US2426352A - Device for guiding flow of material in magnetic separators - Google Patents

Description

' Aug, 26, 1947. c. J; JQHN S Q DEVICE FOR GUIDING FLOW OF MATERIAL IN'MAGNETIC SEPARATORS Filed July 15, 1945 hymen/Toe CLAUSJJONNS N, BY

HTTY

separator.

Patented Aug. 26, 1947 DEVICE FOR, GUIDING FLOW OF MATERIAL 'IN MAGNETIC SEPARATORS Claus J. Johnson, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The Jeffrey Company, a corporation of Ohio Application July 15, 1943, Serial No. 494,831

Claims. (01. 209-232) This invention relates to a magnetic separator.

An object of the invention is to provide simple but eincient mechanism to insure a thorough treatment of the material subjected to the separating action and more specifically an object of the invention is to provide guide blocks which guide the ore pulp onto the separating surface of a separator drum or the like and to require the liquid flowing over the gangue lip or weir to flow under said separating surface.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view with parts in section showing an apparatus incorporating the features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The invention herein disclosed relates to an improvement on the magnetic separator disclosed in the application of William 'H. Newton, entitled Magnetic separator, Serial No. 494,489, filed July 13, 1943, and the patent to Percy L. Steffensen, 2,160,628, dated May 30, 1939, for a Magnetic It is to be understood that unless a contrary fact is indicated the separator of my invention follows that of the above mentioned application and patent.

The separator of my invention includes a main frame It which is built upof a group of upright posts connected by longitudinally extending top and bottom side frame members, all preferably made of wood or steel and transversely extending frame members-illustrated in the drawings as angle members.

Mounted between the side members of the main frame I0 is a wood separator box II which is illustrated in the drawings as formed in two compartments, l2 and I3, though the number of said compartments may be increased or reduced. The compartments I2 and [3 provide for successive treatments of magnetic ore containing magnetic as well as gangue particles and the structure of these two compartments is essentially the same except for differences which are obvious, that is, the'compartment l2 receives the original ore to be treated by way of a feed chute l4 and guides this ore, Whichis preferably minus inch in size, toa feed compartment where it is carried by an upward current of waterwinto .contact with the separating drum and finally the concentrate is delivered over a weir or lip 15 to a feed chute it of compartment l3. The gangue or tailings of compartment I2 are delivered to a tailings chute therein similar to that in compartment [3, hereinafter described more completely.

The ore received by feed chute I6 is delivered thereby to the feed chamber or well ll. Extending transversely between the side walls of the compartment I3 of box I I is a gangue or tailings chute I8 which at its centerfeeds to a downwardly extending discharge chute 19 which extends through the bottom of the box II and delivers the gangue or tailings to any desired receptacle. The water and tailings flowing into the chute l8 flow over a weir or lip 20 which determines the water level within the feed chamber or well it. It is thus evident that the tailings chute I3 is positioned between the feed chute i6 and the feed chamber or well l1.

Mounted upon the main frame Ill is a pair of drums 2| and 22, the former being associated with compartment [2 and the latter being associated with compartment I3. Said drums 2| and 22 are preferably non-magnetic on their cylindrical gathering surfaces though the ends need not be entirely of non-magnetic material. The bottom of the drum 22 is positioned adjacent the top of the feed chamber or well I1 and extends below the water level therein so that the ore pulp which flows upwardly through the feed chamber ll under the influence of the feed water will come into contact with the bottom surface of said drum 22 so that the magnetic particles or constituents thereof may be caused to adhere to the gathering surfaceor periphery of the drum 22 underthe influence of electromagnets 23 which are positioned within the drum 22, as disclosed more completely in the above mentioned patent to Percy L. Steffensen.

Adjacent the feed chamber or well l1 and positioned toward the discharge chute with re spect thereto is a wash chamber or well 24. The feed chamber Hand the wash chamber 24 are separated by a transversely extending inverted V-type partition 25 adjacent the top edge of which is a transversely extending strip 26 preferably formed of rubber, belting, canvas, or the like, which provides a restricting orifice 2! with the drum 22 through which the concentrate moves in adherence with the drum 22 and through which clean water flows in a reverse direction .under ahead of :water provided in the wash chamber or well 24 as indicated by the waterlzlineizfl therein. i

