US52674A - Improved brick-machine - Google Patents

Description

compartments, which constitute the molds,

UNITED STATES PATENT EricE.

HENRY C. BULL, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.l

IMPRO'VED BRI CK-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY C. BULL, of Louisville, Jefferson county, Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Bricks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification. The first part of my invention relates to an improved feed-wheel for drawing the tempered mud from the hopper' and forcing it down into the molds, which are contained within a suitable mold wheel or cylinder.

The second part of my invention relates to a mold-wheel provided with a number of radial and also to certain devices for expelling the molded clay from said wheel'and deliveringit into a movable mold placed upon an endless carrier.

The third part of my invention pertains to a portable mold in which the bricks are removed from the' endless carrier and taken to the yard to be sun-dried before before being burned in the kiln.

Figure lis a perspective view of a brickmachine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the feed and mold wheels. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the mold-wheel. Fig. 4 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of' one of the plungers with its keys and other accessories. Fig. 5 is a plan of one of said keys. Fig. 6 is a side elevation, showing the mode of constructing the feed-wheel buckets. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the device for supporting the endless carrier when the pressure is brought to bear upon the same. Fig. 8 represents a longitudinal section through my improved carrying-off mold.

A is a frame-work of the machine, in which there is journaled the horizontal driving-shaft B, said shaft being provided with two segment-pinions, b b, and two driving-pulleys, b' b'. The segment-pinions b b communicate an alternate intermittent rotary movement to the spur-wheels C C' and D D', of which the spurwheels C C' are secured to the boss E of the feeding-wheel F, while the spur-wheels D D' are attached to the horizontal projection G of the mold-wheel H.

F' is the shaft to which the boss E of the feed-wheel F is attached, and said feed-wheel revolves within a rectangular hopper, A', into which the tempered clay is delivered from a suitable pug-mill placed immediately over the hopper.

The hopper A' has a horizontal and concave bottom a'. l

The feed-wheel vF is armed with a number of movable buckets provided with blades F", and the blades of each pair of buckets are connected to one another by the armsf, which play in radial slots f' in said feed-wheel. This feed-wheel revolves in the direction shown by the red arrow in Fig. 2, and when one of the projecting blades F", has reached a horizontal position it is forced back, by devices which will be hereinafter explained, and the opposite blade of this bucket rests on the horizontal ledge a of the hopper A'.

The intermittent rotary movement of the feed-wheel F forces a uniform quantity of clay from the hopper A', down the inclined chute B', into the radial molds contained in the mold-wheel H. l

ledge, a,

The hollow mold-wheel H is providedwith L a number of longitudinal and radial compartments, H', and said 'mold wheel revolves around an internal fixed cylinder, I, having a longitudinal slot, z', and transverse slots t" t'". The radial compartments 'H' are divided in three equal subdivisions, by means of the partitions 7a h', said subdivisions being equal to the length of an ordinary brick.

H" is a guard-plate extending one-fourth of the way around the outside of the mold-wheel, for the purpose of retaing the clay within the molds until the compartments containing the clay have reached a position directly under the axis of the mold-wheel H.

J J J, 86o., are a series of movable plungers, which play within the radial compartments H', and said plungers are retained in their position within the compartments H' by means of bolts J', which are forced into sockets j on the inside of the mold-wheel H, and the bolts J' are retracted by devices which will be hereinafter explained.

K is a shaft, which is confined to avertical path within the longitudinal slot i by means of the guide-rods L L, whose upper and lower ends are rounded and play within the boxes Z l'. Motion is communicated to the shaft K by the pitman M M, whose upper ends are atwhen the shoulder n' comes in contact with as the revolution of the mold-wheel brings the transverse frame, Q, having braces q, and their to bearupon the top of it, I provide the foltached to the cranks m m of the shafts M' `M', and said shafts are secured to the pinions m on'. which -gear with the spur-wheels C C'.

N N are two keys, connected at right angles to the shaft K, and said keys have a vertical motion within the transverse slots 'i' i". These keys are provided at their lower ends with cross-heads N N', having converging shoulders n u', which serveto operate the bolts J of the plungers J.

The interior face of each of the plungers J is compassed by a plate, O, (sce Fig. 4,) having a recess,- P, between it and the exterior portion, J, and the bolts J are secured within said recess. The plate O is provided with two' transverse slots, o o, of suficient width toenable the keys N N to traverse them.

Each of the bolts J have sockets P', whose shoulders p p' diverge toward that end of the recess which first receives the cross-heads N N', and when the shoulder a impinges against the shoulder p the bolts J are retracted 5 but the shoulder p the bolts are forced out so as to engage with the pockets j, and there they are securely held by the springs j'.

O' O O" are three exterior plun gers, which are employedfor the purpose of imparting an additional pressure tothe clay contained in thc radial 1nolding-com-partments H as sooncompartments to a horizontal position.

The plungers O' 0" O'" are attached to a frames and braces have their ends connected to the side bars, Q' Q', of a cross-head, R. The cross-head R has a rectilinear motion imparted to it by the wedges 7c k ot' the shaft L heilig brought to bear alternately against the inclined shoulders r r of the cross-head at each and every stroke of said shaft L.

S S' 4are fingers, which are pivoted to the upper part of a vibratory yoke, T, said yoke being operated by the pitmen t t, which derive their motion from the cranks s s attached to the ends ofthe main driving-shaft B.

