IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MEASURING CLAY, AND MOULDING THE SAME INTO BRICKS AND TILES, WHICH MACHINERY IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE PURPOSE OF MEASURING AND COM- PRESSING PEAT AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joshua Heap, of Ashton-under-Lyne, Tool Maker,
and Thomas Jolley, of Warrington, Tool Maker, both in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
MEASURING CLAY, AND MOULDING THE SAME INTO BRICKS AND TILES, WHICH
MACHINERY IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE PURPOSE OF MEASURING AND COM-
PRESSING PEAT AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 19th April 1865, and dated the 25th October 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joshua Heap and Thomas
Jolley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 25th October 1864.
We, JOSHUA HEAP, of Ashton-under-Lyne, Tool. Maker, and THOMAS
JOLLEY, of Warrington, Tool Maker, both in the County of Lancaster, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR MEASURING CLAY, AND MOULDING THE SAME INTO BRICKS AND
TILES, WHICH MACHINERY IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE PURPOSE OF MEASURING
AND COMPRESSING PEAT AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
The first part of our Invention relates to machinery or apparatus for
compressing and measuring the clay. The clay is placed in a hopper, from

page_text: which it descends betwixt two revolving drums or pulleys (one or both of
which must have flanges upon them), by which it is compressed and thence
delivered to two revolving drums, which are furnished with vanes or blades on
their circumferences, by the action of which the clay is cut or divided into
portions or masses of equal size or weigth. The portions or masses of clay
thence fall on to an endless belt, by which they are conveyed to the pressing
apparatus.
The second part of our Invention consists in the compressing apparatus.
A drum or revolving table constructed with moulds or spaces passing through
it, and arranged in a circle, or otherwise, receives the portions or masses of
clay. This table turns on its axis with an intermittent motion, and during
the time it is at rest a portion or mass of clay is deposited into one of the
moulds or spaces, two pistons then come into action (one on each side of the
drum or table), betwixt which the portion or mass of clay is compressed, so
as to form a brick. The pistons being withdrawn, the table moves on the
distance of one space, and the operation is repeated, and so on. Another
piston acting on another part of the table forces the bricks out of the moulds
or spaces on to an endless belt or other contrivance, and the machinery
continues its operation in the same manner.
We also apply the apparatus to the purpose of moulding and compressing
tiles or other articles of clay, and also apply it to the purpose of moulding
and compressing peat, or other substances to which these operations are
applicable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joshua Heap and Thomas Jolley in the Great Seal Patent 2
Office on the 24th April 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSHUA
HEAP, of Ashton-under-Lyne, Tool Maker, and THOMAS JOLLEY, of Warrington,
Tool Maker, both in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,. by Her Letters 8
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Joshua Heap and Thomas Jolley, Her special license that we, the
said Joshua Heap and Thomas Jolley, our executors, administrators, and 3.
assigns, or such others as we, the said Joshua Heap and Thomas Jolley, our

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MEASURING
CLAY, AND MOULDING THE SAME INTO BRICKS AND TILES, WHICH MACHINERY IS
ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE PURPOSE OF MEASURING AND COMPRESSING PEAT AND OTHER
SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Joshua
Heap and Thomas Jolley, our executors and administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or their, or one of our or their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner. the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately. after the date of the said Letters Patent.
:: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Joshua Heap and Thomas. Jolley, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement and accompanying Drawing (that is to say):
The first part of our Invention relates to machinery or apparatus by which
the clay. is compressed and measured, and delivered in the form of blocks.
suitable for forming bricks or tiles.
The second part of our Invention relates to machinery or apparatus for
further compressing the blocks of clay, and giving them the form of bricks or
tiles as may be required.
In order to make our Invention more clearly understood, we have hereunto
annexed a Sheet of Drawings, to which the following description relates, in
which the same letters or figures of reference, or letters and figures conjoined
indicate the same parts.
The first part of our Invention (for compressing and measuring the clay)
will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2, in which Fig. I represents a side
elevation, and Fig. 2 an end elevation of the machine.
A, A, A, &c. two standards or frame sides, by which the moving parts are
supported, and which being combined together constitute the framework of
the machine; B, B, a drum or pulley, the axis of which turns in bearings
supported by the framework A, A; B1, B1, large spur wheel attached to the
drum B, B, by which motion is communicated to it; C, C, another drum or.
pulley, the axis of which turns in bearings supported in like manner from the
framework A,. A. Attached to this drum C, C, is the internal toothed
wheel C1, C1, by which motion is communicated to it. The drum B, B, is

