AN APPARATUS AND A METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BRICKS WITH HOLES

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for the manufacture of bricks with holes, especially manufacture of soft mud bricks with holes. Furthermore, the present invention relates to soft mud bricks having multiple holes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typically, soft mud bricks are manufactured from clay with added water. Such clay has a very soft consistency during forming of the clay into green bricks.

Customers in many countries prefer soft mud bricks because of their slightly varying surface appearance, which provide a much more varied surface compared to bricks made by extrusion. Typically, bricks made from extrusion are made from clay with a low water content of about 16 % by weight. Typically, soft mud bricks are solid, i.e. without holes, because of the soft consistency of the clay material. Solid bricks have the drawback of high weight and energy consumption in both production and handling. WO 96/38276 discloses an apparatus for manufacturing green bricks from clay. The apparatus comprises a device having hollow cylinders for making holes in the green bricks. The cylinders accommodate the cutout of the green bricks thus requiring a step of emptying the cylinders.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for the manufacture of soft mud bricks with at least one hole without substantially changing or reducing the stability or the outer shape of the green bricks.

It is desirable to reduce the amount of material in soft mud bricks, e.g. by making holes in the bricks, for a number of reasons. For example, bricks with holes require shorter drying and firing time than solid bricks and therefore require less energy for their manufacture which lowers their cost. Further, the production capacity of a given system for drying and firing bricks is increased for soft mud bricks with holes as compared to solid soft mud bricks. Still further, the strength of a brick with holes may also be higher than the strength of a solid brick due to a more uniform firing. The weight of a brick is decreased, which is an important advantage when considering e.g. the working environment of construction workers, such as a bricklayer and a bricklayer's assistant.

A green brick is a brick that has been formed from green brick raw material, but has not been fired.

A soft mud brick is typically prepared in moulds from clay having a high content of water, i.e. above 19 % by weight, hereby giving the desired characteristics of the soft mud brick known to a person skilled in the art.

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned and other objects are fulfilled by a method for the manufacture of soft mud bricks, comprising the steps of forming a green brick of green brick raw material, and making at least one hole in the green brick by pushing material out of the green brick. Preferably, the step of forming the green brick is performed in a mould cavity. The step of making at least one hole in the green brick may be performed in the mould cavity or outside the mould cavity. Preferably, the step of forming a green brick comprises the step of forming a solid green brick.

Preferably, the step of forming a green brick is performed prior to the step of making at least one hole in the green brick.

Surprisingly, the inventor has found that the shape of the green brick with holes has substantially the same stability as the same green brick without the holes. This means that existing machines used for manufacturing of green bricks, such as drying ovens, furnaces, transport equipment, etc, may be used for the manufacture of green bricks with holes with or without modifications.

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned and other objects are also fulfilled by a material removal device for making holes in a green brick, comprising a first support plate to be positioned adjacent the green brick for support of the green brick during material removal, and wherein the device is adapted to make at least one hole in the green brick by removing a part of the green brick through at least one opening in the first support plate. According to the present invention, a soft mud brick is provided, having a first side and a second side and comprising at least five holes extending from the first side to the second side.

Preferably, the material removal device comprises at least one punch device for making the at least one hole in the green brick by pushing the part of the green brick through the at least one opening in the first support plate. The at least one punch device may comprise at least one punch member, such as one, two, three, four, five, eight, sixteen or more punch members. A punch member may comprise a set of one or more punch elements for punching at least one hole, e.g. three, four, five, or more holes, preferably seven or more holes, such as eleven, fourteen, or seventeen holes, in

one or more green bricks. Preferably, a punch member comprises one or more sets of punch elements, such as for example one, two, three, four, eight, sixteen or more, sets of punch elements, each set of punch elements being adapted to operate on one green brick. A set of punch elements may comprise any number of punch elements, such as one or more punch elements, e.g. one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, eleven, fourteen, seventeen, twenty-one or more punch elements. The punch elements may have the same or different sizes and shapes depending on the desired sizes and shapes of holes in a green brick.

A punch element may be provided with a coating or be treated to reduce friction between the punch element and the green brick. The coating may be Teflon or any other friction reducing coating.

Preferably, the one or more punch elements are tubular; however one or more punch elements may be tapered.

Preferably, one set of punch elements punches holes in one green brick in one punch operation. The number of punch elements in a set may be adjusted according to a desired number of holes in the green brick. In a preferred embodiment, a set of punch elements comprises three punch elements. In another preferred embodiment, the at least one punch member comprises five or more punch elements, such as seven, eight, eleven, fourteen, seventeen, twenty-one punch elements for making a corresponding number of holes in a green brick..

