US1248267A

US1248267A - Ore-separator.

Info

Publication number: US1248267A
Application number: US14316417A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas C Cole
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1917-01-18
Filing date: 1917-01-18
Publication date: 1917-11-27
Anticipated expiration: 1934-11-27

Description

T. C. COLE.

- ORE SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED IAN-18.1%].

Patented Nov. 27, 1917.

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ORE SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18. I917.

Pawnted Nov. 27, 1917.

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ORE SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED mma. m1.

Patented Nov. 27,1917.

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ORE SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. I8. I917.

1 ,248,267 Patented Nov. '27, 1917:

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LE- J/ J 7 J2 THOMAS C. COLE, OF RUSSELLVILLE, ARKANSAS.

ORE-SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. '27, 1917.

Application filed January 18, 1917. Serial No. 143,164.

To all-whom it may concern Be it known that I, THoMAs O. Conn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Russellville, in the county of Pope and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ore-Separators; and I do declare the following to bee full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

This invention relates to improvements in ore separators and more particularly to an apparatus of this character which employsdead instead of flowing water.

The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character which while simple and economical in construction and operation, will effectively separate precious or other metal from sand, dirt or the like.

Another object is to so construct theapparatus that the separating tank has a plurality of motions produced by peculiar means to facilitate the separating operation, and which is equipped with a peculiarly constructed false bottom over which a drag chain operates to remove the sand and tailings.

WVith the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein'disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a separating apparatus constructed in -accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section thereof;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

"Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail plan view showing the adjacent ends of the false bottom sections with the connections between them;

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

ing structure is provided which as shown comprises a main frame composed of channel 1IOI1S 1. The longitudinal channel irons 1 are vertically spaced-to form upper and lower frame members, and those at each side of the apparatus are connected byspacing uprights l braced by the-angleirons 2.

Mounted in this main frame is a concentrating and separating tank 3 of any suitable or desired size, and which is supported by countershafts 4 extending transversely across the bottom of the tank at each end thereof and arranged in suitable bearings 5 carried by the tank bottom. These'shafts 4 project at their opposite ends beyond the sides of the tank and are equipped with gear wheels 6 which rest on and mesh with toothed blocks 7 and 7 fixedto the lower side members of the main frame and which are constructed as will be presently described. These gears 6 have flanged heads 8 at their outer ends for a purpose to'be described. The bores 9 in these gears terminate inside the flanged heads thereof so that the shafts e do not extend entirely through the gears, said gears being keyed or fastened in any suitable manner to theshafts.

The toothed blocks 7 at'the-rear of the apparatus which we will term rocker horses, have their toothed upper faces concaved or curved longitudinally and each provided with a longitudinally extending groove 10' at the outer side thereof, the outer wall '11 of sa1d groove projecting beyond the toothed upper face of the horse and being inclined longitudinally from one end to the other as shown at 12 to provide a wedgedike engagement with the flanged head 8 of the gear wheel 6 which travels on said horse, the two horses at the opposite sides'ofthe frame being constructed exactly alike ex'cept that the wedge-shaped outerav-all of the horse to opposite ends of the shaft 18.

at one side is arranged reverselyto that at the other side to permit the free running of the gear wheels 6 and at the same time cause the tank on which said wheels are mounted to vibrate sidewise one-half an inch more or less, the longitudinal curvature of said horses producing a vertical vibratlon of said tank which facilitates the separation of the ore as will be hereinafter more fully described.

The rocker horses 7 T which are mounted at the front end of the frame each has its toothed upper face made in the form of a double concave with a projection 13 arranged between the two concaves so that the passage of the gears over these faces Wlll cause the tank on which they are carried to move downwardly, upwardly, and then 7 downwardly again when the tank is reciprocated.-

A feed supply'hopper 14 is mounted at the free end of the tank and the rear end of said tank is upwardly inclined as shown at 15, which terminates in a downwardly inclined tail board 16 vover which the tailings, sand or the like are designed to be dis charged.

