IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA- BATUS FOR SEPARATING, CLEANING, AND CLASSIFYING COAL, ORE, GRAIN, AND OTHER SOLID SUBSTANCES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George William Hick, of Leeds, in the County
of York, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA-
BATUS FOR SEPARATING, CLEANING, AND CLASSIFYING COAL, ORE, GRAIN, AND
OTHER SOLID SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 7th January 1871, and dated the 6th August 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George William Hick
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 6th August 1870.
I, GEORGE WILLIAM HICK, of Leeds, in the County of York,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for “Im-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING, CLEANING, AND CLASSIFYING COAL,
ORE, GRAIN, AND OTHER SOLID SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
"'
The apparatus consists of one or more sets of bars or rollers mounted
in a frame, and capable of rolling or performing an entire or partial
revolution or about their own axes. Space is left between the bars

page_text: or rollers to afford passage to such materials as are intended to pass
between them; this space may be contrived, regulated, or adjusted to
accommodate the apparatus to various gauges or sizes of substance.
The bars or rollers are so actuated that all those of one set turn or
roll in the same direction; or they may be otherwise arranged, thus,
in such manner that one roller turns in an opposite direction to the
next, the direction of motion being outward or upward, that is to say,
each roller of each pair turns in a direction of rotation outward and
upward, or towards the outside edges of the frame instead of inward or
towards the other roller of the pair. The sets of rollers may be placed
beside each other, or otherwise, the breadth of space between the rollers
of one set may differ from that between the rollers of another set. One
set may turn in one direction and a parallel set in another direction, the
rollers of each set however respectively turning in the same direction.
The substances to be treated are fed on to the bars or rollers to which
rotary or rolling motion is communicated, and the smaller particles, &c;
pass between the bars or rollers while the larger do not. The rollers
may be formed in sections turning in alternate directions. The bars or
rollers instead of being cylindrical may be tapering or conical.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George William Hick in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 6th February 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WILLIAM HICK, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said George William Hick, Her special licence that
I, the said George William Hick, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said George William Hick, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and

page_text: vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING, CLEANING, AND CLASSIFYING COAL, ORE, GRAIN,
AND OTHER SOLID SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said George William Hick, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George William Hick, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same.
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say :-
This Invention relates to apparatus for séparating, cleaning, and
classifying coal, ore, grain, and other solid substances.
The apparatus consists of one or more sets of bars or rollers mounted
in a frame and capable of rolling or performing an entire or partial
revolution on or about their own axes. Spaces or intervals are left
between the bars or rollers to afford passage to such materials as are
intended to pass between them; these spaces may be contrived,
regulated, or adjusted to accommodate my apparatus to various gauges
or sizes of substances. The bars or rollers are so actuated that all those
composing one set shall turn or roll in the same direction. The sets
may
be placed beside each other or otherwise. The breadth of space or
interval between the rollers of one set may differ from that between the
rollers of another set. One set may turn in one direction and a parallel.
set in another direction, the rollers composing each set however turning
respectively in the same direction. The substances to be treated are fed.
to or on the bars or rollers to which rotary or rolling motion is com-
municated, and the smaller particles pass between the bars or rollers.
while the larger particles do not. The rollers may be formed. in
longitudinal sections, the sections of each roller turning in respectively
alternate directions. The bars or rollers instead of being, cylindrical may
be tapering or conical. ··

page_text: I now proceed to describe more particularly in what manner the
Invention may be carried into practical effect.
an end view in section of an
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2
apparatus constructed according to my Invention.
The apparatus consists mainly of two sets of parallel revolving rollers,
that is to say, two sets of rollers are arranged so that the rollers of one
set revolve in a different direction to the rollers of the other set, but all
the rollers composing each one set turn respectively in one and the same
direction.
In the arrangement shewn in Figures 1 and 2 the rollers of one
set E, E, turn in a direction away from the direction of the other
set Ex, E*, (but each set of rollers may revolve in a direction towards
each other towards the middle of the screen as in the top part of
Figure 3). A is a frame carrying bearings in which a driving shaft B
revolves. Rotary motion is communicated to this shaft by motive power
in any ordinary manner. C, C, are bevilled toothed wheels mounted on
the shaft B gearing into pinions D on the end of the bars or rollers
E, E*, that is to say, there is a pinion D on one end of each bar or
roller E and Ex. These bars or rollers are supported at both ends in
bearings a formed in the frame A and the rollers or bars are capable of
rotary motion when they are driven by the toothed.gearing actuated by
the shaft B. One set of rollers E turns in the direction of the arrow x
and the other set of rollers Ex turns in the direction of the arrow y.
G, G, are strips or narrow bands of iron or steel which are fitted to the
frame; their object is to prevent the material under treatment from
dropping between the outermost rollers and the sides of the frame, and
from the consequent attrition or grinding of such material against the
sides of the frame. The rollers are respectively placed at intervals apart
so that longitudinal spaces are left between them for the passage of the
materials or substances to be sifted or separated, such spaces or intervals
are determined by the required gauge or size of material or substance
required to be passed through or treated by the apparatus. The frame A
holding the bars may instead of being placed horizontally be set or
adjusted at any desired angle to facilitate the delivery of the separated
or sorted substances from the upper surface of the rollers to the
required recipient. Dead plates are fitted at an angle (one such plate
being) at each end of the apparatus; they present inclined surfaces
for the passage of the materials on to and away from the bars or rollers.

