IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MOULDING HOLLOW BRICKS AND TUBULAR ARTICLES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Howard, of Fenchurch Street, in the City
of London, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR
MOULDING HOLLOW BRICKS AND TUBULAR ARTICLES."-A communication
from abroad by M. Becherer and C. Kesseler, of Greisswald, in the
Kingdom of Prussia.
Sealed the 1st May 1860, and dated the 3rd November 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Howard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
· November 1859.
I, JOHN HOWARD, of Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MA-
CHINERY FOR MOULDING HOLLOW BRICKS AND TUBULAR ARTICLES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates chiefly to the moulding of hollow bricks, in such a
manner, that although formed with a closed end, there will be no tendency for
the brick (while passing out of the die) to collapse under the pressure of the
atmosphere. The Invention also applies to the moulding of other articles
having a tubular form with a closed end. The moulding box is fitted with a
hinged door for filling in the plastic material, which is propelled through the
die by a plunger operated in any suitable manner. Fixed to the discharging
end of the moulding box is a die, the outlet passage of which takes the form
of the end of the brick or other article desired to be moulded. In front of
this die, and working in grooves formed therein, is a sliding door pierced with
a small hole, for the purpose to be presently explained. This door is con-
nected to a hand rock lever supported on a bracket attached to the moulding

page_text: box. From the fulcrum end of this rock lever a rod is pendent, which passes
through an open tube that is fixed to and projects down into the moulding
box, for the purpose of carrying a hollow core, shaped to correspond to the
In the
sectional form of the cavity required in the article to be moulded.
centre of this hollow core is mounted a short spindle, which carries at its outer
end a disc which covers a kind of grating forming the end of the core, and is
pierced to correspond with the openings in the grating. A crank on the
spindle is jointed to the pendent rod before mentioned, so that when the hand
lever connected with the sliding door is raised, it will, while lifting the door
free of the opening in the die, impart a slight axial motion to the spindle, and
thus turn the pierced disc. A way will thus be opened for the passage of air
through the tube in which the. pendent rod works to the hollow core, and
thence to the interior of the article being moulded. In order to mould hollow
articles according to this Invention, the moulding box is charged with clay or
other plastic material, and the sliding door is closed, and pressure is then put
on the clay by the plunger. When the clay is seen to ooze through the small
hole in the door the door is to be raised, the space between the door and the
core being at that time filled with clay, which forms the closed end of the
brick or other article being moulded. On the door being raised, the clay being
under pressure will now be discharged from the die in the form of the desired
article (it being received on to an endless belt or other well known suitable con-
trivance). The axial motion of the disc being simultaneous with the move-
ment of the door, the holes of the disc and grating behind it will be brought
into coincidence, and thus air will be brought to the rear of the closed end of
the article being moulded at the moment that it is free to be discharged from
the die. When a sufficient length of tube is formed it is to be cut off in the
usual manner, and the door is to be closed, and the operation recommenced as
before
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Howard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd May 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HOWARD, of Fenchurch Street, in the City of London, Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of November, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Howard, Her special license that I, the said John
Howard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Howard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY
FOR MOULDING HOLLOW BRICKS AND TUBULAR ARTICLES," being a communication
from abroad by M. Becherer and C. Kesseler, of Greisswald, in the Kingdom
of Prussia, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Howard, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 John Howard, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):—
The object of this Invention, as communicated to me from abroad, is to
mould hollow bricks and other hollow articles with a closed end by pressing
them through a die by means of a moving plunger. Hitherto this has been
found impracticable by reason of a vacuum, or partial vacuum being formed
within the moulded tube as it left the die, whereby the hollow article before it
could be cut off would collapse under the pressure of the atmosphere. To
remedy this, it is proposed to admit air to the interior of the moulded article,
or to the inner face of the closed end thereof, just prior to its starting from the
die, and thereby to maintain an equal atmospheric pressure on the inner and:
outer surfaces of the moulded article during its formation.
In the accompanying Drawing the manner of carrying out the object of
this Invention is clearly exhibited. Fig. 1 shews in front elevation a machine
for moulding hollow bricks, or cylindrical or other shaped hollow articles, such
as retorts, crucibles, pots, and jars, with a closed end; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal
vertical section shewing only the hinder end of the moulding box and the
plunger rod broken away to save space. a, a, is the moulding box, made of
cast iron, fitted with a hinged door a*.for filling in the plastic material whichi