A driving wheel 17 is mounted on a main shaft 18 supported in suitable bearings at the front of the main frame in advance of the tank 3. This driving wheel 17 ispreferably constructed in theform of a band pulley and operates also as'a fly wheel and which may be driven from any suitable source of power. A pulley 19 is fixed to one end of the shaft 18 and has peripheral engagement with a friction pulley 20 which latter is mounted to be moved into and out of engagement with pulley 19 at the will of the operator by means of a lever 25 which is held in adjusted position by a pawl and rack 25 and25 Th'e pulley 20 also frictionally engages a large pulley or friction wheel 60 fixed to a countershaft 27 so that when the machine is in operation this shaft 27 will be rotated for a purpose to be described.

The tank reciprocating means comprises two eccentrics 21 and 22 which are fastened Pitmen as 23 connect these eccentrics with the countershaft 4 at the front of the tank on which the front gears 6 are mounted, This connection of the drive shaft 18 with the front countershaft 4 of the tank by means of the eccentrics and pitmen above described operates to reciprocate the tank longitudinally when the machine is in operation.

A plurality of sprocket wheels are mounted on the main frame, six being employed, two front sprocket wheels 26 mounted to rotate with a countershaft 27,two rear sprocket wheels 28 mounted to rotate with a countershaft 29, and two intermediate sprocket wheels 30 mounted with a countershaft 31. The

front sprockets 26 operate as drive wheels for drag chains hereinafter to be described, the intermediate sprockets 30 serve to keep the chains in the bottom of the tank while in motion, and the rear sprockets are designed for dumping sand over the tailboard.

The sprocket chains as 32 are mounted to travel at each side of the apparatus over the front, rear, and intermediate sprockets arranged at each side, and these chains are 75 connected by a plurality of transversely extending drag boards 33. These drag boards 33 are provided with a plurality of drag chains 34 secured at one end to said boards and their free ends are designed to move over air pipes and through troughs in the bottom of the tank, and operate to agitate and move the mineral over the bottom of the tank toward a basin 40 which is arranged intermediate the ends of the tank preferably near its rear end to receive the separated mineral.- V

The drag boards 33 are preferably provided with soft steel drag pins 35 which project laterally from said boards at the side opposite that carrying the chains 34, said pins being designed to move over the

air pipes

54 and 54 of the false bottom 50 of the tank to be described, to assist in agitating the sand and dirt as thetank is vibrated sidewise and position it in the, troughs to be drawn out over the tail board by the drag chains 34.

Disposed within the tank 3 at the bottom thereof is a false bottom 50 composed of rear and front sections 51 and 52- connected at their inner ends by a mineral receiving pan 40. This pan 40 is designed not only to receive the mineral which settles in the bottom of the tank but also operates as a tie or brace for connecting the two sections 51 and 52 of the false bottom. This pan 40 as shown is substantially semi-cylindrical in cross sectional contour with diverging flanges 40 along its side edges and between which is rotatably mounted a hollow cylindrical valve 41. The upper portion of this valve is pierced with a plurality of air outlets 42 to permit the passage into the tank of air admitted to said valve through a hollow stub shaft 45 opening into one t-nd thereof, said shaft being connected with any suitable compressed air source not shown.

, A lever 44 is connected with the hollow stub shaft 45 which extends through the tank and one end of the valve 41 at a point eccentric to the longitudinal axis of said valve so that the turning of said shaft will operate to open and close the valve. This stubshaft also operates as an air supply pipe through which air is admitted to the valve. The valve operating lever 44 has one end suitably positioned for engagement by the operator and thelever is actuated when it is desired to open the valve to permit the 1.3.0

mineral which has settled within the basin above said valve to drop down into the basin and be conveyed therefrom to a suitable point of deposit. The rear end of the mineral basin 40 is arranged two inches more or less nearer the cylindrical valve 41 than the front end thereof, thereby providing an incline to permit the passage from sa1d basin of the mineral dumped thereinto on the opening of the valve.