U is an endless carrier having anti-friction rollers u, which run upon a railway, V, and said carrier is propelled by the octagonal wheel W. The wheel W may be driven by a band extend-` ing from the projection Gr of the mold-Wheel to the pulley w; but I prefer to use gearing, in order to have a positive motion communicated from the mold-wheel to the endless carrier. The slats which compose the endless carrier have apertures u at each end for the insertion of the pins .fr .fr of the movable mold X.

In order to prevent the sagging down of the endless carrier when the pressure is brought lowing device: placed directly under the center of the mold-wheel H is a shaft, Y, having suitable journal-bearings at each end and providediwith loose pinionsY, which gear with racks L' L'. f.

Z is a disk attached to the loose pinion Y' and provided on its inner face with a springcatch, Z', which engages with aprojection, z, on the shaft Y.

Y" is a 'cam attached to the shaft Y, and whenthe latter is rotated in the direction indicated by the red arrow the cam forces a beam, YV', up against the under side of the endless carrier and retains it there as long as the pressure is bearing on the top of said carrier. The beam W' is secured to the free end of a vibratorv lever U' and whose other end is pivoted at r to a standard, which supports the railway V.

The movable mold which rests upon the endless carrier U is composed ot an ordinary body or frame, X, divided 1lnto three equal divisions, corresponding in size to those ot' the mold-wheel H; bm,instead of being` constructed with a fixed bottom, as is customary, I provide a movable bottom, X', having apertures near each end, through which are inserted the short guide-rods w', said rods being secured to the body ot' the mold, and are provided with heads, which prevent the bottom from being detached from the body of the mold. This movable bottom admits the air to the back ot' the clay contained in the mold and causes the clay to leave the mold more readily when the latter is inverted.

Operation The machine being supposed to be in the position represented in Figs. 1 and 2, withthe hopper A' full of tempered clay and one of the compartments H' of the moldwheel H being directly under the mouth of the inclined chute B', the power is then applied to the driving-shaft B. The segment pinions b b are first brought in gear with the spur-wheels C C', compelling them to make one-eighth of anA entire revolution, and carrying the` feedwheel F around with them an equal distance. This partial revolution otthe feed-,wheel causes the extended blades'F" of the buckets to force a definite quantity of tempered clay down the inclined chute B', and packs it firmly into that compartment or mold which is stationed under the delivering end of said inclined chute. The pinions b b now communicate motion to the spur-wheels D D', when said wheels andthe mold-wheel H, also, )erform one-eighth of a revolution, and simultaneous with this movement the cranks s s bring the tingers SS into play, so as to force the blades' F" of the buckets back from their extended position and enable them to clear the concave bottom ot' of the hopper A'. At the third movement of the moldwheel H the compartment H', which was first to receive the clay, arrives at a horizontal po sition, at which time the clay receives an additional pressure from the externalplungers,0 0" 0"', and after passing this point the clay is prevented from dropping 4out of the moldwheelby means of the guard-plate H.`

During the time that the mold-Wheelismakling one-half of an entire revolution the plungers J J J are retained in afixed position within the compartments H of said wheel by means of the bolts J', which are forced into pockets j by the sprin gs j' but When the moldwheel has performed one-half of a revolution and the plungers J have arrived at a point directly under that where they were filled, the converging shoulders p of the plungenbolts J are brought in contact with the tapering shoulders n of the cross-heads N', and said plungerbolts areinstantly Withdrawn from their sockets. At this moment the crank m performs a revolution and compels the guide-rods L L to descend, and with them the shaft Kand keys N N, thus depressing theplungers J from their fixed position and forcing the clay which was adhering to them into one of the movable molds which had previously been placed upon t'ne endless carrier. Simultaneous with this depression of the plunger J v the beam W is forced up against the under side of the endless carrier U bymeans of the cam Y", and thus prevents said carrier from being injured by the pressure which is brought to bear upon it. The continued revolution of the crank m elevates the guide-rods L L, and with them the shaft K, keysNN, and the accompanying plunger J, and as the mold-Wheel H revolves the shoulder p' impinges against the shoulder n of the cross-head N', and thus forces the bolt J' into the pocketsj, Whereit is retained by the sprin gs j' The plunger J, being 110W released from the cross-head N', is confined in a proper position Within its compartment H', and as the mold-wheel H revolves the plunger is carried along with it, and as soon as it arrives at a position directly under the mouth of the inclined chute B' it is again filled with clay, when the above-described operation of pressing the clay by the exterior plungers,0' O" 0"', and of forcing it ont into the movable mold X, is

-described accessories or equivalents, in combination With keys N and cross-heads N', or their equivalent devices, for the purposes specilied.

4. The fingers S S', or their equivalents, for

shifting the movable blades of the feed-Wheel in the manner described.

5. The arrangement of exterior plungers, O' O" 0"', for imparting an additional pressure to the clay, as set forth.

6. The frame Q, braces q, side bars, Q' Q', cross-head R, and their accessories for operating their exterior plungers,0' 0" 0"',substantially as set forth.

7. The arrangement of racks L' L', pinions Y', spring-catch Z', shaft Y, and cam Y", for

the purpose described.

8. The mold X, having a movable bottom, X', as described.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

HENRY C. BULL.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. KNIGHT, J AMES H. LAYMAN.

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