US1921100A - Method of and apparatus for making building tiles - Google Patents

Description

o. SCHNURER 1,921,100

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BUILDING TILES Aug. 8, 1933.

Filed Sept. 8, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 0461 5M Aug. 8, 1933. 1,921,100

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BUILDING TILES o. SCHNURER Filed Sept. 8, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 0. SCHNURER Aug. 8, 1933.

METHOD OF AND'APPARATUS FOR MAKING BUILDING TILES Filed Sept. 8; 19:51

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 H H I III .II lilillllulllllll I.

INVENTOR "3:611 u Will/4 O. SCHNURER Aug. 8, 1933.

METHOD or AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BUILDING TILES Filed Sept. 8, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 w I I I I I I l I I l Ill- |l|| INVENTOR %e SCAM MAW? Patented Aug. 8, 1933 I I 1 UNITED STATES PATENT oFF-rcE 1,921,106 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BUILDING TILES Octave Schnurer, Pittsburgh, Pa. Application September 3, 1931; Serial N6. 561,624

4 Claims. (01. 25-42) .My invention relates to the manufacture of of ri kmasenry is obtained at minimum cost. siding tiles and like articles of manufacture Appa tus p n t e a u actu ed which are shaped from green. concrete, clay, or the tiles comprises a frame 10, a table 5 (Cf. Fig. other suitable substance. Tilesof the type with a d a pressing adfi. Between the table 5 which I am chiefly concerned comprise slabs d ead is a grid '7; t grid isprovided With that are adapted to be secured to the outer walls matrices 01' windows 8, corresponding in size and of a building; the slabs are provided with surelati n to h rnamen i n r fie reswhich face ornamentations, such that, when a building e ties are to i d a h d 6 is p has been dressed with a veneer of the-tiles, it videdwith pr in blooks 6 r p ndin in 10 will appear as a building of brick, or of stone reiation to the windows in the. grid. The table clocks, or of other construction, according as the 5 is a p t0 receive a platen 9. A compression faces of the tiles applied thereto have been orna sp i 6 is i p sed between a frame memberfil mented. More specifically, the invention is diand the table 5; this sp tendstothrust the rooted to methodof and apparatus for the manutable upward, but the ,actionis regulated by a facture of such tiles. cam 11. An arm 18, pivotally supported at 14,- 70

In the accompanying drawings Fig. I is a View, is provided with a, cam rider 12 at its one end, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical while at its other end it engages th tablet with section, showing apparatus in accordance with the a slot-and-D Connection e Cam 11 isso invention. Fig. II' is a view of the same,'inp1a'n designed that the table .5 is released, at the from above. Figs. III, IV, and V are views of the moment, desired, vto move. upward under the 75 tile-forming portions of the apparatus,.to larger forces f spring 50 and to m v the p n to scale, and comparable with Fig. I. The last- Et position against the bOttOm O the id '7 (See named figures illustrate progressive steps in. the D, i 1 manufacture of tile. And Fig. VI is a frag- The Dressing d 6 is Vertially ovable rela- "mentary view, showing in cross section, and to tively t0 the /7; means for e ectin vertical 80 stilllarger scale, a the of thetype which my apmove t of t e head co prise an arm .15, which paratus is particularly adapted to make, arm is pivoted to the frame 10 at .16, and is se- The tile with which I. am particularly concured at its one end to the head 6, and at its other cerned; and which for purposes of illustrating the end is q pp With a roller 1 which rides a cam invention I shall herein describe, is formed of a 8. lvianifestly,'revolution 0f cam 18 will effect 5 water-proof cementitious composition, The' the downward .inovementof the head. 6 from the tile'is of such design as, when applied to a buildposition in W i it is shown in -I p ing, to present the pleasing appearance of brick is organized to resist downward movement Of masonry as is'indicated fr'agmentarily in secthe h ad, and, When Permitted y the revolving 35'tion-in Fig. VI, such tile comprises a metallic recam 18, the spring 160 is adapted to raise the f m; h t 1 upon hi hth e i oldedv head from its lowered position. The movement and hardened a plurality of blocks 2. The 0f the table 5v and head 6,. due to the springs blocks 2 are disposed at intervals from one an-. 50, 69, arms 13, d evoivingcams'll, 18, other, leaving open spaces 3; these spaces 3 afford will manifestly be one. of -reciprocation toward 40 clearance for the passage of nails whereby the and away from each other. The rotary cams 11 tile may be nailed immediately upon the wall to and l8are interconnected by gearing 19 (Fig. I) be veneered. That is to say, the nails are inaccordingly, they will move in synchronism when sorted in spaces 3 and driven through the metaldriven by motor 20. Presently, I shalldescribe lic reinforcement 1 and into the wall or other the manner in which the grid 7, the table 5, and. it