A rod may constitute a punch element. The rod may have e.g. a substantially circular, oval, substantially square, substantially rectangular, substantially rhomb-shaped or other suitable cross-section for making holes with different shapes and dimensions in the green brick. Preferably, the rod has a substantially circular cross-section. In one embodiment, a punch member comprises a set of eleven cylindrical rods having a diameter of about 20 mm for making a green brick with eleven holes. In another embodiment, a punch member comprises a set of three cylindrical rods having a diameter from about 30 mm to about 45 mm for making a brick with three holes. In a presently preferred embodiment, a punch member comprises a set of seventeen cylindrical rods in five rows, the rows having three, four, three, four and three rods, respectively.

Cylindrical rods with a diameter in the range from about 5 mm to about 85 mm, preferably from about 10 mm to about 50 mm, such as about 20 mm, about 25 mm, or about 35 mm are preferred, however rods having any suitable cross-section with an

area from about 10 mm ² to about 5000 mm ² , such as in the range from about 100 mm ² to about 2500 mm ² , preferably in the range from about 150 mm ² to about 1500 mm ² , more preferably in the range from about 175 mm ² to about 1000 mm ² may be employed. The at least one punch member may comprise at least one frame supporting or carrying the one or more punch elements. A punch member may be adapted to operate on one green brick or a plurality of green bricks in one punch operation, e.g. a punch member may be adapted to operate on one or more green bricks simultaneously. In an embodiment of the present invention, two or more punch members may be adapted to operate on one green brick in one punch operation.

The punch device may comprise a frame supporting one or more punch members.

The punch device, and thus the material removal device, may comprise one or more actuators, such as one or more pneumatic or hydraulic pistons, for moving the one or more punch members during a punch operation. A frame may support the one or more actuators. Any suitable combination of actuators and punch members may be employed, e.g. each punch member may be moved individually by one specific actuator, or, each punch member may be moved by two or more actuators, or, a plurality of punch members may be supported or mounted on a frame and each frame may be moved by one or more actuators, etc. The punch device may further comprise at least one punch element guide for guiding respective punch elements of the punch device. Furthermore, the punch device may comprise at least one lubricating member for supply of lubricant to the material removal device, e.g. the punch elements. The lubricant may be water, oil, or another suitable lubricant. The at least one lubricating member may be built into punch elements of the material removal device.

The material removal device may comprise at least one nozzle, e.g. a liquid nozzle, to provide a jet, such as a liquid jet, for removal of material, e.g. by high-pressurized water or air.

The material removal device may comprise a drill or a laser-cutting device for making holes in a green brick by removal of material from the green brick.

The material removal device may remove from about 5 % to about 60 % material by volume from each green brick, such as from about 10% to about 40%, preferably from about 14 % to about 25%, such as about 15%, about 17%, or about 20 %.

Preferably, the first support plate is positioned along a side of a green brick during material removal from the respective green brick.

Supporting a green brick during material removal maintain the outer shape of the green brick having a soft consistency, while a part of the green brick material is being removed, e.g. by punching, drilling, cutting, etc.

The first support plate may comprise at least one opening that substantially corresponds to the desired holes in the bricks, for cooperation with the remaining part of the material removal device, such as the at least one punch element. The at least one opening may be provided as one or more cutouts of the support plate. Preferably, the first support plate comprises one or more sets of openings, such as for example one, two, three, four, eight, sixteen or more, sets of openings. A set of openings may comprise any number of openings, such as one or more openings, e.g. one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, eleven, fourteen, seventeen, twenty-one or more openings.

Preferably, the one or more openings in the first support plate are circular, however any suitable shape, such as for example oval, substantially square, substantially rectangular, or substantially rhomb-shaped, may be employed.

In a preferred embodiment, the at least one opening in the first support plate is adapted in size and shape to register and cooperate with and possibly accommodate the at least one punch element. An opening in the first support plate may be adapted to accommodate and cooperate with one or a plurality of punch elements.

The first support plate may be divided into sections, and each section may be positioned at the bottom of a respective green brick during removal of material from green bricks. The material removal device may further comprise a second support plate comprising at least one opening, wherein the second support plate is to be positioned adjacent the green brick so that the green brick is positioned between the first and the second support plate for supporting the green brick during removal of material. Further, during removal of material, the at least one opening in the second support plate may register or be aligned with corresponding openings in the first support plate and possible punch elements.

The at least one opening may be one or more cutouts of a substantially rectangular plate. Preferably, the second support plate comprises one or more sets of openings, such as for example one, two, three, four, eight, sixteen or more, sets of openings. A

set of openings may comprise any number of openings, such as one or more openings, e.g. one, two, three, four, five, seven, eight, eleven, fourteen, seventeen twenty-one or more openings.

Preferably, the one or more openings in the second support plate are circular, however any suitable shape, such as for example oval, substantially square, substantially rectangular, or substantially rhomb-shaped, may be employed.

