IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SHAPING OR MOULDING CLAY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS TILES AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: I CHARLES HENRY MURRAY of 32 High Street Highgate in the County of
Middlesex Machinist do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR SHAPING OR MOULDING CLAY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS
TILES AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to Vertical Pug Mills.
In my improved Pug Mill the Upright or Pug shaft is retained in position by a
holding down bearing instead of by a crosshead at top as is now commonly
practised and this shaft has a small arm to steady it at the top end of Shaft.
The Side Frames or roller cheeks for carrying the Rollers are supported from
the Pug Mill.
The Rollers may be driven by a Spur Wheel from a Pinion attached to the
driving Spindle that gives motion to the Expressing Rollers.
By my improvements I am enabled to support the driving Shaft by two
Bearings one a thrust and the other a common bearing in place of having a larger
number.
To the centre of the driving spindle is attached a Worm that engages a
horizontal Worm Wheel which drives the Pug Mill.
This arrangement enables the driving Gear to be placed on one side of the Side
Frames or Roller Cheeks.
The whole may be driven by fast and loose Pulleys.
The improvements relate also to that part of the apparatus called the die.
The improved Die I employ in place of the old wood Die fustian lined all round
and nailed top and bottom is constructed, as follows.
The Die is made in four separate parts or castings a top a bottom and two end
pieces, the fustian or other suitable material for lining this die is cut to a pattern
and in case of need may be laid on so as to 'fustian' or 'refustian' in a very few
minutes say about 4 or 5 minutes, I dispense with the nailing before beferred to
and required in wood dies and I can obtain an efficient adhesion between the
fustian and the metal surface by damping or wetting the fustian and pressing it
against the metal surface to which it is desired it should adhere,

page_text: One die may be out of use and be in preparation of lining whilst another is being
employed.
My improvements further relate to that part of the apparatus which is called the
table.
This Table is made to cut a small number of bricks say 6 for instance and I
construct the draw bars and fence board so that I enable the fence board and draw
bars as one to be drawn by hand toward the operator and the bricks, pipes, tiles or
other articles may be deposited at the same time on to the movable board close to
the workman ready for removal conveniently of those boards with the bricks, tiles,
pipes or other articles onto the barrow or other carrier or support for those
articles.
By these means I am enabled to dispense with the rack quadrant and rollers,
bearings and other parts with resultant economy and lightness.
Dated this fifth day of January 1884.
WILLIAM BROOKES,
Agent.

page_text: I CHARLES HENRY MURRAY of 32 High Street Highgate in the County of
Middlesex Machinist do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR SHAPING OR MOULDING CLAY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS
TILES AND OTHER LIKE ARTICLES and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
These improvements relate to that description of apparatus employed in shaping
or moulding clay for the manufacture of bricks tiles and other like articles known
generally as Pug Mills and particularly to that class known as Vertical pug Mills.
In my improved apparatus the upright or pug shaft is retained in position by a
holding down bearing instead of by a crosshead at the top as at present is
commonly the practice to employ and this shaft according to my improvement has
a small arm at the top end of the shaft to steady it. The side frames or roller
cheeks for carrying the rollers are supported from the Pug Mill side or wall of the
kneading vessel.
These Rollers may be driven by a spur wheel from a pinion attached to the
driving spindle that gives motion to the expressing rollers.
By my improvements I am enabled to support the driving shaft by means of two
bearings one of which is a thrust bearing and the other a common bearing, in place
of employing, as has been general heretofore, a larger number of bearings for this
purpose.
To the centre or thereabouts of the driving spindle is attached a worm wheel or
worm that engages a horizontal worm wheel which drives the apparatus for
kneading the clay, or the pug mill as it is called.
This arrangement enables the driving gear to be placed at one side of the side
frames or roller cheeks that is to say on the side away from the workman.
The apparatus may be driven by fast and loose pullies of the ordinary kind or
in other suitable manner, from a steam engine or other convenient source of
power.
The improvements also relate to that part of the apparatus called the die and
according to my improvements I dispense with the old wood die which is fustian
lined all round, or covered inside, and is nailed top and bottom and I employ in
place thereof a metallic die made in four separate parts or castings that is to say
my improved die has a top piece a bottom piece and two end pieces and the fustian
or other suitable substitute material for lining this die is cut to a shape or
template and in case of need of "fustian" being needed or "refustianing" being
desired such renewal can be made in a very few minutes say in about 4 to 5
minutes and to facilitate this I dispense with the nailing before referred to, required
with wood moulds and I obtain an efficient adhesion between the fustian and the
metal surface of the die to which it is desired it should be made to adhere and this
from the nature of the fabric takes place in a satisfactory manner aided by the
compression of the edges between the parts of the mould when secured in position
for use.
Liquid to lubricate the clay in its passage through the die is supplied by means
of a suitable vessel communicating by a pipe or channel to suitable grooves or
recesses in the faces of the die behind the fustian.
In employing the improved dies one of such dies may be out of use and be in
course of preparation by being lined as described whilst another is being employed
in the manufacture of the moulded articles. I find cast iron to give the best
results for the surfaces of the die to which the fustian is secured,
"

