IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PRESSING OR MOULDING BRICKS, TILES, OR OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Goode Messenger, of Loughborough, in the
County of Leicester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR PRESSING OR MOULDING BRICKS, TILES, OR OTHER SIMILAR
ARTICLES."
Sealed the 27th December 1879, and dated the 27th June 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Goode Messenger
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th June 1879.
THOMAS GOODE MESSENGER, of Loughborough, in the County of Leicester.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PRESSING OR MOULDING
BRICKS, TILES, OR OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."
My Invention relates to machinery or apparatus used for pressing or moulding
bricks, tiles, or other articles of plastic or semi-plastic material, and it has for ita
object improved methods of constructing and arranging such machinery, so that it
is simple, easily worked, and very powerful, quick in its action, and capable of
being readily moved from place to place, whilst it is cheaper and more economical
in use than machinery for similar purposes as heretofore ordinarily constructed and
used.
I make a strong frame, which may be provided, if desired, with wheels of any
ordinary kind for the purpose of moving the machine from place to place, and upon
this frame I make or attach two or more standards, to the upper part of which is
fixed the table upon which the finished bricks or other articles are delivered. Near
the bottom of the machine I armnge a strong longitudinal shaft revolving in
bearings fixed to the standards or to the framework, and I cause this shaft to
revolve by means of suitable toothed wheels and pinions upon shafts revolving in
bearings upon the machine, and set in motion by manual power, or by steam, or
other convenient power by means of driving belts and pulleys, or by a steam or
other engine connected directly to the driving shaft, and forming part of the
machine.
Upon the table, at the upper part of the apparatus, I fit and fix firmly one or
more strong boxes or moulds of a size appropriate to the articles which are to be
4

page_text: Each of these boxes is open above and below, and where more than one is used
they are arranged in a row at convenient distances apart immediately above the
principal shaft of the machine, which is set in revolution in the way already
described.
Directly under each box I make upon the shaft a crank of short stroke, fitted
with aconnecting rod or link, the upper end of which is jointed to the lower end
of a strong hollow bar which works vertically up and down in guides fixed to
the standards. In the upper end of this hollow bar fits and slides freely a bar, the
upper end of which is provided with a collar resting upon the upper end of the
hollow bar, above which collar is a strong plunger or plate, which enters and fits
the box, or moulded within which, therefore, the plunger rises and falls when the
shaft is made to revolve.
In order to adjust this movement of the plunger I prefer to make the length of
the connecting rod or link described easily adjustable by means of a screw and
nuts or in any other convenient way. And between the upper end of the hollow
vertical bar described and the collar upon the bar which carries the plunger I
arrange one or more adjustable rings or washers of steel or other metal, or of india
rubber, leather, or other sufficiently elastic material, or of two or more of these
substances combined, so as to take up partly any very great strain, and so reduce
the risk of fracture.
Each of the boxes or moulds described is provided with a very strong cover either
sliding in grooves or turning at one end upon a strong hinge or its equivalent, the
material to be pressed being forced against this cover when the plunger below
rises. I arrange each of these covers so that it is held in its place when closed by
a catch or bar connected with a cam upon the main shaft of the machine in such a
way that after the plunger has reached the highest point of its stroke the catch is
released and the cover is then thrown open by a weight or spring. In order to
deliver the finished brick or other article after the cover has been so thrown open, I
connect the plunger with a rod or bar passing down vertically outside the hollow
vertical bar, and at the lower end of this bar I arrange a frame working in vertical
guides formed upon or attached to the base or standards of the machine, and upon
this frame I arrange a friction roller or stud which rests upon or fits in a cam of
suitable shape fixed upon the main shaft of the machine.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The main shaft of the machine being
set in revolution at the proper speed when the crank is at the lowest point of its
stroke, an attendant inserts into the mould or box an impressed brick or other
article and closes the cover which is held firmly down by the catch described. As
the crank then ascends it forces up the vertical hollow bar together with the
plunger, which compresses the material with sufficient force against the cover.
When the crank has reached the top of its stroke the cam upon the shaft disen-
gages the catch which holds down the cover and the latter opens.
