IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF CLAY AND BRICK EARTH OR OF THE LIKE MATERIALS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Francis. Porter,, of 11, Park Street, West-
minster, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES
OF CLAY AND BRICK EARTH OR OF THE LIKE MATERIALS;"
Sealed the 21st April 1857, and dated the 23rd October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Francis Porter at
the Office of the Commissioners of. Patents, with his Petition, on the
23rd October 1856.
I, JOHN FRANCIS PORTER, of 11, Park Street, Westminster; in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND OTHER
ARTICLES OF CLAY AND BRICK EARTH. OR OF THE LIKE MATERIALS," to be as
follows:-
One part of my Invention consists of improvements in the manner of
moulding articles in clay or brick earth by the use of moulding orifices, which
differ from a die in this, that the material moulded by such orifices does not
slide against the moulding surfaces, as is the case with an ordinary die.
The arrangement in my Invention for moulding is an endless mould, either
formed wholly of moving planes or flat surfaces, or of these in combination
with one or two rollers, which rollers, when such are used to mould an article
like a brick, form one or two of its surfaces, as the case may be. These end-
less moulds or moving surfaces are composed of rigid surfaces, jointed together
as an endless chain, or they are composed of a material somewhat elastic,
Price Sal

page_text: joined together at the ends, but of sufficient rigidity to form a proper surface
to the moulded article: They are kept in their position by rollers, or by sliding
against fixed surfaces. I also make use of a material pliable and without
rigidity to form the moulding sides, but in such case it is necessary to sub-
stitute for the retaining and resisting rollers stationary surfaces, against which
the moulding surfaces slide. When I make use of a band of gutta percha
or of an elastic metal for the moving sides, I either fix cogs to the back of
such band and actuate it by means thereof; or I use rollers, plain or with
projections on their surfaces, to give motion to such bands, whether their
composition be of an elastic or a pliable material. Sometimes I lubricate
their surfaces, and sometimes I cover them with fustian' or porous fabric, to
prevent the adhesion of the clay or material to them.
Another part of my Invention consists in the addition of a die or moulding
orifice to the pug mill, described in Specification of Letters Patent granted to
me by Her Majesty, January the Thirty-first, One thousand eight hundred and
fifty-five, such die being for the purpose of forming articles of clay or earth,
or preparing the material, such material being forced through the die by the
direct action of the pug-mill knives. And to make the forcing action of the
knives more continuous, I place an additional forcing knife or additional knives
in the same plane.or nearly so with the knives, described in the Specification
before referred to; I also add to the spiral or inclined knives as many small
cutting knives at right angles to them as the nature of the clay requires.
My Invention also consists in improvements in the use of the machine for
moulding bricks, described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to
John Ainslie, March the Thirty-first, Oue thousand eight hundred and forty-
six, which improvements consist in the lubrication of the surfaces of the
moulding rollers, to prevent the clay adhering to their circumferences in such
cases where the clay or brick earth is forced between the moulding rollers.
And further, my Invention consists in the combination of apparatus which
I use in cases where the clay is not of such nature as to deliver well through
dies, or an expressing orifice, of whatever nature that is, to deliver the article
in such manner as that all the surfaces formed by such orifice are thereby
completed without the necessity of further operations. In the case of an
ordinary brick, I mould the clay as nearly as possible the size and form of a
brick, in so far as it will admit of being so moulded, both with respect to the
nature of the material used in the manufacture thereof, and also with regard
to the ulterior operations for the formation of such brick; and having found
by trials with the clay the form best adapted to such material, which I shall
call the primary form, I pass it under a pair of compressing rollers, or their

