US694005A - Ore-concentrator. - Google Patents

Description

Patented Feb. 25, I902.

w. a. D000. ORE couczmnmo'n.

(Apph t fllodlhr 18 1901 (No lode!) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIS G. DODD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

QORE-CONCENTIRATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 694,005, da ry Application filed March 18,1901. Serial No. 51,619. (No model.)

To ail whom it may concern.-

Be it known'that I, WILLIS G. DODD, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented "certainnew and useful Improvements in Ore-Concentrators; and'I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

The invention relates more especially to that class of concentrators known as shaking-tables in contradistinction to the endless-belt concentrators; and the object of the invention is the production of a machine which having large capacity shall occupy but small floor-space and a machine capable of effecting approximately perfect separation of the valuable particles of mineral from its attendant gangue while the pulp is traveling over the surface of the table on what may be termed natural lines due to the forces actin g upon it. In this class of ore-concentrators the reciprocating concentrating-tables have ordinarily been constructed in the shape of a parallelogram, upon the surface of which are placed longitudinal riffles, the valuable particles of mineral to be separated from the gangue carried by the pulp fed onto the table being caught in the riffles and carried longitudinally toward the tail or discharge end of the table, while the worthless portion of the pulp or gangue flows transversely over the table and is discharged at the bottom side of the table and permitted to escape. WVhen the pulp is treated with said form of table, a material loss occurs in the escape of fine particles of mineral, which loss takes place for the following reasons: The path of the valuable particles of mineral, due to the motion given the table, is along the upper sides of the longitudinal riffles toward the tail or; dis- The path of the charge end of the table. gangue or worthless material of the pulp, due to gravity, is transversely across the table. These two paths intersecting-each other, as they do, at approximately a right angle, a disturbance is caused and. loss of fine material caught by the riffies takes place.

In the present invention the face of the table is of such construction that the path of the mineral and the path of the gangue in their movement over the face of the table intersect each other at a very oblique angle,

causing little or no disturbance to the min eral caught by the riflies. Consequently the loss of the mineral sought to be saved is reduced toa minimum.

In order to comprehend the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying sheet of drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of the improved concentrator, and Fig. 2 is a plan View of the mechanism disclosed by Fig. 1 of the drawings.

In the drawings the numeral 1 is used to indicate the circular concentrating-table, which in the present case consists of a circular'cone centrally supported by a vertical shaft 2, whichworks in bearing orboX 3, se cured to the base or platform 4. The tablesurface or working face is provided with a series of rilfies 5, concentric to each other, but preferably with reference to the center of the table, each describing the involute of a circle. These rililes start from the curved partition 6, which may be termed the .head of the circular table for the purpose of the riffles startingpoint, and are run, preferably, on regular concentric involute curves described around the center of the table, said riffies being of such length as to make the discharge end of the lower riffle extend'a slight distance beyond the one above.

The table maybe constructed of any suit able material and the riffies be formed integral therewith in the form of depressions or separate therefrom and secured thereto in any suitable manner.

The tableis provided with a plain or unriflied portion 17, onto which portion of the table the valuable p'articles of the material are discharged from the riffles' for final treatment. v

To the standards 8' is secured the gangue receiving trough 9, which is circular in form and arranged below the periphery of the con centrating-table. This trough receives the gangue or worthless material discharged from or washed off of the table, and the length of said trough is equal to or slightly greater than that of the lowermost riffle of the table.

At theapex or near the center of the table is arranged the feed-box 10, which box is dividedbyacentralpartitionintocompartments 11 12. Compartment 12 is the .ore or pulp receiving compartment,into which the ore or pulp to be distributed over the table is delivered by the feed-chute 13. From this compartment the pulp escapes onto the table through outlet or escape openings let, formed therein. Compartment 11 acts as a reservoir for the water to be distributed onto theplain or unriffied portion of the table, the Water being delivered into said compartment by means of the water-supply pipe 15 and escaping from said compartment onto the unrifiied portion of the table through the minute outlet-openings 16.

Any suitable form of mechanism may be employed for imparting an oscillatory motion to the table 1. In the present case the table is illustrated as being operated through the medium of the jointed connecting-rod 17, connected at one end to the outerend of arm 18, projecting from the vertical shaft 2. The free end of the connecting-rod Works through guide-bearing 19 and is attached to the eccentric-strap 20, surrounding cam 21, secured to the drive-shaft 32. Motion is imparted to the drive-shaft from any suitable source of power by means of power-belt (not shown) working over belt-wheel 23, attached to the drive-shaft.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Power is applied to the driue mechanism by any suitable means, setting same in motion, which movement is communicated to the table by means of the connecting-rod 17, cansing the table to oscillate or reciprocate around its central support or bearing-gudgeon 3. Finely-crushed ore mixed with water, usually designated as pulp, is conveyed into compartment 12 of the feed-box 10, from which it is fed onto the table 1 through suitable outlet-openings 14, made for the purpose. The pulp, due to the inclination or cone shape of the table, flows down radially toward the circumference, coming in contact with the obstructing-riflles 5, where the valuable particles of the mineral are caught and due to the reciprocating or oscillating motion given the table are moved around the table and onto the unrifiled portion 7, where any particles of gangue contained in the concentrates are washed out by means of clear water discharged upon the table from the water-compartment 11 of box 10. This water also serves to lubricate the smooth unriffled portion of the table, permitting the concentrates to continue traveling around the table until they are discharged into the box 24, which receives the concentrates. The gangue, the mineral being eliminated, flows downward over the rifiles and is discharged at the periphery of the table into the trough or wastelaunder 9.

