulating the passage of the
products of combustion at will. A door or opening is also provided through which
the articles are placed in the furnace and removed therefrom. These doors or
openings may be closed with bricks and clay, or mortar or cement.
Openings are also provided in the crown of the furnace to permit the heat to
escape when the articles are sufficiently fired or baked. These openings must be
opened very gradually in order to avoid the too sudden cooling of the products which
would make them crack. The heat escaping through these openings is directed
into the drying rooms which should be as much as possible over the furnace or
furnaces in order to take advantage of all the heat which they emit.
By the means above described, bricks, slabs, and other articles may be made very
dense and hard and perfectly impermeable as also capable of resisting extremes of
heat and cold, thereby enabling them to be used for floors, side walks, passages,
cellars, and other places, as also as substitutes for paving stones for roads and streets.
And in order that the said Invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying Drawings, more fully
to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a sectional end view, and Figure 2 a sectional front view, of a
loam crusher constructed according to the Invention.
The clay or loam is first mixed or tempered with hot water obtained by pre-
ference by passing the waste steam of a steam engine into a tank containing tho
water to be heated. The water thus heated is conveyed by pipes or tubes provided
with regulating cocks to the clay to be tempered or mixed. The clay thus soaked
is lifted by means of an endless or continuous elevator to the crushing or grinding
mill, represented in Figures 1 and 2, which it will be seen is provided with two
pairs of crushing cylinders or rollers. The loam or clay is first delivered to the
cylinders or rollers a, a, and after being crushed by them falls on the cylinders or
rollers a, a, where it is ground and triturated a second time. The loam or clay
is then submitted to the action of a vertical pug mill, such as that represented in
vertical section at Figure 3, and in sectional plan at Figure 4. The clay is intro-
duced at the top of the mill and is then worked by a series of a wings or blades b,
mounted in a spiral line on a vertical shaft or axis working in a cylinder, which
shaft or axis b by its rotation reduces the descending clay or loam into a compact,
firm, and uniform mass. The clay is then forced out of the mill through a mouth
or orifice c on to a table or bed where the workman prepares it by moulding it
to its first form or shape and then covering it entirely with brick or tile powder.
In order to obtain this powder a mill is employed consisting by preference of a
heavy hard cone rolling horizontally in a circular or annular groove. The masses
of clay thus shaped and covered with brick or tile powder are then carried to a
drying room, situated by preference above the furnace or furnaces, into which the
waste heat from the furnaces is directed. After drying for about three days these
masses of clay or loam dare placed in a screw press, such as that shewn at Figures 5
and 6, which are respectively a side view and sectional end view of the same; but
a pross of other construction may be employed in order to give them their definite
shape and at the same time submit them to an extra pressure, after this the pro-
ducts are again placed for about three days in the drying room, they are then put
into the furnaces where they are baked for about five days.

page_text: Figure 7 represents two furnaces constructed according to the Invention, that on
the left being an outside view, and that on the right being a longitudinal section on
the line a, b, of Figure 9.
d,
Figure 8 is a transverse section of one of such furnaces taken on the line c,
of Figure 9. Figure 9 is a horizontal section on the line e, f, of Figure 8, and
Figure 10 is a plan of a number of such furnaces arranged in a manner suitable for
a single establishment.
h, are the fire-places which are to produce the heat for burning the products
placed in the oven i on a flat surface j of refractory material. This surface is
perforated with a number of openings through which the products of combustion
pass into the flues leading into a collector or main flue m, which conducts them
to the chimney n, as indicated by the arrows. The doors or dampers z serve for
interrupting the passage of the smoke and products of combustion at will. Through
the doors or openings o the articles are placed in the furnaces and removed there-
from. These doors or openings may be closed with bricks and clay, or mortar or
cement; openings p are provided in the crown of the furnaces to permit the heat
to escape when the articles are sufficiently fired or baked. These openings p may be
closed in the same manner as the doors or openings o, and must be opened very
gradually in order to avoid the too sudden cooling of the products, which would
make them crack. The heat escaping through these openings p is directed into
the drying rooms, which should be as much as possible over the furnace or furnaces
in order to take advantage of all the heat which they emit. The part of the
building shown at s is intended for the reception of the machinery employed in the
said Invention.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the mode in which
the same is carried into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim is-
First. The manufacture of bricks, slabs, and other articles made of clay by the
combined means and processes, substantially as herein shown and described.
Secondly. I claim the use of heat for diluting the loam or clay.
Thirdly. I claim the use of a double action crushing or grinding apparatus,
substantially as shown at Figures 1 and 2, for crushing or grinding the clay or
loam.
Fourthly. I claim the use of brick and tile powder or other similar powder for
covering the products.
Fifthly. I claim the alternate drying and compression of the products.
And, Sixthly. I claim the peculiar arrangements of the furnaces, substantially as
herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Tenth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
D T D
TTTS