page_text: equivalent, that is to say, one roller and one surface, fixed or moving, covered
with moleskin or porous fabric, either in the form of an endless web, or as
wrapping a cylinder, in order either partially to mould the article, or to press
out any defects which may be in its form. Whether I give motion to these
rollers from the pug mill or by other contrivances, or whether I make use of
the clay after it escapes from the die to give movement to the rollers, or I
make partial use of the clay or partial use of the machinery, will depend on the
nature of the clay or earth used, and the desired stiffness of the moulded
article. For instance, if it is desired to work the clay stiff, then that will have
sufficient power to turn the rollers, but, on the other hand, if the clay cannot.
be worked stiff, or if it is not desirable so to do, it will be necessary to give:
motion to the rollers; for it may be easily understood that the material from its
state of fluidity will not be able to turn the rollers at all, or if so will be forced
into such shape as to bear no resemblance whatever to the primary form
obtained by passing through the expressing or moulding orifice. The clay or
earth after passing between the two compressing rollers, if much compressed
thereby, of course will be somewhat rounded at the sides, in consequence of
which I cut off these surfaces by means of wires, which have a movement
given to them in order to be cleansed from any matter which may adhere to
them. These wires are set at any required distance from each other, so as to
form two sides of the article, et cetera. If a brick be the article moulded, the
wires will cut the ends of the brick or the sides thereof accordingly, as the
rollers and wires are disposed; afterwards I use a roller on each side to
smooth the parts cut by the wire, if the brick is required to be of a smooth
surface; and I apply, if needful for the purpose for which the brick is to be
used, as many rollers at right angles to each other as may be necessary to give
the article a true surface. The bed upon which the moulded article travels
may either be a series of rollers independant of each other, or driven by the
machine or the clay, or it may be an endless web or webs.
And my Invention also consists in the mode of forming the stock or hollow
in the bed of the brick, which I perform by means of a cutter acting as an arm
from a centre, or as a slice moved parallel to the brick or other article, whilst
the clay or partially moulded brick is in motion, or after the brick, et cetera
has been formed. This cutter or slice I fix to a delivering table or a frame.
It is necessary to make use of pallet boards, with openings cut through in the
centre so as to leave space sufficient for the action of the cutting tool, to form
the stock or hollow; and in such cases, where the hollow is wished to be
carried completely through the ends of the brick or the sides, as it may be, I
construct the pallet boards of two narrow pieces, connected together by means

page_text: of metal bows, one at each end. The cutting apparatus for severing the bricks,
which is done by means of a wire, and the tool for forming the indentation on
bed of brick, are attached to a frame or delivering table, moved by the weight
or pressure of the clay as it issues from the die or moulding orifice, and the
thickness or length of the article (these terms taken according to the shape of
the article) formed is regulated by certain apparatus, which is caused to move
by the clay as it issues from the die, and this apparatus acts upon other
apparatus, which moves a cutting wire at a proper time so as to cut off the
moulded article into a proper thickness or depth. The stock being cut out of
the bottom bed of the brick tends to keep the article in a better form, as it is
the tendency of clay to become convex on the bed when forced through dies.
And in order to have the full benefit of this arrangement of cutting apparatus,
both as regards the forming the stock and severing the brick, as well as to
promote a more free delivery of the clay through the dies, I dispose the
machine so as the article moulded shall descend vertically from the die or
moulding orifice, and by delivering from dies in such position I am able to
sweep off the bricks from the delivering frame on to a travelling web or table
for their more convenient removal. And in order to preserve the form of the
moulded article more perfectly, I diminish the friction of the apparatus acted
upon by the issuing clay, by fixing the delivering table on balanced levers; or
I sometimes actuate it by a rod or other contrivance, by which the delivering
table shall have a motion imparted to it in a similar direction with the moulded
clay at its contact with such table, or it shall be drawn away from the die, if
horizontal, by means of a cord or a flexible metallic strap.
And, further, my Invention consists in the addition of two discs, one at
each end of one of a pair of rollers used for forcing clay through dies or into
moulds. These discs are of greater diameter than the roller. They are cast
on the ends of one of the rollers, or are fitted to the ends thereof, and made
capable of adjustment. They overlap the ends of the opposite roller and form
part of the feeding and expressing chambers, which may be termed partially-
moving chambers. Scrapers are made to touch the surface of the discs, in
order to clear away the clay, and to accomplish such other purposes for which
scrapers are used when applied for a similar purpose.
*
And my Invention also consists in the adaptation of a brush or brushes,
revolving or otherwise, to clear away the clay or material from the moulding
surface, whether such surfaces are clothed or not.
Another part of my Invention consists in the lubrication of the knives of
pug mills by hydrostatical pressure through the centre of their driving shafts.
Moreover, my Invention consists of a die composed of rollers in the form of