page_text: furnished with flanges, betwixt which the other drum C, C, works, as shewn
in Figs. 1 and 2, and also separately in Fig. 3; D, a drum running loose on
the end of the axis of the drum C, C. Keyed on the boss of this pulley D is
the toothed pinion D 1, which takes into the spur wheel El on the axis E,
turning in a bush or gun attached to the framework A, A. On the axis E
are two pinions (at E 2), one of which takes into the large spur wheel B1, and
the other (at the extremity of the axis E) into the large internal toothed
wheel C1; the number of teeth in these wheels and pinions is such as to give
the requisite velocities to the working surfaces of the drums B and C, betwixt
which the clay is duly compressed. We prefer the calculation of these wheels
and pinions to be such as to give a somewhat greater velocity to the surface
of the drum C-than that of the surface of the drum B, as by this arrange-
ment the action of the drums on the clay is rendered more complete. We'
also prefer the drums B and C to be at least four feet each in diameter, as in
that case their action on the clay is more perfect than if made of a smaller
size. Instead of only one of the drums (B) having a flange upon it, and the
other drum (C) being without, we sometimes put flanges of a smaller size on
both the drums, as shewn in Fig. 4; F, F, two drums, the axes of which turn in
bearings attached to the framework A, A; they are furnished each with vanes
or blades, by means of which the clay is divided into blocks or masses. They
have also on their axes spur wheels (one of which is shewn at F 1, which take
into each other, by means of which these drums F, F, revolve together in
such a manner that the edges of the blades constantly come into close action,
and so as to overlap each other, and are in other respects similar one to the
other. At the bottom of the spaces formed by the vanes or blades are boards
or plates, which are connected to short levers a, a, a, &c. turning on centres
in recesses formed at each end of the vanes or blades. At b, b, are inclined
planes or curves fixed at the insides of the framework A, A, &c., (shewn here
in Fig. 1, as having a part removed, in order to shew the position of the
inclines b, b. During the rotation of the drums F, F, the further ends of the
levers a, a, a, &c. strike on the inclines or curves b, b, by which action they
carry the boards or plates outwards, (that is, from the centres of the drums
respectively, by which movement any mass or block of clay is ejected out of
the spaces formed by the vanes or blades. G, a hopper, into which the clay
(being previously brought to a sufficiently plastic state) is placed. From
thence it descends betwixt the drums B and C, and being thereby compressed
and elongated into a long fillet or stream, it is removed therefrom by the
action of the guide plates at H, (fixed. inside the framework A, A, A, &c.)
and conducted to the measuring drums F, F, which it puts into motion, and

