Improvements in Apparatus for Sorting and Classifying Ores, Grain, Flour, and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Sorting and Classifying Ores, Grain,
Flour, and the like.
I, JACQUES ANCEL, of 16 Rue Drouot, Paris, France, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this Invention to be as follows:
This Invention relates to apparatus for sorting and classifying ores, grain, flour,
and the like, in which a current of air, acting by suction, or exhaust, is employed
to separate the dust, sort the materials under treatment, and classify them in
order of density.
Heretofore, apparatus working by air currents have been employed in various
trades, but have not given good results, especially as regards classification, hence
their employment has not become general, and, as regards the sorting of ores,
recourse has generally been had to treatment by the wet process.
Now, my invention has for its object to obtain a more complete sorting and
classification, and, to this end, the apparatus consists of a chamber in which
revolves a drum forming a slightly inclined sieve, said drum being formed of
wire gauze, or perforated sheet metal, the meshes or openings in which gradually
increase in size towards the lower end of the drum. At the upper part of the
chamber, is a distributing hopper, provided, at its lower part, with a distributing
roller against which presses a flap for regulating the feed. The materials fall
through a shoot into the drum, on leaving which they are sorted into classes of
different sizes according to the mesh or openings in the gauze, or perforated
sheet, over which they pass. The materials thus sorted into sizes fall into another
hopper wherein is likewise a feed distributor, against which presses a counter-
balanced flap for regulating the feed to the suction classifying devices for classing
the materials in order of density. These devices consist of a first shoot (into which
the whole of the materials fall) provided with an adjustable flap door. This flap
door closes communication between said shoot and an adjacent one, which is open
at bottom to allow the passage of an air current produced by a fan, communicating
through a conduit with such second or open shoot. This conduit is made conical
and widest at its lower end so as to obtain a greater intensity of suction, and it is
provided with a regulating valve or damper. By reason of the suction, the outer
air meets the materials as they fall into the second shoot. These materials, under
the energetic action of the air current, become separated, so that the heaviest of
them fall into a compartment specially provided for them, whilst the lighter
materials are drawn in the direction of the conduit. The air in travelling expands
at the inner end of the second shoot, through an increase in section at that point
in the shoot, hence the fall of the heavier materials. These latter materials
collect in a third shoot which is arranged similarly to the first and, like it, is
provided with a flap door separating it from the next adjacent or fourth shoot,
which latter is open, and is arranged like the second shoot, and in which a fresh
separation of the materials is effected, the dust alone being carried off by the fan.

page_text: The materials fall successively into other similarly arranged shoots, the number
of which is according to the varieties of the materials to be treated.
There may be as many groups of shoots as desired, each group corresponding to
the degree of fineness of the material admitted into the drum. On leaving the
different shoots the materials are received into separate boxes.
In some cases, it may be found advantageous to provide the shoots, and especially
the second, or that which receives the heaviest materials, with a receiving trough
in which is arranged a small worm, or a shaft carrying blades, for throwing back
the materials falling from said second shoot, so as to subject them to a more
energetic action of the air current.
The dust carried off by the fan is received into a suitable receptacle containing
water.
The wire gauze on the drum is kept clean by means of a rotary brush actuated
by any suitable means.
It is obvious that the current of air, instead of being a suction current, may be
an air blast, the work being effected in the same manner.
ERNEST DE PASS,
Chartered Patent Agent, 78 Fleet Street, London, and
5A Market Street, Nottingham, Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Sorting and Classifying Ores, Grain,
Flour, and the like.
I, JACQUES ANCEL, of 16 Rue Drouot, Paris, France, Engineer, do hereby declare
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:
This invention relates to apparatus for sifting, sorting and classifying ores,
grain, flour and other substances in which a current of air is employed acting by
suction or a blast in order to separate dust, sift the products treated and sort or
classify them according to their specific gravity.
Apparatus acting by air-suction or blast have been used in flour-mills and other
places for a long time, but none of them have given satisfactory results especially
as regards sorting or classifying consequently their use has not become general.
As regards the separating of ores, owing to the variety of the elements of which
they consist, whenever they are treated by physical methods, it is always a
treatment by liquid.
This invention relates to improvments in this description of apparatus made
with a view of obtaining a more perfect sifting and sorting. In order to facilitate
the understanding of the description, an apparatus according to the present inven-
tion is shown by way of example, in the accompanying drawing in which,
Figure 1 is an elevation in longitudinal section.
Figure 2 a plan, and
Figure 3 a cross section on the line 1-2 of Figures 1 and 2. The same letters
indicate the same parts throughout the drawings.
This apparatus according to the present invention comprises a casing A, supported
on feet a in which is adapted to rotate a hollow cylinder B slightly inclined and
forming a sieve and consisting of a casing of netting wire gauze or perforated