The construction of the concentrating-table, together with the motion imparted to it, effects a separation of the mineral from the gangue upon lines entirely different from those of any machine of its class, due to the following reasons: The motion or agitation given to the pulp is variable, being very slight cause little or nodisturbance, and consequently no loss of the valuable particles sought to be saved; The flow of the gangue is indicated by arrows Hand-that of the mineral by arrows It will be observed that the path of the ganguewhile transverse of the table is at an oblique angleto the path of the mineral at the intersection of the paths. Consequently there is little, if any, disturbance at such point. i

There is hinged to the unriflled portion of the table at the extremity of the lowermost ri'l'i'le adeilecting-iingcr 26. This finger serves to guide such of the gangue as may escape from said :rifl'le onto the plain or unrii'lledportion of the tableinto the launder or circular troughfor the gangue, thuspreventiug same discharging into the box located to receive i the mineral discharged from the plain or unriifled portion of the table.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be protected by Letters Patent, is-

1. An ore-concentrator comprising an oscillatory inclined table having an unriflied or plain surface adjacent its discharge portion for the separated mineral, a series of curved riifies upon the working face of the table, said riffles extending from approximately a radial division and terminating at and discharging IIO onto the plain or unriffied surface of the table, and means whereby an oscillating motion is imparted to the table whereby the mineral and gangue travel within the riffles at approximately the same velocity until separation takes place.

2. An ore-concentrating apparatus comprisin g an oscillatory table inclined outwardly from its center, means for imparting an oscillating motion to the table during the treatment of the ore, a plain or unriiiled portion to the table, a series of curved riifles arranged on the Working face of the table eccentric to its center, each riffie increasing in length and extending a greater distance into the unriitled portion of the table than the riflie immediately above.

3. A concentrating apparatus comprising an oscillatory concentrating table, means whereby an oscillating motion is imparted to the table, a series of concentric rililes arranged upon the working face of the table,

each riftle being the involute of a circle, and of aplain or unriffied portion to the table intermediate the ends of the riffles.

4. A concentrating apparatus comprising an oscillatory concentrating table, means whereby an oscillating motion is imparted to the table, a series of concentric riffles arranged upon the working face of the table, each riftle being the involute of a circle and itsdischarge end terminating at a point beyond that of its preceding riffle and a plain or unriffled surface to the table onto which the riffles discharge.

5. The combination in a concentrating ap paratus, of .a circular concentrating-table, of means whereby an oscillating motion is imparted to the table, and of a series of curved ritfles arranged upon the working face of the table, said ritliles being concentric, and a plain or unriffled portion to the table onto which the riffies discharge.

6. In an ore-concentrating apparatus, the combination with a cone-shaped concentrating-table, having a plain or unriffled portion, of means for imparting an oscillating motion to said table, and a series of concentricinvolute curved riffles arranged on the working face of the table, the discharge end of each riftle terminating at a point beyond that of the riffle immediately above the same.

7. In an ore-concentrator, the combination with the cone-shaped table mounted to oscillate around a central vertical axis, a plain or unriftled portion to the table, a pulp and water distributing box arranged to distribute the pulp and water at the apex of the cone, a series of downwardly-inclined curved riffles arranged on the working face of the table and extending onto the plain or unriftled portion thereof, the discharge end of each riffle being beyond that of the riffle immediately above, and means whereby an oscillating motion is imparted to the concentrating-table.

8. In anore-concentrator, the combination with the circular cone-shaped table having a plain or unriftled portion, of means for imparting an oscillatory motion to the table, a pulp and water distributer arranged to distribute at the center of the table, a partitionwall secured to the working. face of the table, 5

and a series of concentric curved riftles extending from said partition-wall across the working face of the table.

9. In an ore-concentrating machine, the combination with the circular concentratingtable having anupper radially-sloping face, of devices for supplying water andpulp to said table, a central support for the table, a bearing for the support, a plain or unriffled portion to the table, means for imparting an oscillating motion to the table, and a series of downwardly-inclined curved riflies arranged upon the working face of the table,

each riftle extending and discharging onto the plain or unrifflcd portion of the table.

an oscillating motion to the table, a series of 8 curved riftles arranged on theworking face of the table, each riffle discharging onto the plain or un'riffl'ed portion of the table, devices for supplying water and pulp to the surfaces of the table, a circular trough or launder for receiving the gangue discharged from the table, and a deflecting-finger secured to the unriffled portion of the table at a'point beyond the discharge end of the bottom rififle.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 0 hand.

WILLIS e. DODD.

l/Vitnesses:

N. A. ACKER, D. B. RICHARDS.

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