Preferably, the at least one opening in the second support plate is adapted in size and shape to register with and accommodate the at least one punch element.

An opening in the second support plate may be adapted to accommodate and cooperate with one or a plurality of punch elements.

The openings of the second support plate may function as a punch element guide.

The second support plate supports the green brick after formation of holes in the green brick, e.g. during withdrawal of hole making tools, such as punch elements, so that the shape of the green brick is substantially maintained during tool withdrawal. The second support plate may be divided into sections, each section being positioned at the top of a respective green brick during removal of material from green bricks.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first support plate and the second support plate each comprises three sets of openings, each set of openings comprising eleven openings. In an embodiment of the present invention, the first support plate and the second support plate each comprises three sets of openings, each set of openings comprising seventeen openings.

The material removal device may further comprise a separating member or separating device for separation of removed material from the material removal device.

Further, an apparatus for the manufacture of green bricks is provided according to the present invention, comprising a mould with mould cavities defined by sidewalls in the mould and having open bottoms and open tops, a filling device for filling brick raw material into the mould cavities, a device for moving green bricks out of the mould cavities, and a material removal device as described above for making holes in the green bricks.

The references to the tops and bottoms of the mould cavities implicitly assume that the mould cavities are positioned in a horizontal position. However, it should be understood

that other orientations of the mould cavities might be conceived without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The mould comprises a plurality of mould cavities.

Likewise, the material removal device may have an arbitrary orientation in relation to the remaining parts of the apparatus so that the holes may be made in the green bricks with a centre axis extending in an arbitrary direction in relation to the green bricks. Preferably, the holes in each green brick have substantially parallel centre axes, and preferably the centre axis extends perpendicular to a surface of the green brick, preferably the largest surface of the green brick. Preferably, the green bricks are positioned horizontally in the apparatus, i.e. resting on the largest surface with the largest surface in a horizontal position, and the holes are made with centre axes extending vertically through the green bricks. However, it should be understood that other orientations of the green bricks and the holes in the green bricks might be conceived without departing from the scope of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the first support plate is positioned at the open bottom of at least one of the mould cavities during removal of material from the green bricks in the respective mould cavities.

The first support plate may be divided into sections, each section being positioned at the open bottom of at least one of the mould cavities during removal of material from green bricks in the respective mould cavities.

In one embodiment, the second support plate is positioned at the open top of at least some of the mould cavities during removal of material from green bricks in the respective mould cavities.

The second support plate may be divided into sections, each section being positioned at the top of at least one of the mould cavities during removal of material from green bricks in the respective mould cavities.

The filling device may comprise a filling support plate positioned at the open bottom of at least some of the mould cavities during filling of material into the respective mould cavities. In one embodiment of the invention, the apparatus comprises a plane mould table with the mould cavities.

In another embodiment of the invention, the apparatus comprises a conveyor with the mould cavities.

The apparatus may further comprise a first conveyor for conveying green bricks that have been moved out of the respective mould cavities.

The apparatus may further comprise a second conveyor for conveying material removed from the green bricks. In an embodiment of the invention wherein removal of material from a green brick is performed after the green brick has been moved out of the respective mould cavity, the respective mould cavity may comprise a bottom wall.

In one embodiment, the filling support plate and the first support plate are combined into one support plate. Each mould cavity has at least one sidewall, such as one, two, three, four or more sidewalls. Preferably, the respective mould cavities have four sidewalls for the manufacture of bricks with a rectangular cross-section. The number and shape of the sidewalls of a mould cavity are selected in accordance with the desired shape of the bricks. The mould with mould cavities may be replaceable so that the apparatus may be used for production of bricks of different sizes.

Preferably, the mould cavities are arranged in sets of mould cavities, e.g. two, three, four, five or more sets, of mould cavities. A set of mould cavities may comprise any number of mould cavities, such as one or more mould cavities, e.g. one, two, three, four, five, eight, sixteen or more mould cavities. During processing of green bricks, each mould cavity in a set of mould cavities undergoes a specific processing step simultaneously. Preferably, mould cavities within a set are aligned along a straight line. In an embodiment with a planar mould table, sets of three mould cavities positioned in a circular, planar mould table are preferred. The mould cavities may be movable, such that different steps of the processing of green bricks with holes are performed in different positions of the mould cavities. Further, various processing steps of manufacturing green brick with holes may be performed while the mould cavities are moving.

The planar mould table may be circular, rectangular or any other suitable form. Further, the material removal device according to the invention may comprise a separating device for separating removed green brick material from the material removal device or the mould cavities.

The separating device may comprise at least one cutting member. The cutting member comprises at least one cutting element for separation of the removed part of the green brick from the remaining part of the green brick in the mould, or from the mould, or from the material removal device by a cutting action. The cutting member or device may comprise a frame for supporting one or more cutting elements.