Positioned above the water line 28 and adjacent the right hand end, as viewed in Fig. l, is a concentrate discharge chute 29 over which the concentrated magnetic material flows when released after passing out of the field of the electromagnets 23. To prevent short circuiting of the water flowing from the wash chamber 24 into the feed chamber l1 and to insure its flowing into the orifice 21, flexible strips 30 are provided which are disclosed in complete detail and claimed in the above identified application of William H. Newton. Water is provided for chambers or wells l1 and 24 by virtue of a water main 3! and individual feed pipes 32 and 33 are provided for the chambers I1 and 24, respectively, the liquid flow to said chambers being controlled by individual valves. It is evident that to effect efiicient separation of the gangue and magnetic constituents of the ore pulp, said ore pulp must not be allowed to fiow over the lip 20 of the tailings chute l8 without having passed under the cylindrical or gathering surface of the drum 22. In other words, it must not be permitted to flow freely along the ends of the drum 22 and over the lip or weir 24. Furthermore, it is desirable that as the pulp moves upwardly through the feed chamber I! it be directed against the cylindrical or gathering surface of the drum 22 and inwardly of each of the end edges of said drum. To this end I have provided arcuate filler blocks along each side wall of the box ll, one of said blocks being seen at 34.

As illustrated particularly in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the bottom of each arcuate block 34 extends the full length of the feed chamber or well I1 between the partition 25 and the gangue or tailings chute [8. The length in this case is understood to mean the dimension parallel with the longitudinal axis of the main frame It! and at right angles to the axis of rotation of the drum 22. The bottom of the block 34 slopes upwardly and inwardly at 35 (see Fig. 2) from the adjacent side wall of box I I.

As clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the upper and inner edge of the slope 35 of block 34 extends inwardly from the edge of the drum 22, or in other Words, extends to a position appreciably inward from the end of the drum 22 so that as the ore pulp flows upwardly through the feed chamber l'l it will be guided along a path which will bring it into contact with the drum 22 or the magnetic material gathering surface. This will, of course, enhance the efiiciency of separation of the gangue and magnetic material constituents of the ore pulp. Furthermore, the block 34 has the lower portion thereof arcuate in shape to follow the general configuration of the drum 22 and it is spaced slightly below the drum 22 and below the water levelof the water in the chamber 21 which flows into the gangue or tailings chute l8 over the lip or weir 2B. The weir or lip 20 is the top edge of a transversely extending board or other member 36 which extends the full width of the chamber I1 and forms a sloping surface leading up to the gangue or tailings chute l8.

Each of the blocks 34 extends completely over the board 36 and along the side wall of the box I I up to the partition which separates feed chute l6 and gangue or tailings chute l8 and this portion of each block 34 extends above the Water level in the feed chamber or well ll. As a consequence, each of the blocks 34 extends both below and above the water level in said feed chamber or well I1. Furthermore, it is to be noted that the width of the block 34 is greater above the cross board 36 than it is adjacent the top opening of the feed chamber or well I! and this greater width of block 34 extends throughout the entire upper portion thereof until the uppermost end of said block 34 contacts the aforementioned partition between the feed chute l6 and the tailings chute l8 which partition is designated by the reference character 31. It is furthermore to be particularly noted that this widened portion of block 34 extends both above and below the water level which is determined by the weir or lip 20. As a consequence, each of the blocks 34 adjacent each side wall of the box II has a widened portion which acts as a bafile and extends inwardly from the adjacent side wall so as to overlap appreciably the outer portions or ends of the drum 22. Furthermore, these baflles or blocks 34 extend in a vertical plane from a position below the water level in feed chamber I"! to a position above the water level therein as approximately determined by the weir or lip 20. As a consequence, it is impossible for the liquid and gangue or tailings carried in suspension thereby to flow from the feed chamber ll along the ends of the drum 22 since such liquid will be deflected by the blocks or baffles 34 and caused to move inwardly under the surface of the magnetic material gathering drum 22, thus assuring that the material being borne by the water from the feed chamber I! to the gangue or tailings chute [8 will be subjected to the influence of the electromagnets 23. As a consequence of this the magnetic fractions thereof will adhere to the rotated drum 22 and be carried thereby toward the concentrate discharge chute 29 as the drum rotates in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Rotation of the drums 2| and 22 is provided by virtue of an electric motor 38 which drives the drum 2| through a chain and sprocket drive mechanism 39, said drums 2| and 22 being interconnected to be driven in unison by chain and sprocket drive mechanism 40.

