US984866A - Aero ore-concentrator and placer-machine. - Google Patents

Description

E. H. TATE. AERO ORE GONGENTRATOR AND PLACER MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1909.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 xi Q/ 1 7206221 01" E'ari E. H. TATE. AEEO ORE CONGENTRATOR AND PLACER MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1909.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

zo L

1 Be it known that 13, EARL H. TATE,

UNITED; STATES PATENT OFF EARL H. TATE, OFv LOS AHGELES, CALIFORNIA.

h'ERo ORE-CONCENTRATOR AND PLACER-MACHINE.

To all whom it may. concern:

I a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of- Los Angeles and" State of California, have invented a new and useful Aero Ore-Concentrator and Placer-Machine, of which the following is a specification. I

The object of this invention is to provide '10 light, readily portable, cheap, strong, and

highly-effective means for separating minerals from the materials in which they occur.

This invention relates to the class of machines in which air is used to buoy up and carry 01f the wastem'aterials while the valuable minerals and heavy concentrates separate from the gangue bygravity and are delivered to a suitable-receptacle for'reductiojn. The machine is adapted for operation either manually or otherwise.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a manually-operable ore-concentrator constructed in accordance with this invention. 'Fig. 2 is a plan of the concentrating table detached. The flexible concentrate discharge-tubes are shown hung 1113/ Fig. 3 a fragmental view partly in cross-section on line indicated at m", Fig. 2, looking toward the right. A flexible concentrate discharge-tube isshown released to discharge the concentrates. Fig.4 is a fragmntal view of a plurality'of the riflie-segments. Fig. 5 is a distorted view, partly in section, at right angles to the rifilesegments and partly in section lengthwlseof the chamber underneath the rifile-sections. This-view shows the air-inlet to said airchamber and outlets to the concentratetrough. Line w m Fig. 2, indicates. the

line of'section. Fig. 6 is a SGCtIOII on line at, a

Fig. 2, looking up in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of themachine from the back of Fig. 1 and the right- '45 hand side of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a fragmental, perspective view of one of the segmental rifiies, Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the segmental. member forming the bottom of the ,concentrate-trough. Fig. :10 is a fragmental,

' sectional detail of one of the riflles. Fig. 11

is an enlarged detail of the bumpmg and lifting contrivance at the head ofthe table. Fig. 12 is a fragm'ental view showing an arrangement of the segmental riflies just the Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

npplieation filed MayJi, 1909. Serial No. 494,469.

reverse of that shown in Fig. Fig. 13 is a fragmental, sectional elevation on line m, Fig. 2, to show the upward inclination of the riffies from their heads to their discharge ends.

The frame of the, machine is constructed of angle-irom'and. comprises a base 1 of pyramidal form and an oblique extension 2 extending upwardly aslant fromthe base.

.The base comprises a bottom-piece 3 composed of a single length of angle-iron bent into the form of a parallelogram having two long sides 4, 5, and two short ends 6, 7.

The recess of the angle-iron is directed inwardly and upwardly; and into said recess, at thefour corners of the base, are seated four upwardly-converging standards 8, 9,

at a distance apart and are fastened at the corners to the top-piece 12 which is made of a length of "angle-iron bent into a parallel 10, 11, which terminate at their upper ends ogram similar to but smaller thanthe bottom-piece 3. The tops of the standards fit and are fixed to the top piece, at the corners thereof. The standards 8, 9, at one end of the base are shorter than the standards 10, 11, at the other end of the base so that the top-piece 12 extends aslant relative to the bottom-piece 3 to form a support for bearlngs 13, 14,.and 15, 16, in whieh are journaled rock- shafts 17, 18. The rock-shaft 17 1s PIOVldGCl' at one end with an upwardlyextending arm 19 and at the other end with anupwardly-extending arm 20, each of which arms is provided atits upper end with a circular eye 21. The rock-shaft 18 is provided at its ends with upwardly-extendlug rock- arms 22, 23, each of which is provided at its upper end with a verticallyelongate eye 24:.

25 is a concentrating-table-frame, the same being formed of angle-iron bent into oblong shape and provided at its sides with cylindrical pivots 26, 27, 28, 29, that are journaled in the eyes 21 .and 2%, said pivots belng-provided with bases 30 by which they are fastenedto the table-frame 25.