page_text: at the same time or by one motion onto the moveable board close to the workman
ready for those boards with the articles supported to be conveniently removed onto
the barrow or other carrier or support for those articles.
By these means I am enabled to dispense with the rack quadrant and rollers,
bearings and other parts with resultant economy and lightness.
But in order to my invention being the better understood I will proceed by the
aid of the accompanying drawings to describe the same more in detail.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
This
Figure 1 shews a section in a vertical direction of a pug mill and Figure 2 shews
a side view thereof. Figure 3 shews a plan of the same. a indicates the main
framing or supports, bis the driving shaft which carries a worm 6' which engages
with the horizontal worm wheel c¹ on the upright or pug shaft c and drives that
shaft and thereby causes the arms or blades within the vessel d to revolve and
knead and force down the clay to the passage d² to the expressing rollers e.
upright shaft c is retained in position at its upper end by the small arm d¹ and at
its lower end it is held down against the thrust of the blades against the clay by a
bearing d³ at its lower end secured to the bed plate a'. This bearing d³ is formed
as a holding down bearing so as to engage a collar on the end of the shaft or
upright c and prevent it from rising whilst permitting of its free revolution.
f, g, are fast and loose pullies for receiving the driving band for imparting
revolutions to the machine through the axis b. e¹ are shafts carrying the expressing
rollers e e³ is a wheel on the lower shaft c¹ receiving motion from a pulley b² on
the main shaft b. These rollers e are caused to revolve together by gearing wheels e
on their respective axes el c¹ which revolve in bearings e affixed to the side frames
or roller cheeks hh. ii are supporting rollers for the clay passing from the pug
mill to the expressing rollers revolving in bearings i¹, i, j indicates the delivery
outlet for the clay to the table known as the die.
This table is for convenience of the drawings separately shewn by side view
Figure 4 and by plan view Figure 5; whilst Figure 6 shews by side view Figure 7
by front view and Figure 8 by plan view the die or moulding outlet j. The parts
shewn by these figures 4 & 5 are shewn to a larger scale than the parts in
Figures 1 to 3 and Figures 6 to 8 shew the die drawn to a still larger scale and in
these figures the lubricating vessel with its pipe of supply and tap k for
controlling such supply are omitted but their position in operation is clearly
indicated in Figures 1 & 2.
The die is formed in four parts or castings 1. 2. 3. 4.-1 and 2 being
respectively the top and bottom pieces and 3 and 4 the end pieces. 5. 6. 7. 8.
indicate the pieces of fustian nipped in between the parts 1. 2. 3. 4. where their
edges abut against each other. The projecting ends of these pieces of fustian
serving as holding means for drawing that fabric tight and smooth.
The portion of the apparatus constituting the table or support for the clay during
cutting or dividing into bricks or forms shewn by Figures 5 and 6 is supposed to
be separated from the outlet end of the kneading portion and to be seen from the
opposite side, in order to better shew the construction and arrangement of the
operating parts. In use the stream of clay issuing from the orifice j which is
lubricated by the passage of lubricating matter from the pipe into recesses or
grooves in the die faces behind the fustian lining in its passage travels over the
rollers m². m². m³. m². m³. until the required amount of clay sufficient to make
say 6 bricks has been expressed from the orifice ; and having the desired sectional

page_text: area imparted by that die or orifice, when further supply may be cut off by means
of the door or slide o and the portion of clay to be divided up into bricks or forms
is severed from the column of supply by the cutter n supported in a frame n¹ being
drawn therethrough dividing the clay between rollers m¹ and m³, a separation of
the now divided portion of clay from the supply column is effected by giving a turn
or so, to the roller m³ by means of a handle me applied to its axis and thereby
imparting a forward movement to this piece of clay sufficient to admit the hand or
hands of the operator who pushes the clay thus separated, further forward and on
to the table y of the machine and drawing towards him the handle p carried by
the framework q affixed to the arms r carrying the fence board 8, that frame work
is caused to slide in grooves in the underwork of the table y and by the arms r
that fence board is pressed against the clay on the table y forcing that clay against
cutting or dividing wires t which are mounted in the frame t with suitable
straining screws and nuts t³ applied in suitable bearings at the upper part of that
frame. Or this forward motion of the framework may be effected by lever, rack,
and pinion or other suitable motion.
The wires t divide the clay into say 6 bricks and these being pressed completely
forward come to rest on a removable board or surface applied temporarily on
brackets or supports wover the frame q from which it may with its load of bricks
now on it, be removed by a labourer and then in the sequence of operations be
replaced by another board and lot of bricks and so on throughout. x is a vessel to
contain liquid for lubricating the surfaces of the roller m³ revolving in the trough x¹,
thence the underside of the clay lump and thereby the table y.
This arrangement of apparatus affords great economy of labor time and space
and enables one to dispense with parts such as the rack, quadrant and rollers
reducing the weight of the machine and cheapening construction.
Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that what
I claim is
1. The general combination and adaptation of apparatus for shaping or moulding
clay for the manufacture of bricks, tiles and other like articles substantially as
shewn and described.
2. The construction or arrangement of the bearings for the shaft c of the pug
mill or kneading chamber of the apparatus as described and shewn.
3. The arrangement or combination of the parts for driving the pug mill arms or
kneading means and the expressing rollers so as to dispense with the use of more
than one driving spindle or axis and to enable the driving gearing for the expressing
rollers to be placed at one side thereof, substantially as set forth.
4. The construction of the die or moulding outlet for the clay as set forth.
WM BROOKES & SON,
55, Chancery Lane,
Agents.