page_text: cones joined together towards their apexes. The axles upon which these cones
revolve when it is desired to mould a four-sided article similar to a brick are
disposed so as to make an angle of forty-five degrees, or thereabouts, with any
two of the adjoining planes of such four-sided article. The rollers for forming
such an article are made of frustrums of cones cut off towards their apexes, and
the point where these meet coincides with the angle or arris of the brick; the
ends are continued in height or length from this point until they meet those
from the opposite corners. The plane of contact will be in the middle of
each of the four planes. Where these cones meet each other, which is at
the point of their greatest diameter, other frustrums areapplied, whose apexes,
if they were continued, would meet those of the adjoining roller likewise in
the middle of each of the four planes.
And my Invention also consists in a method of preparing material for
making bricks, et cetera, or any other analagous material. By such prepara-
tion I mean the seperation therefrom of stones, roots, and other substances,
or the division of such material, by causing it to be carried about within any
convenient apparatus capable of revolving, and provided with suitable openings
in the periphery thereof for the egress of the cleansed or divided material,
when such material shall have attained sufficient centrifugal power by its
acquired velocity to pass through the openings provided in the periphery of the
apparatus for that purpose.
And my Invention also consists of an improved method of supplying the clay
or material to the piston chamber of a brick machine for the purpose of being
forced either through dies or into moulds by the direct action of the piston,
such piston being actuated by any of the usual modes, whereby the charging
of such chamber is effected in a much more expeditious way, and the material
is supplied and submitted to the action of the piston comparatively free from
spaces therein containing air. In order to explain the manner in which I
accomplish this, for the sake of illustration I will suppose a particular
arrangement of machine used for making bricks or other objects, constructed
with a chamber and piston acting therein, by and through the means of which
the material is moulded, 'either by being forced through dies or into moulds.
Such machine then may be considered to have its piston to move in an
horizontal direction, and to have a pug mill, whose axle or axles are horizon-
tally disposed, placed at one side of such piston and its surrounding chamber,
the discharging orifice of the pug mill being in the same plane with the
chamber of piston, which, to carry out my improvement, is shortened, as herein-
after described. Perpendicular to the axle of such pug mill, and to the
direction in which the piston travels, is a frame or disc, capable of turning on

page_text: its axis, and in which two or more chambers are fixed, whose cross sections
are of about the same area and size as the piston before referred to, and whose
lengths are atleast equal to the stroke of the pistou. The frame carrying these
chambers may be conveniently composed of two flat circular vertical plates,
turning on an horizontal axle parallel with the pug mill shaft, and which axle
passes through their centres. These discs are placed parallel to each other,
and at a distance apart equal to the length of chambers. The piston chamber
is cut off across its area nearly at the position of the front of the piston, when
such is drawn back to its full extent away from the die or moulding orifice.
If at this point an horizontal line is drawn at right angles towards the pug
mill, such line will coincide with the discharging orifice of pug, mill which
feeds the chambers; and another line, parallel to this, the distance between
such parallels being the length of the chambers, will touch the outlet ends of
the chambers at the point immediately behind the die or dies.
I will now proceed to describe the action of the machine. The material is
first put into the pug mill, and then forced by such mill into one of the
chambers on frame which has been broughtopposite to the pug mill discharging
orifice; the charged chamber is then brought opposite to the piston by the frame
being turned on its axis; the piston is then made to enter thechamber, and the
material is forced out at the opposite end through any conveniently shaped
orifice. Whilst this is being done another chamber is receiving its charge of
clay or material. I accomplish the same thing by means of a sliding box
containing chambers placed therein, a suitable distance apart from each
other, which are filled by such means as already described, and then passed
on with their charges directly in front of the piston, to be forced through
the die or otherwise by the action of such piston, as already described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Francis Porter in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
FRANCIS PORTER, of No. 11, Park Street, Westminster, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said

