GB2028710A

GB2028710A - A method and apparatus for the manufacture of ceramic bricks

Info

Publication number: GB2028710A
Application number: GB7928086A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: HAENDLE SOEHNE MASCHINENFABRIC
Current assignee: HAENDLE SOEHNE MASCHINENFABRIC
Priority date: 1978-08-12
Filing date: 1979-08-13
Publication date: 1980-03-12
Also published as: BE878207A; DK316979A; IT1122398B; IT7924872A0; DE2835500A1; FR2432923A1; NL7905865A

Abstract

A method and apparatus for the manufacture of bricks is proposed wherein a continuous rope-like extrusion (2) of a suitable clay is subjected to a surface texturing operation, is cut into individual lengths (7) each corresponding to the length of the intended brick, a respective mould (9) is applied to each length from above and in pressure contact therewith, and excess clay is removed from the face of the mould by a stripper element (10) before the shaped brick is transferred to a drying board for subsequent treatment. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A method and apparatus for the manufacture of ceramic bricks The invention relatesto a method of manufacturing ceramic bricks wherein the prepared lumps of clay are first sanded and grained and then the final shaping is carried out in a mould, and also concerns an apparatus for practising the method.

In the known method a lump of clay must first be produced by any one of a variety of known means and such lump is sanded and grained and then, by means of centrifugal belts, centrifugal rollers or by means of a rotating apparatus, the lump is applied to the mould or mould box.

The movements are complicated and require a relatively expensive equipment. A particular outer shaping of the lump of clay, for example conical on all sides, only can be produced.

The present invention is based on the problem of providing a method of manufacturing ceramic bricks, and also apparatus for practising the method whereby an economic manufacture is ensured with uniform or manipulatable outer shaping of the lumps.

This problem is solved, according to the invention, in that with a suitable apparatus at least one rope of clay of constant cross-section is produced and same is treated in one or more texturing devices and finally is cut into lumps by a cutter and a mould box is pressed onto the individual lumps of clay from above for the final shaping, a stripper being guided directly along the lower edge of the mould box for the stripping off of the excess clay mass before lifting of the filled box. The cross-section of the rope of clay may be fixed or variable. Similarly, lumps of the same or different sizes may be cut.

The transverse shaping of the rope or ropes of clay as weil as the treatment of the rope or ropes in the texturing devices and the final shaping of the cut lumps of clay may be carried out in a single plane preferably in a horizontal plane. According to this procedure the rope or ropes of clay are supported by a horizontal conveyor belt on which the treatment of each rope and the individual lumps of clay is effected and from which the lumps of clay are removed by the mould boxes for the final shaping. It is, however, also possible to carry out a transverse shaping of the rope or ropes of clay and the treatment thereof in the texturing devices and the cutting of the lumps in one plane, preferably a vertical plane and to effect the final shaping of the lumps in another plane arranged perpendicularly thereto, preferably in a horizontal plane.In this procedure the lumps of clay produced in a vertical plane are placed on a horizontal conveyor belt from whence they are removed by the mould boxes for the final shaping.

In both procedures a plurality of boxes may be pressed onto respective lumps of clay simultaneously, it being of advantage simultaneously to apply, for example, three or even ten mould boxes or, in the case of multiple rows of lumps, a corresponding multiple thereof onto the lumps of clay. A condition for this is that the lumps are first of all grouped on the conveyor belt at centres corresponding to the spacing of the mould boxes. The lumps of clay removed from the mould box may be placed on a drying board and be conveyed via suitable conveying means into the drying installation for the known further treatment.

The rope of clay is advantageously cut into lumps tapering conically upwards; the lumps of clay may also be punched in an automatic machine. In order to maintain the lump in the mould box during lifting and transfer to the drying board, a reduced pressure may be applied through the bottom of the mould box. The lump of clay can easily be displaced from the mould box by means of compressed air. Any excess clay stripped from the mould box is led back for re-utilisation.

