Mechanical brick moulding

—Me rs. Lyne and Stain ford obtained in August, 1825, a patent for a machine for making a considerable number of bricks at one operation. It consists, in the first place, of a cylindrical pug-mill of the kind usually employed for comminuting clay for bricks and tiles, furnished with rotatory knives, or cutters, for breaking the lumps and mixing the clay with the other materials of which bricks are commonly made. Secondly, of two movable moulds, in each of which fifteen bricks are made at once; these moulds being made to travel to and fro in the machine for the purpose of being alternately brought under the pug-mill to be fitted with the clay, and then removed to situations where plungers are enabled to act upon them. Thirdly, in a contrivance by which the plungers are made to descend, for the purpose of compre ing the material and discharging it from the mould in the form of bricks. Fourthly, in the method of constructing and working trucks which carry the receiving boards, and conduct the bricks away as they are formed. IMG:4147767755307473660_illo0186c.png:Mechanical brick maker Fig. 177. exhibits the general construction of the apparatus; both ends of which being exactly similar, little more than half of the machine is represented. a is the cylindrical pug-mill, shown partly in section, which is supplied with the clay and other materials from a hopper above; b b , are the rotatory knives or cutters, which are attached to the vertical shaft, and being placed obliquely, pre the clay down towards the bottom of the cylinder, in the act of breaking and mixing it as the shaft revolves. The lower part of the cylinder is open; and immediately under it the mould is placed in which the bricks are to be formed. These moulds run to and fro upon ledges in the side frames of the machine; one of the moulds only can be shown by dots in the figure, the side rail intervening: they are situated at c c and are formed of bars of iron cro ing each other, and encompa ed with a frame. The mould resembles an ordinary sash window in its form, being divided into rectangular compartments (fifteen are proposed in each) of the dimensions of the intended bricks, but sufficiently deep to allow the material, after being considerably pre ed in the mould, to leave it, when discharged, of the usual thickne of a common brick. The mould being open at top and bottom, the material is allowed to pa into it, when situated exactly under the cylinder; and the lower side of the mould, when so placed, is to be closed by a flat board d , supported by the truck e , which is raised by a lever and roller beneath, running upon a plane rail with inclined ends. The central shaft f , is kept in continual rotatory motion by the revolution of the upper horizontal wheel g , of which it is the axis; and this wheel may be turned by a horse yoked to a radiating arm, or by any other means. A part of the circumference of the wheel g , has teeth which are intended at certain periods of its revolution to take into a toothed pinion, fixed upon the top of a vertical shaft h h . At the lower part of this vertical shaft, there is a pulley i , over which a chain is pa ed that is connected to the two moulds c , and to the frame in which the trucks are supported; by the rotation of the vertical shaft, the pulley winds a chain, and draws the moulds and truck frames along. The clay and other material having been forced down from the cylinder into the mould, the teeth of the horizontal wheel g now come into geer with the pinion upon h , and turn it and the shaft and pulley i , by which the chain is wound, and the mould at the right hand of the machine brought into the situation shown in the figure; a scraper or edge-bar under the pug-mill having levelled the upper face of the clay in the mould, and the board d , supported by the truck e , formed the flat under side. The mould being brought into this position, it is now nece ary to compre the materials, which is done by the descent of the plungers k k . A friction-roller l , pendant from the under side of the horizontal wheel as that wheel revolves, comes in contact with an inclined plane, at the top of the shaft of the plungers; and, as the friction-roller pa es over this inclined plane, the plungers are made to descend into the mould, and to compre the material; the resistance of the board beneath causing the clay to be squeezed into a compact state. When this has been effectually accomplished, the further descent of the plungers brings a pin m , against the upper end of a quadrant catch-lever n , and, by depre ing this quadrant, causes the balance-lever upon which the truck is now supported to rise at that end, and to allow the truck with the board d to descend, as shown by dots; the plungers at the same time forcing out the bricks from the moulds, whereby they are deposited upon the board d ; when, by drawing the truck forward out of the machine, the board with the bricks may be removed, and replaced by another board. The truck may then be again introduced into the machine, ready to receive the next parcel of bricks. By the time that the discharge of the bricks from this mould has been effected, the other mould under the pug cylinder has become filled with the clay, when the teeth of the horizontal wheel coming round, take into a pinion upon the top of a vertical shaft exactly similar