US2965234A

US2965234A - Hydro-gravity concentrator

Info

Publication number: US2965234A
Application number: US744985A
Authority: US
Inventors: James W Crotty
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-06-27
Filing date: 1958-06-27
Publication date: 1960-12-20
Anticipated expiration: 1977-12-20

Description

Dec. 20, 1960 J. w; CROTTY 2,965,234

aynamcmvny CONCENTRATOR Filed June 27, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheer. 1

F/GT/ III!) James W Crafty BY bJougQMMf-Y A'ITORNEY INVENTOR Dec. 20, 1960 J. w. CROTTY 2,965,234

HYDRO-GRAVITY CONCENTRATOR Filed June 27, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 9 F/GZ FUSE x I Q \MOTOR STARTER l FIG. 6 I

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(5;; INVENTOR James W. Crofly BY /fasom (g/amid SOLENOID VALVE SHUT-OFF ATTORNEY Dec. 20, 1960 J. w. CROTTY 2,965,234

HYDRO-GRAVITY CONCENTRATOR Filed June 27, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I I Q Q I 0 i z] I Q Q -I g i j *5 I "3 I v E 0 3 Q5 k J L n r I a a I 5 5 8 l I I I a Q I INVENTOR j m JamesWCrof/y I I m I I IFgg 66135010 Kim/W3 o N 9 ATTORNEY United States Patent HYDRO-GRAVITY CONCENTRATOR James W. Crotty, P.0. Box 909, Wickenburg, Ariz- Filed June 27, 1958, Ser. No. 744,985

2 Claims. (Cl. 209-440) This invention relates to a minerals concentrator, particularly a concentrator which utilizes water and the force of gravity in connection with an inclined concentrator pan which may be rocked at right angles to the flow of material being concentrated.

Conventional sluice box concentrators comprise an inclined surface having transverse baflies upon which heavy minerals are collected. Conventional pan-type concentrators employ a pan, sometimes riffled, which may be moved from side to side in order to separate the heavy minerals and allow them to settle upon the rifiles. Both types of concentrators-are exceedingly bulky and usually of expensive construction.

The instant invention is unique in that it affords longitudinal movement of material upon an inclined bafiied surface, as effected in a sluice box, and lateral rocking movement as in a gold pan. A concentrator pan (sluice box) is adjustably inclined and rocking movableat right angles to the flow of material. Stationary agitators are adjustably suspended within the pan. The rocking lateral movement of the pan and the brushing effect of the stationary agitators keep stirring constantly the minerals in water solution. As a result, there is a vertical downward movement of the heavy metals and their separation from the lighter gang material. The metals are concentrated in front of set baflles in the bottom of the concentrator pan. From these bafiles the metals may flow under regulation through poi-ts to a launderer or bin as desired. The waste or gang material flows over the baffles and out of the end of the pan to a waste pile.

The instant invention may concentrate coarse ground material, thus eliminating ball or rod mills, screens, classifiers, flotation cells and other equipment which must be used in conjunction with conventional concentrators. Yet, this result is achieved with simpler construction and fewer moving parts, the concentrator. being portable. The instant concentrator uses comparatively little water, the most of which can be reused. It will recover gold, silver, platinum and other metals from black sand and/or clay with small loss. Two of the instant concentrators, one with a left and one with a right hand control can easily be operated by one man. Its relatively few moving parts require minimum maintenance and correspondingly longer life of the device is assured.

Accordingly, it is an object of invention to provide a portable minerals concentrator of simple, rugged construction.

Another object of invention is to provide in a minerals concentrator flow rate adjusting means, pan rocking means and adjustable agitaor means.

Another object of invention is to provide in a minerals concentrator means for longitudinally moving and classifying minerals bearing material as in a sluice box, together with means laterally rocking the material as in a gold pan.

Yet another object of invention is to provide a minerals concentrator which uses comparatively little water ice and is superiorly effective to recover metals with small loss.

Yet additional objects will become apparent from the accompanying drawings and description wherein like numerals are taken to indicate like parts.

Turning now to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partially in section, of the instant concentrator,

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, partially in section,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the pan rocking means and taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along 5-5 of Fig. 1 showing pan ports and port chute, and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the driving means and solenoid valve means employed in the concentrator.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the instant concentrator comprises stationary agitator assembly 10, angle bar frame 12, concentrator pan 14, driving-rocking means 16, adjustable frame inclining means 18 and pan water inlet means 20. I

Frame 12 comprises angle bar, end upright members 22, horizontal base members 26, oblique agitator supports 24, and horizontal frame end angle bars 68 which are secured between end upright members 22. End angle bars 68 support pan rollers 54.

Agitator assembly 10 consists of side pieces 28 which may be welded to oblique agitator supports 24. Side pieces 28 have bolt slots 30 which permit adjustable retention of the stationary agitators 36. The assembly comprises agitator backing 34 and plate 39 vertically supporting agitators 36 which may be nails. Plate 39 may be fastened to agitator backing 34 by means of bolts 38. As will be apparent stationary agitators 36 are vertically adjustable within concentrator pan 14 by means of bolts 32 positioned within agitator side pieces 28.