page_text: John Francis Porter, Her special licence that 1, the said John Francis
Porter, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Francis Porter, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter 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 "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS AND OTHER ARTICLES OF CLAY AND BRICK
EARTH, OR OF THE LIKE MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Francis Porter, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what ruanner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
aext and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Francis Porter, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what inanner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say:-
My Invention relates to the preparation of clay or brick earth for subsequent
manufacture into bricks or other articles, and also to the means whereby clay
or brick earth is formed into certain articles or shapes.
In order to explain more fully the nature of the said Invention, reference is
herein made to certain Drawings, of which the following is a description:-
Figure lisa longitudinal elevation of a machine for the preparation of the clay
or material for making bricks and other articles. Figure 2 is a plan of an
improved machine for the manufacture of bricks and other articles of clay or
brick earth, or of the like materials; Figure3 is an end elevation of the same.
Figure 4 is an elevation of an improved machine more especially adapted to
the moulding of bricks, quarries, and the like; Figure 5 is a plan of the same,
partly sectional; Figure 6 is a cross section of the same; Figure 7 is an
elevation of an improved machine for a similar purpose; Figure 8 is a plan of
the same; Figure 9 is a cross section of the same; Figure 10 is a cross
section of an improved machine especially adapted for the formation of bricks
having a stock or hollow therein; Figure 11 is a longitudinal section of the
same; Figure 12 is a plan of the same; Figure 13 represents a pallet board
on plan; and Figure 14 is a section of the same; Figure 15 is also a plan of
a pallet board, and Figure 16 a section; Figure 17 is an improved form of
forcing rollers, for forcing clay into moulds or otherwise; Figure 18 is a

page_text: section of the said rollers. Similar letters and numerals refer to the same
parts of the machines in the following description of the Drawings.
For convenience, I have divided my Invention into several parts, as follows,
namely The first part of my Invention consists in an improved method of
preparing the material for making bricks, et cetera, or any other analagous
material. By such preparation I mean the seperation therefrom of stones,
roots, and other substances, or the division of such material, by causing it to
be carried about within any convenient apparatus, such as the cylinder h,
Figure 1, capable of revolving, and provided with suitable openings in the
periphery thereof for the egress of the cleansed or divided material, when such
material shall have attained sufficientcentrifugal power by its acquired velocity
to pass through the openings in the periphery of the apparatus. The cylinder h
is open at each end for the reception of the earth to be cleansed, and for the
discharge of the matter which will not pass through the openings h. The
axis h¹ is placed at an angle of about 45° with the horizon, for the greater
facility of charging the same with the earth, and for the convenient removal of
the accumulated intercepted matter, for which latter purpose the machine
must be stopped and such matter removed by hand. The cylinder is fixed to
its shaft or axle 1 by being bolted to arms keyed thereto. The shaft turns on
its bearing and foot ; it may be revolved by the strap pulley h4 or other-
wise, and if the cylinder is 3 feet in diameter it may be caused to turn abou
500 times in a minute. ³ is a standard to support bearing. The periphery
of the cylinder, which may be conveniently cast in iron, is pierced with holes
of a size suitable to the required fineness of the material when cleansed; they
are represented in the Drawing six inches long, one-fourth of an inch wide,
and one inch central distance apart. These openings become wider as they
approach the external edge of the cylinder for the more ready discharge of the
earth, which might otherwise lodge between them. And this part of my
Invention also consists of an improved method of supplying the clay or
material to the piston chamber of a machine for making articles of brick earth
or potters' clay, by the same being forced either through diesor into moulds by
the direct action of a piston actuated by any of the usual methods, whereby the
charging of such chamber with the clay or earth is effected in a more
expeditious manner, and the material is supplied and submitted to the action
of the piston comparatively free from spaces therein containing air. In order
to explain the manner in which I accomplish this, for the sake of illustration
I will describe a particular arrangement of machine (Figures 2 and 3)
frequently used for making bricks and the like, constructed with a chamber n,
and piston
acting therein, by means of which the material to be moulded is