The cutting element may comprise a cutting plate. The cutting plate may comprise one or more openings or cutouts. Parts of the one or more openings may form a cutting edge of the cutting plate.

In one embodiment, the separating operation is performed before withdrawal of a punch element from the mould cavity. Hereby, the risk of drawing removed green brick material back into the mould cavities is substantially eliminated.

The separating member or device may further comprise one or more actuators, such as one or more pneumatic or hydraulic pistons. In one embodiment, the one or more actuators may move the one or more cutting elements during the cutting-action. The separating device or separating member may comprise a spray device comprising at least one spray nozzle for separation of the removed green brick material from the punch elements, the mould cavities, and the first support plate and the separating device. Hereby, it is avoided that removed green brick material is drawn back into the mould cavity. The device for removing green bricks out of the mould cavities may comprise one or more press plates that are adapted to fit into the respective mould cavities for pressing green bricks out of the respective mould cavities. The device for moving green bricks out of the respective mould cavities may further comprise one or more actuators, such as pneumatic or hydraulic pistons for moving the press plates. The device for moving green bricks out of the respective mould cavities may comprise at least one frame for supporting one or more press plates.

Further, the apparatus according to the invention may comprise a first conveyor for conveying green bricks that have been moved out of the respective mould cavities. The green bricks with holes are conveyed for further processing, such as drying and firing. Further, the apparatus according to the invention may comprise a second conveyor for conveying at least a part of the material removed from the green bricks. The removed brick material may be fed back to the filling device for recycling.

Different parts of the apparatus according to the invention, such as the material removal device, the first support plate, the one or more press plates, the second

support plate, etc, may be replaceable so that the apparatus may be used for the manufacture of bricks of different sizes with different number of holes, holes with different sizes and shapes , etc.

The brick may have any suitable size and shape, such as any standard sized brick, e.g. a standard brick measuring about 228 mm x 108 mm x 55 mm.

The soft mud brick according to the invention may be characterized by having a water content of more than 19 % by weight, e.g. from about 19 % by weight to about 25 % by weight, preferably about 20 % by weight, during preparation of the green brick.

A soft mud brick may be characterized as bricks being formed in a mould cavity. A soft mud brick may also be characterized as a non-extruded brick.

According to the invention, the soft mud brick may have at least five holes, such as six, seven, eight, eleven, fourteen, seventeen, twenty-one holes or more. In a preferred embodiment, the brick comprises eleven holes. In another preferred embodiment, the brick comprises seventeen holes. The holes in the soft mud brick may be distributed in any suitable way. In one embodiment of the soft mud brick according to the invention, the holes are aligned in at least two rows, such as three, four, five or more rows, extending in the longitudinal direction of the soft mud brick.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the holes are aligned in a first row and a second row extending in the longitudinal direction of the soft mud brick. In another embodiment, the holes are aligned in a first row, a second row, and a third row extending in the longitudinal direction of the soft mud brick.

The holes in the brick may have the same or different sizes and/or shapes.

The holes may have any suitable size and shape. Preferably, the at least five holes have a substantially circular cross-section with a diameter smaller than 50 mm, such as in the range from about 3 mm to about 50 mm, preferably in the range from about 5 mm to about 25 mm, such as about 10 mm, about 15 mm, or about 20 mm.

A soft mud brick according to the invention may have a suitable number of holes in any suitable distribution, such as for example at least five, e.g. five, six, seven, eleven, fourteen, twenty-one or more holes. The respective holes in the brick may have different shapes and/or sizes.

In a preferred embodiment of the soft mud brick according to the invention, the holes in the brick are positioned, such that breaking the brick into brick parts is facilitated. One

or more holes in the brick may be positioned for forming a line of fracture, e.g. a line of fracture extending perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the brick, for breaking the brick, e.g. into two halves, into a one quarter and a three quarter, etc.

Preferably, a brick according to the invention has eleven holes distributed in three rows, having four, three, and four holes respectively.

Preferably, a row of holes extends in the longitudinal direction of the green brick. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a schematic top view of one embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a schematic top view of another embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention,

Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of another embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention,

Fig. 4 is a schematic top view of the embodiment in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a schematic top view of an embodiment corresponding to the embodiment shown in Figs. 3 and 4, with the difference that holes are made outside the moulds, Fig. 6 is a schematic top view of another embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a mould of an apparatus according to the invention,

Figs. 8-11 show schematic cross-sections of a material removal device, Figs. 12-14 show schematic cross-sections of a device for moving green bricks out of the mould cavities,

Figs. 15-16 show schematic top views of a soft mud brick according to the invention,

Fig. 17 shows an exemplary first support plate,

Fig. 18 shows an exemplary cutting element, and Fig. 19 shows a schematic cross-section of a material removal device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like features of the illustrated embodiments.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a top view of one embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention. The apparatus 1 comprises a mould in the form of a planar round mould table 4 with a plurality of mould cavities 6, each of which is defined within four sidewalls 8 and has an open bottom and an open top. Further, the apparatus 1 has a filling device 10 for filling brick raw material into the mould cavities 6, a device 12 for moving green bricks out of the respective mould cavities 6, and a material removal device 14 for removing a part of the raw material from the green bricks in the mould cavities 6. In the illustrated embodiment the planar mould table 4 rotates around an axis perpendicular to the planar surface of the mould table. The arrow 16 indicates the direction of rotation of the planar mould table 4.