At this moment the second cain upon the shaft commences to operate and lifts
the plunger, and with it the pressed brick or other article until the latter is ontirely
free from the mould or box, and it is then removed by hand or by mechanism
actuated by the machine itself, which forces it forward to the place where it is to
be delivered, and at the same time deposits a fresh impressed brick or other article
upon the plunger, which then descends into the box by its own weight, or may be
drawn down by the cam.
I make the moulds or boxes easily removeable and adjustable, so that bricks or
other articles of any required shape or size may be made by the machine.
Instead of cranks upon the main shaft excentrics or cams may be used for the
purpose of actuating the vertical hollow bars, and where two or more moulds or
boxes are arranged upon the same machine I arrange the cranks or cams so that
they come into operation in succession, no two of the plungers exerting their full
pressure at the same time
The boxes or moulds may be made of iron, brass, or other suitable material, and,
if desired, their sides may be made hollow to admit steam, for the purpose of

page_text: heating them; and I prefer to make one or more holes through the plungers in
order to free the articles which are being pressed, and the boxes, from air or super-
fluous material.
The plunger never descends entirely out of the box or mould, and the bricks or
other articles are consequently of a superior quality and having their edges good.
Where semi-plastic clay or other material is to be operated upon I prefer to use
the following method of arrangement:-I make the cover of the mould or box
slide in guides, and in its front part I form a chamber, and I connect it to the main
shaft of the machine by cams and levers in such way that at one part of the
revolution of the shaft the chamber is made to slide under a hopper or vessel con-
taining the material whence a charge passes into it. The cover is then brought
back, and the chamber deposits its charge in the box, the cover moving on until it
has taken the place of the chamber in time to receive the pressure from the upward
thrust of the plunger.
Instead of the cam described for actuating the plunger to deliver the bricks or
other articles after they have been pressed, I sometimes make the plunger pass
into the hollow vertical bar through a water tight joint, and I admit water under
pressure through a flexible pipe into the hollow bar at the proper time for the
purpose of raising the plunger. The water may be admitted and discharged by a
suitable valve operated by a cam upon the main shaft of the machine, and some-
times a piston may be formed upon the plunger bar within the hollow bar, upon
each side of which piston water may be admitted alternately for the purpose of
raising and lowering the plunger at the proper times.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Goode Messenger in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
December 1879.
THOMAS GOODE MESSENGER, of Loughborough, in the County of Leicester.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PRESSING OR MOULDING
BRICKS, TILES, OR OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."
My Invention relates to machinery or apparatus used for pressing or moulding
bricks, tiles, or other articles of plastic or semi plastic material.
It has for its object improved methods of constructing and arranging such
machinery or apparatus so that it is simple, easily worked, and very powerful,
quick in its action, and capable of being readily moved from place to place when
desired, whilst it is cheaper and more economical in use than machinery for similar
purposes as heretofore ordinarily constructed and used.
In order to put my Invention in operation I make a strong frame of iron, wood,
or partly of iron and partly of wood, or of other suitable material, which may be
provided if desired with wheels of any ordinary kind for the purpose of readily
moving the machine from place to place as may be required, and upon this frame I
make or attach two or more strong standards of iron or other sufficiently strong

page_text: material, to the upper part of which I fix a table or horizontal frame upon which
the finished bricks or other articles may be delivered, and upon which are supported
and held the boxes and guides, and other appliances by which the bricks or other
articles are made, as hereinafter described.
Near the bottom of the machine I arrange a strong longitudinal shaft revolving
in bearings formed upon or attached to the standards, or to the frame, or to both.
I cause this shaft to revolve at the proper speed, which may vary according to the
articles which are to be made by means of suitable toothed wheels and pinions
keyed upon shafts revolving in bearings formed upon or fixed to the machine, and
set in motion by manual power, or by steam or other convenient power by means
of driving belts and pullies, or by a steam or other engine connected directly to the
driving shaft, and forming part of the machine. Upon the table already described
at the upper part of the apparatus I fit and fix firmly one or more strong boxes
or moulds of metal or other suitable material, and of a size appropriate to the
bricks or other articles which are to be pressed or moulded. Each of these
boxes or inoulds is open both above and below, and where more than one are used
I arrange them in line at convenient distances apart, and immediately above
the principal shaft of the machine, which is set in revolution in the way already
described.