The apparatus necessary for the carrying out of the method is characterised in that an endless horizontally running conveyor belt is arranged at the height of the horizontally directed outlet of the extruder which forms the rope of clay, texturing, cutting and punching means being provided in relation to the conveyor, together with mould boxes serving for finally shaping the lumps and removing the same from the conveyor and which include a stripper or strippers for the removal of excess clay.

In a variation of the apparatus, the outlet of the extrusion apparatus which forms the rope is directed vertically downwards and the texturing devices, the lump cutter and the horizontally running conveyor belt are arranged directly below such outlet the mould boxes serving for the final shaping and for removal of the lumps of clay, together with the stripper or strippers being associated with such conveyor.

The floor of the mould box is conveniently of an air permeable material, for example, of sintered metal or air permeable plastics material. It is advantageous if the transverse cross-section of the mould box slightly exceeds the corresponding cross-section of the lump of clay and if the mould box is of lesser height than the lump of clay. Several mould boxes may be combined via a mould box carrier to form a constructional unit.

The horizontally running conveyor belt section may be divided into two independent conveyor belts which, if necessary are capable of being driven at different speeds. Between the two horizontally extending reaches of the conveyor belts a small intermediate space may be provided whereby it is possible to lead off from the conveyor belt excess clay resulting from the cutting step.

Advantageously the or each stripper is guided directly along the lower edge of the mould box and seen in its direction of advance, is provided with an edge. For mould boxes combined in the mould box carrier to form a constructional unit, a common stripper or several strippers may be arranged, as preferred. In the case of an arrangement of several strippers it is necessary that the same be arranged for simultaneous movement. In an advantageous embodiment the stripper or strippers are arranged in the extension of the conveyor belt and extend in a direction opposite the direction of advance of the lumps. It is however also possible to arrange the stripper or strippers laterally of the conveyor belt and to reciprocate the same at right angles to the direction of conveying the lumps not yet finally formed.The drying boards may be mounted perpendicularly or parallel to the direction of movement of the incompletely formed lumps.

The lumps made according to the method may have a conical shape on all sides. Due to the pressing of the mould box onto the lump of clay and the special ratios of the dimension of the mould boxes to the dimensions of the unpressed lumps of clay a uniform quality of the outer shape is guaranteed which remains after removal of the mould box. The steps of the method necessary for this are relatively simple and require no expensive constructional design.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating several embodiments thereof and in which Figure 1 is a schematic side elevation of a first embodiment of the invention having an extruded rope of clay thereon; Figure 2 is a plan view of the full apparatus shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 and illustrates an embodiment which receives multiple ropes of clay in parallel side-by-side disposition; Figure 4 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a schematic side elevation of a third embodiment wherein the rope of clay moves vertically; and Figure 6 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 5.

Referring now to the drawings, an extruder 1 delivers a continuous rope (Figure 2) or side-by-side ropes (Figure 4) of clay to a horizontally disposed conveyor belt 3. The or each rope 2 is of trapezoidal cross-section, and the conveyor belt 3 is positioned level with the outlet of the extruder 1. Associated with the conveyor belt 3 and spaced in succession longitudinally thereof are texturing devices 4,5 for sanding and graining, a lump cutter 6 and an automatic punching machine 13, none of the aforesaid elements being shown in detail. A mould box 9 is provided in association with a further conveyor 8 arranged in alignment with conveyor 3 to receive lumps of clay therefrom, the support surfaces of conveyors 3 and 8 being at substantially the same level, and the conveyors being driven at the same speed or not, as preferred.

If it is required that the lumps present on conveyor 8 be at a greater spacing than on conveyor 3, then conveyor 8 will be driven at a slightly higher speed than conveyor 3.

Cutter 6 divides the rope 2 into individual lumps 7 of like size and upwardly tapered form. The lumps 7 are then punched by means of the automatic punching machine 13. Any waste clay arising from the cutting and punching operations is removed from the apparatus through the space between the adjacent ends of the two conveyors.