to that at h , but at the reverse end of the machine, and cause the moulds and the frame supporting the trucks to be slidden to the left end of the machine; the upper surface of the mould being scraped level in its progre , in the way already described. This movement brings the friction-wheel o , up the inclined plane, and thereby raises the truck with the board to the under side of the mould, ready to receive another supply of clay; and the mould at the left-hand side of the machine being now in its proper situation under the plungers, the clay becomes compre ed, and the bricks discharged from the mould in the way described in the former instance; when this truck being drawn out, the bricks are removed to be dried and baked, and another board is placed in the same situation. There are boxes p , upon each side of the pug cylinder containing sand, at the lower parts of which small sliders are to be opened (by contrivances not shown in the figure) as the mould pa es under them, for the purpose of scattering sand upon the clay in the mould to prevent its adhering to the plungers. There is also a rack and toothed sector, with a balance weight connected to the inclined plane at the top of the plunger-rods, for the purpose of raising the plunger after the friction-roller has pa ed over it. And there is a spring acting against the back of the quadrant-catch for the purpose of throwing it into its former situation, after the pin of the plunger has risen. One of the latest, and apparently most effective machines for brick-making, is that patented by Mr. Edward Jones of Birmingham, in August 1835. His improvements are described under four heads; the first applies to a machine for moulding the earth into bricks in a circular frame-plate horizontally, containing a series of moulds or rectangular boxes, standing radially round the circumference of the circular frame, into which boxes succe ively the clay is expre ed from a stationary hopper as the frame revolves, and after being so formed, the bricks are succe ively pushed out of their boxes, each by a piston, acted upon by an inclined plane below. The second head of the specification describes a rectangular horizontal frame, having a series of moulding boxes placed in a straight range, which are acted upon for pre ing the clay by a corresponding range of pistons fixed in a horizontal frame, worked up and down by rods extending from a rotatory crank shaft, the moulding boxes being allowed to rise for the purpose of enabling the pistons to force out the bricks when moulded, and leave them upon the bed or board below. The third head applies particularly to the making of tiles, for the flooring of kilns in which malt or grain is to be dried. There is in this contrivance a rectangular mould, with pointed pieces standing up for the purpose of producing air-holes through the tiles as they are moulded, which is done by pre ing the clay into the moulds upon the points, and scraping off the superfluous matter at top by hand. The fourth or last head applies to moulding chimney pots in double moulds, which take to pieces for the purpose of withdrawing the pot when the edges of the slabs or sides are sufficiently brought into contact. “The drawing which accompanies the specification very imperfectly represents some parts of the apparatus, and the description is still more defective; but as we are acquainted with the machinery, we will endeavour to give it an intelligible form, and quote those parts of the specification which point the particular features of novelty proposed to be claimed by the patentee as his invention, under the several heads.” [13] [13] Mr. Newton, in his London Journal, February, 1837. IMG:4147767755307473660_illo0188.png:Mechanical brick moulder Fig. 178. represents, in elevation, the first-mentioned machine for moulding bricks. The moulds are formed in the face of a circular plate or wheel a a , a portion of the upper surface of which is represented in the horizontal view, fig. 179. Any convenient number of these moulds are set radially in the wheel, which is mounted upon a central pivot, supported by the masonry b b . There is a rim of teeth round the outer edge of the wheel a a , which take into a pinion c , on a shaft connected to the first mover; and by these means the wheel a , with the moulding boxes, is made to revolve horizontally, guided by arms with anti-friction rollers, which run round a horizontal plate a a , fixed upon the masonry. A hopper e , filled with the brick earth shown with one of the moulding boxes in section, is fixed above the face of the wheel in such a way, that the earth may descend from the hopper into the several moulding boxes as the wheel pa es round under it; the earth being pre ed into the moulds, and its surface scraped off smooth by a conical roller f , in the bottom of the hopper. Through the bottom of each moulding box there is a hole for the pa age of a piston rod g , the upper end of which rod carries a piston with a wooden pallet upon it, acting within the moulding box; and the lower end of this rod has a small anti-friction roller which, as the wheel a revolves, runs round upon the face of an oblique ring or inclined way h h , fixed upon the masonry. The clay is introduced into the moulding boxes from the hopper, fixed over the lowest part of the inclined way h , and it will be perceived that as the