GB1141794A - Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of moulded roofing tiles - Google Patents

Abstract

1,141,794. Moulding tiles. REDLAND TILES Ltd. 30 Dec., 1966 [2 Dec., 1965], No. 51253/65. Heading B5A. [Also in Division E1] In apparatus for forming a pair of parallel grooves on the upper surface of a concrete tile near the top edge thereof and which grooves co-operate with ribs on the underside of an overlapping tile to form a head check for wind driven rain, e.g. the concrete tile of Specification 840,179, the tiles are extruded lengthwise on to a series of pallets defining the underside of the tile and are pushed through the machine, e.g. by the apparatus of Specification 1,141,793, wherein successive pallets on a track are engaged in turn by an arm of a rotary member, and under a blade or roller which forms a rebate along the upper surface of one side edge and the pair of parallel grooves is then formed by a pair of scoop members 10 which are rigidly carried between a pair of endless chains 11, 12 the sprockets whereof are driven by a toothed belt, mounted on a rigid unitary bolted assembly of end brackets (13, 14) (Fig. 1, not shown) and chain guide and supporting elements 20, 23 whereby the chains extend the track of the pallets at an acute angle but the scoops 10 face directly at right angles to the travel of the pallets along the track; the ratio of the speed of the chains 11, 12 to that of the pallets is selected so that the components of motion of the pallet and scoop along the track are equal and the grooves are thereby formed parallel to the edge of the tile. The supporting bracket 14 at one end may be higher than the other 13 so that the groove depth decreases across the track and the scoops are lifted clear just before reaching the tile edge, to avoid crumbling thereof. Alternatively, the scoop may be replaced by a knife for separating moulded tiles or by an impression forming roller. Where grooves are formed only up to an upstanding ridge extending lengthwise down the middle of the tile, a separate groove forming device is provided on each side of the ridge or, where the groove is formed over the ridge, the path of the lower run of the chain may be defined by appropriately placed small sprockets; alternatively, where the depth of the groove or cut is to be varied across the tile the chains 11, 12 may be replaced by a suitably configured cam track.