Directly beneath each box or mould I make upon the revolving shaft a crank of
short stroke fitted with a connecting rod or link, the upper end of which is jointed
to the lower end of a strong hollow bar, which is thus made to work vertically up
and down in guides formed upon or fixed to the standards, or upright guide bara
fixed to the table above and to the frame below.
In the upper end of the hollow bar, arranged as just described, I fit a second bar
which can move freely up and down in the first bar, but either together with or
independently of the latter. The upper end of this inner bar carries and is
attached to a strong plunger or plate, which when the bar rises enters and fits the
lower open end of the box or mould above, within which it accordingly rises and
falls for a short distance when the shaft is made to revolve. The plunger or plate
is provided with a collar or boss beneath, which rests upon the upper end of the
hollow bar.
I prefer to make the length of the connecting rod or link described easily
adjustable by means of a scrow and nuts, or in any other convenient way, so that
the vertical movement of the plunger or plate may be adjusted if desired, and
between the upper end of the hollow vertical bar and the collar or boss beneath tho
plunger or plato I arrange one or more moveable or adjustable rings or washers of
steel or other metal, or of india rubber, leather, or other sufficiently elastic material,
or of two or more of such substances combined, so as to take up partly any very
great strain, and so reduce the risk of fracture when the brick or other article is
being pressed. Each of the boxes or moulds described is provided with a very
strong cover, either sliding horizontally in grooves or guides, or turning at one of its
ends or sides upon a strong hinge or its equivalent, the material which is to be
pressed being forced against this cover when the plunger below rises. I arrange
each of these covers so that it is held in its place when closed by two or more
catches or bars connected with a cam or cams upon the main shaft of the machine
in such a way that after the plunger has reached the highest point of the stroke
given to it by the crank and connecting rod, as above described, the catches are
released, and in the case where the cover is made to slide; it is caused then to rise
slightly from the box or mould, and then to slide off horizontally in order that the
pressed brick or other article may be raised from the mould and removed, and an
impressed one substituted for it in the latter, after which the cover is returned to
its place and drawn down tightly against the top of the mould by the action of the
cam. If the cover be hinged it is thrown open instead of being made to slide.
In order to deliver the finished brick or other article after the cover has been
removed in either of the ways described, I connect the plunger or plate with one or
more bars passing down outside the hollow vertical bar, and at the lower end of

page_text: this bar or bars I arrange a frame working in or between corresponding vertical
guides formed upon or attached to the base or standards and table of the machine,
and to this frame so arranged I fit a friction roller or stud which fits and is acted
on by a cam of suitable shape fixed upon the main revolving shaft of the machine.
The accompanying Drawing is in illustration of my Invention. Figure 1 is an
end view of a machine constructed according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a
transverse section of part of a similar machine; and Figure 3 is a longitudinal
section of a machine having two boxes or moulds. The same letters of reference
indicate similar parts in the several Figures. A is the frame of the machine shewn
supported on wheels B in Figure 1; 0, 0, are vertical standards fixed to the frame
and carrying the table D, to which are fixed the boxes or moulds E, E, in which the
bricks are pressed; F is a shaft revolving in bearings G, G, and shewn driven by
hand by toothed wheels, fly wheel, and handle at H. Connecting rods I, I, are
driven by cranks upon the shaft F, and are jointed to the hollow bars K, K, which
work in the guides L, and have fitted within them the boxes M, M, which carry at
their upper ends the plunger or plates N, N, having collars or bosses beneath them,
under which adjustable washers at O can be placed; P represents a strong cover to
the boxes or moulds E, E, the cover sliding horizontally in guides in the bars R, R,
the lower ends of which fit in cams S, S, upon the shaft F, by which the bars R, R,
are made to rise and fall slightly when required; T is an adjustable lever, the upper
end of which is connected to the sliding cover P, whilst its lower end is operated
by another cam upon the shaft F. The plungers or plates N, N, are connected by
means of the bars U, U, with the frames V, V, which work in the guides W, W,
and are provided with friction rollers X, X, actuated by the cams Y, Y, upon the
shaft F.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The main shaft F being set in motion
at the proper speed by the toothed wheels and handle H, when one of the cranks
and plungers N is at the lowest point of its stroke, an attendant inserts into the
box or mould E an impressed brick or other article, and the cover P is then caused
by the lever T to slide in the guides at the upper ends of the bars R, R, until it
covers the mould, against which it is then forced and held down, when the bars
R, R, are depressed by the cams S, S. As the plunger then ascends it forces up the
bollow bar B, together with the inner bar M and the plunger N, which compresses
the material in the mould against the cover P. When the crank has reached the
top of its stroke the cams S, S, raise the bars R, R, sufficiently, and the lever T
then causes the cover P to slide horizontally along the guides. At this moment the
cam Y commences to operate and lift the inner bar M and the plunger N, and with
them the pressed brick or other article until the latter is entirely free from the
mould or box E, and it is then removed by hand or by mechanism actuated by the
machine itself, which forces it forward to the place where it is to be delivered, or to
a travelling band of the usual kind, by which it is conveyed to any desired distance.
