US1317463A - Apparatus for the concentration of ore - Google Patents

Description

J. T. TERRY, Jn.

APPARATUS TON TNT coNcENTNATToN oT ORE.

APPLICATlON FILED AUG.7, 19|?. l 5?@175463, Patentedept. 30', 1919.

A i? 5mm g IlllllllllllllllllllllIIIIllllllllllllllllll JOSEPH T. TERRY, JB., 0F MASCOT, TENNESSEE.

APPARATUS Eon THE CONCENTRATION or OEE.

Speci'cation of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

applicati@ mea August?, 1917. serial No. 184,821.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH T'. TERRY, r., a citizen of the Unitedv States of America, residing at Mascot, in the county of Knox, State of Tennessee,phave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Concentration of Ore, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates primarily to a preferred appliance for .carrying out such a process as that described and claimed-in my co-pending application for patent led March 24, 1917, `Serial Number. 157,188, wherein finely' crushed ore is treated with water, oils and chemicals for the purpose of effecting a separation of the valuable and non-valuable elements by the aid of air or other gas subsequently incorporated into the mixture, and the prime object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus, embracing means for mixing the ore and water with the modifying reagent or reagents out of contact with air or under a partial vacuum, and novel devices for introducing gaseous fluid into the mixture.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent uplon consideration of the following portions of this specification and the appended claims. v

In the accompanying drawing, wherein like numerals refer to like arts throughout the several views, Figure 1 1s a sectional elevation of the complete apparatus; Fig. 2 a top-plan view of a detail of the apparatus, ltaken along line 2 2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 isa sectional enlargement of a portion of Fig. 2 illustrating the relation of certain pipes and springs and the means employed ,for securing said springs upon the pipes.

Referring to the drawing, 1 denotes a common type of ball-mill in which the rough ore collected from hopper 2-by scoop 3 is finely crushed in the presence of water and shall hereinafter be termed the pulp -Being ejected from funnel 4 into trough 5 the pulp is conducted by a pipe 6 into a box 7, and thence by pipe 8 into an air-tight stationary drum 9 containing paddles 10 fixed upon revolving shaft 11 driven by means of pulleys 12---122l and belts 181-13. It will be observed that a small tank 14 is connected with pipe 8 by pipe 15 and that the flow of the contents of this tank is controlled 'by a valve 16.

Passing from drum 9 the pulp is conveyed by pipe 17 to a tank 18 which is open above i and fitted with a launder 19 to receive the overflow, it being noted that the inclined Hoor of said tank communicates with a drain 20.

A constant level of the fluid in box 7 and tank 18 is maintained through the agency of float-valves 21%22 which are pivoted to brackets 23-24 andcontrol the lower extremi-ty of pipe 8 and the mouthof drain 20.

Disposed opposite the lower -portion of tank 18 is a pressure-fluid supply-pipe 25 having lateral extensions 26-27, the latter being connected by smaller pipes 28 which are projected transversely through said tank as best shown in Fig. 2. By vreference to Fig. 3 itv will be noted that the central portion of each pipe 28 is perforated as at 29 and that these perforations are covered by helical springs"30 which are of larger internal diameter than the external diameter of said pipes. rI`l1e extremities of 'these springs are covered with cup-shaped flexible sleeves 80H of rubber, canvas or oiled leather which fit closely about the imperforate sections of pipes 28 and thus prevent the escape of the pressure-fluid at those points, while permitting longitudinal expansion of the springs to a limited extent.

Having thus pointed out the construction and arrangement of the apparatus, its operation may be described as follows: Tank 18 having'been filled with water and vtank 14 having been filled with a ySuitable mineral collecting and froth forming agent, the mill 1 is then set in motion and the pulp flowing from funnel 4 into trough 5 is conveyed by pipe 6 to box 7 and thence. drawn up through pipe 8 into drum 9 by the vacuum created by the unequal hydrostatic head in pipes 8 and 17. Valve 16 having been opened, it follows that the pulp traversing pipe 8 is mixed with the froth forming agent supplied by tank 14, and upon reaching the interior of drum 9 the mixture is thoroughly agitated and the ingredients thereof intimately combined by the vaction of paddles 10 rapidly driven by shaft 11. Passing from drum 9 the mixture is conveyed by pipe 17 to the open tank 18 and discharged beneath the water line immediately above a stationary cone-shaped member 18a serving to spread or distribute the flow from said pipe. Being thus distributed, the mixturegravitates toward drain 20 and in passing between springs 30 is thoroughly aerated by the flow of air'or other gas which is supplied l(under pressure) by pipe 25 and forced from the pe-rforations 29 of pipes 28 through the interstices of said springs, the gas thus injected serving to convert the mixture to which reference is made (i, e., the ore, water and modifying reagent in combination) into a froth or mass of oil-filmed bubbles.. These bubbles, which have the property of attracting and retaining in suspension the line metalliferous particles present in the pulp, rise to the water level and flow over the edge of tank 18 into the launder 19, While the gangue gravitates to the bottom of said tank.

Pipe 3l may be connected to a vacuum pump or may, under certain conditions, be employed to supply Water.

An important feature of this invention lies in the fact, above stated, that drum 9 is airetight and that means are provided for exhausting the air therefrom, for I have discovered that a greater recovery of the metalliferous elements is attained by mixing the -pulp and modifying reagent in a vessel from which air or other gas is excluded or under a Ipartial vacuum, my' investigations having determined that the presence of airduring the operation in question serves to obstruct that intimate combination of the ore particles with said reagent which is sought to be achieved and upon which the commercial success of the process defined in my co-pending application or any process of the same general character must largely depend.

A. further feature to which l attach prime importance is the means employed for aerating and frothing the mixture, as above described, it being observed by reference to F ig. 3 that the springs thus referred to not only prevent the clogging of the perfor-ate sections of pipes 28, but are so connected to said pipes by flexible sleeves 29 as to permit their automatic expansion in response to any substantial increase in the pressure of the air supply..

Having thus fully described the apparatus, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is 1. An apparatus for the concentration of minerals by flotation, comprising a tank communicating with asource of ore supply, pressure-Huid supply-pipes embracing perforate elements projecting Within said tank to aerate the contents thereof, and helical springs inclosing said elements adapted to distribute said fluid.

2. An'apparatus for the concentration of minerals by flotation, comprising a tank communicating with a source of ore supply, pressure-fluid supply-pipes embracing perforate elements projecting Within said tank to aerate the contents thereof, helical springs inolosing said elements adapted to distribute said fluid, and ieXible connective members between said pipes and the ends of said springs permitting expansion of the latter.

JOSEPH T. TERRY, JR. Witnesses:

G. C. BUSH, HARRY L. LAWSON.

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