CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS
Year: 1841

page_text: M NAB, of Paisley, North Britain, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters Patent
by Writ of Privy Seal, bearing date at the Palace at Westminster, the Eleventh
day of May now last past, in the fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Andrew
McNab, Her special licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I,
the said Andrew M Nab, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Andrew McNab, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,.
exercise, and vend, within that part of the United Kingdom of Great.
Britain and Ireland, called England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad, my Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
BRICKS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me,
the said Andrew McNab, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to
be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within four calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters

page_text: and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Andrew McNab, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say)-
=
My Invention relates to certain improvements in machinery used in the
manufacture of bricks; and, in order that. my... Invention may be most fully
understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the
Drawing hereunto annexed, in which the same letters of reference are used
to indicate the same parts in 'the various Figures:
"
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of a machine constructed according to
my Invention.
...
Figure 2 is a section of Figure 1.
Figure 3 shews. an end view in elevation, with one of the side plates
removed to shew the interior of the pug-mill, which, however, is represented
to be square, but when complete for use, the angles are filled up with wood so
as to form the interior into nearly a cylindrical vessel, it being somewhat
larger, or bell-mouth, at the upper part.
Figure 4 shows a plan of the lower part of the machinery.
Figure 5 shows a plan of the wheel and apparatus for working the plungers,
for removing the bricks from the moulds as they are formed, and also for
causing, the sliding moulds to pass alternately under 'and from the pug-mill in
order to receive brick, earth, and then to have the bricks removed from the
moulds.
:
Figure 6 shows a plan of the bottom of the pug-mill, having two openings
through which the, brick earth is alternately forced into the moulds by means
of the inclined blades or knives of the púg-mill.'
Figure 7 shows a section of the sliding frame of moulds. a is the main
shaft which turns in a cup or bearing at its lower end at 6, and in a bearing
above at c, as is shown; d, d, are the external plates of the pug-mill, the four
angles being, as before stated, filled in with wood or other suitable material,
so shaped as to produce the interior of a cylindrical form, such filling of the
angles being affixed by screw bolts, or other convenient means, to the side
plates. The knives or inclined blades of the pug-mill are of the ordinary.

page_text: kind; and it should be remarked, that at the point where the shaft a passes
through the bottom of the pug-mill at e, there is a projecting collar a¹ formed
on the axis or shaft a; and in order to prevent the clay passing to the axis a,
below the collar a', where it passes through the bottom of the pug-mill in
which the axis or shaft a .turns, there are slits or openings ff, through the.
bottom of the pug-mill, by which means any clay which might possibly get
under the collar and the surface on which it moves, would not pass to the axis.
or shaft a, where it passes through the bottom of the pug-mill, but would, be
caused to descend, through the openings f, f. The clay or brick earth, in
order to fill the moulds, is forced through, the openings g, g, in the bottom of
the pug-mill, such openings being of the size at their lower parts of the
moulds, the upper edges of the openings. g, being bevelled off, as is shewn, to
facilitate the passage of the clay in the rotation of the knives or blades on
the shaft or axis a; 'and it will be understood, that only one of the moulds, h, h,
is under the pug-mill at one time, the parts being so, arranged and caused to
work that there will be one mould under the pug-mill coinciding with one of
the openings g, and consequently being filled with brick earth, whilst the other
mould is in a position to have its, brick removed. The nature of the sliding
frame of moulds h, h, being clearly shewn by the Drawing, its construction will
readily be understood, and I. usually from the inner surfaces of the moulds.of
brass or wood, and at the edges.i, i, I apply plates of steel as is shewn. jis.a
bevelled cog wheel, which is affixed to the axis or shaft, a, a, and it receives
motion from a steam engine or other power by means of the shaft and bevelled
wheel R.. On the upper surface of the wheel ; is. affixed; a curved inclined
plane j', which works the pistons or plungers 1, which form the bottoms of the
moulds, and are also the means by which the bricks are removed out of the
moulds. The pistons or plungers 1, 1, are raised by means of the stems m
affixed to the under sides of the pistons or plungers, such stems having pins
n, n,: affixed thereto, which move in slots in the projections o, o, affixed to or
forming part of the sliding frame of moulds, as is shewn, and 'on' each of
the pins n is applied a friction roller, under and against which the inclined
planej moves and causes the piston or plunger to rise, as will readily be
traced on examining the Drawing. On the upper surface of, the, wheel j is
affixed an axis or pin p on which is applied a friction roller p', and in the
revolution of the axis A, this friction roller works against the downward
projections of the frame of the sliding moulds h, and by such means causes
the frame h to move to and fro, thus bringing, the moulds h alternately under
their respective openings g in the bottom of the pug-mill, and yet allowing the
sliding frame of moulds to remain stationary for a short time when moved into

page_text: position, in order to allow time for the filling one of the moulds and for dis-
charging the other. The various Figures of the Drawing show the parts in
the machinery to be in such a position that the left-hand mould is about to
be delivered, and the right-hand mould is being filled. At each end of the
sliding frame of moulds are projecting surfaces q, q, and a board fixed on its
edge as is shewn. The object of these projections is to receive "pallet boards"
at r, as is shewn, and when the brick has been raised out of a mould, as is
indicated by dotted lines, a person attending the machine places a board s
behind the brick, and causes it to slide off the plunger or piston on to the
pallet"; and the continued revolution of the axis a causes the sliding frames
of the moulds h, h, to move, by which the left-hand mould is brought under its
opening g to be filled, and the right-hand mould is moved outwards into a
position to be delivered of its brick, by the movement of the curved inclined
plane under the stem of the piston or plunger of that mould. I would remark,
that care should be taken to occasionally throw water into the moulds and on
to the pistons, and a small quantity of sand on to the pistons or plungers.
The Drawing very clearly shews the manner in which the various parts go
together, as well as the nature or construction of the parts themselves.
But I have not shown the screw bolts by which the fastenings are made, but
the whole will readily be understood and constructed by a workman from the
Drawing, aided by the description above given.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark, that I make no claim to
the various parts of the machinery separately, nor do I confine myself to the
precise details shewn and described, provided the peculiar character of the
machinery be retained. And I would wish it to be understood that what
I claim is,-
First, the mode of applying a sliding frame of moulds, under a pug-mill,
with a bottom, in which are formed openings to correspond with such moulds,
through which openings the moulds are filled by the revolution of the knives or
blades of the pug-mill, as above described.
And secondly, I claim the mode of moving a sliding frame of moulds, and
working the pistons or plungers of such moulds by the axis of the pug-mill
passing through the sliding frame of moulds h, and by means of the wheel j,
the inclined plane j³, and the crank pin p, as above described.
In witness whereof, I have. hereunto set my hand and seal, the Eleventh
day of September, One thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
ANDREW (L.S.) M°NAB.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eleventh day of September, in the
year of our Lord 1841, the aforesaid Andrew McNab came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.