The rear false bottom section 51 is constructed of galvanized iron or other suitable material corrugated longitudinally to form troughs 53 which are V-shaped in cross section and have mounted at their side edges or the apices between adjacent troughs perforated air pipes 54. Any desired number of 'these troughs may be formed in this section and a corresponding number of air pipes employed, one pipe being arranged between adjacent troughs and secured thereto as is shown clearly in Fig. 4. The rear ends of the air pipes 54 merge into a transversely extending supply pipe 55 arranged outside the tank and which is designed to be connected with any suitable source of compressed air supply. The front ends of these pipes 54 are flattened out into substantially triangular shape as shown at 56 and these flattened pipe ends are bent downward and secured to the false bottom section 51 by brazing or otherwise, forming closures for the spaces between the troughs at the inner ends thereof. The apertures in these air pipes are arranged at an angle of forty-five degrees to the bottom of the pipe to prevent the entrance of sand into said pipe during the operation of the apparatus.

The front section 52 of the false bottom 50 is constructed in a similar manner, having a pluralityv of longitudinally extending troughs. Air pipes 54 similar to the pipes 54 of section 51 are mounted on the apices of the grooves in the section 52, the same as those in the other section, and are perforated in a similar manner to those of the other section, to prevent the entrance of sand and mineral into the pipe. The front ends of these pipes 54 extend through the tank and are connected with a transversely extending air supply pipe 56. The opposite ends of these pipes 54 are flattened out similar to those of thepipes 54 and are bent and brazed to the section bottom 52 or are otherwise suitably secured thereto to close the spaces between the troughs at the inner end of secti0n52.

A screen 57 is rcmovably mounted over the valve 41 and forms a covering for the mineral basin 40 to prevent thehdrag chains from distributing the mineral or dragging it over the tailboard. This screen 57 is confined between the fiattened ends of the pipes of the two sections and may be secured in any suitable or desired manner.

From the above description it will be obvious that when it is desired to set the machine in operation, the drive wheel 17 having first been connected with its driving power, the chain actuating sprocket wheels will be brought into operation by manipulating the lever 25 to elevate the friction pulley 20 into engagement with the pulley 19 of the main shaft 18, the periphery of said pulley 2O bein in engagement also with the pulley 6O fixed to the shaft 27 so that motion imparted to said pulley 60 by the pulley 19 will operate to drive the sprocket wheels 26 and through the sprocket chains 32 drive

theother sprocket wheels

28 and 30, thereby causing the drag chains to move over the false bottom 50 in the direction of the arrow a, said chains serving to carry the tailings and sand which settle in the grooves of said false bottom up over the tail board 16 and discharge itfrom the apparatus. The mineral which is heavier than the tailings will gravitate toward the pan 40, passing through the screen 57 and settle on top of the valve 41, the air passing through said valve serving to agitate the water and keep the tailings and sand in suspension and pre vent it from settling on saidvalve. lVhen a suitable quantity of mineral has collected on the valve, said valve is opened by means of the lever 44 and the mineral discharged into the pan below from which it is 0011-. ducted to any suitable point of deposit.

In the use of this apparatus the tank 3 is first filled with water before any material is fed thereto through the hopper 14, and as the water remains in the tank and the tailings or sand are carried out by the drags, very little water is required to operate this machine, makin it especially useful for dry countries. The air which is forced into the pipes and through the apertures therein out into the tank serves to agitate the water, sand and mineral, causing the mineral to concentrate to the bottom of the V-shaped troughs and to move toward and enter the pan 40. The positioning of the apertures of the air pipes at an angle of forty-five degrees relative to the bottom of said pipes causes the air to come in contact with the mineral at an incline, thereby effectively separating the mineral from the sand and other dirt so that the mineral entering the basin or pan 40 is perfectly clean.