page_text: is to be moulded by the pressure of a plunger operated in any suitable and
well known manner. Fixed to the discharging end of the moulding box a is
a die b, the opening in which takes the form of the end of the brick or other
article desired to be moulded, and forms the outlet for the plastic material
from the moulding box. In front of the die 6 and working in grooves formed
therein is a sliding door c, pierced in the centre with a small hole for the
purpose to be presently explained. This door is connected by means of a
forked link frame d to a hand rock lever e, supported on a standard attached
to the moulding box. From the fulcrum end of this rock lever e a rod f is
pendent, which passes through an open tube g that is fixed to and projects
down into the moulding box. The inner end of this tube is tapped to fit into
a screwed hole in a hollow core h, which is set centrally with respect to the
opening in the die b. This core is secured in position by means of screw bolts
which pass through lugs projecting laterally from the core and enter the die b,
as shewn in the horizontal section, Fig. 3. The hollow core is shaped at its
forward end to correspond to the figure in cross section of the cavity required
in the article to be moulded. Thus the core shown in the Drawing being
intended for moulding hollow bricks of the form shewn in longitudinal and
cross sections at Figures 4 and 5, is made of a corresponding form as shewn
at Fig. 6, which is an enlarged front view of the core detached from the
machine. In the centre of this hollow core is mounted a short spindle i, which
carries at its outer end a pierced disc (see the enlarged detached views
Figures 7). This disc covers a kind of grating forming the forward end of
the core, and it is held up to the core end by adjusting nuts on the spindle i.
The rear end of the spindle rests in a cap screwed into the rear end of the
hollow core which it closes. The holes in the disc k are made to correspond
with the openings in the grating for the purpose of allowing the air which bas
free access (down the open tube g) to the hollow core, to pass into the
moulded article as it is driven out of the die b. Keyed to the spindle i is a
crank arm (see the enlarged sectional view of the core, Fig. 8) which is
jointed to the pendent rod f before mentioned, so that when the hand lever e
connected with the sliding door c is raised, it will while lifting the door free of
the opening in the die, impart a slight axial motion to the spindle i, and turn
the pierced disc so as to bring the openings therein in line with the openings in
the core face. A way is thus opened for the passage of air to the interio
moment that a passage is
of the article being moulded, at the same
cleared for the discharge of the plastic material in a moulded form from the
mould box.
In order to mould hollow articles, say a brick, according to this Invention

page_text: the moulding box is charged with clay or other plastic material suitably
prepared, and the sliding door being let down into the position shewn at
Figures 1 and 2, pressure is applied to the clay by the plunger m until the
clay is seen to ooze through the small hole in the door. This is an indication
that the space between the door c and the core h is fully charged with clay,
and that consequently the closed end of the brick is moulded. The propelling
power is now thrown off the plunger and the sliding door is raised clear of the
die ; the plunger is again set in action, and the clay or other plastic material
is discharged from the die in the form of a square tube. When the required
length has been made to constitute a brick it is cut off with a wire in the
usual way, and the severed portion is received on to an endless belt n, or other
well known suitable contrivance. The sliding door is then let down into its
place, and the same series of operations repeated. It will now be understood
that as there is free access of air to the interior of the moulded tube during
its formation, there will be no tendency of the moulded article while issuing
from the die to collapse, by reason of the pressure of the atmosphere on the
exterior thereof.
In applying the Invention to the manufacture of crucibles, it is preferred
to employ the arrangement shewn at Fig. 9 for admitting air to the interior
of the moulded article, it being found in practice that when articles of larger
sectional area than bricks are moulded, the tendency is for the clay to turn
with the disc covering the end of the core, and thereby to clog up the
apertures thereof. To remedy this, instead of giving the ventilating disc an
axial motion, it is caused to recede to open the passage for the air to the
interior of the article being moulded. The spindle i, Fig. 9, is mounted so as
to slide in guides in the core h, and to its forward end the disc k is secured.
The face of the disc is furnished with a coating of india-rubber or other
packing to allow it to bed against the inner surface of the core, within which
it is placed. The pendent rod f terminates in a wedge f*, which bears against
the rear end of the spindle i, for the purpose of pressing the disc up to its seat,
and closing the fore end of the core. To admit air to the tube during its
formation, and after the moulding of the closed end is completed (which in
this instance is to constitute the bottom of the crucible) the wedge is thrust
down out of contact with the spindle i, and a coiled spring which surrounds
and is connected to the spindle and to a fixed point in the core draws back
the disc and opens a passage for the air. The operation of moulding the
crucibles, and also of other like articles, will be precisely similar to the
moulding of bricks above described. It may also be remarked that cylindrical
articles moulded by this improved machinery may, if desired, be finished

page_text: while in a green or soft state on the potter's wheel, and thus flanges or annular
grooves may be readily formed thereon.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of improved machinery
for moulding hollow bricks and tubular articles, as communicated to me from
abroad, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it
to be understood, that under the above in part recited Letters Patent, I claim
the application to moulding machinery of a hollow core, whereby air may be
introduced to the interior of articles having a closed end, during their passage
from the mould box, for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Howard, have hereunto unto
set my hand and seal, the Third day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
J. W. Moffatt,
66, Chancery Lane.
JOHN HOWARD. (L.S.)