Improvements in Brick Making Machinery.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 17th June, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 17th Mar., 1891-Accepted, 18th Apr., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brick Making Machinery.
I, THOMAS CONSTANTINE FAWCETT, of Old Victoria Foundry, Manor Road,
Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object the manufacture of fire or other form of bricks
from plastic or semi-plastic clay or other material, and in constructing a machine
according to my invention I employ a revolving cylinder having four or other
convenient number of openings or dies, preferably open at both ends, the width of
the cylinder being equal to the length or width of the brick. The cylinder is
made to revolve intermittently or continuously, and the clay or other substance is
fed into the dies of the cylinder from a hopper placed above it, and forced therein
by one or more pairs of compression rollers having intermittent or continuous
rotary motion given to them. The compression rollers may be plain, corrugated,
or fluted, either parallel to the axis or at an angle thereto. In combination with a
revolving cylinder and compression rollers I employ a reciprocating rammer,
operated by crank, cam, or toggle-jointed levers for the purpose of pressing the
brick in the mould, which brick may be removed therefrom endwise by means of a
pusher which forces the said brick onto a table, or, if need be, into another mould
to receive a second pressing operation, or the said brick may be delivered onto an
endless travelling apron. To prevent the brick being forced laterally out of the
sides of the open ended cylinder, it is made to revolve between two side plates
pressed against its faces, the pressure of the said plates against the cylinder being
adjusted by screws or other mechanical equivalents.
By employing an open ended cylinder for moulding bricks, we dispense with the
corners which are formed when the cylinder is not open ended, consequently the
brick is now more easily removed and the corners of the brick are more acute.
Instead of removing the brick from the die in an endwise manner, as specified
above, I may use loose plates in the bottom of the mould, which can be employed
for forcing the brick out, such plates being operated by a cam or other device; and
in order that the brick may be greatly solidified by the pressure of the rammer, after
it has been inserted in the die by the compression rollers, scrape or remove from
the surface of such clay a suitable thickness, by means of a stationary guide plate,
attached to the end of a horizontal rod working upon a fulcrum, the opposite end
of such rod being weighted for the purpose of lifting the scraper from the clay at
the proper time. By scraping or removing a suitable thickness of clay from the
mould, the end of the pressing rammer is allowed to enter the mould for the
purpose of pressing the brick therein to a suitable degree of solidity.
Although have referred to a revolving cylinder having open ends, I wish to
observe that the compression rollers and rammer may be used in combination with
an ordinary or other form of revolving cylinder.
The machine herein described may be widened and the moulding cylinder made
with eight dises or moulds, so as to compound the machine.
Dated this 16th day of June 1890.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brick Making Machinery.
1. THOMAS CONSTANTINE FAWCETT, of Old Victoria Foundry, Manor Road,
Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has for its object the manufacture of fire or other form of bricks
from plastic or semi-plastic clay or other material, the machine being designed to
mould and press the brick, together with automatic means for removing the brick
from the mould.
In order that my invention may be better understood, I will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying sheets of drawings,
wherein.
Fig. 1 is sectional elevation of a brick making and pressing machine constructed
according to my invention, and
Fig. 2 is end view thereof.
pair
A represents the framework of the machine, and B an intermittently revolving
cylinder, mounted in bearings C, such cylinder having four openings or dies D, for
the reception of the clay from which the brick is to be made. The hopper
containing the clay is shewn at E, and partially within the said hopper are a
of intermittently revolving compression rollers F employed to place the clay into
the dies of the revolving cylinder B. These compression rollers may be plain,
corrugated, or fluted, either parallel to their axes or at an angle thereto. The
intermittent motion is communicated to the compression rollers and the revolving
cylinder by means of crank G mounted on the shaft H which communicates a
reciprocatory motion to the connecting rod J and to the lever arm K mounted on
shaft L. The lever arm K carries a catch or pawl a which gears with a ratchet
wheel M fixed upon the shaft L so that as the crank G revolves the catch or
pawl a is raised thereby, so as to impart an intermittent motion to the compression
rollers and revolving cylinder.