page_text: by the action of the vanes or blades it is divided into blocks or masses
suitable for forming bricks or tiles. The blocks being ejected from the
spaces formed by the vanes or blades on the drums F, F, (by the action of
the levers a, a, a, &c., and inclines b, b,) fall on to the endless web or belt I, I,
by which they are conveyed to the compressing and finishing apparatus.
The second part of our Invention relates to the compressing and finishing
apparatus. Fig. 5, a plan of the machine; Fig. 6, a side elevation; Fig. 7
an end elevation; and Fig. 8, a section through the line x, y, Fig. 6;-
K, K, strong. framework, by which the moving parts are supported; L, L, &
drum or table revolving on the vertical axis L1; c, c, c, c, &c., spaces or moulds
arranged round the circumference of the table L, L. The shape of these
moulds c, c, c, c, &c., is such as to give the requisite forms to the sides of the
bricks or tiles, and the number and arrangement of them may be varied as
found advantageous; M, M, strong shaft or axis proceeding across the frame-
work K, K, above the table L, L; it carries upon it two cams or eccentrics
M1 and M 8, which cams actuate the two dies M 2 and M.4, which are of
such a size and form as to enter the spaces c, c, c, c, &c.; M 5, a large spur
wheel at the end of the shaft M, by which motion is communicated to it;
N, N, another strong axis situated at the lower part of the machine. It
carries upon
it the cam or eccentric N 1, which actuates the die N 2. This
die N 2 is of such a size and form as to enter the spaces or moulds c, c, c, c, &c.
at the under side, and forms a counterpart to the die M 2, before described;
N 3, a partially toothed bevil pinion (that is with teeth only partly round its
circumference) fixed on the axis N. It takes into the large bevil wheel L 2
on the vertical axis L 1, the effect of which is to communicate an intermittent>
motion to the table L; N 4, large spur wheel fixed at the end of the shaft N,.
by which motion is communicated to it; O, first motion shaft of the machine,
to which motion is communicated by means of the pulley 01 (the other
pulley running loose on the shaft), or otherwise, as may be convenient. On
this shaft O is the fly wheel O 3, and the pinion O 2, which takes into both.
the large spur wheels M 5.and N 4. By this means motion is communicated
at the same time to both the shafts M and N, and as the calculation of the
wheels is the same in both cases the shafts M and N revolve simultaneously,
and the dies M 2 and N 2 are by this means put into action at the same time;
P, a catch or pall moving on a centre supported by the framework K, K. It
acts in recesses d, d, d, &c., on the circumference of the table L, which it
retains by this means, after being moved forward by the action of the partially
toothed bevil pinion N 3. The machine being put in motion, and. the dies

page_text: M2 and M 4, and N 2 being withdrawn clear of the table L by the action of
the respective cams, a block of clay is inserted in one of the moulds or
spaces c, c, c, .c, &c., which by the action of the machine is brought betwixt
the dies M 2 and N 2, the table then standing still, these two dies advance
towards each other simultaneously, and press the block of clay equally on
both sides into the form of a brick or tile, as shewn in section at e, Fig. 8.
The dies being next withdrawn by the action of the cams, the table L moves
forward, and the brick or tile is finally forced out of the mould or space by
the die M 4 on to an endless web or belt, by which it is conveyed away. The
process of forming the bricks. or tiles is thus continued in the same manner.
In applying the machinery or apparatus (above described) to the purpose:
of measuring and compressing peat and other substances, we make in it such
alterations and variations as may be rendered necessary for that purpose by
the peculiar nature of the substance under operation, retaining at the same
time the peculiar features and distinctive characteristics of our Invention, as
herein.described.
.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we would have it understood that we do
not confine ourselves to the precise details of the construction and arrange-
ment of. the several parts of the mechanism herein- described, as these may be
varied; but that what we do claim as new and of our Invention is as
follows:-
.
First, we claim the application and adaptation of the two drums or pulleys
B and C (one or both of which must have flanges upon them), to the purpose
of compressing and forming the clay into a long fillet or stream to be used in
forming bricks and tiles, as herein set forth and described.
Second, we claim the combination and arrangement of the two drums or
pulleys B and C with the two drums F, F, (with their appurtenances) for the
purpose of compressing, measuring, and forming the clay into blocks to be
used in forming bricks and tiles, as herein set forth and described.
Third, we claim the application, adaptation, and combination of the two
dies M 2 and N 2 (put into action at the same time by their respective cams),
so as to give the final and equal pressure to both sides of the brick or tile, as
herein set forth and described.
Fourth, we claim the combination, adaptation, and arrangement of the
mechanism shewn in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, for the purpose of compressing,
moulding, and completing the form of bricks and tiles, as herein set forth
and described.

page_text: Fifth, and lastly, we claim the application and adaptation of the mechanism
herein described to the purpose of compressing and measuring peat and other
substances, so far as it may be applicable to such purposes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joshua Heap, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five..
Signed by the within-named Joshua
Heap, in the presence of,
JOHN POTTER, C.E.,
4, Old Millgate, Manchester.
JOSHUA HEAP. (L.S.)