page_text: either forced through a die or into a mould. Such machine then may be
represented with its piston n' to move in a horizontal direction, and with its
pug mill n³ (whose axle or axles n' are horizontally disposed) placed to one
side of such piston and its surrounding chamber n, the discharging orifice of
the pug mill being in the same plane with the chamber of piston, which
chamber, in order to carry out my improvement, is shortened, as hereafter
described. Perpendicular to the axis of such pug mill, and to the direction in
which the piston travels, is a frame nor disc, capable of turning on its axle nº,
and in which two or more chambers n' are constructed, whose cross sections
are somewhat larger than that of the piston n', and whose lengths are at least
equal to the stroke of the piston. The frame n, carrying these chambers, inay
be conveniently composed of two flat circular vertical plates turning on a
horizontal axle, as no, parallel with the pug mill shaft, and which axle passes
through the centre of such discs, placed parallel to each other, and ata distance
apart equal to the length of the chambers n'. The piston chamber is represented
as having been cut off across its area nearly at the position the piston would
take when such is drawn back to its full extent away from the moulding
orifice. If at this point as a horizontal line is drawn at right angles with the
pug mill, and towards it, such line will coincide with the discharging orifice 12
of pug mill which feeds the chambers, and another line parallel to such line
(the distance between such parallels being equal to the length of the chambers)
will touch the outlet ends of the chambers at the point n¹³, or immediately
behind the die or dies.
I will now proceed to describe the action of the machine. The earth is
first put into the pug mill ³, as represented in the Drawings, or of any
other description, and then forced by such mill into one of the chambers »,
or the chamber may be filled by any other means. This charged chamber
is then brought opposite to the pistou by the frame being turned on its axis
by any suitable means. The piston n¹ is then made to enter the chamber by
means of the pinion n°, and rack n10, and cogged wheel 2. As this method
of forcing clay through dies is so well known it is not necessary to describe it
further. The earth is then forced out at the opposite end through any con-
veniently shaped orifice n2, and whilst this is being done another chamber
is receiving its charge of clay or earth. And I accomplish the same thing
by means of a sliding box containing chambers placed or constructed therein
a suitable distance apart from each other, which are filled by the means
already described, and passed on with their charges or charge directly in front
of the piston, and the clay therein to be forced through the die or into the
mould by the action of such pistou, as already described.

page_text: The second part of my Invention consists in the addition of a die or moulding
orifice to the pug mill, described in Specification of Letters Patent granted to
me by Her Majesty, January the Thirty-first, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-five; such die being for the purpose of forming articles of clay or
earth, or of imparting a preparatory form to the earth, such being forced
through the die or into a mould by the direct action of the pug mill kuives or
blades. And to make the forcing action more continuous, I place an additional
forcing knife or additional knives in the same plane, or nearly so, with the
knives described in the Specification referred to. I also add to such spiral]
knives as many small cutting knives at right angles to them as the nature of
the clay may require for its more rapid division. The articles of earth, when
moulded by a suitable die, are then divided by a wire or wires in the usual.
way. This pug mill having been fully shewn and described in the Specification
and Drawings of the said Letters Patent, I do not think it necessary to
describe it further.
a proper
The third part of my Invention consists of improvements in the manner of
moulding articles of brick earth by the use of moulding orifices, which differ
from a die in this, that the material moulded by such orifices does not slide
against the moulding surfaces, as in the case with an ordinary die. The
arrangement in my Invention for moulding is an endless mould q, Figures 4,
5, and 6, either formed wholly of moving planes or flat surfaces, or of these in
combination with one or two rollers, which, when such are used to mould an
article like a brick, form one or two of its surfaces, as the case may be. These
endless moulds or moving surfaces are composed of rigid surfaces jointed
together as an endless chain, or as represented in the Drawings. The
surfaces a for the sides of the article are composed of a material somewhat
elastic, joined together at the ends, but of sufficient rigidity to form a
surface to the moulded article. This material may be very conveniently made
of gutta percha, or of leather covered with fustian. These moulding surfaces
are kept in their position by rollers a', or they slide against fixed plane
surfaces. I also make use of a material pliable and without rigidity to form
the moulding sides, but in such case it is necessary to substitute for the
retaining and resisting rollers stationary surfaces against which the moulding
surfaces slide. These stationary surfaces are not represented in the Drawings,
but they extend in the direction of from x to y, Figure 5, the rollers a! in
such case being removed. When I make use of a band of gutta percha,
anelastic metal, such as iron, steel, or brass, which must be sufficiently flexible
to pass round the rollers for the moving sides, I either fix cogs to the back
of such bands and actuate them by means thereof, or I use rollers plain or
or of

