CEB Design

Overview

The Liberator consists of -

A Hopper at the top which you fill with loose dirt. This is made from welded steel. We made the hopper six feet wide, so it can hold a lot of dirt.
Grate and grate shaker - the grate is at the bottom of the hopper. The grate shaker shakes it so that soil falls through into the compression chamber, while large stones and things like that are caught in the grate.
A frame that bolts together for easy assembly and disassembly.
A compression chamber where the bricks are actually pressed. This is a metal box with a nylon liner bolted on the inside. The liner gives the bricks a smoother finish. It will have to be replaced every hundred thousand bricks or so.
Hydraulic cylinders - These are the muscles of the machine; they apply the pressure to the dirt. They are readily removable with pins. There are two hydraulic cylinders:
The soil drawer - this moves from left to right and performs the dual function of loading soil into the compression chamber and ejecting blocks from the machine
The main cylinder, which moves up and down and compresses the blocks
Tractor mount, where an external hydraulic power source can be attached to the hydraulic cylinders.
Pressure gauge, which monitors the amount of pressure used by the hydraulic system to ensure a certain density of brick.
Controller Box controls the timing and sequence of operations.

Bricks per minute output	6 to 10, depending on power source
Brick size	12" x 6" x 4" to 6" (30.5x15.3x10.2 cm)
People operating machine	1-2
Power source	Tractor hydraulics or any hydraulic power source with 14 gallon per minute or higher capacity (22.71 liters per minute)
Machine mounting	stand-alone foot
Hydraulic pressure	2200psi / 137.90 bar , 3000 psi max
Hydraulic cylinder	5 inch diameter, 19.6 inch area; 2.5 inch rod
Pressing cylinder pressure	43000 lb pushing force at 2200 PSI (~21.5 tons), 3000 PSI Max
Controls	2 spool, manual, hydraulic valve; fully automatic
Compressive strength of bricks	795psi (54.81 bar) using plain earth. 1200psi (82.74 bar) with 10% Portland cement.
Materials:	Structural cold rolled steel construction throughout
Height:	6 foot 11 inches/ 210.82 cm
Machine lifetime goals:	1 million bricks before repairs; liner may be replaced every 100,000 bricks
Fabrication time requirement for optimized production:	3-5 days, about 20 hours of direct fabrication. Or 8 hours day via Extreme Manufacturing
Manual fabrication tooling requirements:	drill press, welder, acetylene torch
Optimal fabrication tooling:	XYZ table with torch, MIG welder, hoist
Material costs:	$4000-6000