wheel revolves, the piston rods g , in pa ing up the inclined way, will cause the pistons to force the new-moulded bricks, with their pallet or board under them, severally up the mould, into the situation shown at i , in fig. 178. , from whence they are to be removed by hand. Fresh pallets being then placed upon the several pistons, they, with the moulds, will be ready for moulding fresh bricks, when, by the rotation of the wheel a , they are severally brought under the hopper, the pistons having sunk to the bottoms of their boxes, as the piston rods pa ed down the other side of the inclined way h . The patentee says, after having described the first head of his invention, he would have it understood that the same may be varied without departing from the main object of the invention; viz. that of arranging a series of moulds when worked by means of an inclined track, and in such manner that bricks, tiles, or other articles made of brick earth, may be capable of being formed in a mould with pallets or boards laid within the moulds, and constituting the bottoms thereof, the bricks being removed from out of the moulds, with the pallets or boards under them, as above described. “I do not, therefore, confine myself to the precise arrangement of the machine here shown, though it is the best with which I am acquainted for the purpose.” IMG:4147767755307473660_illo0189.png:Brick moulder The second head of the invention is another construction of apparatus for moulding bricks, in this instance, in a rectangular frame. Fig. 180. is a front elevation of the machine; fig. 181. , a section of the same taken transversely. a a is the standard frame-work and bed on which the bricks are to be moulded. Near the corners of this standard frame-work, four vertical pillars b b are erected, upon which pillars the frame of the moulding boxes c , slides up and down, and also the bar d , carrying the rods of the pistons e e e . These pistons are for the purpose of compre ing the clay in the moulding box, and therefore must stand exactly over and correspond with the respective moulds in the frame c beneath. The sliding frame c , constituting the sides and ends of the moulding boxes, is supported at each end by an upright sliding rod f , which rods pa through guides fixed to the sides of the standard frame a a , and at the lower end of each there is a roller, bearing upon the levers g , on each side of the machine, but seen only in fig. 181. , which levers, when depre ed, allow the moulding boxes to descend, and rest upon the bed or table of the machine h h . In this position of the machine resting upon the bed or table, the brick-earth is to be placed upon, and spread over, the top of the frame c , by the hands of workmen, when the descent of the plunger or pistons e e e , will cause the earth to be forced into the moulds, and the bricks to be formed therein. To effect this, rotatory power is to be applied to the toothed wheel i , fixed on the end of the main driving crank shaft k k , which on revolving will, by means of the crank rods l l , bring down the bar a , with the pistons or plungers e e e , and compre the earth compactly into the moulds, and thereby form the bricks. When this has been done, the bricks are to be released from the moulds by the moulding frame c rising up from the bed, as shown in fig. 180. , the pistons still remaining depre ed, and bearing upon the upper surfaces of the bricks. The moulding frame is raised by means of cams m , upon the crank shaft, which at this part of the operation are brought under the levers g , for the purpose of raising the cams and the sliding rods f , into the position shown in fig. 181. The bricks having been thus formed and released from their moulds, they are to be removed from the bed of the machine by pushing forward, on the front side, fresh boards or pallets, which of course will drive the bricks out upon the other side, whence they are to be removed by hand. There is to be a small hole in the centre of each pallet, and also in the bed, for the purpose of allowing any superfluous earth to be pre ed through the moulding boxes when the pistons descend. And in order to cut off the projecting piece of clay which would be thus formed on the bottom of the brick, a knife-edge is in some way connected to the bed of the machine; and as the brick slides over it, the knife separates the protuberant lump: but the particular construction of this part of the apparatus is considered to be of little importance; and the manner of effecting the object is not clearly stated in the specification. The patentee proposes a variation in this construction, which he describes in these words: “It will be evident that in place of having the moulds to rise, they may, by suitable arrangements, be made to descend below the bricks. In this case, in place of the boards, stationary blocks to receive the pallets must be fixed on the bed of the machine, and these blocks must be shaped in such a manner as to allow of the moulds pa ing over them; and then it will be desirable to use the first part of my improvements, that of having the pallets within the moulds at the time of moulding the bricks; or in case of working with exceedingly stiff brick-earth, the pallets may be dispensed with.” In 1835, 1,380,279,065 bricks paid duty in the United Kingdom; the revenue from which was 405,580 l. 6 s. 3 d.