To review briefly the operation of the device, the ore to be treated, such as iron ore having both magnetic fractions as well as gangue fractions and preferably of reduced size such as minus inch, is fed to the feed chute of the compartment l2 and is subjected to a treating action in said compartment [2 which is later duplicated in compartment [3, as hereinafter described more completely. If only a single compartment separator is employed then, of course, all the treatment will be carried out in one compartment but if a multiple compartment is employed, such as illustrated in the drawings, the concentrate from the first compartment will be subjected to one or more re-treatments. In any case, the concentrate delivered from the first compartment will have most of the gangue removed and consequently the percentage of gangue and concentrate will be diiferent in each succeeding treatmentfthe percentage of gangue being successively decreased with each successive treatment. As the material is received in compartment [3 by way of feed chute IE it will be delivered to the feed chamber I! and formed as a pulp by virtueof an upward current of water supplied by the feed pipe 32. As a consequence','the ore pulp will flow upwardly and be directed away from the edges of the drum 22 and toward the eifective central portion thereof, particularly by virtue of the sloping surface 35 or the two guide blocks 34. The magnetic fractions will adhere to the rotating drum 22 and be carried thereby, ultimately to be discharged over the chute 29. The water and gangue will flow from the chamber ll over the weir 25 into the gangue or tailings chute l8 and any material carried by said flowing water will be subjected to the magnetic field of the electromagnets 23. Since the blocks or bailies 34 require liquid to travel under the drum surface 223' to reach the gangue or tailings chute l8 the concentrate which clings to the gathering surface or drum 22 will tend to form in bunches about the poles of the electromagnets 23 and individual particles will literally jump from one zone of concentrates to another under the influence of the rotating drum 22 until they are ultimately released as they are drawn out of the influence of the electromagnets 23 adjacent the right hand end of the drum 22 as viewed in Fig. 1, whereupon they will fall by gravity as a dewatered concentrate onto the discharge chute 25;. If desired, some mechanism such as a scraper or water spray may be employed to aid in releasing the material from the drum 22.

As the material passes through the orifice 2'! it will be subjected to a cleaning action by virtue of the revers travel of water through said orifice under the head of water in the well 24 which is greater than the head of water in the well H. in other words, the concentrate will move in one direction on the surface of the drum 22 through the orifice 2'1 and the water will flow in an opposite direction through said orifice from the chamber or well 24 to the chamber or well i: and ultimately, of course, to the gangue or tailings chute iii. Furthermore, as the concentrate leaves the surface of the water in well 24 there will be additional highly effective cleanaction should any gangue particles be t or otherwise adhere to the magnetic mes this position.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrange ment of without departing from the spirit scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and I wish therefore not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodi ment of my invention, what I now desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A separator box including side walls, means providing a feed chamber between said side walls, a gangue lip across one end of said feed chamber over which liquid and gangue flow from said feed chamber, means for feeding liquid and ore to said feed chamber, and means including inwardly extending guide blocks adjacent opposite side walls of said feed chamber and at opposite ends of said lip and having arcuate upper surfaces extending both above and below the liquid line of said feed chamber and said lip which operate to compel the liquid to flow inwardly of the feed chamber side walls and inwardly of the inner ends of said guide blocks before flowing from said feed chamber over said lip into said gangue trough.

2. A separator box including side walls, a magof said chamber positioned to insure a water level in said chamber above said gathering surface so water and material moving upwardly in said feed chamber and over said lip will contact said surface, means including guide blocks extending inwardly from the sides of said feed chute and overlapping below said surface and extending both above and below the water level to guide the water and material onto said surface between its side edges prior to its flowing over said gangue lip, and means for feeding magnetic bearing material and water to said feed chamber.

3. A magnetic separator box including side walls, means providing a feed chamber between said side walls, a gangue lip adjacent said chamber over which liquid and gangue flow from said chamber, means for feeding ore and water to said feed chamber, and inwardly extending guide block means adjacent the ends of said lip and adjacent the sides of said chamber having upwardly sloping surfaces to guide the flow of water inwardly of said chamber adjacent the gangue lip.

4. A magnetic separator box including side walls, means providing a feed chamber between said side walls, a gangue lip adjacent said chamber over which liquid and gangue flow from said chamber, means for feeding ore and water to said feed chamber, and horizontally extending guide means adjacent the sides of said chamber to guide the flow of water inwardly of said chamber adjacent the gangue lip.

5. A separator box including side walls, a magnetic drum rotatable between said side walls and having a bottom arcuate gathering surface, a feed chamber in said box below said gathering surface, a gangue lip across one side of said chamber positioned to insure a water level in said -chamber above said gathering surface so water and material moving upwardly in said feed chamber and over said lip will contact said surface, means including guide blocks extending inwardly from the sides of said feed chute and adjacent the ends of said gangue lip and each having an arcuate upper surface conforming to the curvature of said drum, said arcuate upper surface overlapping said gathering surface and being located below said drum and extending both above and below the water level and above and below said gangue lip, each guide block also having a bottom upwardly and inwardly sloping surface to deflect the water inwardly away from said side walls and onto said drum gathering surface between said side walls and. to insure movement of said water over said drum gathering surface before flowing over said lip, and means for feeding magnetic material and water to said feed chamber.

CLAUS J. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 430,280 Edison June 17, 1890 2,160,628 Stefienson May 30, 1939 2,254,145 Hill Aug. 26, 1941 1,166,882 Beaumont Jan. 4, 1916

Images