The planar mould table 4 may rotate in steps or at a substantially constant speed. In the illustrated embodiment, the planar mould table 4 comprises twelve mould cavities 6 divided into four sets 17 of mould cavities 6, each set 17 comprising three mould cavities 6. In another embodiment, the planar mould table 4 comprises eighteen mould cavities divided into six sets each comprising three mould cavities. A planar mould table may comprise any suitable number of sets 17 of mould cavities 6, e.g. one, two, three, five or more sets, each set of mould cavities comprising any suitable number of mould cavities, e.g. one, two, three, four, five or more mould cavities.

Furthermore, the apparatus 1 comprises a first conveyor 18 for conveying green bricks 20 with holes towards equipment for further processing, e.g. drying and firing. The first conveyor 18 moves the green bricks 20 in the direction indicated by the arrow 22. A second conveyor 24 is provided for conveying the removed material 26 from the green bricks 20. The second conveyor 24 moves the removed material 26 in the direction indicated by the arrow 28. In the illustrated embodiment, the removed material 26 is reused.

The first conveyor 18 and the second conveyor 24 may move in any direction away from the planar mould table.

The filling device 10 fills brick raw material into a set of mould cavities. During filling, a filling support plate (not shown in Fig. 1) substantially covers the open bottom of the mould cavities in the set to form a substantially closed bottom of the mould during the filling operation. Then, the planar mould table, and thus the set of mould cavities with

solid green bricks, is rotated, and the material removal device 14 makes at least one hole in the green bricks in the set of mould cavities. The planar mould table, and thus the set of mould cavities with green bricks having holes, is further rotated, and the device 12 for moving green bricks out of the respective mould cavities removes the green bricks with holes from the set of mould cavities.

The material removal device 14 and the device 12 for removing green bricks from the respective mould cavities is described in further detail with reference to Figs. 7-13.

In one embodiment, the material removal device 14 and/or the device 12 for removing green bricks from the respective mould cavities follow the movement of the mould, such as the rotational movement of a planar round mould table, the linear movement of a mould conveyor, etc, during operation resulting in a reciprocating movement.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is constructed based on a soft mud press model DB-18 from the firm Fr. Petersen Maskinfabrik.

The apparatus 1 illustrated in Fig. 2 corresponds to the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 except for the fact that holes are made in the green bricks after the green bricks have been removed from the respective mould cavities 6. In the illustrated embodiment, the holes are made while the bricks are transported on the conveyor 18. The conveyor 18 may constitute the first support plate.

Figs. 3 and 4 schematically illustrate a side view and a top view, respectively, of another embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention. The apparatus 101 comprises a mould conveyor 104 having a plurality of mould cavities 106. Furthermore, the apparatus 101 comprises a filling device 110 for filling brick raw material into the mould cavities 106, a device 112 for removing green bricks from the respective mould cavities, and a material removal device 114 for removing a part of each of the green bricks in the mould cavities thereby making holes in the green bricks. The conveyor 104 moves in the direction indicated by the arrows 116.

The mould conveyor 104 comprises twenty-two sets 117 of mould cavities 106, each set comprising five mould cavities 106. A mould conveyor may comprise any suitable number of sets of mould cavities, e.g. between 10 and 100, between 15 and 70, or between 20 and 50 sets of mould, each set of mould cavities comprising at least one mould cavity, e.g. one, two, three, four, five, eight, sixteen or more mould cavities.

Furthermore, the apparatus 101 comprises a first conveyor 118 for conveying green bricks 120 with holes after removal of the bricks from the respective mould cavities. The first conveyor 118 moves the green bricks 120 in the direction indicated by the

arrow 122. A second conveyor 124 is provided for conveying the removed material 126 from the green bricks 120. The second conveyor 124 moves the removed material 126 in the direction indicated by the arrow 128. The removed material 126 may be reused.

The first conveyor 118 and the second conveyor 124 may move in any suitable direction away from the mould conveyor 104.