.The'arms,of the'rock-shafts are held up right by means of a pitman 31 that is pivoted by a wrist-pin 32 to the arm 20of the tailend' rock-shaft 17 and connected byan eccentric-strap 33 with an eccentric cam 34 that is fastened to a shaft 35 which is mounted in bearings 36, 37, on the head standards 10, 11. The eccentric-cam is constructed to reciprocate'the pitman with a slight throw, which in actual practice in the machine illustrated is i inch in length. The concentrating-table is thus reciprocated endwise in the direction of the large doubleh'eaded arrow in Fig.2 whenever the pitman is operated by the cam. The rock-shaft arms which support the table-frame are approximately of the same length and each ofthe pivots moves in the arc of acircle almost directly over the center of the rock-shaft, so that the movement of the table-frame efl'ected'by the arms alone would bev of a regular character; but there is provided a bumper 38 having an oblique face 39 arranged in the path of a bearing 40. on the table-frame nearly in line with the axis of the pivots, and this serves to lift the table-frame from the pivots in the elongated eyes at the close of each stroke of the t ble in the direction of the tail'or lower en and to allow the ',head of the table to lo'werwat the beginning of eachreturn stroke. toward the upper end.

i "The result of this, action is to jar the table at every revolution of the cam aswellas to reciprocate the table endwise, and the head end of the table is given an up-and-down movement greater than that of the tail of the table, all of which assists in moving forwhich are produced by angularslits form-W ing tongues that are bent upwardly and that extend toward the concentratingtrough l6 of the table. The ridged concentrating surface 'formed by the foraminous sheet-metal tube-segments has openings through the opposite side walls of the valleys thereof so that when air under pressure is applied to the underside of said surface and hence to the inside of the tube-segments, air will issue from the side walls of thevalleys in numerous streams, those from each otthe side Walls of any valley flowing toward and impinging upon streams from the opposite,

sidewall-of said valley so that in each valley the air-currents tend from the sides of the valley toward the midline of the valley and thence upwardly, flowing'at the same time toward the concentrates side of the table by reason of the direction given the air by the form and arrangement of the slotlike openings particularly herein-described.

Said trough is bounded atits sides by twowalls'47, 48. Un rneath the inner wall 47 I this purpose:

are openings 49 into the trough from be tween the riilles. The riflies 43 are mounted on and form the top of an air-box 50 into the bottom of which at the head-end of the table opens an air-pipe collar 51 onto which a flexible air-pipe 52 is telescoped; the same being connected at its lower end with the blower-pipe 53' to direct air. into the box 50 from the blower 54 which may be of any ordinary type operable by suitable means. In the drawings a crank 54' is provided for Said blower is provided with a driving sprocket-wheel 55 connected by a sprocket-chain 56 to a driven sprocket-wheel 57'- on the cam-shaft 35 so that when the blower is operatedthe table will be reciprocated by the cam 34; The top of the airbox is formed by the segmental rifi'ies 43 and wires 58 that are led along and are' raised above the centersof the valleys midwaylbetween the crowns of the segments, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The wires 58 constitute auxiliary riflies' or air mixers which retard the air going through the side walls of the segmental foraminous' rittles the tops of which riflles are provided with an imperforate portion 90-so that the top. of the table is doubly riflied having -foraminous riftles Support and retard the middlings and allow the concentrates to move along the sides of the riflles; and by their cylindrical form shown,produce abovethe sheet metal surface, small ways along which concentrates may flow. Said solid riflles 58 may contact with the surface of the foraminous rifiles and the concentrates mayv flow along both sides of the raised solid riflles 58. Ports 59 in one wall of the air-box 50 open into an air-pipe 60 underneath the coneentrate trough 46, which trough may be a sheet-metal segment provided with angular slits 44 corresponding to those of the segmental riflles 43. This trough serves as a conduit for the concen trates, and the operation of the air through the slits of the trough and through the slits of the riflles is practically the same upon the material in the,trough-and on the riflles,

the case may be, tending to move the lighter material on' toward the tail of the machine;

The concentrate-trough is separated by transverse partitions 61, 62, 63, 64, into sections into which the concentratesdischarge from the ends of the rifiles 43. From the lower end-of each of these sections the concentrate discharge- spouts 65, 66, 67 68 open, and onto the same are telescoped the ends of flexible concentrate-pipes 69, 70, "71', 72, which may taper to a small diameter andmay be hooked upon hooks 7 3 that are above the level of the spouts so that the concentrates will be retained in the flexible pipes until said pipes are released from the hooks and allowed to hang down as indicated in Fig. 3. Then the concentrates will discharge. g y

