IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN BRICK MAKING.
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Partington, of Standish, near Wigan, in the County
of Lancaster, Brick and Tile Manufacturer, for the Invention of “IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN BRICK MAKING.
Sealed the 13th October 1877, and dated the 7th August 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Partington at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th August 1877.
JAMES PARTINGTON, of Standish, near Wigan, in the County of Lancaster, Brick
and Tile Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN
BRICK MAKING."
This Invention is applicable to that class of brick-making machines in which a
stream of clay of suitable section expressed from an orifice or die is divided or cut
up into bricks or blocks by means of stretched wires or knives, and my improve-
ments are principally designed to facilitate the carrying off or removal of the wet
bricks or blocks.
I place alongside the table upon which the clay is divided or cut a second table
(herein-after termed the receiving table), upon which the wet bricks or blocks are
deposited by the dividing table. To this end the two tables are hinged or pivoted,
so that they may be partially rotated or turned over, and they are so arranged to
operate with regard to each other that their action when so rotated or turned over
somewhat resembles the closing of an open book. This action is obtained by the
employment of two geared wheels fastened upon the projecting ends of the two
rods or shafts forming the pivots or axes upon which the tables rotate, and to which
they are fixed.
The wheel in connection with the dividing table contains a less number of
teeth than that connected with the receiving table, so that when the dividing
table is so far rotated as to be in a vertical position, the receiving table will not
have travelled so far round, and it will be evident that the wheels may be so
n

page_text: arranged that when the two tables have rotated so far as to be parallel to each
other, face to face, the dividing table may have so far passed over its vertical
centre line as to cause the bricks upon it to deposit themselves on the receiving
table.
The dividing table is provided with a rib which sustains the weight of the bricks
as the dividing table is rotated to a more or less vertical position, and this rib is
pivoted so as to facilitate the delivery of the bricks from one table to the other.
Motion is communicated to the dividing table, and through the medium of the
geared wheels to the receiving table by a lever and connecting bars conveniently
mounted for that purpose. The dividing table is constructed with the usual narrow
openings or slits through which the wires or knives pass during the operation of
cutting or dividing the clay.
My Invention has reference also to a method of increasing the distances apart of
the adjacent faces of the bricks or blocks, for which purpose in conjunction with the
receiving table I use a carrying-off board of peculiar construction, upon which the
bricks or blocks may be deposited. The upper surface of this board forms a convex
curve, that is to say, it is curved downwards from the centre towards the two ends
of the board, so that when the wet bricks or blocks are deposited upon it, the spaces
left between them by the dividing wires are extended, thus preventing the bricks
or blocks from adhering to each other whilst being carried away. The carrying-off
board may be provided with wheels or rollers, so that after receiving its load
of bricks it can be easily pushed by hand on to a suitable barrow, which is
practically a table on wheels upon which the wet bricks may be conveyed
away.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Partington in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th February
1878.
JAMES PARTINGTON, of Standish, near Wigan, in the County of Lancaster, Brick
and Tile Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS USED IN
BRICK MAKING."
This Invention is applicable to that class of brick-making machines in which a
stream of clay of suitable section expressed from an orifice or die is divided or cut
up into bricks or blocks by means of stretched wires or knives, and my improve-
ments are principally designed to facilitate the carrying off or removal of the wet
bricks or blocks.
"
In the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, Fig. I is an end view, and Fig. 2 a
plan view, shewing so much of a brick-making machine as is needful to illustrate
my Invention.
a is the table (herein-after called the dividing table) upon which the clay is
divided or cut; this table is able to turn on an axis, as herein-after described;
alongside the dividing table a I place a second table b (herein-after termed the
receiving table), upon which the wet bricks or blocks c are deposited by the dividing
table a.
To this end the receiving table is also able to turn on an axis, that is to
say, the two tables are hinged or pivoted, so that they may be partially rotated or
turned over; and they are so arranged to operate with regard to each other that
their action, when so rotated or turned over, somewhat resembles the closing of
an open book (see dotted lines in Fig. 1). This action is obtained in the arrangement
illustrated by the employment of two geared wheels d, d, fastened upon the
projecting ends of the axes or shafts e, e', upon which the tables a and b rotate, and
to which they are fixed.
The wheel & in connection with the dividing table is of smaller diameter, and
contains a less number of teeth than the wheel d¹ connected with the receiving
table, so that when the dividing table a is so far rotated as to be in a vertical
position, the receiving table will not have travelled so far round; and when the two
tables have rotated so far as to be parallel to each other, face to face, the dividing
table will have so far passed over its vertical centre line as to cause the bricks c
upon it to deposit themselves on the receiving table b.
"
The relative positions of the two tables at a point where the bricks c would leave
the dividing table a and be deposited upon the receiving table b is indicated by
dotted lines in Fig. 1. It will be seen that on the descent of the receiving table
with the bricks or blocks they will be reverse side up, that is, the sides which were
uppermost whilst the clay was being divided will now be lowermost. This reversed
position will, for the sake of clearness, be herein-after called "upside down," which
expression however is not to be misunderstood as referring to any difference in
point of form or otherwise between the two sides, or as indicating the ultimate
position of the bricks or blocks when used.
The dividing table is provided with a rib, ledge, or cross piece f, which sustains
the weight of the divided clay or bricks or blocks c as the dividing table is rotated
or turned to a more or less vertical position, and this rib is pivoted at g, g, so as to
facilitate the delivery of the divided clay or bricks or blocks from one table to the
other. Motion may conveniently be communicated to the dividing table and
through the medium of the geared wheels to the receiving table by a lever h and
connecting bars i, j, k, arranged as shewn. The dividing table a is constructed
with the usual narrow openings or slits 1, through which the wires m (mounted in
a suitable frame t, shewn partly in section) or knives pass during the operation of
cutting or dividing the clay, this operation being performed in the usual manner.
by the radial motion of the frame t and wires m, as will be well understood. The
surface of the receiving table b is preferably covered with sheet metal.

