US1563081A

US1563081A - Brick-cleaning machine

Info

Publication number: US1563081A
Application number: US566953A
Authority: US
Inventors: Samuel M Funk
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1922-06-09
Filing date: 1922-06-09
Publication date: 1925-11-24
Anticipated expiration: 1942-11-24

Description

S. M. FUNK BRJ ICK CLEANING MACHINE Filed June 9, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet l Aif'hgg Nov. 24, 1925. 1,563,081 M. FUNK BRICK CLEANING MACHINE Filed June 9, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 24, 1925. 1,563,081

S. M. FUNK BRICK CLEANING MACHINE le J e 9, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nov. 24,-, 1925.

UNITED STATES lATENT @EFMIE.

SAMUEL M. FUNK, 0F DECATUR, XLLINOISI.

BRICK-CLEANING MACHINE.

Application filed June 9,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. FUNK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Decatur, in the county of Macon and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Brick-Cleaning Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to brick cleaning machines and has for its object to provide a portable machine designed for rapidly cleaning the several surfaces and ends of a brick which may be coated with mortar.

An object is to provide a machine in which a brick can be set in a given position and will be transferred through the machine and subjected to attrition to effect the removal of the mortar without turning the brick over, or partly turning it over, during its traverse of the machine.

A further object is to provide means for initially acting upon opposite faces and means for acting upon a top longitudinal edge and subsequent means for cleaning the ends of the bricks, all while it is traveling, without change of position upon its own axis.

An embodiment of the invention is de scribed in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan of a preferred form of the machine, parts of which are broken away.

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the machine looking toward its left hand side from the feeding end of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine looking toward its right hand side from the feeding end of the machine.

The invention is embodied in a portable type of machine including a suitable truck frame having longitudinal horizontal rails or side bars 2 below which is arranged a substantial chassis 3 supported upon the ground wheels l which may be arranged in pairs at each end of the frame. Bricks to be cleaned are adapted to be fed into one end of the machine as at the left in Fig. 1

and discharged at the other end in a sub stantially cleaned condition; the mortar having been removed during the traverse of the bricks through the machine.

The bricks are designed to be successively passed with a continuous movement from end to end of the machine substantially without interruption and without being r0- 1922. Serial No. 566,953.

tated on their own axes during the opera tion.

The mechanism of the machine is driven by power from any suitable source, which may be transferred by a driving belt B to a main cross shaft S having a master pulley l3 engaged by the belt B. On the opposite end of the main shaft 3 is a pinion 5 which engages with a large gear 6 that is secured upon a cross shaft 7 5 the several shafts being respectively mounted in journal bearings or boxes of simple and usual type indicat-ed in the drawings and not requiring specific reference.

Upon the cross shaft 7 is secured a trans mitting means including a sprocket wheel 8 engaged by a sprocket chain 9 extending parallel to the side of the frame and driving a sprocket pinion 10. This pinion is mounted upon a belt shaft 11- extending across the frame and being shown as provided intermediate its ends-with a sprocket wheel 12 which is engaged by the contigu ous end of a brick advancing conveyor con sisting of a sprocket belt 13. Along the belt is provided, at suitable intervals, chairs or impelling lugs 1% extending upwardly on the top stretch of the belt between feed guides 15 provided at the feed end of the machine and between the adjacent faces of which is formed an entrance 16 into which bricks are successively introduced upon the conveyor 13 as it sweeps up around a guide pinion 17. This pinion is secured upon a transverse shaft 18 arranged across the feed end of the machine.

The bricks to be cleaned are set on one of their longitudinal edges on the conveyor 13 and pass toward a pair of

opposed scraper carriers

19 and 20, these being arranged upon suitable transverse supporting bars '21 or other means forming parts of the frame. Each scraper carrier is yieldingly pressed inwardly toward the passing stretch of conveyor 13 as by means of substantial springs 22, the outer ends of which are supported upon adjustable blocks 23 which are shifted by means of adjusting screws 24L mounted in upwardly extending arms 25 provided upon the frame work. Inward movement of the, carriers is limited by any suitable stop. Springs 19 press down

blocks

19 and 20.

