A NEW METHOD OF AND APPA- RATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CRUCIBLES, MUPPLES, GAS RETORTS, MELTING POTS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS VESSELS THROUGH THE AGENCY OF HYDRAULIC PRESSES.
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nicholas Joseph Dor, of Ampsin, Province of
Liège, Belgium, for the Invention of "A NEW METHOD OF AND APPA-
RATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CRUCIBLES, MUPPLES, GAS RETORTS, MELTING
POTS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS VESSELS THROUGH THE AGENCY OF HYDRAULIC
PRESSES.'
"
Sealed the 23rd November 1869, and dated the 18th September 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nicholas Joseph Dor
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 18th September 1869.
I, NICHOLAS JOSEPH DOR, of Ampsin, Province of Liège, Belgium, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW METHOD OF
AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CRUCIBLES, MUFFLES, GAS RETORTS, MELTING
POTS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS VESSELS THROUGH THE AGENCY OF HYDRAULIC
PRESSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to manufacturing economically and in a
superior manner crucibles, retorts, melting pots, and other analogous

page_text: vessels that are usually made of fire-clay or other refractory material or
composition.
The main object of the Invention is by means of great pressure
applied during the formation or moulding of the article from the plastic
material to render the material or substance more solid or compact than
heretofore, so that it may be better able to resist the corrosion and wear
and tear to which the article may be exposed when in use in the arts.
In carrying out the Invention the plastic material or substance from
which the crucible, retort, or other article is to be made is submitted to
an energetic kneading action in an iron vessel provided with a moveable
bottom and a stamper for beating the material. When the latter has
been sufficiently kneaded or worked the stamper is lifted out and the
plastic material is discharged by causing the moveable bottom to rise
and lift it out of the vessel.
The moulding apparatus consists of a moveable cylinder to receive the
plastic material and a piston fitted to work in the same and force
forward the plastic substance. These two parts are capable of inde-
pendent movement, and are worked by hydraulic pressure. The mould
is secured in a framing above, and is a fixture except the cover, which is
capable of being turned round horizontally on a pivot for the purpose of
opening the mould. Inside the mould is a hollow core or mandril
placed centrally so as to form an annular space, which is filled with the
plastic material as the plunger below rises. When the mould is full
and the material has been sufficiently compressed the pressure may be
relaxed for a second and the top of the mould removed, and then the
moulded article may be pushed up off the core or mandril and out of the
mould: When the moulded article has been removed and the cover
replaced the cylinder below may be recharged and the moulding
operation repeated.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Nicholas Joseph Dor, Her special licence
that I, the said Nicholas Joseph Dor, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Nicholas Joseph Dor, my exccutors,
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 "A NEW METHOD OF
AND APPARATUS POR MANUFACTURING CRUCIBLES, MUFFLES, GAS RETORTS, MELTING
POTS, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS VESSELS THROUGH THE AGENCY OF HYDRAULIC
PRESSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Nicholas
Joseph Dor, 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 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 immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Nicholas Joseph Dor, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
The object of this Invention is to manufacture economically cruciblés,
melting pots, and other refractory vessels suitable to be employed in
the production of volatile metals, the manufacture of illuminating gas,
melting metals, alloys, glass, and other substances.
By means of the present improvements it is intended that the materials.
of which such vessels are made shall be rendered sufficiently compact and
solid neither to allow of the passage of gases nor of their being attacked.
or eaten away by the scoriæ although submitted to very great heat..
This result is obtained by the combined use of several hydraulic presses
so as to give to the plastic material the requisite compactness by

page_text: submitting it to great pressure, which is equally spread over all parts
of the vessel to be manufactured.
After having been submitted to the ordinary preparation or kneading
process the clay is formed into balls or lumps of a size and form corre-
sponding to the vessel to be manufactured. The plastic material is then
submitted to various mechanical actions, first in the formation of the
lump, and afterwards in the manufacture of the crucibles or other
vessels, and thus acquires a degree of compactness which it is impossible.
to attain by the processes now in use. This compactness and solidity of
the material causes considerable economy in wear and tear, more.
especially in the manufacture of volatile metals, such as zinc, which are
often obtained from corrosive ores, the action of which the most
refractory vessels of the ordinary manufacture cannot resist.
In the accompanying Drawings two arrangements are shewn suitable
for carrying out this Invention.
With regard to the machine employed for making the balls or lumps
it consists of a stamper worked by a cam or by any other suitable device.
This stamper beats the clay, which is thrown into a cast-iron mould
provided with a moveable bottom; this bottom may be operated by the
action either of an hydraulic press or of one or more screws for the
purpose of discharging the beaten lump from the mould. The moveable
bottom of the mould may also be taken advantage of for the purpose of
throwing in successive portions of the clay intended to form the lump.
In this case the moveable bottom will be situate at a short distance (say
an inch or so) below the upper orifice of the mould, and will have a slow
downward motion communicated to it during the stamping operation, so
as to make room for the portions of clay which are successively
introduced.
When the movement of the bottom of the mould is produced by an
hydraulic press this latter may be taken advantage of to compress the
already beaten lump against a moveable head, which retires to allow the
lump to pass. The double compression produced by the successive
action of the beater and of the hydraulic press is especially favorable for
lumps of large size intended for preparing the material for several
crucibles, as is the case for the press represented at Sheet I., in which
the plastic material is. successively submitted to the action of compression.
and rolling.