45*supporting structure which is to be veneeredf the'head 6v operate to effect the molding of green The wall is completely covered with a veneerof material into a tile. such tiles; the tiles are matched'or of compl e, A pair, of endlesschains 23 is trained over mentary form, sothat, when the spaces 3 are rollers 21, 22; any convenient means. known to partly or wholly filled with mortar, as indeed theengineer (connection may be. madeftomotor 50 they are filled, the facing of tiles appears as a 20) may be employed to move the chainsstep-bybrick, or a stone block wal1,'depending uponthe step, ,so that. in their upper reaches the chainssize, shape, and color of theblocks 2 andfof the will travel from right to left (Fig. I)- The chains fillings placed inspaces; 3.; Convenientlygfthe 23 are, adapted to carry.,platens .9, andtheir spaces 3 arefilled to the depth indicated by'thev motion is such that .a platen 9, when positioned 55 dotted lines 4. Thus the utility and appearance on the chains at station A, will be shifted at the of one tile T.

cylinder.

proper time to a position immediately overlying table 5. The synchronisrn of the parts is so determined'that' when the platen 9 has reached its said position over the table 5, the table will (by operation of the compression spring 50 and the linkage 11, 12, 13, 14) rise and lift the platen from the chains to a position against the nether face of grid 7. It should be understood that a suitable sheet of metal lath or reenforcement 1 is placed on the platen, desirably but not essentially, before the platen is shifted to a position overlying the table 5, whereby, when the table 5 rises, the metallic reenforcement will be brought to position against the grid. In this position of the parts, the platen provides in efiect a floor for the windows of grid 7; that is, the windows in effect provide a plurality of matrices in which green material may be pressed to desired form, and bonded to the reenforcement 1. Accordingly, when the platen 9 has been brought to position against the nether face of the grid, means are cuased to supply a charge of green material to the grid.

Advantageously, amass of ready mixed cementitious material is stored in a hopper 24; a feeder is associated with the hopper; the feeder comprises a revoluble cylinder 25 having a pocket 26 inset in its cylindrical face. Normally the cylinder is positioned as shown in Fig. I, i. e. with its pocket in registry with bottom opening of the hopper 24. Manifestly, the pocket will be filled with the material contained in the hopper. The capacity of the pocket is so determined that it contains suflicient material for the formation When, therefore, the platen and grid are ready for a charge of tile-forming material, the cylinder 25 is rotated through one complete, counter-clockwise revolution, and, as indicated in Fig. III, during such revolution the contents of pocket 26 are emptied upon a receiving plate or surface 27. It will be perceived that the curved face of the cylinder 25 serves as a closure for the bottom opening of the hopper 24' during such material-feeding movement of the The material deposited upon plate 27 is swept into place in the grid structure, ready for the head 6 to lower and press the tile to form.

I provide a pair of endless chains 28, trained over rollers 29 and 30; these chains carry wiper vanes 31, as the means for sweeping the charge of material, which is deposited on plate 27, into the grid for pressing. Fig. III indicates the action.