At the upper end of the table there is a plain distributingplate onto which the 5 material may fall from a hopper 75 provided with an opening 76 which is elon-- gated transversely'of the table and delivers the material to be separated ontothe top of the table. Said opening is controlled by a slide 77 by which it may be contracted or entirely closed. In the hopper there is provided a cdarse screen 78 and a fine screen 79, the latter discharging the finer waste through a slot 80, and the former discharging the coarser waste through the opening 81. Over the top of the distributing-plate 74 and the riflies'43 is stretched a wire screen 82 to carry down any material that may have .passed through the second screen 79; The first screen 7 8 may be inch'mesh, the second screen 79, half-inch mesh, and the third screen 82, one-fourth inch mesh; so that only the material which is finer than would pass over the one-fourth inch mesh screen will reach the riflled-table.

83 is the tail-plate of the table provided with traps 84, 85, for any heavy values that may have passed the concentrating surfaces above. These traps may be provided with removable bottoms as the p screw-caps 86 that may be removed, thus to recover the contents of the traps. A like trap with a removable bottom or cap 87 is provided at the tail of the air-box so that any finer values that may have passed through the concentfating surface can be collected.

The riflies and the valleys between them are arranged diagonally, their discharge-- ends at theconcentrating-trough 46 being nearer the tail-plate of the table than is the head-end ofthe riflle. The table is tilted transversely, and the ritfies slant upwardly from their heads a to their tails or discharge.- ends I), so that the concentrates that pass over the table must riseas they proceed to the discharge-end b. The frame of the table; is provided with a spirit-level 88 so-that the operator can set the frame in level position without difliculty, thus bringing the riflies to the appropriate slant.

Above the discharge-end of the air-pipe 52 ,is a deflector 89. The air-pipe 53 opens into the air-box 50 at theupper end thereof, and the deflector 89 is arranged aslant upwardly toward the lower or discharge end of the table and underneath the riffles; an open space90 being provided all around the top of the pipe underneath the deflector so that the air escapes from the pipe 53 on all 60 sides thereof and provides an even pressure upon the, underside of the riflles through which the air flows to hold in suspension the lighter material, so that the same may be carried oif thereby. By providing the angu- 65 lar slits which form tongues, the air issues face formed in' ridges and valleys the sides around the sides of the tongues in streams and over the spaces between the slits, thus producing a peculiar action upon the material, tending to. allow the heavy values to fall and move along' theriftles, while the lighter material is held in suspension and thoroughly shaken and agitated by the varying pressures of air as it passes alternately over the slitted and the solid portions.

In practice, the apparatus will be set in position where the pay-dirt occurs or is available,vcare being taken that the tabletop' is given a considerable endwise slant downward toward the tail-end and a sidewiseslant upward toward the discharge-side of the riflled surface. The endwise slant may be six inches in four feet, and the side wise slant three-fourths of an inch in eighteen inches. The degree ,of slant may be varied within the judgment of the operator. Then the crank 54 will be turned by one workman, thus operating theblower and shaking the table, while another workman shovels the pay-dirt into the hopper.

By reason of the segmental form of rifiles the top rifiies are concave as clearly seen in Fig. 4, thus being provided with gently. sloping sides down which the material flows on its way to the solid rifiles 58 and since such sides are foraminous by reason of the 1 slits, the material as it passes thereover is effectively operated upon" witho'ut violent action and the concentrates gradually find their way to engagement with the solid rifii'es down which they way out of the machine.

I claim I '1. The concentrator table having a. surwill pass on their of which ridges and valleys are foraminous and. the tops of which ridges are impervious to air; and means for supplying air pres.-

sure to the underside of said surface.

2; A concentrating table provided with a sheet-metal top that is formed with ridges and valleys: the side walls-of the valleys being perforated by angular slits forming tongues which project toward one edge of the top, and means to supply air under pressure to the under-side of said top.