page_text: The apparatus represented in the Drawings is employed for the
manufacture of cylindrical retorts or crucibles, but the same principle of
action will apply to the manufacture of vessels of any form.
Fig. 1, Sheet I., represents the press in side elevation; Fig. 2 is a
vertical section of the same taken in the line A, B, of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3
is a horizontal section in the line C, D, of Fig. 2.
An bydraulic press i serves to compress the clay by means of the
piston k, which works in the cylinder p; this cylinder is itself rendered
moveable by means of the hydraulic presses n, n, which hold it in
position (during the compression and squeezing action) against the
dome q, the lower section of which corresponds to that of the cylinder p.
When the presses n, n, on the contrary are discharged from all pressure
this cylinder detaches itself from the dome, so that the beaten lumps can
be introduced, as before remarked. The dome supports, by means of a
cross piece r, a hollow mandrilt of a conical form, the upper part of
which corresponds to the interior section of the vessel to be formed.
The dome is surmounted by a block w having at its centre a conical
opening, the lower part of which is equal to the upper part of the dome.
This block supports the mould y, the interior of which is of a conical form
corresponding to that of the space of the block. The interior section of
the upper part of the mould is equal to the exterior section of the vessel
to be manufactured. The mould is closed at pleasure by means of the
moveable cover a', which is connected by the rods z, z', to the block w,
which is itself connected with the hydraulic press i by the pillars X,
which serve at the same time as guides for the cylinder p. The cover
may turn upon the rod z¹ so as to allow of the opening and closing of the
mould. When this latter has to be closed the cover is fastened down by
means of the key b¹.
The following is the operation of the apparatus. As the work is
continuous we will suppose that the piston k has arrived at the top of its
stroke, and that the mould y is closed by means of the cover, and also
that the mould and the dome are entirely filled with clay.
First. Charging of the Clay.-For this operation the pistons k and o
are allowed to descend by opening the outlet valve; the lower collar of
the cylinder p rests upon the body of the press i at the same time that
the piston k descends to the bottom of its course. The cylinder p being
then opened at top several lumps of clay are introduced, the mass of

page_text: which is somewhat inferior to that of the cubical contents of the interior
of the cylinder p.
Second. Closing of the Cylinder p.-On opening afterwards the
entrance valves of the presses i and n the pistons o, o, will rise and
force the cylinder p against the dome, whilst the piston k is carried on by
the rising motion of the cylinder. The Drawings shew the respective
positions of the different parts at the end of this stage of the process.
Third. Compression of the Clay. The piston k on continuing to rise
will strongly compress the clay against the cover a', and as soon as the
clay has been compressed to the utmost, the extent of which will vary
according to the form and capacity of the vessels to be manufactured,)
the valve will rise.
Fourth. Squeezing out or Moulding.-The rising of the valve is a
signal for the workman (who stops for a moment the movement of the
pumps) to remove the cover from the mould by giving a blow with the
hammer upon the key b', and turning the cover round upon the pillar z¹
by means of the lever c¹; the mould being thus opened the hydraulic
pumps are again placed in movement, and the piston k continuing to
rise the crucible will issue from the mould rubbing against the sides of
the latter and the outside of the mandril, the respective sections of which
correspond, as above mentioned, with the inner and outer sections of the
vessel to be fashioned. During this squeezing out or moulding operation
the air penetrates under the bottom of the crucible through channels 8
made in the arms of the cross piece r) and through the valve in the
upper part of the mandril t. If the superficial area of the bottom of the
mould is great it will be necessary to employ several valves, or even to
inject air by means of a small pump.
Fifth. Removing of the Finished Vessel.-The piston k is allowed to
act until the moment when the crucible has attained the desired length,
which the workman will ascertain by means of an indicator. The vessel
is then cut from the mould by means of a wire, and is received in a light
wooden frame and laid in a small carriage to be dried.
Sixth. Formation of the succeeding Article.-The workman, by means
of a hammer levels the squeezed out parts which project beyond the
mandril, he adds a certain quantity of earth, which he beats equally
with a mallet so that the mould shall be exactly filled, he then again closes
the mould, adjusts the cover by a blow of the hammer upon the key b',
and the operation recommences, as shewn in the third stage; when the