The material removal device 114 comprises a punch device having one punch member 130. The punch member 130 comprises a frame 132 supporting five sets of punch elements 134. Each set of punch elements has three punch elements 134 for punching three holes in a green brick in a mould cavity. A first support plate 136 comprising five sets of three openings corresponding to the five sets of three punch elements, and a second support plate 138 comprising five sets of three openings corresponding to the five sets of three punch elements are provided for supporting the green brick during and upon material removal. One or more hydraulic pistons (not shown) move the punch device. Any suitable configuration of punch members and pistons may be employed In another embodiment, the material removal device 114 comprises five punch members, each punch member having a frame supporting three punch elements for punching three holes in a green brick. Each punch member may be moved by at least one hydraulic piston, such as one or two hydraulic pistons.

A filling support plate 140 is positioned at the open bottom of the mould cavities during filling of material into the respective mould cavities.

The device 112 for removing green bricks from the mould cavities comprises five press plates 142 that are adapted to fit into respective mould cavities for removing green bricks from the mould cavities.

The mould conveyor 104 moves stepwise. Thus, upon filling a set A of mould cavities with brick raw material with the filling device 110 to form green bricks in the mould cavities, the conveyor 104 is moved one step, and the material removal device 114 removes a part of at least some of the green bricks in the set A of mould cavities, while the filling device 110 fills the set B of mould cavities with brick raw material. The conveyor is moved one step, and the device 112 removes green bricks in the set A of mould cavities from the mould cavities, while the material removal device 114 removes a part of at least some of the green bricks in the set B of mould cavities, and the filling device 110 fills the set C of mould cavities with brick raw material.

One or more separating members (not shown) are employed. One or more rollers (not shown) may move the conveyor.

The apparatus 101 illustrated in Fig. 5 corresponds to the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 except for the fact that holes are made in the green bricks after the green bricks have been removed from the respective mould cavities 106. In the illustrated embodiment, the holes are made while the bricks are transported on the conveyor 118. The conveyor 118 may constitute the first support plate.

Fig. 6 schematically illustrates a top view of another embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention. The apparatus 201 comprises a plurality of mould cavities 206 in a planar mould table 204, a filling device 210 for filling brick raw material into the mould cavities 206, a first and a second device 212, 213 for removing green bricks from the respective mould cavities, and a material removal device comprising a first and a second punch device 214, 215 for removing a part of each of the green bricks in the mould cavities. In this embodiment the planar mould table 204 moves back and forth in the direction indicated by the double arrow 216.

In this embodiment, the planar mould table 204 comprises five sets A, B, C, D, E of mould cavities, each set of mould cavities comprising five mould cavities A', B', C ₁ D', E', respectively. Any suitable number of mould cavities may be employed.

Furthermore, the apparatus 201 comprises a first and third conveyor 218, 219 for conveying green bricks 220 with holes, which bricks have been removed from the respective mould cavities. The first and third conveyor 218, 219 move the green bricks 220 in the direction indicated by the arrow 222 for further processing of the bricks.

A second and fourth conveyor 224, 225 is provided for conveying at least a part of the removed material 226 from the green bricks 220. The second and fourth conveyor 224, 225 move the removed material 226 in the direction indicated by the arrow 228. In this embodiment, the removed material 226 is reused. The first, second, third, and fourth conveyors 218, 219, 224, 225 may move in any suitable direction.

During operation, the planar mould table 204 is moved back and forth in steps for filling the different sets of mould cavities with brick raw material for forming green bricks in the mould cavities, the green bricks are subsequently provided with holes and thereafter pressed out of their respective mould cavities. One cycle of operation may comprise moving the planar mould table four steps to the right and then four steps to the left. After each step, the filling device 210, the first and second device 212, 213 for removing green bricks from the mould cavities 206 and the first and second material removal devices 214, 215, respectively, may perform their tasks.

One or more separating members (not shown) are employed.

One embodiment of the present invention is a further development of a soft mud press Type BS2000 from the firm Fr. Petersen Maskinfabrik.

In the illustrated embodiments of the invention, removal of material from the green bricks is performed before the green bricks are removed from the mould cavities. In another embodiment the removal of material from the green bricks is performed after the green bricks have been removed from the mould cavities, e.g. a first conveyor may move the solid green bricks to a material removal device according to the invention.

Fig. 7 is a more detailed perspective view of a mould cavity 6, 106, 206 situated in e.g. a mould table or a mould conveyor as previously described. The mould cavities 6, 106, 206 have four sidewalls 8, an open top, and an open bottom. Although, the mould cavity is shown in a horizontal position, other orientations of the mould cavities may be conceived within the scope of the present invention.

Figs. 8-11 illustrate a schematic cross-section along the dotted line A in Fig. 1 and illustrate different steps of making holes in a green brick by removal of a part of the material of the green brick accommodated in a mould cavity 6.