page_text: sheet-metal, the holes or meshes increasing with the distance from the point at
I which the substances to be sifted and sorted are introduced. At the upper portion
of the casing A is arranged the feeding hopper C provided at the bottom with a
distributing cylinder 1 against which rests a valve E under yielding spring
pressure serving to regulate the admission of the material to be treated. The
material falls from it through a conduit F into the rotating cylinder B from which
it is discharged, classified according to the size of the holes of the perforated metal
sheet or gauze through which it passed. The material thus separated from the
large pieces which will not pass through any of the meshes falls into another
hopper or series of hoppers G in each of which is arranged another feeding
distributor H on which presses a flap-valve L provided with a balance-weight
serving to regulate the feed to the classifying suction chambers or parts which are
to classify the materials according to its specific gravity. These parts are con-
stituted as follows:-A first shoot or chamber 1 into which all the material falls
and which is closed by a valve 2 the pressure of which can be adjusted as desired.
This valve 2 closes the communication between the shoot 1 and the shoot 3 open
at the bottom and admitting a current of air obtained by means of a fan I com-
municating through the conduit J with the shoot 4 having the shape of a truncated
pyramid for the purpose of attaining a greater intensity of suction, the orifice for
suction of said shoot 4 being regulated by means of a valve 5. Owing to the
suction air coming from the outside and going in the direction indicated by the
arrow, meets the material falling into the shoot 3 and sifts it thoroughly. The
heavier material falls into a compartment reserved for it, the lighter material
being drawn in the direction of the shoot 4. In this course the air current
expands at the point where the shoot 3 increases in cross section, in consequence
of which the material which is a little heavier than that which fell at 3 falls,
which material collects in the shoot 7 constructed as the shoot 1 and provided like the
latter with a valve 8 serving to separate it from the shoot 9 constructed like
the shoot 3 and in which a further separating or sorting of material takes place,
the dust alone being carried away by the fan I. The material thus successively
undergoes a similar treatment in the shoots 10 and 11, the number of shoots
employed being any desired according to the varieties of the constituent parts of
the material to be treated. There can thus exist as many groups of shoots
I II III IV etc. as desired, each group corresponding to the different meshes
through which the material has passed in the cylinder B. At its discharge from
the different shoots, the materials are received into separate boxes or compartments.
It may be desirable in certain cases to arrange at the end of the different
shoots 3, 9, 10, and 11, more particularly the shoot 3, which receives the heavier
substances, receiving troughs 31 in which turns a small worm or screw shaft
carrying blades 3" which return the material falling through the shoots 3 so as
to subject them to further treatment.
The dust caught by the fan falls into receptacles M containing water for the
purpose of receiving or absorbing said dust. The netting or gauze of the drum B
is constantly cleaned by means of a brush P driven in any suitable way from the
main shaft.
It will be readily understood that the current of air instead of being drawn in
may be injected-the apparatus operating in the same manner.
The dampers or
valves for regulating the air-current are opened to a greater or lesser extent
according to the nature of the material to be treated, this being a detail which will
be soon learned in practical work.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven- .
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. An improved suction apparatus for sifting, sorting or classifying ores, grain,
flour and the like comprising a perforated drum provided with sections of varving

page_text: spouts or air channels into which euccessively fall under the action of the air
draught the material of different specific gravities, the lightest dust being carried
to the outside or into receptacles filled with water substantially as described.
2. In sifting, sorting or classifying apparatus of the character described a
series of separating chambers with air passages as 3, 9, 10 and conduits 4
substantially as described.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete
apparatus for sifting, sorting or classifying ores, grain, flour and the like
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 6th day of December 1897.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.