page_text: with projections on their surfaces to give motion to such bands, whether their
compositiou be of an elastic or pliable material. a4 are a pair of compressing
rollers which form the top and the bottom of the article moulded. The upper
roller is capable of adjustment in order to vary the thickness of the moulded
clay by means of the screw al, which raises or lowers, the axle 13 and its
bearing a4 in the guide frame a15. a², a³, are rollers. and, as represented in
the Drawings, the rollers a² serve to keep the band a in a state of tension,
which they actuate at the same velocity as the surface of rollers a¹. These
rollers may be driven by any suitable theans and connected by gearing or strap
wheels, so as to move simultaneously. is the framing of the machine, bolted
to brickwork a; as is a strap drum for driving the pug mill; a are
cogged wheels for connecting the two pug mill shafts a10 of the horizontal pug
mill; any other form of pug mill may be substituted. The clay is passed
into the pug mill through the hopper b', it is then delivered to the compressing
rollers and bands described. (The compressing rollers may be constructed
somewhat similar to the apparatus shewn for forming the sides a) through
any suitable opening at in the pug mill. The moulded clay is then divided
into the required widths by means of the cutting wires, as shewn, or in any
other manner; the bricks or other articles are then delivered on the pallet all
in the ordinary way, and thence removed by the attendants.
The fourth part of my Invention consists in the combination of apparatus
which I use in cases where the clay or earth is not of such nature as to deliver
well through dies, or an expressing orifice, of whatever nature that is, to deliver
the article in such manner as that all the surfaces formed by such orifice are
thereby completed without the necessity of further operations. In the case of
an ordinary brick, I mould the clay (by passing the same through a suitable
shaped die or orifice le of the pug mill k¹, or other apparatus for forcing the
clay,) as nearly as possible the size and form of a brick, in so far as it will
admit of being so moulded, both with respect to the nature of the material
used in the manufacture thereof, and also with regard to the ulterior operations
for the formation of such brick. And having found by trials with the clay the
form best adapted to such material, which I shall call the primary form, I pass
it under a pair of compressing rollers c, cl, Figures 7, 8, and 9, or their
equivalent, that is to say, one moving roller covered with porous fabric, either
in the form of an endless web cl with adjusting roller c, or passing over a
fixed surface instead, or as wrapping a cylinder, in order either partially to
mould the article, or to press out any defects which may be in its form.
Whether I give motion to these rollers from the pug mill or by other means,
or whether I make use of the clay, after it escapes from the pug mill to give

page_text: movement to the rollers, or I make partial use of the clay, or partial use of the
machinery, will depend upon the nature of the clay or earth used and the
desired stiffness of the moulded article. For instance, if it is desired to work
the clay stiff, then that will have sufficient power to turn the rollers; but, on
the other hand, if it is not desirable to work the clay stiff, it will be necessary
to give motion to the rollers; forit may be understood that the material, from
its state of fluidity, will not be able to turn the rollers at all, or if so will be
forced thereby into such shape as to bear no resemblance whatever to the
primary form obtained by passing through the expressing or moulding orifice.
The clay or earth after passing between the two compressing rollers c, cl, one
of which (c) is capable of adjustment by means of the screw and sliding
bearing inframe c', if much compressed thereby will of course be somewhat
rounded at the sides, in consequence of which I cut off these surfaces by
means of the wires c², which have a movement given to them in order to be
cleansed from any matter which may adhere to them. These wires are set at
any required distance from each other, so as to form two sides of the article
moulded. If a brick be the article moulded, the wires will cut so as to form
the ends of the brick or the sides thereof, accordingly as the rollers and wires
are disposed. After this operation the clay passes between the two rollers c³
in order to smooth the parts cut by the wires c, if the brick is required to be
of a smooth surface; and I apply if needful for the purpose for which the
brick is to be used as many rollerse at right angles to each other disposed, as
"in the Drawing, as may be necessary to give the article a true surface. The
bed upon which the moulded article travels may either be a series of rollers c¹5,
'independent of each other, or driven by the machine or by the clay, or instead of
these an endless web or webs may be used. The pug mill in the Figures 7,8,
and 9 may be varied.
Having already described a similar pug mill, Figures 4, 5, and 6, and
likewise in the Drawings and Specification of Letters Patent, January 31st,
1855, I do not think it necessary to describe the same further. care the
axles of the compressing rollers c, cl; care-cogged or toothed wheels keyed
on to roller axles cs; el is an intermediate toothed wheel in gear with the
wheel (of upper roller)c", and turning on its centre pin cl, which may be made
fast in any position in the slot cl, which is concentric with the axle 13 of
pinion 4. This pinion is common to the lower cogged wheel c and the
intermediate wheel e10, and being set in motion by a handle on pinion shaft, or
otherwise, moves the two rollersc, c', simultaneously; els is the framing of the
machine; c is the foundation to which the machine is bolted; c20 are distance
bars by which the framing is bound together. After the clay has been