page_text: piston k has arrived at the top of its course the clay is again charged in,
and at the same time the bottom of the succeeding article is prepared.
This Invention has two distinctive characteristics,―
First. The succession of a compression and a squeezing or moulding
action, which may be rendered more or less active by modifying the
relation of the annular sections comprised at the base and head of the
mandril.
Second. The squeezing out or moulding, which renders the operation
continuous, and by which means vessels of various lengths may be
produced.
The Figures in Sheet II. represent another arrangement, in which the
plastic material is simply submitted to the combined action of several
hydraulic presses without being squeezed or rolled out. Fig. 1 represents
a vertical section of this apparatus; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section ;
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the moveable head or cover, which does not
differ from the preceding press.
This arrangement also comprises an hydraulic press i, the piston j of
which penetrates directly into the mould u, and therefore acts as a
mandril. The key k fixed in this piston limits its course in both
directions. The mould u is supported by the block 8 connected with the
body of the press i on the one hand, and on the other with the moveable
head v.
In the part comprised between the interior sides of the mould
and the exterior sides of the mandril plunger j works a hollow piston q
of form suitable to the section of the vessel or article to be manufactured.
This piston presents two grooves, leaving a free passage of the key k;
it receives its movement from two small presses n, n. The sum of the
sections of the pistons of these presses must only be a fraction of that of
the piston of the press i, so that the pressure shall be greater upon this
latter than upon the two others.
The other details of construction are indicated in the references to
Sheet II. The apparatus represented in this Sheet is applicable also
to the manufacture of cylindrical vessels, but the form of the vessel
must of course depend upon that of the mould and the plunger or
mandril.
The working of this press is not like the preceding one (continuous);
and each lump charged into the mould corresponds to a crucible. It

page_text: t
First. Charging with the Material.-The piston j is allowed to descend
to the required depth and carry with it the hollow piston q by means of
the key k. It is sufficient for this purpose to open the outlet valve.
The lump of plastic material is then introduced into the mould, which is
closed as before explained.
Second. Compression.-The outlet valve is closed and on the valves
continuing to work the two pistons ; and q will rise at the same time and
will strongly compress the plastic material against the sides and the head
of the mould. The piston j will soon continue to rise alone, whilst the
piston q takes a backward movement by reason of the difference of the
pressures which are exerted upon the piston i and the two pistons o, o.
The upward pressure of the piston j is thus transmitted in an inverse
direction, and by means of the plastic material is communicated to the
piston q, which forces the water from the presses n, n, into the cylinder
of the press i. A stop prevents the piston q from following its backward
course as soon as the crucible has attained the required length. The
Drawing represents the respective positions of the parts at this time,
supposing that the crucible has attained its maximum length. In this
case the block p will abut against the end of the cylinder i. When a
shorter length is required it will only be necessary to place between the
block p and the cylinder iron washers of suitable thickness.
Third. Removal of the Manufactured Article.- In order to remove the
head piece the exit valve is opened for a moment so as to diminish the
pressure under the head piccc, which may then be easily displaced. The
admission valve is then opened, and the piston q will rise and push out
the manufactured article from the mould while the mandril is held down
securely by the key k. As in the preceding apparatus air may enter
into the bottom of the vessel through the opening m and valve 1. For
vessels the base of which is of considerable area the number of valves
may be increased, and if necessary air may be forced in by means of a
small pump.
The principal feature of this arrangement is the combination of the
motions of the pistons of the hydraulic presses, an arrangement which
admits without squeezing them out of producing articles sufficiently
compressed and solid in all their parts and of different lengths within
certain limits.
Having now described my Invention of a new method of and
apparatus for manufacturing crucibles, muffles, gas retorts, melting

page_text: pots, and other analogous vessels through the agency of hydraulic
presses, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid,―
First. Manufacturing crucibles, muffles, gas retorts, melting pots, and
other analogous articles by the application of hydraulic pressure as
herein set forth, so that the plastic material of which the articles are
composed may be submitted. to very great pressure, and thereby
solidified, and the articles when made rendered stronger and more
capable of resisting wear and tear than when such articles are made or
moulded in the ordinary manner.
Second, I claim the arrangement and construction of apparatus above
shewn and described, or any modification thereof, whereby hydraulic
pressure may be applied for forcing and compressing the plastic substance
into the moulds, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nicholas Joseph Dor, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
NICHOLAS JOSEPH DOR. (L.S.)