Blended Cube of Brick Machine

Second Hand Old Reds Cream Clinker Bricks Clean    AU $310.00

Cleaned old red bricks and pavers    AU $.50

Bricks Approx 750 new FIRSTS Lawsons Austral Red Brown    AU $139.50

House Bricks common Approx 500 in total Used Uncleaned with 3 holes    AU $90.00

100 Used House Bricks    AU $15.50

SOLID HOUSE BRICKS USED GOOD CONDITION    AU $482.00

Powered by phpBay Pro

A blended cube of brick machine and a method and apparatus for producing same are disclosed. The cube includes vertically extending panels of columns of endwise abutting brick having a similar color and/or texture. Each layer within the cube includes one column from a panel forming the layer so that each layer contains a full blend of brick contained within the cube. The cubes are assembled with the cube resting on its side, and are subsequently turned through 90 degrees to an upright position.

Therefore, the panels are assembled in a horizontal position and subsequently assume a vertical position. The method of assembling the cubes includes removing layers of brick from a stack on a kiln car and maintaining such layers in groups which are subsequently assembled in the panels. Since the brick within a given layer in a stack on a kiln car tend to have similar color and texture, this results in panels having similar color and texture. An apparatus is also disclosed for automatically performing the method.

A cube of brick for storage and shipment, including a plurality of horizontally extending columns of aligned abutting brick, said columns being arranged in panels of vertically aligned columns resting one on another to provide a plurality of layers, at least one of said layers including a pair of spaced voids permitting said cube to be supported and moved with a fork lift apparatus, and separator members extending along the upper side of each void to support brick in layers above said voids, said separator member also extending along at least one side of said voids to support brick above said voids when said cube is resting on its side, said separator member providing two planar portions intersecting at substantially a right angle, one of the planar portions extending along said upper side of an associated void and other of said planar portions extending along said at least one side of said associated void, each planar portion extending beyond said intersection in both directions to provide an X-shaped structure.

Brick are generally produced by forming stacks of green brick on a kiln car which carries the brick through a tunnel kiln for firing. Such stack is arranged to provide openings in the stack through which firing gas is passed so that even the interior brick within the stack are suitably fired. However, within a given kiln car stack, the brick in different layers are not fired in a completely uniform manner, and the color and/or the texture of the fired brick varies from one location within the stack to another location within the stack. There is a tendency for the brick in any given layer of the kiln car stack to have similar color and texture which differ from the color and/or texture of the brick in other layers.

If the brick are laid up, e.g., in a structure such as a wall, in groups which correspond to the brick contained in layers during the firing, the brick of similar color and/or texture are grouped. This provides objectionable color blotches in the wall.

A much more attractive appearance is provided if the brick are blended so that the brick in any given group of adjacent brick within the structure come from various locations in the kiln car stack. When the brick are properly blended and adjacent brick within the wall structure differ in color and/or texture from the adjacent brick, a desirable overall appearance is provided and the objectional blotches are eliminated.

Various systems have been developed for automatically unloading fired brick from kiln cars and arranging the brick in strapped cubes for storage and shipment. Such cubes are strapped together and provide two voids permitting the cubes to be moved as a unit by fork lift equipment. Some of the systems also provide blending of the brick as they are arranged in the cube to reduce the blotch problem discussed above.

Examples of automatic unloaders and/or blenders are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,601,266; 3,656,634; 3,893,575; 3,917,081; 4,040,532; and 4,068,766. All of such letters patent are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and are incorporated herein by reference.

There are a number of aspects to the present invention. In accordance with one important aspect of this invention, a typical strapped cube of brick is provided with a novel and improved blend of brick. In the illustrated embodiment, the brick in the cube are arranged so that substantially all of the brick within any given vertical cube panel originate from the same layer on the kiln car, and therefore have similar color and texture. As used herein, the term "panel" refers to vertically aligned columns of horizontally abutting and aligned brick, with each column resting upon the column below. In the illustrated embodiment, the columns contain endwise abutting brick. Since each layer of brick in the cube includes only one column of a given panel, any given layer within the cube contains a full blend of the brick within the cube. Consequently, when the mason removes a layer of brick from the cube and uses the brick in such layer to lay up a structure, the brick are fully blended. Further, as the layers are subsequently removed, each successive layer contains a full blend of the brick contained within the cube.

In the illustrated embodiment, the brick contained in each layer of the kiln car stack, which tend to have similar color and texture, are maintained in groups which are ultimately arranged in a vertical panel within the strapped cube. Therefore, the cube is inherently provided with the desired blend.

In accordance with another important aspect of this invention, a novel and improved method and apparatus are provided for positioning brick within a strapped cube to provide full blending of the brick within the cube.

In the illustrated embodiment, the brick are assembled and positioned within the cube while the cube is positioned on its side. After the cube is assembled, it is turned through 90 degrees to its normal upright position. By assembling the cube on its side, the panels of the finished cube are horizontal while the brick are being arranged in the cube, and then become vertical when the cube is turned to its upright position.

The cube is assembled so that as each panel is positioned within the cube, the panel contains brick substantially from the same layer in the kiln car stack. Consequently, the brick in each horizontal panel which ultimately form each vertical panel of an upright cube have a similar structure and texture. This results in the desired blend within the cube.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cubes are assembled in a monorail jig box apparatus. The jig boxes are provided with a width sufficient to accommodate the height of the finished cube. An automatic powered turner is provided which is operable to sequentially turn the cubes from their sides to the upright position when the cubes are completed.

Because the cubes provide voids so that the cubes can be handled by fork lift equipment, and since such voids are formed while the cube is lying on its side and are subsequently turned to an upright position, a novel and improved separator board structure is provided to support the brick adjacent to the voids while the cube is lying on its side and also while the cube is upright. In accordance with this invention, separator board structures are provided which support brick adjacent to the void along at least two sides thereof.

In accordance with still another aspect of this invention, a novel and improved unloader blender is provided which automatically removes layers of brick from a kiln car stack and subsequently delivers the layers of brick substantially intact to a plurality of inspection locations. Generally, such stacks on the kiln car are formed of faced or stacked brick in which adjacent layers within the stack are formed of two brick pairs, one resting on the other. In some instances, the brick are "face-set" in that the upper brick are inverted and positioned face-to-face on the lower brick of each pair prior to the stacking on the kiln car. In other instances, the two brick of each pair are "stacked without facing" and positioned with the faces of both brick of the pair on the upper side. The apparatus in accordance with this invention is operable to deface or destack the layers of brick after they have been removed from the kiln car so that all of the brick are face-up when they are delivered to the inspection location. In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, a multiple inspection system is provided in which the brick can be inspected at a number of locations prior to the assembly of the cubes. Therefore, the inspection can be conducted carefully and thoroughly even when the apparatus is functioning at a high production rate.

In accordance with still another aspect of this invention, a novel and improved method and apparatus are provided for turning the brick onto their sides and inserting the brick into the jig box of a monorail jig box system.

These and other aspects of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more fully described in the following specification.

With this invention, improved blending is achieved in an automated system in which full inspection can be accomplished without difficulty, even when the machine is operating at high production rates. Further, a novel and improved cube is provided in which each panel within the cube contains brick of similar texture and color, so that each layer within the cube contains a full blend of the brick within the cube. Consequently, when the brick are removed from the cube and laid up in a structure, objectionable blotches do not occur, and an attractive blended appearance is achieved.

Although the preferred embodiment of block machine invention has been shown and described, it should be understood that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as disclosed and claimed herein.