US821372A - Apparatus for moving and mining material of a granular and comminuted nature. - Google Patents

Description

No. 821,372. A PATENTED MAY 22. 1906,.

A. MuDOUGALL. APPARATUS FOR MOVING AND MINING MATERIAL OF A GRANULAR AND GQMMINUTED NATURE.

APPLICATION rum) JULY 25. 1902 2 SHEETSSHEBT 1.

WITNESSES PATBNTED MAY 22, 1906.

A. Mo

APPARATUS FORMOVING AND MI AND'GOMMINU AY'PLIDATIQN NING TED 1) JUL UiN liTlElU JPrtTlEhtT Uh hll@l[ l. ALEXANDER uenoue-itt, ornutu'rn, MINNESOTA. \APPARATUS FOR MOVlNG AND MlNiNG MATERlAL OF A GRANULAR AND COMMlNUTl-ID NATURE" Specification of letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1906.

Application filed July 25,1902. Serial 1%. 116.919.

roan whor ,t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER Mellow GALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have lnvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Moving and Mining Material of a Granular. and Comminuted Nature, of which the following is a specification.

ThisinVentiOn relates to apparatus for moving and mining material of a granular and. comminuted nature--such as coal, iron ore, or other kinds of granular mineral, marl, ete.-which sometimes occurs in nature as a bed disposed below a layer of earth or sand of varying thickness and is an improvement on themethod and means described. in my prior patents, Nos. 619,601,657,2d7,531,740,

547,496, and 604,628. This material is sometimes found mixed with a large percentage of water and, as far as 1 know, has heretofore been mined by mechanical means in the following manner: A shaft or shafts are sunk through the earth to the bed of material, and radial galleries are cut through this material, portions of it being left at intervals to form supports for the upper crust of earth, the material being carried to the sl1aftbase in cars and hoisted to the surface in buckets. It the crust ofearth be not thick enough to be readily supported, it is removed by means of an excavator or some such similar device and thebed of minable material exposed. This material may then be mined by means of the same excavator. Pumps are provided to Withdraw the accumulation of water. The machinery required for this form of mining is very expensive and being heavy and bulky is costly to transport to the mines. Further more, such mines usually being located. at present in sparsely-settled country, repairs to machinery are diliicult, slow, and expensive. These mines usually occur in a moderately level country, where attempts'to use the ordinary method of hydraulic mining are impossible, owing to the lack of sullicient head of water.

My method generally is as follows: The deposit of material being located, elevated groundconvenient thereto is selected as a base of deposit'for the excavated. material. .ltailway-tracks are laid convenient to this point, and, means are provided for loading the material upon ears. Another. point at, a

elevation, is selected as a location for a reser cient depth and area to form a pond to co11- tain water enough for all uses. Adjacent to this reservoir a shaft is sunk through the earth to the bed of material to be mined, and a sump or pit is made in the bottom thereof. In case the minable material is directly exposed. a shaft or pit of slight depth is first sunk and the sump then made in the bottom thereof. A pipe is provided and connected with the reservoir and is used to supply water at a surlicicnt pressure at the bottom of the pit, preferably a flexible pipe and nozzle, in ordinary hydraulic-mining practice, bcing used. The material is loosened and dissolved by the stream of water and is carried in suspension to the sump, which is preferably covered by a screen to prevent entrance of large lumps of material, and from there it is elevated, by means oi a pump located in the pit, througha pipe to the place of deposit. The water therefrom will drain away and be returned by means of a canal or iiume to the reservoir. Ordinarily the mined material will contain more than a su'l'licient amount of moisture to make up for the loss oi water by evaporation and seepage, the surplus being allowed to overflow from .the reservoir. the crust of earth covering the bed of material be not thick enough to justify galleries being run, it will be removed over as much of the bed as is to be mined. This removal may be accomplished in the same manner as the other material is mined, a proper location for the earth being secured separated from the pile of mined material.

