US269645A - Dry amalgamator - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. DE PIGANIERE.

DRY AMALGAMATOR.

WITNESSES N. PETIZIIS. Plwlu-Lilhogmphcr. W-ISllingklvL D. C.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2;

(No Model.)

A. DE FIGANIERE.

DRY AMALGAMATOR.

Patented Dec. 26

.dttorneyr.

N. PETERS. Pllulo-Lfllmgmphur. Wnslving'un. D. C.

UNT ED STATES PATENT Trice.

AFFONSO DE FIGANIERE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOH W. BAILEY, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

DRY AMALGAMATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,645, dated December 26, 1882.

Application filed May 17, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, AFFONSODE FIGANIERE, of the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Dry Amalgamators for Extracting Precious Metals from Ores, of which improvements the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to effect in a to thorough and economical manner the extracting of the precious metals from their ores by the so-called lead process of extraction; to which end my improvements consist of an apparatus for grinding and pulverizin g such ores 1 in the presence-of molten lead or alloys, as

hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the practice of my invention, the ore, having first been crushed to a suitable size, is fed or forced through the body of molten metal to the bottom of the containingvessel, whence the ore by reason of inferior specific gravity rises and passes through or between submerged grinding-surfaces, the precious metals being liberated and combined with the molten metal and the gangue removed.

111 the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the improved apparatus. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are details of the machine. Fig. 10 is a detail of the machine, but also shows a modification therein. Fig. 11 represents a further modification.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in the respective figures.

Referring to the drawings, the following is a detailed description of my pulverizing and amalgamating machine. I

A vessel, A, preferably made ofiron and of tapering form,is mounted in suitable masonry, A, and placed above a furnace, A employed 40 for maintaining the fluidity of the mass of lead or alloys. The furnace is provided with the usual doors and mountings, and has a flue for the escape of products of combustion, marked a. The vessel is provided near its bottom with an annular inwardly-projecting rim, a, which serves as the lower bearing for a series ofindependent rollers, a The upper bearing of the rollers a consists of a ring, a having an upper and'a lower concave face, (shown in plan in Fi 7,) the lower face of which ring rests on the tops of the'lower series of rollers,

a An upper series of rollers, a, rest within the upper concave face of the ring. The bottom of the vessel A is furnished with an outlet, I), closed by a screw-plug, b, or a suitable valve. At the upper part of the vessel is a circular trough, 0, also having an outlet, 0, which remains open. In the vertical center line of the vessel A is mounted the revolnble grinder B, which impinges and rotates with and upon the series of rollers c and a, giving revolution to the respective series. The rollers serve as the sole or principal bearing for the grinder after the plan of the well-known anti-friction hearings in ordinary use. To the 6; upper part of the grinder B is attached by means of flanges (Z d (shown speciallyin Figs.

8 and 9) a hollow shaft, B, which may have a suitable upper bearing. The orifice or bore of the shaft B extends to the bottom of the grinder B, opening into the lower part of the vessel A. The hollow shaft B is furnished with a pulley, B which is used in rotating the shaft. A hopper, B is placed at the upper part of this shaft. Working within the 7 hollow shaft B is a second hollow shaft, 0, which throughoutthe greater partof its length has a diameter smaller than that of the orifice or bore of the hollow shaft B. Thelower end of the shaft 0 is formed into a valve-bucket, O, the external diameter of which practically corresponds with the inner diameter of the hollow shaft B, the bucket having with its shaft 0 an intermittent vertical reciprocating movement within the shaft B, as hereinafter described. Within the valve-bucket is a valve, O (Shown on enlarged scale in Figs. 3 and 5.) The valve is attached to a rod, 0 connected to a yoke, 0 which yoke operates with the wrist-pin d of the crank-wheel D, the yoke sliding on guides D, these parts giving the necessary movement to the forced feed.

In the description of the operation of the machine which follows, certain parts thereof, not yet described, with their functions will be 5 explained.

Promising that the vessel A is supplied with molten lead or alloys to the height indicated,

and that the valve-bucket and valve are at the beginning of the downward stroke, the

bottom edge of the bucket stands at the point indicated by the line it a: above the openings 0 in the hollow shaft B at the base of the hopper B The ore in a granulated state passes from the bin E in a quantity proportional with the cubical capacity of the valve-bucket O to the hopper, entering the holes a, and-drops and rests upon the molten metal within the hollow shaft B, and there awaits the downward stroke of the bucket, withinwhich the ore is gathered and forced to the lower end of the grinder B. At this point the bucket rests and the ore is expelled therefrom by the-eontinued downward movement of the valve O At the gathering of the ore into the bucket, and during the downward stroke, the ore is prevented from passing upward through the valve by the closing of the movable plugf against its seat f, thereby cutting off the upward escape of the ore, which is retained in position by its pressure against the molten metal until expelled, as above stated, by the further downward movement of the valve, the bucket being at that time stationary. To effeet the expulsion of the ore the plug ofthe valve passes somewhat beyond the lower edge of the bucket. The valve likewise rests at the end of the stroke in consequence of the wrist-pin d. reaching the enlarged central space of the yoke 0 which renders the yoke for the time inoperative. The ore by reason of inferior specific gravity then rises through the molten metal to and between the grinding surfaces and spaces between the rollers.

