IMPROVEMENTS IN DIES OR MOULDS AND APPARATUS USED IN THE MANU- FACTURE OF ROOFING, FLOORING, AND OTHER TILES, PAYING BRICKS, AND QUARRIES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Davies, of Cheslyn Hay, near Walsall, in the
County of Stafford, Manager of Brick and Tile Works, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DIES OR MOULDS AND APPARATUS USED IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF ROOFING, FLOORING, AND OTHER TILES, PAYING BRICKS, AND
QUARRIES."
Sealed the 19th December 1876, and dated the 27th June 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Davies at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th June 1876.
GEORGE DAVIES, of Cheslyn Hay, near Walsall, in the County of Stafford,
Manager of Brick and Tile Works. "IMPROVEMENTS IN DIES OR MOULDS AND
APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ROOFING, FLOORING, AND OTHER TILES,
PAVING BRICKS, AND QUARRIES."
My Invention consists in constructing in the manner herein-after described dies
or moulds, and apparatus used in the manufacture of roofing, flooring, and other
tiles, paving bricks, and quarries, whereby great economy in the manufacture of the
articles enumerated is effected.
My said Invention consists in producing by the use of the same die or mould,
and apparatus connected with it two streams of clay, and at the same time,
removing the ragged or uneven edges of the said streams of clay, or producing a
series of double streams of clay by means of a compound die or mould and
apparatus, as herein-after more particularly explained.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a die or mould and apparatus for the
production of two streams of clay for the manufacture of roofing and other tiles. In
front of the clay feeding box of a drain pipe or brickmaking machine or other
machine delivering a stream of clay under pressure I fix a die plate or mouth-piece,
having in it an opening of the ordinary kind, excepting that it is both wider and
longer. In the middle of the said opening I support a horizontal dividing plate
situated parallel to the longer sides of the said opening, and extending near to the
ends thereof. This dividing plate divides the opening in the die plate into two
equal parts, excepting at its ends, the width of each divided part being equal to the
thickness of the stream of clay to be produced. The dividing plate extends some

page_text: distance at the back of the die plate into the clay feeding box, but its front end is
flush with the front of the die plate. At each end of the front of the die plate, and
crossing the divided opening near the ends of the dividing plate is a vertical wire
for cutting off and trimming the edges of the divided streams of clay emerging from
the double die plate. These wires aro kept in the proper state of tension by fly
nuts or other equivalent mechanism; as the column of clay in the clay. feeding box
approaches the die plate containing the divided opening the said column of clay is
divided by the horizontal dividing plate into two streams connected at their edges,
and as the said streams emerge from the die plate the opposite edges of each stream are
cut off and trimmed square by the vertical wires described at the front of the die
plate, the stream of clay being thus divided into two separate and wholly detached
parallel streams. Besides separating the two streams and forming their edges
square and smooth the vertical wires give to the said streams the width or nearly
the width required in the finished tiles. The streams of clay are seized by a pair
of rolls divided transversely by wires into blanks, and the blanks inade into tiles in
a press in the ordinary manner.
In order to prevent the adhesion of the two streams of clay as they pass through
the rolls small shallow depressions may be formed on the opposite sides of the
dividing plate of the die near its front edge, so that the faces of the two streams of
clay presented to one another have formed upon them small longitudinal ribs,
which ribs by slightly separating the two streams allow of a stratum of air between
them, which prevents their adhesion.
Instead of using a single divided or double die plate two or more of the said
double die plates may be arranged parallel to one another or side by side, so as to
produce at the same time four or more streams of clay; or an opening of double
the length of that described may be made in the die plate, so as to produce two
streams of clay of more than double the width of the tiles to be made. In this caso
I use a middle vertical wire in front of the die plate for the purpose of dividing
each of the wide streams of clay into two equal parts, so that four streams of clay
are produced simultaneously, of the required width, which are afterwards divided
into blanks and made into tiles.
I apply my Invention to the manufacture of paving bricks and quarries in the
manner described with respect to the manufacture of tiles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st December
1876.