The lumps of clay 7 are positioned on the conveyor 8 at centres corresponding to the spacing of the mould boxes 9. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 wherein one rope 2 of clay is delivered, three mould boxes 9 are combined in the mould box carrier 12 to form a constructional unit, whereas in the case of the multiple rope apparatus of Figures 3 and 4, nine mould boxes 9 are combined.

Mould boxes 9 are pressed simultaneously from above onto the lumps of clay 7, the pressure applied being variable and being dependent, at least in part, on the consistency of the clay. The horizontal cross-section of the boxes 9 is a little larger than the corresponding cross-section of the lumps of clay 7, but such mould boxes are of lesser height than the lumps of clay 7. In this way complete filling of the mould on pressing is ensured.

As soon as the pressing step is completed a vacuum is produced over the bass of the individual mould boxes 9 so that the finally shaped lumps of clay 7, both during the lifting and the placing thereof on the drying boards are held firmly in the respective mould boxes 9. The drying boards may be arranged perpendicular or parallel to the direction of the rope and move via an elevator or similar apparatus according to known methods in drying installations.

After placing the lumps of clay 7 in their respective mould boxes 9 on the drying boards the lumps are separated from the mould boxes 9 by means of compressed air, the mould boxes being, for example, of sintered steel or an air permeable plastics material thereby to facilitate the separation step. For removal of excess clay from the charged mould boxes a stripper element 10 is arranged guidably along the lower edge of the mould boxes 9, the forward edge of such element being provided with a point. For mould boxes 9 combined in the mould box carrier 12 to form a constructional unit, a common stripper 10 is provided which is arranged at the discharge end of conveyor belt 8 and is movable in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the lumps 7. The excess clay mass stripped off is recovered by a conveyor belt 11 for re-use.As an alternative to a single stripper element common to the side-by-side rows of mould boxes, there is also the possibolity of arranging several simultaneously operable stripper elements 10, each for a respective row of boxes The stripper element 10 may also be arranged laterally in relation to the conveyor belt 8 and be guided at right angles to the direction of movement of the as yet unfinished lumps of clay 7 In the embodiment shown in Figures 5 and 6, the shaping of the rope of clay 2, as well as the treatment in the texturing devices 4, 5 and the cutting of the lumps of clay 7, is effected in a vertical plane. The lumps of clay are placed on a horizontal conveyor belt 8 with which are associated mould boxes 9 for the receiving and lifting of the lumps of clay 7 and a stripper element 10.

The outlet of the extruder 1 is directed downwardly and below and in alignment with such outlet are arranged in succession the texturing devices 4, 5, the lump cutter 6, and below the lump cutter the horizontal conveyor belt 8.

The extruder may have a variable outlet or die such that the cross-section of the lump can be varied. Additional graining can be achieved by using a profiled mouthpiece, if desired. It is also feasible on pressing to utilise electric shock.

Claims

1. A method for the mechanical manufacture of ceramic bricks comprising the steps of producing at least one extruded clay rope subjecting each such rope to a texturing operation, dividing the rope into individual lumps of clay, engaging a respective mould box in pressure contact with each lump and before raising the now filled mould box, stripping excess clay from the mould by movement of a stripper element along the lower edge of the mould box.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the shaping of the rope or ropes of clay, the texturing thereof and the final shaping of the lumps of clay are carried out in one plane, preferably in a horizontal plane.

3. A method according to claim 2, characterised in that the rope or ropes of clay are extruded horizontally onto a horizontally running conveyor belt on which the texturing of each rope and the division thereof into lumps is effected and from which the lumps of clay are removed by mould boxes engaged therewith from above for the final shaping.

4. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the steps of shaping of the rope or ropes, the texturing thereof and the cutting into individual iumps are arranged in succession in a vertical plane and the final shaping of the lumps of clay is effected, in a plane arranged perpendicularly thereto, preferably in a horizontally lying plane.