The illustrated material removal device 14 comprises a punch device 301 comprising at least one punch member 302 having a frame 304 supporting three punch elements 306. The punch elements 306 are cylindrical rods with a diameter of about 35 mm. Cylindrical rods with a diameter in the range from about 5 mm to about 85 mm, preferably from about 10 mm to about 50 mm, such as about 20 mm, about 25, or about 35 mm are preferred, however rods having any suitable cross-section with an area from about 10 mm ² to about 5000 mm ² , such as in the range from about 100 mm ² to about 2.500 mm ² , preferably in the range from about 150 mm ² to about 1.500 mm ² , more preferably in the range from about 175 mm ² to about 1000 mm ² may be employed. The punch device 301 further comprises at least one hydraulic piston 308 for moving the frame 304 with the punch elements 306.

In this embodiment, the punch device 301 comprises three punch members 302, one for each mould cavity in a set of mould cavities. Each punch member has a frame supporting three punch elements. A hydraulic piston moves each punch member.

The hydraulic piston 308 is attached to a frame 309.

The punch device 301 further comprises punch element guides 312 to guide respective punch elements 306 of the punch device. Furthermore, the punch device 301

comprises lubricating members 314. The lubricating members 314 supply lubricant, which is water in the illustrated embodiment, to the punch elements 306.

The material removal device 14 comprises a first support plate 316 having three openings 318, and a second support plate 320 having three openings 321. The openings 318, 321 are circular openings with a diameter larger than the diameter of the punch elements 306. In this embodiment, the first support plate 316 and the second support plate are attached to the frame 309. Each of the holes in the first support plate registers or aligned with a corresponding hole in the second support plate and a corresponding punch element. Removal of brick material is performed as follows: The hydraulic piston 308 causes the frame 304 and thus the punch elements 306 to move in the direction indicated by the arrow 322. The punch elements 306 press a part of the green brick 20 through the openings 318 as illustrated in Fig. 9. A cutting member 326 having a cutting element 328 then removes the part 324 of the green brick material that has been pressed through the openings 318 as shown in Fig. 10. The cutting member 326 is attached to the frame 309. A hydraulic piston 330 moves the cutting element 328. Subsequently, the punch elements 306 and the cutting element 328 are moved back into their original positions as shown in Fig. 11. During withdrawal of the punch elements 306, the second support plate 320 positioned at the open top of the mould 6 supports the green brick, such that the shape of the green brick 20 substantially remains unchanged during withdrawal of the punch elements 306. The planar mould table 4 is rotated such that the green brick can be removed from the mould cavity 6.

Figs. 12-14 illustrate a schematic cross-section taken along the dotted line B in Fig. 1 and illustrate different steps of removing a green brick with holes from a mould cavity 6. The device 12 for removing green bricks from the respective mould cavities comprise three press plates, whereof one 350 is shown in the Figures. The respective press plates may have a coating 352 for prevention of green bricks sticking to the respective press plates. The press plates are adapted to fit into the respective mould cavities for pressing green bricks out of the respective mould cavities. The device 12 further comprises a hydraulic piston 354 for moving the press plates and a frame 356 for supporting one or more press plates. The green bricks with holes are pressed from the open top of the mould through the open bottom of the mould and onto the first conveyor 18.

Figs. 15-16 show schematic top views of different embodiments of a soft mud brick according to the present invention. Fig. 15 shows a top view of a soft mud brick 400

having seventeen holes with three holes 402 in a first row, four holes 404 in a second row, three holes 406 in a third row, four holes 408 in a fourth row, and three holes 410 in a fifth row. The holes 402, 404, 408 and 410 have a substantially circular cross- section with a diameter of about 20 mm, and the holes 406 have a substantially circular cross-section with a diameter of about 14 mm. Positioning of the holes helps the bricklayer dividing the soft mud brick. The holes are positioned, such that breaking the brick along a desired line of fracture is facilitated, e.g. for breaking the brick into two halves along a line of fracture indicated by the dotted line A, and/or for breaking the brick into a one quarter and a three quarter along a line of fracture indicated by the dotted line B.

Fig. 16 shows a top view of a soft mud brick 420 having eleven holes with four holes 422 in a first row, three holes 424 in a second row, and four holes 426 in a third row. The holes 422, 424, and 426 have a substantially circular cross-section with a diameter of about 20 mm. Fig. 17 schematically shows an exemplary first support plate 500 having three sets of openings 502a, 502b, and 502c, each set of openings having seventeen openings 504a, 504b, 504c. The configuration and/or the number of openings may be changed to correspond with desired configuration and/or number of holes of a green brick. An exemplary second support plate has the same shape as the exemplary first support plate 500.