The construction and action of the parts constituting the forced-feed mechanism are more particularly described as follows:

The upper end of the shaft U is provided with a projecting anti-friction pin, 9, and a slot 9. The rod C has also a projecting antifriction pin 9 The valve and its attendant parts being and resting in position for beginning the downward stroke (in consequence of the wrist-pin d entering the enlarged space of the yoke in order the reverse of that pre viously described) the anti friction pin g is in engagement with the top edge of the shaft 0, and upon the downward movement of the rod its motion is imparted to the shaft 0 until a point is reached when the anti-friction pin 9 enters the curved groove of the guide-plate H,

(shown in Fig. 2,) when the pin g, by traveling therein, will cause the shaft 0 to receive a limited radial or axial movement. The pin, after it leaves the curved portion of the aforesaid slot, enters the straight portion ofthelatter, and is stopped on reaching the abutment at the bottom thereof. The radial or axial movement of the shaft causes the slot g to register with the anti-friction pin of the rod C and the downward movement of the said rodlis not checked, but continues till the end of the stroke imparted by the yoke is reached, as shown in Fig. 1. Thus it will be seen that after the pin 9 reaches the end of the curved groove of the guide-plate H no further movement of the valve-bucket can occur, while the continued movement of the rod and its valve is admissible, causing the plug f to be forced below the bucket, thereby expelling the ore, as above stated. The ore thus expelled rises by inferior specific gravity into the spaces k 1. existing between the lower series of rollers, a, Fig. 6, and is caught and ground between the wall of the containing-vessel and the rollers and grinder B, whose surfaces revolve in a direction transversely of that taken by the ascending ore. The grinding is continued by the upper series of rollers, a, acting, as before, in connection with the grinder-and the wall of the vessel. By reason ofthe transverse action of the grinding-surfaces the ore in its ascent is retarded to the needed extent, and by means of the rapidity which may be given to the grinder B the escape of unground material is prevented and the thorough pulverization of the ore insured. A rapid combinatinn of the lead or alloy with the precious metals liberated by pulverization will take place, and when the lead has become enriched to that degree at which it begins to thicken or lose its fluidity it may be drawn off through the outlet I). The pulverized gangue, when freed from the grinders, will rise through the body of the lead to its surface, which is some distance below the edge. of the vessel A, so that there shall be a body of gangue to protect the lead from atmospheric oxidation, the surplus being removed by a sweep, J, affixed to the hollow shaft B, and dropping into the surrounding trough c, finding exit through the open pipe 0 by the aid of the scraperj.

To compensate for the displacement of the lead consequent upon the downward move ment of the bucket, apertures d are provided in the flanges d (I, which lead into the body of lead and admit an inflow thereof within the shaft B. Upon the upward stroke of the bucket the lead passes through the ports d d in the valve and bucket, respectively, and also through the apertures d d of the plug f into the bottomless bucket and to the body of lead below, as will be seen by reference to the position of the parts in Fig. 3.

The rotary movement in one direction of the grinder and rollers would, were no means adapted to prevent it, impart a corresponding rotary motion to the body of lead in the upper part of the vessel. To prevent this result I provide stationary blades I, Fig. 10, bolted or otherwise secured to the vessel, and extending below the molten lead or alloys to within a clearing distance of the top of the grinder B.

In Fig. 10 is shown a modification in the arrangement of the grinding-rollers, there being no concave ring-hearing, but a bearing for the upper series 0t rollers similar to that provided for the lower series.

In Fig. 11 a modified construction and arrangement of the blades I is represented, whereby they provide slightly-inclined planes upon which the molten metal would have a tendency to mount, but the metal by force of gravity finding its level, the practical immobility of the mass is secured.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to extract preciousmetals from ores by forcing the latter through a bath or column of mercury and grinding said ores simultaneously with the process of amalgamation.

Having described my invention, I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A furnace, a containing-vessel, grindingrollers, and a revoluble grinder provided with a central tube, combined with a forced-feed mechanism and devices for giving it vertical reciprocating movement within the central tube of the grinder, substantially as and -for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. A furnace, a containing-vessel, grindingrollers, a revoluble grinder having a central tube, a valve-bucket, a hollow shaft forming an extension of the bucket, and a valve and rod placed centrally within the bucket and hollow shaft, combined with means for giving an intermittent vertical reciprocating movement to the bucket and hollow shaft and valve and rod jointly and an independent similar movement to the valve and rod separately, substantially as and forthe purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. The containing-vessel, the grinding-rollers, and the grinder having a central tube and oritices leading thereinto from the upper part of the vessel, combined with the valve bucket and its hollow shaft and valve and rod centrally within the shaft, the valve and bucket having upper corresponding or coincident apertures, and the valve a movable plug for closing and opening the valve, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

4. The combination of the crank-wheel D, 0

wrist-pin d, yokeO, rod 0 having the bucket G and pin g hollow shaft 0, having the slot gand pin 1, and revoluble grinder B,surrounding said hollow shaft, and guide-plate H with the amalgamating-pan A, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of the crank-wheel D, having wrist-pin t1, yoke 0*, provided with a central enlarged space, rod 0 having the bucket U and pin 1 hollow shaft 0, having the slot 9 and pin g, revoluble' grinder surrounding said hollow shaft, and guide-plate H with the amalgamating-pan, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination of the upper and lower series of grinding-rollers having respectively rounded lower and upper ends, and ring-bearing having an upper and a lower concave face with the amalgamating pan and revoluble grinder, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. 'lhestationaryamalgatnating-pan A, having wings or blades 1, projecting in a down-' ward and inward direction from its top rim, in

combination with the revoluble grinder B, op-

A. DE FIGANIERE. p..- s.

Witnesses:

GEORGE H. HOWARD, W. T. OoLE.

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