page_text: The turning over of the wet divided clay or bricks or blocks immediately after
the operation of cutting improves the shape of the bricks or blocks, for the
passage of the clay on rollers from the die to the dividing table causes the under
sides of the bricks or blocks to be of greater width than the top sides; but by
turning them over, or from one table upside down on to the other, as described,
their own weight and the softness of the clay cause the width of what were formerly
the top sides to be increased, and at the same time the corners or edges are sharpened
and the facing sides made smooth.
A carrying-off barrow n is so placed and arranged as that the wet bricks or
blocks may be conveniently pushed by hand off the receiving table b on to the
barrow, the surfaces of both the receiving table b and the barrow n being lubricated
with oil, so as to facilitate the sliding of the bricks as they are pushed from the
receiving table on to the barrow. The bricks or blocks thereby receive on one of
their sides a coating of oil, which serves to prevent them from sticking to each other
during the process of drying.
My Invention has reference also to a method of increasing the distances apart of
the adjacent faces of the bricks or blocks, for which purpose in conjunction with
the receiving table I use a carrying-off board o (See Figs. 3 and 4) of peculiar con-
struction upon which the bricks or blocks may be deposited. The upper surface of
this board forms a convex curve, that is to say, it is curved downwards from the
centre towards the two ends of the board, so that when the wet bricks or blocks
are deposited upon it the spaces p left between them by the dividing wires are
extended, thus preventing the bricks or blocks from adhering to each other whilst
being carried away. When the carrying-off board is employed in conjunction with
the receiving table it may be provided with wheels or rollers q, so that it can be
easily pushed by hand on to a suitable barrow, which is practically a table on:
wheels upon which a number of such boards, each with a load of wet bricks, are
conveyed away. When carrying-off boards are not employed the widening of the
spaces between the wet bricks may be effected by making the upper surface of
the barrow of convex form (see Fig. 5), and by curving the outer portions of the
receiving table b to suit the curvature of the barrow, so that the two may suitably
fit each other when brought together, as shewn at Fig. 1, the sheet metal of the
receiving table somewhat overlapping the end of the barrow.
-
The several rows of wet bricks or blocks are prevented from adhering to each
other by boards or strips r interposed between each two rows. After the operation
of cutting a length of clay into bricks or blocks, one of the boards is placed
between the ends of the bricks c and the rib f, and upon the dividing table being
turned over the bricks will descend upon the board r, the latter being deposited on
the receiving table along with the bricks and serving to keep them in position as
they are being pushed forward by hand on to the top of the barrow n, which is
preferably in a sloping position, as shewn at Fig. 1.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of
performing it, I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the precise
details illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, as they may evidently
be modified to suit circumstances, without departing from the distinctive character
of my Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim
as the Invention secured. to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
is as follows (that is to say):-
.
1. The use in a brick-making machine of a dividing table capable of turning on an
axis, so as to turn over the divided clay or bricks or blocks, and deposit the
same in a reversed or upside down position on an appropriate receiver, substantially
as described.
2. The use in a brick-making machine of a dividing table, capable of turning on
an axis, as above explained, in combination with a receiving table, also capable of
turning on an axis, the said tables being so arranged and operated that they may
be caused to approach each other, and to assume such relative positions as that the

page_text: divided clay or bricks or blocks will be turned over and transferred from the dividing
table on to the receiving table, substantially as described.
3. The use in a brick-making machine of a receiving surface, curved or inclined,
as described, so that the bricks, blocks, or portions of clay in being deposited thereon
shall automatically move apart, as and for the purpose specified.
4. The combination of parts constituting the improved brick-making machine,
constructed, arranged, and operating as shewn in and described with reference to
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Partington, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight.
JAMES PARTINGTON. (L.S.)