US1139143A - Gold-separating mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23, 1914.

Patented May 11, 1915.-

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THE NORI'US PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D. C

' form and construction.

NTTFJL ATES FAN I FRANK W. STEVENS, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF TO ALFRED HOPEWELL, OF WELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS.

GOLD-SEPARATING MECHANISM.

Application filed January 23, 1914.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. STEVENS,

citizen of the United States, residing at Newton, county of MiddleseX, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Gold-Separating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

' My invention relates to gold separators of the kind used particularly in placer mining and where the ore is free-milling and embodies the general type of machine in which quick-silver is employed to gather particles of gold contained in gold bearing gravel or ore.

It has for its object a suitable and eflicient machine for this purpose.

My invention will be fully understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings and the novel features thereof are pointed out and clearly defined in the claimsv at the close of the specification.

1n the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the quick-silver pan. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of a quarter of the rotary spreader shown in Fig. 1.

Having reference to the drawings there is shown in Fig. 1 a machine embodying my invention having a stand or supporting frame A which may be of any convenient The frame A is provided with a cover B and a spider or driving mechanism support 0. The spider C and cover B may be secured in position in any well known manner as by bolts 11 and cap screws 12 as shown in Fig. 1. The spider C is provided with bearings 13 in which are mounted a driving shaft 14 which may be driven in any suitable manner. The shaft l-it carries on its inner end a bevel gear 15 which meshes with a bevel pinion 16 mounted on the vertical shaft 17 which is in turn rotatably mounted in suitable bearings 19 in the spider C and cover B respectively.

While I prefer the form of driving mechanism described, obviously any suitable mechanism for driving the machine may be used.

The frame A supports a quick-silver re-' ceptacle or pan 20 which may be secured Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1915.

Serial No. 813,989.

thereto in any well known manner as by cap screws 21 all as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The bottom 22 of the pan 20 slopes inwardly toward the center being in general conical in shape and is provided centrally thereof with a vertical tubular member 23 which extends below the bottom of the pan. In the pan bottom 22, around the flange or lip 24 is an annular groove 25 in which is a pocket 26. The pocket 26 is the lowest por tion of the pan for reasons hereinafter to be set forth and is provided centrally there of with a hole 27 having a drain cook 28 secured therein. I provide an opening 29 in the side of the pan above the bottom 22 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 which forms a discharge passage for the gold bearing gravel or ore after the gold has been separated from it.

The rotary shaft 17 referred to above is provided on its lower end with a member 30 having a double spiral flange or blade 31. The member 30 extends into the tubular member 23 forming part of the feed conduit and makes a working fit therewith. The blades 31 are preferably of the continuous spiral type but may be of any well known form commonly employed for feeding purposes. Located below the cover B within the pan 20, is a rotary member 32. It is secured on the shaft 17 so as to rotate therewith by means of a key 33 and is separated from the cover B by a washer 34 all as clearly appears in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The rotary member 32 is preferably in the form of a circular disk having in general a slightly conical under-face and is provided with an upwardly extending rim 35 which has a flange 36 on its upper edge. silver is placed in the pan 20 to fill it to about the level indicated by the line 37 as shown in Fig. 1 and the rotary member is preferably so arranged that a substantial amount of its lower surface is at least partly submerged in the quick-silver.

The under-face of the rotary member 32 has at the center a downwardly flaring por- Quicktion 38 which is located above the lip 24: of

the feed conduit formed by the tubular member 23. The feeding surface 46 is as stated substantially conical and inclined to the surface of the quick-silver in the pan. It is member is so located that its inner portion is well submerged in the quick-silver. While this construction may not be absolutely essential to the successful operation of the machine, I regard it as an important feature of my invention for reasons hereinafter to be set forth. The nubs or projections 39, are so arranged that the rotation of the disk causes them to spread the material outwardly and agitate it so that the particles of gold come in contact with the quick-silver and are amalgamated with it.

The machine is supplied with the gold bearing gravel or pulverized ore combined with a certain amount of water by a feed conduit 40 which is secured to the tubular member 23 by means of a coupling 41. The supply of gravel for the feed conduit is preferably obtained by gravity but any suitable supplying agency may be employed. The gravel passes through the feed conduit to the feed member 30 which feeds it at a predetermined rate and prevents too much gravel passing into the quick-silver pan. As it enters the pan the gravel is first brought in contact with the flaring portion 38 in the center of the rotary member 32 and is forced over the lip or flange 24: adj acent the inlet opening by the pressure due to the feeding screw, and is forced down into the quick-silver so that as the gravel passes through the machine it is at one time wholly submerged in the quick-silver. The gravel which readily floats in the quick-silver comes into contact with the nubs or spreaders 39 and is forced radially toward the outer edge of the pan where it is finally discharged through the opening 29.

' I regard this construction as important for during the process just described, the gold bearing gravel is spread out below the feed surface 46 and while it is beneath the surface of the quick-silver, is stirred,

knocked about and disintegrated until all the gold has been removed and has become amalgamated with the quick-silver. The amalgam of gold and silver being heavy settles into the annular groove 25 and the pocket 26 from which it may readily be drawn off through the drain-cock.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In a gold separator, the combination of a receptacle for quick-silver having an inwardly inclined bottom and a feed conduit extending through the bottom of the receptacle and terminating slightly above the level of the quick-silver in the said receptacle, means for feeding gravel through said feed conduit, and a rotary member located slightly above the inner end of said conduit and said bottom, said member having a feeding surface which engages the gravel floating in the quick-silver in said receptacle and agitates and discharges it therefrom.

2. In a gold separator, the combination of a receptacle having quick-silver therein, an inwardly inclined bottom and a feed conduit extending through the bottom of'the receptacle and terminating slightly above said bottom, means for feeding gravel through said conduit, a low portion in said bottom immediately adjacent said feed conduit having an outlet opening therein and means for closing the same, a rotary disk having an inwardly inclined feeding surface extending from its outer edge to a point above the low portion in said bottom, said feeding surface being partially submerged in said quicksilver, and means for feeding gravel through said feed conduit to the rotary disk.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK WV. STEVENS. Witnesses:

CAMERON MACLEOD, ALICE H. MORRISON.

7 Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

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