, When the group of vanes 31 as advanced in its right-to-left. movement beyond the grid 7, the windows of the grid will be provided with an evenly-distributed charge of green material,

ready to be pressed. At this time the cam 18 will have reached such position in its rotation as to swing the arm 15 counter-clockwise effecting a lowering of the head 6. Accordingly, the material within the grid is compressed to the form of the windows, and is forced into a so-called 'ibonding engagement with the metal lath 1.

from the machine.

of the spring 50. That is to say, the cam 11 and arm 13 now become effective to lower the table 5 against the resistance of spring 50, so that the pressing head 6 and table 5 move in concert. Of course, it is necessary to free the pressed tile from the grid, and in so doing the edges and corners of the blocks 2 desirably should be sharply maintained.

It will be perceived that the pressing blocks 6a are of greater depth than the windows of the grid '7. Accordingly, the pressing blocks may contact and support the top faces 2a of the pressed tile, until the tile has been cleared of the grid; that is, the'blocks 6a are adapted to follow and to support the tile until it is clear of the grid. Due to the co-operation and synchronism of the cams 11, 18, it will be understood that, once the material within the windows of the grid have been compressed and formed, there is little or no pressure exerted on the formed tile T while it is being lowered from and cleared of the grid 7. The bottom faces of the pressing blocks 6a support the top faces of the pressed blocks 2, until the blocks 2 are freed from the grid. The table 5 continues to lower (of. Fig. V) under the instrumentality of linkage 11, 12, 13, and ultimately lowers to the position in which it is shown in Fig. I, whereupon the chains 23 engage the platen 9, bearing the formed tile T. The platen and tile T are, by means of chains 23, shifted to the left of frame 10 (Fig. I), where they are accessible for removal In the case of concrete tiles, the removed platens and their burden are stored in steam rooms, or in drying rooms, where the tiles are hardenedand prepared for service. If the material of which the tiles are formed be clay, then the platens removed from station B will be placed in a firing kiln for such heat treatment.

So the method is conducted; so the apparatus will continuously operate; and so advantages of the nature indicated are obtained as is expedient.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of forming siding structure and the like which comprises the steps of supporting a metallic reinforcement upon a platen against;

the bottom of a windowed grid, compressing the material of which the siding structure is to be formed within the windows of such grid, and forcing such material into bonding engagement with the metallic reinforcement upon said platen, then lowering the platen away from the grid, while freeing the pressed material from such grid and supporting the top faces of the compressed material, whereby a plurality of blocks are shaped and bonded to the reinforcement in spaced relation and predetermined pattern.

2. The method of forming siding structure and the like which comprises the steps of supporting a metallic reinforcement upon a platen against the bottom of a windowed grid, powerfully compressing thematerial of which the siding structure is to be formed within the windows of said grid, and forcing such material into bonding engagement with the metallic reinforcement upon said platen, then shifting the platen relatively to the grid and freeing the pressed material therefrom, and leaving bonded upon said reinforcement a plurality of blocks in spaced relation and predetermined pattern.

3. The method of forming siding structure and the like which comprises the steps of supporting a metallic reinforcement upon a platen against the bottom of a windowed grid, powerfully compressing the material of which the siding structure is to be formed within the windows of said grid, and forcing such material into bonding engagement with the metallic reinforcement upon said platen, then shifting the platen relatively to the grid, while freeing the pressed material from said grid and supporting the top faces of the compressed material, whereby a plurality of blocks are shaped and bonded to the reinforcement in spaced relation and predetermined pate tern. V

4. A machine for the manufacture of veneering, which machine comprises the combination of a grid having a plurality of windows in which green material may be pressed to shape, means for supporting an expanse of metallic reinforcement against the nether face of said grid, whereby the windows of said grid become matrices adjacent whose bottom surfaces areas of metallic reinforcement are presented, a receiving surface, means for discharging measured quantities of green material upon said surface, means for sweeping the measured material from said surface and distributing it in said matrices and upon the areas of metallic reinforcement presented therein, and a pressing head provided with a plurality of pressing blocks for co-operation with said matrices, and means for operating said pressing head, to compress the material in said matrices into bonding engagement with the presented areas of said metallic reinforcement.

OCTAVE SCHNURER.

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