page_text: These plates are not represented in the Drawings in order that the
parts beneath them may be shewn. The angle at which the dead
plates are set may be adjusted by rack and pinion or other ordinary
adjusting contrivance. The upper dead plate shelters the gearing from
injury and dust. The coal or materials to be treated are projected on
to one of the dead plates, along which they slide on to the upper
surface of the revolving bars or rollers, and the pieces of such material
which pass between the bars or rollers drop on to a second and similar
screening apparatus, or into any suitable receiver placed beneath the
first apparatus. The materials left on the top of the rollers slide along
the second dead plate into another receiver.
Figure 3 is a plan of a modification of the apparatus constructed
generally like the arrangement shewn in Figures 1 and 2, except that
in this modification there are three sets of rollers, marked respectively
E, E, and E. These rollers are all mounted in a frame A. The sets of
rollers marked E and E* are arranged substantially like those marked
E and Ex, in Figures 1 and 2, each one such set of rollers revolving in
an opposite direction to the direction of revolution of the other set of
rollers, but in Figure 3 the rollers of each one set instead of revolving.
in the direction of the arrows x, y, Figures 1 and 2, revolve in a direction
towards the rollers of the other set, and therefore towards the middle
of the apparatus in the direction indicated by the arrows w, z. The
third set of rollers E2 is placed in a direction transversely to the other
sets E, E, and therefore the rollers E² revolve in a direction of motion
at right angles to the direction of motion of the other sets E, Ex, as
indicated by the arrows r. G is a strip of iron inserted between the
centre rollers or bars or the two rollers in the middle of apparatus to
prevent the grinding of material as before described in reference to
Figure 1 and 2. The substances to be sorted or screened having first
passed over the rollers E, E*; pass on to and are acted on by the
transverse rollers E², which carry the materials away rapidly and afford
sufficient time for the attendant's inspection.
I proceed to describe suitable arrangements for working the rollers in
this modification.
B is a driving shaft worked by motive power and supported in the
frame A. This shaft carries bevelled toothed wheels f which actuate the
rollers E, E*, by means of bevilled toothed pinions y, one such pinion g is
attached to the end of cach roller E, E*.

page_text: h, h, are a pair of bevil wheels which work a countershaft J, supported
in bearings in the frame A. This shaft J carries a bevil wheel i gearing
into another bevil wheel j keyed on a roller or shaft k, which carries a
spur wheel gearing into a train m, m, of fast and loose wheels and
pinions working pitch chains m*, m*, and pulleys n, n. By this arrange-
ment the rollers E are caused to revolve in the direction indicated by
the arrow, that is to say, in a direction of motion transverse to the
direction of motion of the rollers E, E*.
Figure 4 is a plan of a modification in which each component roller of
the apparatus is formed of two or more different diameters or in lengths
or sections of two or more different diameters. By this
arrangement the
gauge or interval of working distance between the rollers is varied or
rendered differential.
Figure 5 is a transverse section of a modification of my apparatus in
which the rollers are made to revolve or partially revolve on their axes ]
by a motion obtained from an excentric S, carrying a rack s gearing into
pinions s*, one at the end of each roller. A similar motion may be
obtained by substituting a crank, or lever, or like mechanical contrivance
for the excentric S.
Figure 6 is a transverse section shewing an arrangement of my 2
apparatus in which the rollers are made to revolve partially by attaching
to each roller a rocking levert working on a stud t* in a plate or arm T
worked by an excentric S for which a crank lever or like contrivance
may be substituted.
Figure 7 is a transverse section of a modification of my apparatus in 2
which the rollers are caused to roll or revolve by friction on a bar M.
A weight may be added by weighting the frame to expedite the action.
These rollers are actuated in such manner as to perform a whole or
partial revolution and in each direction of motion alternately, that is to
say, on the bar or rail M by means of an excentric N, or by a lever, or 3
crank, or equivalent mechanical contrivance.
Figure 8 is à plan representing a modification of my apparatus in
which rollers E³, E³, radiate from the outer edge or periphery of a hopper
or shoot Q. The rollers and hopper and the driving gear are supported
in a casing P which is mounted fast or loose on a central driving shaft B*. 3
The rollers E3, E3, which are conical, are caused to roll or revolve by
friction on a fixed or revolving circular rail or ring Z mounted on the

page_text: shaft B* or by gearing placed either underneath them or elsewhere
where convenient. The rollers may revolve by their own rolling friction,
with or without superadded weight, when the frame or casing P containing
them is caused to revolve by the driving shaft B* the rollers rolling by
the lower part of their periphery on the fixed annular rail Z on the
shaft B*.
In this modification the substance to be treated is placed in the hopper
Q, whence it drops on to the rollers E³, E³, at the part q, and it is so
carried round in or on the casing P until it arrives at the point r, where
after having been acted upon by the rollers it passes out into any suitable
receiver. The casing P may be a fixture, or it may revolve according as
to the manner in which the rollers revolve or roll. The hopper and
casing serve as a support or frame for carrying the rollers. The shaft
shewn in Figure 8 revolves in the direction indicated by the arrow p.
By means of my improvements coal, ore, grain, and other solid matters
are sorted, separated, screened, cleaned; and classified in an effective,
rapid, and satisfactory manner.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim, apparatus in
which rollers or bars are arranged, combined, and actuated, or operated,
substantially in the manner herein-before described and for the purpose
set forth.
:
In witness whereof, I, the said George William Hick, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
JOSEPH JOWETT,
(Wood Turner, Leeds).
G. W. HICK. (L.S.)