The air entering the tank under low pressure through the pipes at the tops of the troughs produces a gentle agitation in the liquid and thereby raises the lighter particles to the surface of the bath without interfering with the settling of the particles of higher specific gravity.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for separating substances of different specific gravities comprising a bath containing tank having a settling vessel arranged thereunder and communicating therewith to receive the substances of high specific gravity, a valved inlet to said vessel, means for opening said valve, said valve having air supply means for producing agitation in the bath, and means for removing the substances of low specific gravity.

2. An apparatus for separating substances of diiferent specific gravities comprising a bath containing tank having a settling vessel arranged thereunder and communicating therewith to receive the substances of high specific gravity, a valved inlet to said vessel, means for opening said valve, said valve having air supply means for producin agitation in the bath, a screen arrange over said vessel above said valve, and drag chains movable over the bottom of said tank and across said screen whereby the substances of high specific gravity are directed into said settling vessel and those of lowerjspecific gravity conveyed over said screen and out of said tank. 7

3. An apparatus for separating substances of different specific gravities comprising a bath containing tank having a settling vessel arranged thereunder and communicating therewith to receive the substances of high specific'gravity, a hollow cylindrical rotary valve mounted eccentrically in the upper portion of said vessel and normally closing it, a combined air inlet pipe and journal eX- tending from one end to said valve and through one side of the tank, an actuating lever connected with said pipe for opening said valve, said valve having its upper face perforated to discharge air therefrom into the tank, and means for remoidng the substances of low specific gravity from the tank and for directing those of higher specific gravity into said settling vessel.

4. An apparatus for separating substances of different specific gravities comprising a bath containing tank having a settling vessel arranged thereunder and communicating therewith to receive the substances of high specific gravity, a valved inlet to said vessel, means for opening said valve, longitudinally arranged troughs in the bottom of said tank opening at one end into said settling vessel above said valve, perforated air pipes mounted between adjacent troughs on the apices thereof, and drag chains movable through said troughs.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a bath containing tank having a longitudinally corrugated bottom, a settling vessel communicating therewith, and a conveyer in said tank comprising an endless series of transversely disposed drag boards carrying drag chains operable in the grooves of said corrugations.

' 6. In an apparatus of the class described, a bath containing'tank having a longitudinally corrugated bottom, a settling vessel communicating therewith, a conveyer in said tank comprising an endless series of transversely disposed drag boards carrying the grooves of said corrugations, laterally eX- tending pins operable over the ridges of the corrugated bottom, and perforated air pipes mounted longitudinally onsaid ridges be-' low said pins. r

7. In an apparatus of the class described, a bath containing tank having a longitudinally corrugated bottom, a settling vessel communicating therewith, a conveyer in said tank comprising an endless series of transversely disposed drag boards carrying drag chains operable in the grooves of said corrugations, laterally extending pins operable over the ridges of the corrugated bottom, and perforated air pipes mounted longitudinally on said ridges below said pins, said pipes having their inner ends flared and fiattened to form closures for'the spaces between the grooves at their inner ends.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a tank having one end inclined upwardly and outwardly, troughs arranged longitudinally in said tank on the bottom thereof, a settling vessel arranged transversely of the tank adjacent the bottom of its inclined end, the top of said vessel having an opening extending transversely across the tank, said top on opposite sides of said opening converging toward said opening, a hollow cylindrical eccentrically journaled valve operable in said opening to form a closure for said vessel, said valve having outlet perforations in its upper face and an air inlet through one end, means for opening said valve, said troughs having their inner ends opening into said vessel above said valve, longitudinally disposed perforated air pipes arranged on the apices between said troughs and having their inner ends flattened and shaped to form closures for the spaces between the troughs, a screen confined between said pipe ends over said valve, and an endless series of drags movable through said tank and troughs.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

" THOMAS o. COLE.

'Witnesses: F. M. MASON,

Gno. W. VANCE.

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

' Washington, D. O.