In some instances it may be found impossi, ble to get a su'llicient head of water in the ex cavating-pipes to properly force the stream against the material and break it up. This diiliculty may be overcome by using an additional pipe and force-pi] mp, which may be located adjacent to the reservoir or close to the nozzle or intermediate thereto. It may be found advantageous in practice to locate the force-pump alongside of the excavatingump, driving both by the same power. A. creepump would be of great service in excavatmg the top soil or when the bed of min able material is situated at a slight depth.

In order to better understand the nature of my invention and the means whereby it may be carried out, attention is called to the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 1s a section; tln ougha pit, dump, and tank. Fig. 2 is a top view tliereoffand sensve Fig. 3 a section tnrough a pit, shaft, tank, and dump wherein the top soil is somewhat thicker than that shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a iew of a modification.

In all the several views like parts are designated by the same characters of reference.

The deposit of valuable mineral or material 1 is shown as lying below a comparatively thin layer of valueless material 2 in Fig. 1, but under a somewhat thicker layer in Fig. 3. The apparatus is modified as is necessary, as shown in the two views, as depends upon the character and thickness of the layer of valueless material. :If it is comparatively thin or is composed largely of loose earth, gravel, or sand, it is necessaryto excavate a pit or'cratar, as at 3. If the layer be thick or formed of dense earth, a shaft 21, with an enlarged base 22 and galleries 24, with material left at intervals to form supporting-pillars 23 may be made. The pit or shaft is sunk. adjacent to ground of higher level, upon which may be dumped the valuable material 4 directly into a car 4, if desired, (see Fig. 4,) with a second pit at a slightly lower level to forma tank or reservoir-5. In the bottom of the pit is excavated a smaller pit or sump 6. The relative levels of dump, tank, and sump are indicated by the letters of reference'fm B, and C, respectively. In practice the tank 5 will be at,

but'slightly lower level than the dump, while the sump will be as low as possible in order to get a sufficienthead of water for excavating.

The water-supply pipe '7, with a flexible extrcmity 8, nozzle 9, and valve 10, is connected with the tank 5 and supplies asufficient head of water to wash the material to be ex-. cavated into the sump 6. This material, carried in suspension with a relatively large bulk of water, is removed by means of a pipe 11. A perforated plate or screen 12 is used to prevent ingress of too large pieces of solid mate rial, such as might choke .the pump.

The mixture of material and water is elevated to the dump 4. by means of the cei'itrif ugal ump 13 and discharged at 14. To assist t e action of thelpum 13 in very deep pits or shafts, an additiona centrifugal pump 15 may be employed and the number .increased qd tnfim'iwm, the lower pumps forcing the material up for action of the pumps above. I have found in practice that there is no centrifugal ump on the market that is able to lift the mixture of water and material a greater distance than twenty-two feet, but

- the limit to which the same mixture may be forced is much larger. It is of great.advantage to locate the pump adjacent to' the sump, asit is difiicult to prime acentrifugal pump, and foot-valves are of but little or no use when a mixturev of water and ,earth is being operated upon. I therefore lay reat stress upon the advanta e of locating t e excavatint-he ottom of the pit for the above-stated reasons.

'hydrau 1c 3 and base of the pit, the mixtureof water and There may be instances m practice where the tailingsdump is at such a distance from the pit that a single pump will not be able to force the material. I therefore provide the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 4, in which additional centrifugal pumps 15 15 are used.

In some instances the level of the tank 5 at B is sufficiently elevated above the sump 6 at C to secure the proper head.- To increase the pressure of the water at the nozzle 9, another pipe and a force-pump 16 may be used. Both pumps 16 and 13 may be driven by the motor 17 through the agency of the shaft 18 or separately. "The motor may be operated by steam, compressed air, or electricity, as is preferred. The water from the valuable-material dump 4 is pumped to or drains into the tank 5 through the canall). Any excess of water in the tank may overflow and be conducted away through a sluice or canal. (Not shown.)

water while the pipe 8 is being repaired, adjusted, or renewed an additional valve 20, operated from the surface of the ground, may

be employed.-

lt is necessary thatthepump 13 be of s 1fficient capacity to efilectively, remove ali water from the sump 6 This water may directly flow over the surface of the pit or may be the result of seepage from the surroundin locality.