page_text: moulded into the required shape by the means shewn and described it is
passed to the cutting apparatus and is divided by the wires c21, the bricks or
other articles are then delivered on the pallet board and removed by the
attendante.
The fifth part of my Invention consists in an improved manner of forming
the stock or hollow in the bed of the brick, which I perform by means of a
cutter e¹, Figures 10, 11, and 12, acting as an arm from a centre é, or as á
slice or scoop, moved parallel to the brick or other article whilst the clay or
partially moulded brick is in motion, or after the brick or other article has
been formed. This cutter c¹, or slice, I fix to a delivering table e² or to the
frame thereof. It is necessary to make use of pallet boards e with openings
cut through them in their centre, so as to afford space sufficient for the action
of the cutting-tool to form the stock or hollow.
Figures 13 and 14 are representations of such pallet boards, drawn to a
larger scale; and in such case, where it is wished to carry the hollow com-
pletely through the ends of the brick or the sides, as the case may be, I
construct the pallet boards of two narrow pieces of wood,connected together
by means of metal bows, one at each end, as shewn, to an enlarged scale,
Figures 15 and 16. The cutting apparatus for severing the bricks, which is
done by means of a wiree, and the tool for forming the indentation on bed of
brick, are attached to the frame or delivering table e², moved by the weight or
pressure of the clay e as it issues from the die or moulding orifice e, and the
thickness or length of the article (these terms are to be taken according to
the shape of the article) formed is regulated as afterwards described. The
stock being cut out of the bottom bed of the brick tends to keep the article in
a better form, as it is the tendency of clay to become convex on the bed when
forced through dies; and in order to preserve the general form of the moulded
article more perfectly, I diminish the friction of the apparatus acted upon by
the issuing clay by fixing the delivering table e on balanced levers f" instead
of balance weights, cords, and rollers.
I shall now proceed to describe the machine shewn in Figures 10, 11, and
12 more fully. The cutting wire et is placed a distance above the top of the
pallet board e³, equal to the required thickness of the article moulded. The
clay, after having been moulded by means of the die 6 or otherwise, meets the
pallet e, which has been placed on the table e², and causes it to descend. In
the course of the descent of the table e, the tappet es thereto attached, or to the
frame e thereof, strikes against the arm eo,and by means of the rod ell and the
arm e¹ the bolt 13 is disengaged from the recess e¹ in the disc e14, by means
of which the crank el, keyed to the shaft e¹, common to both, had hitherto

page_text: been kept stationary. The crank e15 is then permitted to make a half
revolution, during which the cutting wire et strained to frame 20 is made to
sever the brick or other article. This crank is stopped when it has made the
half revolution, by the bolt e13 being pressed by a spring e¹s in to another recess
in the disc e14 opposite to that el. The same operation is repeated for each
time a cut is made. ff, are friction plates. independent of each other, but
are pressed against each other by means of the spring 12 with sufficient force,
so that the plate, which receives its movement by means of the strap pulley
f3 (or otherwise being driven), and attached to the same shaft f, shall be
carried ound thereby, until stopped by the bolt c13being locked in the recesses
before mentioned. The shaft may be always revolving when the machine
is at work. The table 2 is counterpoised by means of the balance weight fo,
so that after the brick has been removed (by hand, or by a mechanical appli-
cation, which sweeps the brick and its pallet board 3 away from the table,
which application I do not think it necessary further to describe), the table
e ascends by the preponderance of the weight. I do not confine myself to
any particular method of moulding the clay or earth into the form shewn in
the Drawings or into any other form. I have represented in the Drawings
the clay or brick earth as being forced by means of rollers e through a die e",
other suitable means may be made use of for moulding.
but
any
In my Provisional Specification I have specified a rod or other contrivance
by which the delivery table shall have a motion imparted to it, or in the case
of the horizontal delivery of the clay, to draw the same away by means of a
cord or strap; but since filing the said Provisional Specification. I find that it
is not of any practical utility to impart such motion, I therefore lay no cla'm
to such movement otherwise than as caused by the weight or pressure of the
clay. The cutter el, by which the indentation is made in the bed of the brick,
is operated as follows:-The cutter el has two cutting edges, in order that it
may scoop out the clay as the cutter goes and returns. e is the spindle to
which the cutter e¹ is fixed; el is a toothed pinion, which is worked by the
same, being in gear with the rack o attached to the cutting frame e20. The
pinion is of suitable diameter to give the cutter e¹ the proper stroke or move-
ment. The cutter makes the indentation during the movement of the cutting
frame e20.
This part of my Invention further consists in an improved form of rollers,
when such are used for forcing clay through dies or into moulds, or in
the preparation of clay or the like, for such purpose. The improvement
consists in the addition of two discs (g), one at each end of one (g) of a pair
of rollers, Figures 17 and 18. These discs are of greater diameter than the