a
In combination with a revolving cylinder and compression rollers, I employ
reciprocating rammer N working between the two slides, such rammer being
operated intermittently by the toggle jointed lever arms O, operated by a crank P,
which forms part of the shaft H. These toggle jointed lever arms () are regulated
so as to operate the rammer N each time one of the dies D of the revolving
cylinder is presented to the said rammer, the pressing of the brick taking place
during the time the cylinder B is stationary. The connecting arm Q of the toggle-
jointed levers is of such a length as to carry the toggle levers O below a straight
line, so that the rammer N gives to the brick two squeezes for one revolution of
the shaft H, and these two squeezes take place during the temporary stoppage or
dwell of the moulding cylinder B.
The openings or dies D of the cylinder B are made with both ends open (the
width of the cylinder being equal to the length or width of the brick) for the
purpose of permitting the brick to be pushed out endwise to be received on a
table or by an endless travelling apron. The means I employ for pushing the
bricks endwise out of their openings or dies consists of a pusher R connected to
one end of a rocking lever ann S, such lever arm being provided with a few bevel-
wheel shaped teeth gearing with a segment of a bevel wheel T, the upper end of
which is connected to a lever arm "U, which on being moved backwards and
forwards upon the fulcrum c causes the lever arm S to rock or oscillate upon the
vertical stud d giving an intermittent motion to the pusher R which forces the
brick out of the dic.
To prevent the brick being forced laterally out of the sides of the open ended
cylinder B during the pressing operation, the said cylinder is made to revolve
between the two side plates V shewn in plan view Fig. 3 and elevation Fig. 4, the

page_text: said side plates V being connected to the framework of the machine. These side
plates are pressed with a suitable pressure against the sides or checks of the
revolving cylinder, the pressure thereon being regulated by the adjusting screws e
or by other equivalent means.
By employing an open ended cylinder for moulding bricks, I avoid the corners
which are formed when the cylinder is not open ended, consequently the brick is
now more easily removed and the corners of the brick are more acute.
Instead of removing the brick from the die of the revolving cylinder in an
end wise manner as specified above, I may use loose plates W in the bottom of the
mould (see plan view Fig. 6 and cross section Fig. 7) which plates W are
employed for forcing out the brick, such plates being operated by a cam or other
device within the cavity X of the cylinder B, and in order that the brick may be
greatly solidified by the pressure of the rammer N after it has been inserted in the
die by the compression rollers, I scrape or remove from the surface of such clay a
suitable thickness by means of a plate Y (see Fig. 5) attached to the end of
horizontal rod Zhaving a reciprocatory motion imparted to it for that purpose;
the opposite end of such rod being weighted so as to lift the scraper at the proper
time from the clay. By scraping or removing a suitable thickness of clay from the
mould, the end of the pressing rammer N is allowed to enter the mould for the
purpose of pressing the brick therein to a suitable degree of solidity.
Although I have referred to and described a revolving cylinder having open
ends, I wish to observe that the pressing rollers F and rammer N may be used in
combination with an ordinary or other form of revolving cylinder. The machine
herein described may be widened, and the moulding cylinder made with eight dies
or moulds instead of four, so as to compound the machine.
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 :-
:―
Firstly. In brick making machinery, the combination of the compression
rollers with an intermittently or continuously revolving moulding cylinder.
Secondly. In brick making machinery, the combination of the compression
rollers and revolving moulding cylinder B with a rammer or presser N, in
manner as herein described.
Thirdly. In brick making or brick pressing machinery, the use of a revolving
moulding cylinder having open ends, in manner substantially as described.
Fourthly. In brick making or brick pressing machinery, the use of a revolving
moulding cylinder having open ends, together with means as herein described for
pushing the brick out of its die in an endwise manner.
Fifthly. In brick making or pressing machinery, the use of a revolving
moulding cylinder having open ends, in combination with a rammer or presser N,
all as described.
TASKER & CROSSLEY,
Halifax, Agents.