As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the concentrator pan comprises pan bottom 108, having vertical baffles 102 longitudinally disposed thereon; panroblique sides 106 and pan top flanges 104. Oblique sides 106 encourage heavy metals to fall to the pan bottom 108 for collection at baffles 102. Top pan top flanges 104 prevent loss of water and minerals from splashing during concentration on one pan side 106 concentrate discharge ports 4-6, may be positioned for each longitudinal section between baffies 102. Ports 46 have hinged covers 40 which may be regulated by adjusting screw 42 retained in bracket 44. Adjusting screw 42 regulates the size of the port openings to control the flow of concentrates into a launderer or bin 48, as desired. Manifestly, the concentrator pan can be constructed in any desired width and length and the agitators can be any desired width and contain any desired numbers of rows of teeth or nails. Angle bar joists 50 are fastened underneath the pan. In each joist 50 there is a centrally disposed horizontal joist pin 52 and pan roller bearings 54 parallelly mounted to said joist pin.

Pan driving-rocking means 16 comprises gasoline or electric drive motor '74 mounted within the frame and housed underneath the pan. Reduction gearing 76 is connected to the drive motor 74 by means of belt and drive puley 78. Drive shaft 84 drives eccentric drive wheel 82. Pivotally attached to eccentric drive wheel 82 is vertically disposed drive arm 56 having yoke 58 which engages a torque bar boss 62. Torque bar 68 is rotatably mounted beneath frame end angle bars 68, by means of torque bar bearings 66. At opposite ends of torque bar 60 are torque bar yokes 64 which engage pan joist pins 52.

As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, each frame and angle bar 68 has fastened to its top surface transverse pan track 70 which is engaged by the respective pan rollers 54 which protrude exteriorly from each end of concentrator pan. During operation as illustrated in Fig. 2, drive arms 56 through boss 62 rotates from side to side torque bar 60, which in turn rotates from side to side torque bar yoke 64. As torque bar yoke 64 is driven from side to side its engagement with pan joist S2 rocks the pan from side to side, upon pan rollers 54, which travel transversely in pan track 70.

Material being concentrated and water are introduced at one end of the concentrator pan. As illustrated in Fig. 3 water inlet means 20 may consist of perforated pipe 100 regulated by solenoid valve 98 which is operatively connected with the starting means of the driver agitator 16.

Adjustment of the flow rate of water is accomplished without the use of increased quantities of water by adjusting the inclination of the frame and thus the pan. At one end of frame bracket 92 encases vertical crank shaft 90 which is mounted within wheeled carriage 86. The carriage 86 is slidable longitudinally upon tracks 88. By turning crank handle 110 the angle of incline of the frame may be adjusted as indicated by phantom lines in Fig. 1. For this purpose the opposite end of the frame is pivoted in brackets 96 by means of bolts 94.

During operation the minerals material is fed into the water inlet end of the pan by means of a chute, conveyor, or other device. These minerals in Water suspension are then agitated by means of the stationary agitators, as well as the lateral rocking of the pan at right angles to the direction of flow of material. Thus, as the minerals material moves longitudinally through the hydrogravity concentrator, a lateral gold panning or side to side movement of the pan is provided. As the pan rocks at right angles to the How of minerals material, the stationary agitators keep the metal bearing materials stirred constantly. This stirring results in the vertical descension of the heavy metals and their separation from the lighter gang material. As a result, the heavy metals are concentrated in front of the baffles 102 in pan 108, whence they flow laterally, as urged by the pan rocking for discharge through ports 46. The waste material flows over the bafiles and out of the end of the pan to a waste pile.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A minerals concentrator comprising a frame pivoted at its base at one end and being provided at its other end with slidable, incline adjusting means; a baffled concentrator pan roller-mounted within said frame, said baffies having adjustable side outlet ports; stationary, vertically adjustable agitator means supported upon said frame and extending within said pan between said baffies; pan rocking means mounted within said frame including driving means having an eccentric drive wheel, a drive arm interconnecting said drive wheel and a rotatably mounted torque bar, yoke means attached to said torque bar and engaging said pan, said yoke means upon operation of said drive means rocking said pan from side to side upon said pan rollers.

2. A minerals concentrator comprising a bafiied concentrator pan, having side ports communicant with each baffie; an adjustably inclined frame movably supporting said pan, said frame being pivoted upon its base at one end and being supported at its other end upon slidable incline adjusting means; stationary agitator means supported by said frame and suspended within said pan; and pan lateral rocking means interconnecting said frame and said pan, said pan rocking means comprising a torque bar rotatably mounted in said frame, driving means reciprocatingly rotating said torque bar, and a pivoting yoke member interconnecting said torque bar and said pan, for rocking said pan from side to side within said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 563,046 Mait June 30, 1896 716,205 Dodd Dec. 16, 1902 1,476,169 Morgan Dec. 4, 1923 1,848,151 Bennett et al. Mar. 8, 1932 2,082,504 Merritt June 1, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,088 Great Britain 1902 OTHER REFERENCES Taggart, Handbook of Mineral Dressing, 1945, page 1156 and 19169.