GEORGE DAVIES, of Cheslyn Hay, near Walsall, in the County of Stafford,
Manager of Brick and Tile Works. "IMPROVEMENTS IN DIES OR MOULDS AND
APPARATUS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ROOFING, FLOORING, AND OTHER TILES,
.PAVING BRICKS AND QUARRIES."
My Invention consists in constructing in the manner herein-after described dies
-or moulds and apparatus used in the manufacture of roofing, flooring, and other
tiles, paving bricks, and quarries, whereby great economy in the manufacture of
the articles enumerated is effected.
My said Invention consists in producing by the use of the same die or mould
and apparatus connected with it two streams of clay, and at the same time
removing the ragged or uneven edges of the said streams of clay, or producing a
series of double streams of clay by means of a compound die or mould and
apparatus, as herein-after more particularly explained.
I will describe my Invention as applied to à die or mould and apparatus for the E
production of two streams of clay for the manufacture of roofing and other tiles.
In front of a clay feeding box of a drain pipe or brick-making machine or other

page_text: machine delivering a stream of clay under pressure, I fix a die plate or mouth
piece, having in it an opening of the ordinary kind, excepting that it is both wider
and longer. In the middle of the said opening I support a horizontal dividing
plate situated parallel to the longer sides of the said opening, and extending near
to the ends thereof. This dividing plate divides the opening in the die plate into
two equal parts, excepting at its ends, the width of each divided part being equal
to the thickness of the stream of clay to be produced. The dividing plate extends
some distance at the back of the die plate into the clay feeding box, but its front
end is flush with the front of the die plate. At each end of the front of the die
plate, and crossing the divided opening near the ends of the dividing plate, is a
vertical wire for cutting off and trimming the edges of the divided streams of clay
emerging from the double die plate; these wires are kept in the proper state of
tension by fly nuts or other equivalent mechanism. As the column of clay in the
clay feeding box approaches the die plate containing the divided opening the said
column of clay is divided by the horizontal dividing plate into two streams con-
nected at their edges; and as the said streams emerge from the die plate the
opposite edges of each stream are cut off and trimmed square by the vertical wires
described at the front of the die plate, the connected streams of clay being thus
divided into two separate and wholly detached parallel streams. Besides separating
the two streams, and forming their edges square and smooth, the vertical wires give
to the said streams the width or nearly the width required in the finished tiles.
The streams of clay are delivered on to a series of carrying rollers, and afterwards
divided transversely into blanks, and the blanks made into tiles in a press in the
ordinary manner.
In order to prevent the adhesion of the two streams of clay after they are
delivered on to the carrying rollers small shallow depressions may be formed on the
opposite sides of the divided plate of the die near its front edge, so that the faces
of the two streams of clay presented to one another have formed upon them small
longitudinal ribs, which ribs by slightly separating the two streams allow of a
stratum of air between them, which prevents their adhesion.
I will now proceed to describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawings,
the manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation a die or mould and apparatus constructed
according to my Invention applied to the front of the pug mill or clay delivering
box of the machine; Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same; Figure 3 is a side
elevation of the same; Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the same; and Figure 5 is
a plan of the same.
Figure 6 represents in front elevation, Figure 7 in plan, and Figure 8 in sido
elevation the die plate or mouth-piece detached, drawn to a larger scale.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawings.
a is the die plate or mouth-piece secured to the front of the clay feeding or
delivering box b of the machine; c, d, is the opening in the said die plate a; and f
is the horizontal dividing plate situated parallel to the longer sides of the opening
c, d, and extending near to the ends thereof, as best seen in Figure 1. The dividing
plate is made separate from the die plate a, and is connected to the said die plate
by the screws and screw nuts at e, e. By an examination of the Drawing it will
be seen that the dividing plate f divides the opening c, d, into two equal parts,
excepting at its ends, the width of each divided part c and d being equal to the
thickness of the stream of clay to be produced. The front edge of the dividing
plate is flush with the front of the die plate a, but the back of the said dividing
plate extends some distance into the clay feeding box b (see Figure 2). g, g, are
the vertical wires for dividing the streams of clay as they emerge from the die
plate a, and for trimming the edges of the said streams of clay. These wires are
connected to the eye ends of the screws h, h, working through loops i, i, on the die
plate a. By means of fly nuts k on the ends of the screws h the wires g, g, may be
kept in the proper state of tension. The screws h to which the wires g, g, are

page_text: connected are adjusted and fixed in the loops i by the side bearing screws 1, 1,
passing through the said loops i, and bearing against the screws h, h..