Each carrier is shown as provided with a plurality of scraper blades 26, the inner edges of which are exposed vertically so a= to engage the plaster bearing contiguous faces of the bricks passing in the channel between the yielding carriers 20. Prefera bly, the blades 26 are inclined slightly in the direction of movement of the bricks being cleaned and the blades are adjustable inwardly to compensate for wear and may be respectively set by set screws 2? which are accessible in notches provided in the outer faces of the carriers. It will be seen that since the carriers are set in opposition and each presents scraping blades to the bricks, the adhering mortar on the side faces of the bricks will be scraped off before the bricks are finally clear of the scrapers.

The bricks, having their side faces cleaned, are then advanced by the conveyor 13 into a guideway 27 having a fixed wall opposite to which passes a parallel stretch of a second conveyor 30 consisting of a sprocket chain having outwardly extending impelling lugs 31. lhe front end of the conveyor 30 engages a sprocket wheel 32arranged 011 a vertical shaft 33 and the conveyor 30 may be tensioned by an intermediate idler 34 mounted on a bracket arm attached to the top of the frame. The rear end of the conveyor belt 80 engages a driving sprocket 36 arranged on the upper end of a vertical shaft 37. This shaft e:-; tends downwardly and carries a beveled gear 38 meshing with a driving bevel 3 which is secured on a horizontal shaft 40. On this shaft is secured a sprocket wheel all engaging a sprocket chain 22 which extends upwardly to, and is driven by, a sprocket wheel 43 secured on the cross shaft 7. In this manner power is transmitted from the main shaft through the train just described to drive the feed belt or conveyor 30. This operates to ad ance the bricks successively along the supporting guide 27 and through a further mortar removii means. This means consists of a set of scrapers 44; mounted in opposed supports, one of which is shown as cinnprising a carrier 4.5, Fig. 1, in which the scrapers 44:, in the form of blades, are mounted in an oblique forwardly and downwardly inclined position to engage the contiguous edges of the bricks as they pass through suitable lateral guides 4C6 and 47. One of the guides as 46 may, if desired, be yieldingly supported as by springs 48 on its ends. As the bricks pass the cutters 44, their longitudinal edges are scraped and the adhering mortar removed. From the edge scraping means the bricks are conveyed by the sprocket chain or belt 30 in the same direction of travel until they pass onto the top stretches of a pair of conveying sprocket chains 50 which are arranged transversely across one end of the machine and adjacent to the end sprocket 36 of the conveyor 30. The chains 50 constitute a conveyor for receiving the bricks from the conveyor 30 and, then shifting them transversely, while sitting on longitudinal edge, into engagement with means for scraping the end surfaces of the bricks. The chains 50 are mounted on horizontal shafts 51 and 52, the latter being provided with a pinion 53 engaging a complementary pinion 54: which is secured on a cross shaft 55. On one end of this shaft there secured a sprocket wheel 56 engaging a sprocket chain 57 which in turn engages a driving pinion 38 on the cross shaft 7 carrying the master gear 6.

The end scraping means includes a pair of opposed guide members (30 set on edge and on each side of the conveyor formed by the connected chains 50; the guides 60 also form carriers in which are mounted scraping blades 61. The carriers are normally pressed inwardly by respective springs 62 so as to maintain the scrapers in a contract ed position relative to the conveyor chains 50 so as to engage and scrape the ends of the bricks as they pass through.

It will be seen, therefore, that the bricks are fed into one end of the machine while resting on horizontal edge or face and. continue through the machine without interruption of travel and without requiring change of position of each brick on its own axis.

