US1190401A

US1190401A - Ball-mill.

Info

Publication number: US1190401A
Application number: US6215715A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ernest S Gregory
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1915-11-18
Filing date: 1915-11-18
Publication date: 1916-07-11
Anticipated expiration: 1933-07-11

Description

E. GREGORY.

BALL WHLL.

APPLIcImoN FILED Mov, la, ma.

i IA VENTO/6.

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ERNEST. S. GREGORY, OF NACONDA, MONTNA.

- BALL-Mitt.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented new ii, taie..

yApplication tlled November 191%. Serial No;` 62,157.

My invention has relation to improve-v ments in ball mills; and it consistsl in the novel features of construction more fully set` forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

The present improvement is directed to that class of crushing and disintegrating apparatus wherein 'the material is reduced to particles of the desired size by meansA of Danish pebbles or steel balls or equivalent freely movable crushing bodies acting by impact and attrition upon the charge temporarily confined within asuitable tumbling barrel, tube, vessel, drum or equivalent container, usually rotated about a fixed central axis, the opposite ends or heads of the barrel being respectively provided with intake and discharge openings for the, material, as well understood in the art. The material is usually fed to the barrel. in lllpulp form, a common form of feed device eing a scoop operating in-a launder or feed-box to which the pulp is supplied from any available source. The grinding pebbles of course wear and must be replaced from time to time by adding new pebbles or balls to the mill. It has been the `usual practice to add these by either throwing them in at the' discharge end of the mill., or by putting them in the feed box to be picked up by the regular scoop feeder. The first method can not be used in many cases on account of the screen with which Amany of the grinding mills are provided at the discharge end; and at best it is not a very satisfactory method of charging the mill. The, 'other method, that of feeding the balls to be picked up by thescoop is not satisfactory especially when it is necessary to use feed. scoops of large diameter, the pebbles or balls being very apt to become wedged between the moving scoop and the feed-box housing and to either tear the housing out or else break the scoop.

The object of the present improvement is to overcome the objectionsinherent in both the old methods, the scheme employed being to introduce the balls throu h the hollow trunnion through which the eed-scoop discharges into the crushing compartment of thelnill.

y The advantages of the invention will be apparent from a detailed, description thereof in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whichliigure 1 represents a side elevation of a conventional ball mill, with the pulp feedscoop, ball-feed, and feed-box (or launder) in middle vertical transverse section; Fig. 2 1s an end elevation of one-half of the ballfeed or hopper, and of the feed-box, onehalf of the latter being in vertical section so as to expos/,e the pulp feed-scoop; F ig. 3 is a longitudinal middle section of the replaceable ball-feed tube; and Fig. el is an end" view of the same.

Referring to the drawings` l represents a rotatable cylindrical container, drum or tumbling barrel (or equivalent tubular member) terminating in hollow intake and discharge trunnions and 3, respectively, as well understood in the art, the intake or pulp-feed trunnion terminating in the feedbox or launder` 4 to which the pulp or crushed ore m is delivered from any suitable source (notvshown). .Secured to the trunnion 2 within the box 4 is the pulp feed-scoop or feeder 5 by which (in the rotation of the member l) the pulp is picked up and automatically discharged through the trunnion into the crushing compartment C of the member l as well understood in the art.

In the present embodimentof my invention I provide the feed-scoop with an axially disposed ball-feed pipe or tube 6, preferably of cast iron, the same being secured. to the outer face of the feed-scoop through the iiange7 formed on the pipe, the saidv pipe being renewable as the same wears out. The Bange 7 is removed a short distance from4 the outer terminal of thepipe, saidjterminal being supported by the outer wall of the box as shown (Fig. l). The'said pipe obviously rotates with the feed-scoop 5 and with the member or tumbling barrel 1,

i the several members rotating as a unit. yTo

the outer wall of the box l is bolted `or otherwise secured a ball hopper 8 into which the balls or equivalentV movable' crushingl llt) ball-feed pipe (i, through the annular passage a into the trunnion 2 whence it is discharged into the crushing compartnient of the mill, the -balls rolling from the hopper 8 through the pipe 6 into the trunnion 2 and thence into the mill. Thus it will be `seen that the present improvement overcomes all the objections inherent in the old methods of feeding the balls or pebbles to the mill.

In order that the balls may freely gravitate from the hopper 8 into the feed-tube (l, thel outer end of the latter terminates flush with the inner vertical wall of the hopper as shown in Fig. l. ln .this way the balls encounter no obstruction as they roll into the tube.

l may ofcourse depart from the details of construction here shown without in any wise departing from the spirit or nature of the invention. ln the present structure the trunnion 2 serves as a tubular discharge for the feed-scoop, butit is obvious that l may provide a. special discharge pipe for the scoop independent of the trunnion without a departure from the spirit of my invention. Having described my invention what claim is:

1. The combination with a tumbling-barrel or container rotatable about anfixed axis and having a crushing compartment provided respectively withV intake and discharge openings for the material disposed about said` axis, a pulp-feed adapted to be charged from the exterior and provided with an axial tubular member discharging the material to be crushed into the compartment aforesaid, a stationary holder for the crushing bodies provided with a. discharge opening, and a ball-feed tube leading from said opening and discharging into the tubular member aforesaid.

2. In combination with a tumbling-barrel or container rotatable about a fixed axis and having a. crushing compartment provided with a hollow axial intake trunnion, a pulpbeing flush with the inner wall of the hopper` to permit of ready gravitation of the balls into the tube without obstruction.

3. In an appartus ot' the character described, a rotatable pulp-feeder provided with an axial discharge, a detachable ballfeed tube axially traversing said pulp-feeder,

.said tube being provided with a securing flange coupled to the pulp-feeder walland removed a suitable distance from the outer end of the tube, a stationary feed-box pro` vided with a wall for the support of said outer end of the tube, and a ball-hopper secured to the feed-box for delivering the balls to said tube.

4. ln combination with a tumbling-barrel or container rotatable about a fixed axis and having a crushing compartment provided respectively with intake and discharge openings for the material disposed about said axis, a pulp-feed adapted to be charged from the exterior and provided with an axial tubular member discharging the material to be crushed into' the vcompartment aforesaid, a stationary holder for the crushing bodies provided with a discharge opening, and a-ball-feed tube leading from said opening and discharging into the tubular member aforesaid, the discharge end of the tube being spaced a suitable distance from the inner walls of the tubular member.

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

ERNEST S. GREGORY.

llf'itnesses :4

WALLACE N. TANNE, ALBERT E. WIGGIN.