For the purpose of cutting off the supply of .fy apparatus is operated in the following manner: The deposit of material having been located and the place for the tailings-dump located, the tank 5 and connecting-canal 1.9 are dug. The pit 3 0r shaft 2] is then excavated. This may be entirely by direct mechanical means orit may first be started by mechanical means and the hydraulic apph ance brought into operation. 7 The pipes and pumps are arranged asalso described. There h Water in the soil willusually be found enouor bed of material caused, by seepage from the adjoining soil to partlyiill the reservoir 5. If there is an insufliclent amount, water must he sup lied from some other source., The

et is caused to play upon the Walls solidmaterial that drains into the dump bein"; removed by the pump 13 and de ositedupon the valuable-material dump? n the preliminarypart :of-the operation the pump 13 may eject a mixture of valueless material the valuable-materialdump, so as net tcnux .with the valuable materia When'excavated.

When the bed-of valuable material is reached,

the stream of Water. fromthe nozzle, 9 is directed exclusively thereupon, so that it may be ca ried in suspension with waterin-to the sump and from t ere be ejected by the pump.

r layer of formed 'unon The water for the valuable material will pass into the tank through the canal 19, and if too much of it escapes to lower ground it is pumped back to the reservoir. When the dept 1 or other characteristic of the surface soil justifies it, galleries 24 may be extended through the material, additional length being arlrlecl to the pipes 7 or 8 to allow a stream oil water being introduced into the galleries. ll the ejected material is found mixed With sand or other foreign matter, suitable means may be employed to separate the same, such means being Well known to thoseskilled in rial having the art.

Having described my invention, What l. claim, and desire to sccure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an a iparatus for raising valuable material Whic 1 lies in a layer at considerable depth below a layer of valueless material, the combination of the layer of valueless material having an opening therethrough and eatposine; the layer of valuable material, the said ayer oi vali'iable material. having a chamherformed therein, and a sump Within the chamber, columns or pillars sustaining the roof of the chainher, a reservoir lornied inlet or inlets on the layer oi "valuelecs material, a pipe or pipes connecting said. reservoir and passing; through the layer oi valueless material and entering the chamber Within the layer of valuahle material, means for directing a stream or streams oi Water from said. against valuable material, a lift pump or puiui v. hin the chainher and having its or their inlet or inle Within the sump and discharging out through the opening in the lueiess material. u on a dmn the layer of value ess materia pipe or pipes antl means connecting the clump to the reser Voir whereby the same water may be used tor d sintegrating the aluable .material, carryl tea ing it in suspension to the sump anti discharging it to the clump.

2. In an a paratus for raieii-ig valuable material Whic lies in. a layer at considerable depth below a layer of valueless material, the combination of the layer of valueless mate an opening therethrough and ere posing the layer of valuable material, the 5c said layer oi valuable material having a chamber within. it and of greater extent turn the opening in the layer of valucliss mate rial and immediately below said opening, a sump Within the chamber, columns or pillars 5 formed within, the Valuable material and sustaining the rool. of the chamber in the layer of valuable material, a reservoir formed. on the layer of valueless material, a pipe or pipes connecting, said reservoir and passing through the opening in the valucless material and entering the chamber within. the layer of Valw able material, means For directing a stream or streams clwaterlromsaiclpipeor .pesainst the valuable .material, a lift pump or pumps 6 within the chamber and having its or their Within the sump anal. discharginc out through the opening in the layer of yalueless material upon a dump lormed upon. the layer of yalucless material, and. a canal connecting the lump to the reserviiiir wh r by the same Wit-l3? may he useil for (ii tegrating the salsa i e material arrying it in suspension a the sump and (l .zliargi 11;; it to the (lump l whereby an oji'ieuing in the layer of the t .lucless material of the smallest size will be formeil.

This specification signed arul witnessed this 12th day oi July, 1902.

llfllahlliANlllER liloBlllill/llili. /Vitnesses:

lvlrcnaan l CHALK, DONALD ltlcliasuarr.

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