Fig. 18 schematically shows an exemplary cutting element comprising a cutting plate 600 having three sets of openings 602a, 602b, and 602c. The openings 602a, 602b, and 602 are aligned with the openings in the first support plate, such that material from the green brick is pushed through the openings of the first support plate and the openings of the cutting element. Subsequently, the cutting element is moved in relation to the first support plate thereby cutting away the material moved through the openings of the first support plate, which is also illustrated in Figs. 8-11.

The material removal device illustrated in Fig. 19 corresponds to the device illustrated in Fig. 8 except for the fact that the cutting member 326 comprises a cutting plate 328a with holes. The hydraulic piston 330 moves the cutting plate as indicated by the double arrow whereby removed material from the green brick is separated from the material removal device.

In a preferred embodiment, the material removal device comprises a punch device having three punch members, one punch member for each mould cavity in a set of mould cavities. Each punch member has a frame supporting a set of seventeen punch

elements. Further, the material removal device has a first support plate and a second support plate as schematically illustrated in Fig. 17 and a cutting element comprising a cutting plate as illustrated in Fig. 18. One hydraulic piston moves one punch member and one hydraulic piston moves the cutting element. The material removal device further comprises at least one lubricating member in the form of a nozzle for supplying lubricant, such as water or oil, to the material removal device. The punch elements are arranged in the same configuration as the openings of the support plates.

In specific embodiments, the invention relates to the following items:

1. A material removal device for making holes in a green brick, comprising a first support plate to be positioned adjacent the green brick for support of the green brick during material removal, and wherein the device is adapted to make at least one hole in the green brick by removing a part of the green brick through at least one opening in the first support plate.

2. A material removal device according to item 1 , further comprising a punch device for making the at least one hole in the green brick by pushing the part of the green brick through the at least one opening in the first support plate.

3. A material removal device according to item 2, wherein the punch device comprises at least one punch member.

4. A material removal device according to item 3, wherein the at least one punch member comprises at least one punch element for making the at least one hole in the green brick.

5. A material removal device according to item 4, wherein the at least one opening in the first support plate is capable of accommodating the at least one punch element.

6. A material removal device according to any of the preceding items, further comprising a second support plate comprising at least one opening to be positioned adjacent the green brick so that the green brick is positioned between the first and the second support plate for supporting the green brick during removal of material.

7. A material removal device according to any of the preceding items, further comprising a separating member for separation of removed material from the material removal device.

8. An apparatus for the manufacture of green bricks, comprising a mould with mould cavities defined by sidewalls in the mould and having open bottoms and open tops,

a filling device for filling brick raw material into the mould cavities, a device for removing green bricks from the mould cavities, and a material removal device according to any of the preceding claims for making holes in a desired direction in the green bricks in relation to the orientation of the green bricks. 9. An apparatus according to item 8, wherein the first support plate is positioned at the open bottom of at least some of the mould cavities during removal of material from the green bricks in the respective mould cavities.

10. An apparatus according to item 8 or 9, further comprising a filling support plate positioned at the open bottom of at least some of the mould cavities during filling of material into the respective mould cavities.

11. An apparatus according to any of the items 8-10, further comprising a plane mould table with the mould cavities.

12. An apparatus according to any of the items 8-10, further comprising a conveyor with the mould cavities. 13. An apparatus according to any of the items 8-12, further comprising a first conveyor for conveying green bricks that have been removed from the respective mould cavities.

14. An apparatus according to any of the items 8-13, further comprising a second conveyor for conveying material removed from the green bricks.

15. An apparatus according to any of the items 8-14, wherein the holes are made after removal of the bricks from the mould cavities. ,

16. A method for the manufacture of soft mud bricks, comprising the steps of forming a green brick of green brick raw material, and making at least one hole in the green brick by pushing material out of the green brick.

17. A method according to item 16, wherein the step of forming the green brick is performed in a mould cavity.

18. A method according to item 17, wherein the step of making at least one hole in the green brick is performed in the mould cavity.

19. A method according to item 17, wherein the step of making at least one hole in the green brick is performed outside the mould cavity. 20. A soft mud brick manufactured by the method defined in any of the items 16-19.

21. A soft mud brick having a first side and a second side and comprising at least five holes extending from the first side to the second side.

22. A soft mud brick according to item 21 , wherein the at least five holes are aligned in at least two rows extending in the longitudinal direction of the soft mud brick. 23. A soft mud brick according to any of the items 21-22, wherein the at least five holes have a circular cross-section with a diameter in the range from about 5 mm to about 50 mm.

24. A soft mud brick according to any of the items 21-23, wherein the at least five holes comprises seventeen holes aligned in five rows extending in the longitudinal direction of the soft mud brick, wherein a first row comprises three holes, a second row comprises four holes, a third row comprises three holes, a fourth row comprises four holes, and a fifth row comprises three holes.

25. A soft mud brick as defined in any of the items 21-24 manufactured by a method as defined in any of the items 16-19.