A fresh impressed brick or other article is then deposited in the box or mould E
upon the plunger N, which descends with it into the box by its own weight, or
which may be drawn down by a suitable cam. The plunger never descends entirely
out of the box or mould, and the bricks or other articles are consequently of a
superior quality, their edges being sharp and good.
Instead of using the arrangement of the hollow bar having an internal bar
carrying the plunger working within it, I sometimes make the outer bar itself carry
the plunger or plate, and capable of rising until the latter has reached the top of
the box or mould, and I arrang two cams or a double cam so that the bar and
plunger are first raised until the brick has been compressed, and then remain
stationary until the cover has been removed, when they are again raised for the
remainder of their stroke.
Where clay or other material of a semi-plastic character is to be operated upon,
I prefer to use the following method of arrangement:-I make the cover of the
mould or box slide in guides, and in its front part I form a chamber, and I connect
it to the main shaft of the machine by cams and lovers in such way that at one

page_text: part of the revolution of the shaft the chamber is made to slide under a hopper or
vessel containing the material, whence a charge passes into it. The cover is then
carried forward and the chamber deposits its charge in the box, the cover moving
on until it bas taken the place of the chamber in time to receive the pressure from
the upward thrust of the plunger.
Instead of the cam described for actuating the plunger to deliver the goods or
other articles after they have been pressed, I sometimes make the plunger pass into
the hollow vertical bar through a water tight joint, and I admit water under
pressure through a flexible pipe into the hollow bar at the proper time for the
purpose of raising the plunger.
The water may be admitted and discharged by a suitable valve operated by a
cam upon the main shaft of the machine, and sometimes a piston may be formed
upon the plunger bar within the hollow bar, upon each side of which piston water
may be admitted alternately for the purpose of raising and lowering the plunger at
the proper times.
In order to free the upper edges of the boxes from the clay or other matter I pro-
vide the cover with a scraper, wiper, brush, or other equivalent, so that whether the
cover slides direct on to the top of the box or is drawn down as before described, it
may bed upon the top of the box very tightly; and to clean or oil the under side of
the cover I adopt similar means.
Having now described my Invention and the manner in which it is to be
performed, I claim, the revolving crank or cam actuating a hollow bar in combina-
tion with the second interior adjustable bar, having a plate or plunger at its upper
end fitting the box or mould in which a brick or other article is to be pressed, and
actuated by a second cam or by hydraulic power, substantially as described and
shewn in the Drawing.
Also, the cover to such box or mould sliding in guides upon bars or frames which
are made to rise and fall vertically by cams upon the driving shaft, substantially as
and for the purpose described and shewn in the Drawing.
Also, the method of causing the cover to the box or mould to move laterally when
required, by a lever operated by a cam upon the driving shaft, substantially as and
for the purpose described and shewn in the Drawing.
Also, the general construction and arrangement of the apparatus, substantially as
described and shewn.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Goode Messenger, have hereunto set;
my hand and seal, this 23d day of December, in the year of our Lord
THOMAS GOODE MESSENGER. (L.s.)