As the column of clay in the clay feeding or delivering box 6 approaches the
divided opening c, d, of the die plate a the said column of clay is divided by the
horizontal dividing plate f into two streams connected at their edges by the clay
filling the ends n, n, (see Figure 1) of the die plate a, that is to say, the column of
clay as it enters the opening c, d, in the die plate has the sectional figure represented
by the front of the said die plate, the said column of clay consisting of two
parallel horizontal parts connected at their edges by vertical webs or parts at n, n.
As the nearly divided double stream of clay emerges from the die plate the con-
necting webs of clay n, n, at the edges of the nearly divided streams are cut off by
the vertical wires g, g. The stream of clay from the clay box b is thus divided
into two separate and wholly detached parallel streams, as illustrated in Figure 2.
The vertical wires g, g, besides separating the two streams, and forming their edges
square and smooth, also giving to the said streams the width or nearly the width
required in the finished tiles. The two streams of clay from the die plate are
received on the carrying rollers m, m, on which they are carried to transverse wires
by which the said streams of clay are divided transversely into blanks; these
blanks are then made into tiles in the ordinary way.
The shallow depressions or grooves made on opposite sides of the dividing plate f
of the die for producing a series of longitudinal ribs on the inner faces of the two
streams of clay are marked ƒ, f. By means of these longitudinal ribs the inner
or meeting faces of the two streams of clay, when the said streams of clay pass on to
the carrying rollers m, m, as represented in Figure 2, are slightly separated by a
stratum of air between them, so that their adhesion is prevented.
For the purpose of facilitating access to the clay delivering box b, and to the
back or inner face of the die plate a, I connect the said die plate a to the front of
the clay delivering box by means of the joint p, the said die plate opening and
closing after the manner of a door. When the die plate is closed upon the front
of the clay box b the said die plate is fixed by the cotter q passing through the
eye on the clay box b.
Instead of using a single divided or double die plate, as represented in the
Drawing, two or more of the said double die plates may be arranged parallel to one
another, or side by side, so as to produce at the same time four or more streams of
clay. Or an opening of double the length of that described and represented may
be made in the die plate, so as to produce two streams of clay of more than double
the width of the tiles to be made. In this case I use a middle vertical wire in front
of this lengthened die plate, in addition to the side vertical wires, for the purpose
of dividing each of the wide streams of clay into two equal parts, so that four
streams of clay are produced simultaneously of the required width, which are after-
wards divided into blanks, and made into tiles.
I apply my Invention to the manufacture of paving bricks and quarries, in the
manner described and illustrated with respect to the manufacture of tiles.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to
the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I claim as my In-
vention,―
The improvements in dies or moulds and apparatus used in the manufacture of
roofing, flooring, and other tiles, paving bricks, and quarries, herein-before described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, dividing the opening
in the die plate in front of the clay-feeding or delivering box into two equal parts,
except at its ends, by a horizontal plate, and arranging at the front of the die plate
and near the ends of the dividing plate of the same two vertical wires, whereby
two streams of clay are produced by the use of the same die or mould, substantially
as described and illustrated.
Also the modifications described, in which a series of streams of clay is pro-

page_text: duced by the use of two or more double or divided die plates and vertical dividing
wires or a die plate with a long opening and dividing plate combined with a
middle vertical wire.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Davies, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Fourteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and soventy-six.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
GDORGE DAVIES. (L.S.)