An Improved Apparatus for Washing and Separating Minerals.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 31st Oct., 1889-Accepted, 7th Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Washing and Separating Minerals.
I, OSCAR BILHARZ, of 95 Bath Street, Glasgow, in the county of Lanarkshire, N.B.
Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The immediate object of my invention is to separate and wash minerals of fine
sizes and high specific gravity from minerals of coarser size and of less specific
gravity, which are suspended in water. This is effectually brought about in the
apparatus herein after described.
The said apparatus essentially consists of a cylindrical tank of sheet iron into which
a circular agitator or piston made in two or three segments is loosely fitted.
The said piston is suspended at the end of several beams which are hinged at the
centre to stationary arms, the other end of the beams pressing against a collar fitted
to a vertical shaft which is worked by an excentric; on the said shaft which moves in
a foot-bearing, is fitted a hopper and screen, the latter acting as a distributor, and
effectually distributes the material to be washed and separated, evenly onto the outer
edge of the herein before described piston.
The piston gets an up and down plunging motion given to it by means of the
excentric and beams before described and is fitted with a perforated sheet iron bottom
which latter is covered with a layer of suitable material and workes in the cylinderical
tank, (which is filled to the top with water) with an up and down plunging motion.
The material to be separated passes down a spout, falls into the hopper and passes
out onto the screen and is distributed by the latter onto the outer edge of the piston.
During the up and down plunging motion of the piston the material moves from the
outer to the inner edge of the piston, in doing so the heavier stuff finds its way to the
bottom of the piston thro' the layer of suitable material and falls to the bottom of
the cylinderical tank and is led away by means of several pipes, to receiving tanks.
The lighter stuff moves slowly to the inner edge of the piston and passes down the
centre of the tank into a pipe, which latter takes it away to other receiving tanks.
The minerals are thus effectually washed and separated.
The water necessary is fed into the tauk from the bottom by means of pipes, to the
underneath side of the piston.
n 7th day of January 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Washing and Separating Minerals.
I, OSCAR BILHARZ, of 95 Bath Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanarkshire, N.15.
Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—
The immediate object of my invention is to separate and wash minerals of fine sizes
and high specific gravity from minerals of a coarser size and of less specific gravity,
which are suspended in water.
To accomplish this object, the material to be washed passes down a spout, and is
distributed by pipes or a screen, onto the outer edge of a sieve like piston. During
the up and down plunging motion of the piston the material moves from the outer to
the inner edge of the piston, in doing so, the heavier stuff finds its way to the bottom
of the piston through a layer of suitable material and falls into wells or tanks and is
led away by means of pipes. The lighter stuff moves slowly to the inner edge of the

page_text: piston and flows over the centre into a pipe, which latter takes it away to other
receivers.
My invention will be understood by reference to the annexed drawings, in which at
Figure 1, I show a sectional elevation and Figure 2 a plan of a Mineral Washing
Machine.
A, A, are standards supporting an annular band B which has a series of inwardly
inclined partitions C and employed in conjunction with other or outwardly inclined
partitions D these constituting together with side walls, a series of wells.
The partitions D are supported by a collar E forming part of or attached to a
supporting column F. The annular band B is of the same diameter from top to
bottom and may have attached to it a ring G carrying at its upper part a V or other
shaped gutter H and which may be in a piece with the frame carrying the sieves N.
The column F also supports by props I a collar J, said collar having lugs K at
intervals for supporting beams L from the outer ends of which by rods M a series of
jigger sieves N are carried, these having an up and down motion simultaneously
within the ring G. The inner ends of the beams L have suspended to them by
links P, P, a weight Q which counter balances the jigger sieves.
The collar J has a central opening which serves to guide a rod R in its up and
down motion under the action of an eccentric on the driving shaft S which may be
operated by strap from overhead motion or otherwise.
The rod R has near its lower end a shoulder T and when said rod descends, it
forces down the inner end of the beams Land raises from the opposite ends the jigger
sieves N and when the shoulder T is carried upwards by the excess weight of the
jigger sieves, causes them to fall and lift, the weight Q, so that the inner ends of the
beams L are kept in contact with the shoulder T.
The series of wells are supplied with water to a given level by branches U, U, and
as the jigger sieves are forcibly lifted, they being covered, or otherwise provided
with any suitable material, create a partial vacuum in the wells, which not only cause
the water in the wells to rise but to keep nozzles V, one to each well, free of deposit,
this being simultaneously drawn into the wells. The lifting action of the jigger
sieves N aided by the partial vacuum draws the finer but heavier particles under
treatment through the meshes of the sieves and simultaneously lift the lighter particles
and the water that is above, so that said lighter particles are, by the constant
supply of material to be washed flowing from the gutter H on to the outer edge
of the sieves, caused to move towards the inner edges of the sieves and they
gradually flow towards the centre and those portions of lighter materials which
are near the inner edge of the sieve wash over the top edge of the collar E into
the hollow column F to flow away by the outlet W to any receiver.
By the time the jigger sieves are ready to descend, the water has risen closely up to
their under surfaces and as the jigger sieves lower themselves they put a pressure
on the water in the wells and cause the heavier particles to pass along with water
through the nozzles V into a receiving trough X.
The material to be washed and separated is fed by spouts Y into a basin Z a series
of pipes a being connected thereto for leading the stuff into the gutter H, from which
it flows in circular sheet like form onto the sieves before mentioned.
The intermittent up and down motion of the jigger sieves enables the meshes to
clear themselves and prevents them becoming choked.
Figures 3 and 4 are slight modifications of the foregoing, in which the pipes a, a,
are dispensed with and in lieu thereof I provide an inverted cone & for distributing the
material to be separated and washed this falling from the basin Z through suitable
channels on to the cone or distributing table b.
In these views I also dispense with the gutter H and employ a deflector c for
leading the material to the outer edge of the jigger sieves. I also dispense with
the counterpoise Q.
With these exceptions the apparatus is the same as that shown at Figures 1 and 2.
Instead of all the walls of the wells being set anglewise, they may have the inner
wall only, and instead of their being a series of wells, there may be only one, as

page_text: represented at Figure 5, the nozzles V being arranged at intervals, as indicated
at Figure 6, the outlets of which lead the material into the trough as with that
previously described, and instead of the distributing table being a fixture, as at
Figure 3, it may be affixed to and move with the rod R, for which purpose it is
necessary that the end of the spout Y should rest upon the basin Z, and to enable this
spout to follow the motion I hinge its opposite end at D with an overlap of the spout
section resting within it, as at Figure 5.
The lighter material which has washed over from the inner periphery of the jigger
sieves may be led in a downward direction from the outlet W, or in an upward
direction, so as to flow over the lip e into a receptacle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved apparatus shown on the annexed drawings for washing and
separating minerals, the several parts operating as and in the manner herein before
described.
2. In an apparatus for wasbing and separating minerals, the employment of annular
sieves having an up and down jigger motion oporated in the manner described.
3. The means or appliances by which the material to be washed and separated is
fed and equally distributed to the outer top edge of the sieve or sieves which is of flat
ring shape and from the up and down motion of said sieves, the heavier particles
are separated by passing through the sieve, and the lighter particles gradually caused
to move towards the inner periphery of the sieve to finally flow over into a central
receiver, as set forth.
4. The modifications referred to in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6, as and for the purpose
described.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London, Agent for the said O. Bilharz.