page_text: roller; they are cast on the ends of one of the rollers, or are fitted to the ends
thereof, and made capable of adjustment; they overlap the ends of the opposite
rollerg, and form part of the feeding and expressing chambers, which may be
termed partially-moving chambers, by which meaus the friction of the clay
passing through a chamber, such as (i), Figures 10 and 11, is much reduced,
as the clay or earth in consequence thereof has to slide against a surface so
much less inextent stationary. Scrapers are provided to touch the surfaces of
the discs, in order to clear away the clay therefrom, and to accomplish such
other purposes for which scrapers are used when applied to a similar use.
The use of rollers for forcing clay into moulds or through dies being well
known, I do not think it necessary to describe their action more fully.
of
The seventh part of my Invention consists in the application of a brush (1),
Figure 7, or brushes, revolving or otherwise, to clear away clay or any inaterial
from the moulding surfaces which may adhere to them, whether the same are
clothed or not. This brush or brushes may be used in connection with the
machine shewn in Figures 4, 5, and 6, or in any case where there are moulding
surfaces of the like nature with those of the Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
And, lastly, my Invention consists in the lubrication of the knives or blades
pug mills. The lubricating fluid, be it water or any fluid proper for the
purpose, finds access to the knives or blades of the said mills through a
channel in the centre of the shaft to which such arms are attached (a10 and j,
Figure 5, is one example of such shaft and arms), and thence through a small
perforation, about one-eighth of an inch in diameter, immediately adjoining the
knife or blade to be lubricated. Hydrostatical pressure of a head of from 20
to 30 feet may be applied thereto, in order to remove or force away any
obstructions there may be caused by the clay in the pug mill being in contact
with the orifices of the lubricating channels, so that the fluid shall have free
access. The head or pressure of the lubricating fluid may be greater or less
according to the quantity of moisture required to be injected, and this quantity
may also be further regulated by means of a stop-cock attached to the con-
necting pipe. This connecting pipe, in the case of a vertical pug mill, may be
inserted (water:tight) into an opening on the upper extremity of pug mill
shaft, and provided with a funnel at top or cistern to receive or contain the
fluid. In the case of a horizontal pug mill, a packed connection must be made
at one extremity of the pug mill shaft, so as to connect the same with the
cistern or other apparatus containing the fluid. In my Provisional Speci-
fication I proposed to lubricate the rollers of the machine for making bricks,
patented by John Ainslie, March 31st, 1846; now, since the filing of the said
Provisional Specification, I have found the same to be of no practical utility,

page_text: therefore I lay no claim to the same. In the said Provisional Specification
I have described a die as being composed of rollers in the form of cones, and
since filing the same I find the said form of die not to be of any practical
utility, I therefore lay no claim to the same. It will depend upon the nature
of the clay, and the article required to be moulded, which of the forms of the
machines herein described I make use of.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner by
which the same is performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim
the seperate parts of the machines before those parts hereafter. enumerated,
but I claim the combinations of the different machines.
I claim, also, the manner of cleansing or dividing the clay, by causing the
same to be forced by means of its acquired centrifugal power through per-
forations, after the manner herein shewn and described.
I claim, also, the use of chambers, as herein shewn and described, for the
purpose of supplying clay to the piston or pistons of machines where clay or
brick earth is forced through dies or into moulds.
I likewise claim the moulding of bricks, and the like, by means of the endless
moulds, described in the third part of my Invention.
I claim the manner of forming the stock or hollow in the beds of bricks and
the like, as described in the fifth part of my Invention.
I claim, further, the form of rollers (Figures 17 and 18) whereby the ex-
pressing chamber, as described, is made partially moving.
And I also claim the application of the brush, shewn in Figure 7, for the
purposes herein described.
And, lastly, I claim the pallet boards (Figures 13, 14, 15, and 16) made
and constructed as herein described, and shewn in the Drawings, for the uses
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Francis Porter, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
JOHN FRANCIS PORTER. (L.S.)