IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Eccles, of Blackburn, in the County of
Lancaster, Cotton Spinner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS."
Sealed the 24th April 1855, and dated the 26th October-1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Eccles at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th October 1854.
I, JOSEPH ECCLES, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS" to be as follows:-
It relates principally to those machines which form or mould bricks from
dry or untempered materials by compression, and the object of the improve-
ments is to facilitate the process, and reduce the weight of the bricks (retaining
the same external dimensions) by making them of an hollow form, and which
by the same means will render them more dense. The means by which the
above-mentioned object is accomplished consist in forming one side of the mould
with a plug or core, or with plugs or cores, to correspond with the number and
form of the hollows intended to be made in the side of the brick, which plugs
or cores are fixed to the side of the mould, and they are of a wedge or taper
form, and may be of such length as will extend to the opposite side of the mould
or brick, so as to perforate it. The wedge form of the plugs or cores facilitates

page_text: the entrance of the material into the mould, and causes it to become more
dense at the sides, and allows the material when moulded to be pushed freely
from the mould, which is done, by piston plate, having holes through it cor-
responding to the base of the plugs or cores upon which it fits; in other words,
the face of the piston plate will form one side of the mould, and the plugs
will project into the interior of the mould through holes formed in the plate.
'The piston plate will be actuated by a rod or rods passing from it through holes
in the side in which the plugs or cores are fixed, or in any other convenient
manner. The plugs or cores are formed hollow, that is, with orifices through
them, diminishing from the base to the point, which will allow of the escape of
air from the material at the time, it is being compressed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Eccles in the Great Seal Patent Office on the.
25th April 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
ECCLES, of Blackburn, in the County of Lancaster, Cotton Spinner, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Eccles, Her especial licence that I, the said Joseph Eccles,
my 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
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS," 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 per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawing (that is to say):
:-
My Invention relates to those machines which form or mould bricks from
dry or untempered materials by compression, and the object of the improve-
ments is to facilitate the process of manufacture, and reduce the weight
of the bricks (retaining the same external dimensions) by making them of
hollow form, and which by the same means will render them more, dense..
The means by which the above-mentioned object is accomplished consist in
forming one side of the mould (say, that corresponding to the bottom side of
the brick,) with a plug or core, or with plugs or cores, to correspond with the
number and form of the hollows intended to be made in the brick, which
plugs or cores are fixed to the bottom side of the mould, and they are of a
wedge or taper form, and may be of such length as will reach to the opposite
side of the mould or brick, so as to perforate it. The wedge form of the plugs
or cores facilitates the entrance of the material into the mould, and causes it
to become more dense at the sides, and allows the material when moulded to
be pushed freely from the mould, which is done by a piston plate, having holes
through it corresponding to the base of the plugs or cores upon which it fits;
in other words, the face of the piston plate will form one side of the mould,
and the plugs will project into the interior of the mould, through holes formed
in the plate. The piston plate may be actuated by a rod or rods passing from
it through holes in the bottom side of the mould, or in any other convenient
manner. The plugs or cores are formed hollow, that is, with orifices through
them, diminishing in size from the base to the point, which will allow of the
escape of air from the material at the time it is being compressed, the conical
form of the orifices in the plugs or cores permitting the free escape of any.
small quantities of the material that may be admitted into the orifice at the
points or smaller ends of the plugs or cores.
I have now explained the nature of my Invention, and have next more par-.
ticularly to describe its adaptation to the machines herein-before referred to,
but shall principally describe it in its adaptation to machines for manufacturing
bricks from dry or untempered materials by compression, acting on the prin-
ciple of that described in the Specification of a Patent granted in this country
to James M Henry, of Liverpool, for an Invention of certain improvements
in machinery for manufacturing bricks or tiles, and dated the Twentieth day
of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
The Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed shews several views of mould boxes
arranged and constructed in the manner herein-before, described, and their
adaptation to machines acting on the principle of that above mentioned and

page_text: referred unto. Figs. 1, 2, and 3 show respectively a plan, a vertical section
on the line A, B, Fig. 1, and a vertical section on the line C, D, Fig. 1, of a
mould box for making bricks with one cavity; and Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are
respectively views, corresponding to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, of a mould box for bricks
with two cavities. The box a may be considered the ordinary mould box for
moulding solid bricks; and b, the piston; and b'; the piston rod, for forcing
the material out of the box when moulded; c are the cores or plugs, of the
form of. the hollows intended to be made in the brick; they are fixed to the
bottom of the mould (a), portions of the piston 6 being cut away, corresponding
with the base of the plugs or cores. c are orifices, before mentioned as made
through the plugs or cores, which consists of a narrow slit at the point of the
plugs or cores, as shewn. The position of the piston rod or rods 6' will depend
upon the position and number of the plugs or cores. The cross bar 62, attached
to the piston rod, may be made to answer as a stop, to prevent the piston lifting
too much. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view; shewing the application of
the mould boxes to machines acting on the principle of that herein-before
referred to. The mould boxes may be made separate, and fixed side by side
on the table d of the machine; or the boxes may be formed solid with the
table or bed d, as shewn. As the moulds are worked precisely as when
making solid bricks I need not describe the action of the machine, as this
will beperfectly understood by persons conversant with such machines. The
adaptation of these improvements to machines in which the material is forced
and compressed into the mould by a piston will be readily made from the
description herein-before given.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the mode
in which it may be carried into effect; and claim as my Invention, the
arrangement and mode of constructing mould boxes herein-before described
for the manufacture of bricks with hollows in them, when used in machines
which form or mould such bricks from dry or untempered clay or materials
by compression.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Eccles, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord Onc
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
JOSEPH ECCLES. (L.B.)