The brick is subject to the concurrent scraping action of scrapers on opposite sides so that as the softer mortar is removed, the brick is maintained in such a position as to cause the scraping of the mortar down to the face of the brick on each of its sides.

A top guide plate is arranged over the rear end of the conveyor 30 and over the intermediate portion of the transverse convey or 50. It is yieldingly pressed down by springs 71 supported by suitable overhead brackets 72.

Various n'iodilications and changes may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention as claimed.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. In a brick cleaning machine, a series of sets of scraping mechanisms, and continuously acting conveyor means for advancing continuously on a longitudinal edge the bricks to be cleaned successively from one mechanism to another along the series so that parallel faces are concurrently subjected to a scraping and cleaning action to remove adhering mortar. v

2. In a brick cleaning machine, a series of sets of scraping mechanisms for cleaning the edge, side and end faces of a brick, and a continuously acting conveyor means for advancing continuously on a longitudinal edge the bricks to be cleaned success vely from one mechanism to another along the series so that parallel faces are concurrently subjected to a scraping and cleaning action to remove adhering mortar, said mechanisms operative without change of position of each brick on its own axis.

3. In a brick cleaning machine, a series of sets of scraping mechanisms, andnneans for advancing constantly on an edge the bricks to be cleaned successively and without tilting from one mechanism to another along the series so that parallel faces are concurrently subjected to a scraping and cleaning action to remove adhering mortar, said cleaning mechanisms each including a yieldable carrier provided with a plurality of scraping blades and mechanism to continuously move in one direction the means for advancing the bricks.

l. A brick cleaning machine comprising in combination a series of first scrapers, a

"conveyor for advancing the bricks through the scrapers, and a second conveyor for con veying the bricks in the same direction and on the same face through a second scraper, the second scraper being at right angles to the first scraper.

5. A brick cleaning machine comprising in combination a series of first scrapers, a conveyor for advancing the bricks through the scrapers,a second conveyor for conveying the bricks in the same direction and on the same face through a second scraper, the second scraper being at right angles to the first scraper, a third conveyor moving the bricks sideways from the first and second conveyors without tilting or turning the bricks, and a third scraper to scrape the bricks upon the faces not already acted upon.

6. A brick cleaning machine comprising a frame, a primary feeding conveyor arranged on the frame and presenting a horizontal feeding stretch, carriers arranged in a parallel position along the feeding stretch of the conveyor and provided with means for concurrently scraping parallel side faces of the bricks; a second conveyor arranged to travel about vertical axes and presenting a feeding stretch axially aligned with the first feeding stretch, scraping means disposed along the feeding stretch of the second conveyor for removing mortar from longitudinal edges of bricks while they are resting on edge, means for successively transferring the bricks by a move ment at, right angles to the initial feeding movement, and means for scraping the ends of the bricks while being carried by the last named means.

7. In a brick cleaning machine, means for moving continuously the bricks through scraper units comprising, a first scraper unit having blocks resiliently supported and scrapers fixed therein, a second scraper unit comprising blocks resiliently mounted with scrapers fixed therein, said second scrapers having their cutting edges at right angles to the first scrapers, and a third scraper unit lying in a path at right angles to the first and second scrapers having blocks resiliently mounted with fixed scrapers secured therein.

8. A brick cleaning machine comprising a frame, a primary feeding conveyor arranged on the frame and presenting a horizontal feeding stretch, carriers arranged in parallel position along the feeding stretch of the conveyor and being provided with means for concurrently scraping parallel side faces of the bricks; a second conveyor arranged to travel about vertical axes and presenting a feeding stretch axially aligned with the first feeding stretch, scraping means disposed along the feeding stretch of the second conveyor for removing mortar from longitudinal edges of bricks while they are resting on edge, means for successively transferring the bricks by a movement at right angles to the initial feeding movement, and means for scraping the ends of the bricks while being carried by the last named means, the brick being supported on a horizontal edge by each conveyor and without being turned over.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

SAMUEL M. FUNK.