5. A method according to claim 4, characterised in that the lumps of clay produced in a vertical plane are placed on a horizontal conveyor belt where they are removed by the mould boxes pressed on from above for the final shaping.

6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that several mould boxes are simultaneously pressed onto respective lumps of clay.

7. A method according to claim 6, characterised in that with several parallel running rows of lumps of clay for each row the same number of mould boxes are pressed on simultaneously.

8. A method according to any one of the claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the lumps are arranged on the conveyor belt at such centres as that corresponding to the spacing of the mould boxes.

9. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the lump of clay located in the mould box is placed on a drying board and is conveyed via suitable conveying means into the drying installation.

10. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the rope of clay is cut into upwardly tapering lumps of clay.

11. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the lump of clay is punched in an automatic punching machine located in the mould boxes.

12. A method according to any one of the claims 1 to 11, characterised in that the pressed lump of clay is held in the mould box by means of reduced pressure.

13. A method according to anyone of claims 1 to 12, characterised in that the pressed lump of clay is ejected from the mould box by means of excess pressure or is pressed out by means of electrical impulse.

14. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the excess clay stripped off is guided back for re-utilisation.

15. An apparatus for the carrying out of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterised by an endless horizontal conveyor belt arranged level with the horizontal arranged outlet of the extrusion producing the rope of clay, texturing devices and a lump cutter associated with the conveyor, mould boxes serving for the shaping and for the removal from the conveyor of the lumps of clay and at least one stripper element for removing excess clay from the boxes.

16. An apparatus for the carrying outofthe method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterised in that the outlet of the apparatus serving for producing the rope of clay is directed downwardly and vertically below the outlet are arranged in succession texturing devices, a lump cutter and a horizontally disposed conveyor belt with which are associated the mould boxes for shaping and for the removal of the lumps of clay and the stripper or strippers.

17. An apparatus according to claim 15 or 16, characterised in that the bottom of the mould box consists of air permeable material.

18. An apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterised in that the cross-section of the mould box is a little larger than the cross-section of the lump of clay.

19. An apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterised in that the mould box is of a lesser height than the lump of clay.

20. An apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterised in that several mould boxes are combined via a mould box carrier to form a constructional unit.

21. An apparatus according to claim 15, characterised in that the horizontal running conveyor belt is divided into two independent conveyor belts which, if necessary, are capable of being driven at different speeds.

22. An apparatus according to claim 21, characterised in that the two horizontally running conveyor belts are arranged in closely spaced disposition to define a small intermediate space therebetween.

23. An apparatus according to claim 17, characterised in that the stripper is arranged directly guidable along the lower edge of the mould box.

24. An apparatus according to claim 23, characterised in that the stripper seen in its direction of advance is provided with a point.

25. An apparatus according to claims 23 and 24, characterised in that a common stripper is provided for the mould boxes combined in the mould box carrier to form a constructional unit.

26. An apparatus according to claims 23 and 24, characterised in that for the mould boxes combined in the mould box carrier to form a constructional unit several stripper elements are arranged.

27. An apparatus according to claim 26 characterised in that several strippers are guided movably simultaneously.

28. An apparatus according to any one of claims 23 to 27, characterised in that the stripper or strippers are arranged in the extension of the conveyor belt and are guided opposite to the conveying direction of the lump.

29. An apparatus according to any one of claims 23 to 27, characterised in that the stripper or strippers are arranged laterally to the conveyor belt and at right angles to the direction of conveying of the lump.

30. An apparatus according to claims 15 and 16, characterised in that drying boards to which the lumps are transferred from the moulds are mounted perpendicularly or parallel to the direction of movement of the lumps.

31. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 30, characterised by a variable outlet orifice or die to the extruder such that the cross-section of the lump is variable by control of the mouthpiece whereby for the purpose of additional graining profiled mouthpiece bars may be provided on the mouthpiece.

32. The method of manufacturing ceramic bricks substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the various figures of the accompanying drawings.

33. Apparatus for the production of ceramic bricks substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, Figures 3 and 4, or Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.