Off-bearing belts are of the endless type and are usually arranged to carry the bricks cut off from the continuous clay bar to any reasonable distance. The bricks are then trans ferred from this belt to dryer-cars. An auger side-cut machine of this type is capable of an average daily product of 10,000 to 150,000 brick, according to the size of the unit. Its weight complete is from to 15 tons, and it is equipped •with a friction-clutch driving-pulley. Of side-cut devices, the rotary automatic cut ter is perhaps the most simple in construction and the most reliable in operation. Its action is entirely automatic and extremely sensitive to regulation. It produces bricks of uniform thickness and smooth angles. All obstructions are pushed from the surface into the body of the bar, thus preventing the ruffled edges com mon to many side-cut bricks. The measuring section trips the clutch which furnishes the power for operating the cutting mechanism at the proper interval of time and automatically adapts itself to any changes of speed in the movement of the clay bar. The bar of clay is supported on the bottom face and at one side, thus ensuring a smooth, sharp cut. The slit through which the wire passes is just wide enough to accommodate the thickness of the wire used. An auger machine equipped with the side-cut device of the type described has a capacity of from 50,000 to 150,000 bricks per day.
Of the various forms of cutting devices, the board-delivery cutting-table may be described as a general third type. This table cuts 12 bricks at a time, automatically drawing a smooth board under the bricks as they are cut. Cutting-sections of the table travel forward upon a track while the wires are being drawn through the bar of clay, thus compensating for its forward motion, while a slight pressure upon the lever during its return stroke brings the table to its original position and places the board, loaded with bricks, ready for removal. The apparatus weighs about 900 pounds and measures about nine feet in length, including hand-lever in operating position. Modifications of this table are employed for cutting chimney blocks and hollow-ware of large section. To facilitate the handling of bricks in their green condition and to prepare them for the drying and burning processes, various appliances are employed which ensure more or less economy in time and labor.
Repressing is a process employed to pro duce bricks suitable for fronts of buildings, ornamental tablets and corner-pieces with de signs in relief, or intaglio, and other shapes of any desired design; also paving brick and blocks, fire-clay brick, blocks and tile. The great many varieties of machines used for this purpose are called represses and are operated either by steam or hand power. The hand press shown in Fig. 6 is equipped with a very powerful operating lever and has a steel lined box with a top plate and plunger faced with steel, conveniently arranged for refitting whenever necessary. It weighs about 900 pounds, occupies floor space 20 inches by 3 feet 6 inches, exclusive of the lever, and may be readily moved upon the rollers under the for ward end from place to place about the works. Power represses are made with one or two sets of plungers or pressure plates.
For repressing paving brick, fire brick and face brick by power (Fig. 7), a power-operated machine is employed, covering various sizes of ware. For repressing face and fire brick a capacity of 18,000 to 20,000 bricks daily is the average. When repressing paving brick with round corners that will stand rapid handling, the presses may be speeded so as to obtain an average of 30,000 daily from each machine.
The larger size machines are for larger ware, which must be handled more slowly, hence the daily output in number of pieces is less in pro portion to the size and shape of the ware.
One of the most marked improvements in brick-making is the invention and introduction of the mechanical brick-setter, which takes the brick from the dryer-car and sets them in the burning kiln. (Figs. 14 and 15). This work had, always been done by hand until the intro duction of the Penfield setting system in the larger yards of the country. Hand-set brick was a slow task. A setting gang was composed of tossers, who took the brick from the car and tossed them, four at a time, to the setters, who placed them in the kiln. The speed was limited to 10,000 brick per man per day and many brick were damaged by careless handling. The Penfield setting system handles an entire dry-car load of brick at a time without dam age. A thousand brick a minute can be han dled by this mechanical device. The use of the mechanical brick-setter does not interfere in any way with any other department of the plant. The brick are taken from the off-bear ing belt and are hacked on dry-cars just as of old, except that each car is hacked on a stand ard plan as a kiln unit, leaving a small space between the bricks of the bottom row to pro vide an entering space for the arms of the set ting machine. Each dry-car is loaded with 800 to 1,000 brick, which are called a unit. The setting machine handles a full carload of brick at each lift, touching only the bottom. rows and doing the work without dropping, chipping or injuring the brick. The preparation neces sary for the installation of the Penfield setting system in the plant is to equip the kiln she with an overhead electric crane. The tracks upon which this crane runs should be •built through the entire length of the kiln shed, or as much of it as is desired for machine-set brick, in order that the setting machine may operate freely over the top of the kiln. To this overhead crane the brick-setting machine is attached. The setting machine is built throughout of steel and has a number of pre hensile arms which enter the spaces left be tween the bottom rows of brick as hacked on the dry-cars. Each stack or carload having been built on a uniform plan, it is easy for the operator of the crane to run the carrier up to the dry-car and the arms of the carrier enter the spaces left to receive them. The crane then starts to raise the load, and the weight of the load on the carrier causes a series of grip-plates on the arms of the carrier to close automatically, putting just sufficient pressure on the bottom rows of brick to hold them firmly. The bulk of the weight of the load is carried by the heavy steel arms, as the third course of brick from the bottom is built crossways of the arms. The lower row of brick having been automatically clamped, the load is raised and is successfully carried to any part of the kiln, where it is set accurately in any position desired on any bench of the kiln. When the load has been lowered into position in the kiln and the weight is no longer on the machine, the pressure is automatically released from the grip-plates and they release their hold on the bottom rows of brick so that the craneman can back the carrier out from under the load and return with the carrier to the dry-cars for another lift.
In addition to brick being made by the soft mud process and the stiff-mud process, both of which have been described, they are also made by the dry-press process, by which the clay is ground to a powder and pressed in prac tically a dry condition. This machine is shown in Fig. 9.