3. A concentrating table provided'with a sheet-metal top that is formed with ridges and valleys and is perforated through the side walls of such valleys by angular slits forming tongues,.and means to supply air 1 under pressure to the under-side of said top. I

4. A concentrating table provided with a top formed of segmental sheet .metal tubes that are perforated to admit air through the 125 forming curved faces that are perforated along their sides with angular slits forming tongues, said tongues being bent upward,

and means to supply air -under pressure to .the under-side of said top.

6. A concentrating table provided-with a top formed of, sheet-metal tube se ments having curved faces that .are per orated along their sides with angular slits forming tongues, said tongues being bentupward and extending lengthwise of the segments,

. and meansto supply air under the under-side of said top.

7.; Aconcentrating table having'a concentrating surface one end of which is higher than the other end and one side of which is higher than the other side, said surface being formed in ridges and valleys that extend diagonally across the table, the side walls of said valleys being foraminous,

pressure to means to force air through said surface, and

means to reciprocate the table.

8. A concentrating table having a concentrating surface formed in ridges andvalleys and provided with openings directed along the ridges and toward one side of the table,

.means to force air through said openings,

and means to shake the table; the side of the table toward which the openings are directed being higher than the other side and one end of the table being higher than the other end, and said ridges and valleys extending diagonally across the table, and the ends of such ridges and valleys at the high side of, the table being higher than the ends. of the ridges and valleys respectively atthe other side.

9. A concentrating table having a. concen-- 'trating surface formed by the conjunction of a series of foraminous sheet-metal tube segments forming curved faces, the openings through said faces being. slot-like and consisting of angular's'lits forming tongues, said tongues being bent upwardly and all exand all extending in the same generald-irectending in the same general direction along the tubesegments; y

'10. A concentrating table having a concentratingsurface formed by the conjunction of a series of foraminous sheet-metal L50 tube-segments forming curved faces; the

openings through said segments being slotlike and consisting-of angular slits forming tongues, said tongues being bent upwardly tion along said segments; means to force air through the openings, and means to shake the table.

- "11. I An ore-concentratorv 7 comprising table provided with a foraminousriflied top,

a frame, rock-shafts journaled on said frame and provided with upwardly-extending arms having eyes, a table provided with pivots in said eyes, the eyes in the arms of I one of the rock-shafts being .verticallyelongate; a pitman pivoted to one of said arms to shake the table, means on theframe to operate the pitlnan; a bearing on the tableframe, a bumper having an oblique face arranged in the path of such bearing and nearly in line with the axis of the pivots so that the. bearing will ride upon the bumper at each stroke of the table in the direction of the tail or lower end of the table, and means to operate the pitman.

. IQ/In an ore-concentrator, the combination with a foraminous riflled surface, of a trough to receive concentrates from such surface, said trough being provided with a slitted bottom, the slits being arranged to form tongues, and means to force air through the riflled surface and through the slitted bottom.

13. A concentrating table comprising an air-box, a trough alongsidethe air-box, the bottom of the trough being foraminous and the top of the box being formed with foraminous rifiies to discharge material into the trough; means to supply air under pressure to theair-box', and means to shake the table. I

I 14. A concentrating table comprising an air-box, a trough alongside ,the air-box, the

bottom of the trough being foraminous and the top of the box being formed with f0 raminous riflles. to'discharge' material into the trough; means to supply air under pressure to the air-box, means to shake the table, partitions separating the trough into' sections, and means to discharge concentrates receive concentrates from the table, said table bein formed by.the conjunction of a series of foraminous sheet metal tube segments provided with openings formed by angular slits that are directed toward the concentrating trough of the table, which tube segments. form valleys; a series of solid I wire air-rifiles at the center of the valleys for the purpose of breaking the air pressure through the sloping sidesof the tube segments; said wires being arranged stationary extending fromthe low side of the concen-- 'trating table to the trough that receives the concentrates and lying in their valleys parallel with the hollow segment tubes that form rifiles and extend diagonally across the over the rifiles and plate, means to supply surface of the table rising toward their disair under pressure to the riffles, and means charge ends. Y 1 j to shake the table.

17. An ore-conce t at-or comprising a In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set 5 slanting hopper, superposed coarser and my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 15 finer screens to discharge waste from the 29th day of April, 1909.

hopper, a concentrating table having a dis-i EARL H. TATE. trilmting-plate under the hopper to receive 1 In presence of.

the screened material, said table being aslant: JAMES R. TOWNSEND, 10 and provided wlth shtted rlfiies, a screen BEULAI-I TOWNSEND.

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