Improvements in Separating Apparatus, Chiefly Designed for Treating Rock, Sand, and other Material Containing Metal.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 28th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 31st May, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Separating Apparatus, Chiefly Designed for Treating
Rock, Sand, and other Material Containing Metal.
I, IGNAZ CURTER VON BREINLSTEIN, of 10, Lamungasse, Vienna, VIII, in the
Empire of Austria, Professor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The apparatus constructed according to this invention has for its object to separate
substances of greater specific gravity from substances of less specific gravity, more
especially ores and metals, such as gold and silver from rock, sand and other material
containing the same. By means of this improved apparatus the separation is effected
in a simple and rapid manner, much space, time, and work is saved, devices hereto-
fore employed such as launders, trunks, washing and sweep hearths are dispensed
It is of course immaterial
with, and as complete a yield as possible is obtained.
whether either the separated ore or metal or the clutriated non-metallic material (for
example, kaolin) constitutes the principal product.
If carried out on a small scale this apparatus can be employed in the laboratory.for
examination.
The improved separating apparatus consists essentially of two parts hereinafter
termed the twirling apparatus and centrifugal apparatus.
The material to be treated in the said apparatus is stamped or pounded as fine
as possible (dead), and after having been passed through a fine sieve (about
1600 meshes to the square centimetre) in order to retain all the coarser parts, which
are subsequently reduced again, is first placed with a suitable quantity of water into
the twirling apparatus wherein most of the ore or metal of greater specific gravity is
separated from the accompanying carthy, stony or sandy material of less specific
gravity. The slime now containing only little ore or metal in the finest division is
conveyed to the centrifugal apparatus where the last traces of the ore or metal are
separated and can be collected.
The aforesaid twirling apparatus comprises a frame made of suitable beams, in
which is firmly mounted a cylindrical vessel baving a hollow stationary axis supported
below upon a journal and held above by an arm. This hollow axis carries an admission
funnel for the slime which contains ore, and extends to within a short distance from
the bottom of the above-mentioned cylindrical vessel.
In this vessel is fixed a stationary cylinder which is open above and below.
Upon the said hollow axis is loosely slid a tube which is suitably supported in the
frame of the apparatus, and carries a cord pulley by means of which it can be set in
rapid rotation. This tube has mounted upon it the rotary parts of the apparatus,
including a rake adapted to stir the deposit which is rich in ore or metal, and which
has dropped upon the bottom of the vessel, the said bottom being slightly arched
towards the interior. Above the rake, are fixed, to the aforesaid tube, upwardly bent
arms which carry helical vanes at their upper ends on the outside of the inner
stationary cylinder.
Above these vanes is loosely fitted upon the said tube, a ring which is connected by
arins with the lower edge of the inner cylinder so as to support the latter below, and
a twirl is secured through the medium of a nave on the tube above the said ring
within the inner cylinder. This twirl presents the form of a wind-wheel the several
vanes of which may have openings provided at their inner end.
At the upper part of the inner cylinder is fixed upon the above-mentioned tube a
small cylindrical vessel at the lower edge of which are provided small holes.
Into this small vessel extends the lower end of a tube which is placed loosely upon
the tube held upon the hollow axis. This tube is fixed by means of collars and arms
to the cylindrical vessel and is in communication with a discharge pipe.

page_text: The slime containing ore or metal flows from the admission funnel through the
hollow axis and passes through holes at the lower end of the said axis into the
cylindrical vessel. By reason of the rotary movement of the aforesaid twirl and
vanes an upward current of the slime is caused in the inner cylinder and a down-
ward current in the intermediate space between the aforesaid cylinder and vessel,
the latter current being further sustained by the rotation of the slime and helical
vanes provided on the outer periphery of the inner cylinder. The curvature of
the helical vanes
on the upwardly bent arms and on the outer periphery of the
said cylinder and the vanes of the twirl must of course be appropriately determined in
order to obtain the said currents, when the apparatus is rotated in the proper direction.
Owing to this circulation of the slime in the inner cylinder and in the intermediate
space between the latter and the aforesaid vessel, and to the centrifugal force produced
in the rotary movement of the liquid, the particles of ore and metal of greater specific
gravity are forced outward, pass to the exterior of the inner cylinder, where they
rapidly descend and are deposited at the bottom of the said vessel. The slime thus
formed is stirred by the rake thereby carrying back dead particles into the current
and rendering the slime richer.
After the greatest part of the ore or metal contained in the slime has thus been
removed therefrom the slime is caused to pass into the above-mentioned small vessel
where, by reason of the centrifugal force it will lose part of the ore or metal it contains,
single particles being thrown out through the holes in the lower part of the small
vessel, and settling in the outer vessel.
Then the poor slime will rise in the tube which extends into the said small vessel
and will flow off through the discharge pipe communicating therewith for further
treatment in the centrifugal apparatus hereinafter described.
The rich slime is let off from time to time by removing a plug from an opening in
the lower part of the outer vessel.
The centrifugal apparatus has for its object to remove from the slime delivered by
the discharge pipe of the twirling apparatus the remainder of the ore or metal still
contained therein.
The frame of this apparatus carries an arm, and in these two parts is supported a
hollow shaft provided with a cord pulley. This shaft is adapted to receive a hollow
cone, in which is placed a second hollow cone rounded off below. The outer cone is
reinforced above by a hoop and is closed by an accurately fitting cover. Between the
outer cone and the inner cone is left a small space. The slime to be treated is
admitted through a funnel at the upper end of a central admission tube which extends
to within a short distance from the bottom of the inner hollow cone.
At the lower end of the central admission tube is fixed a small cone which has for
its object to at once force outward the liquid on entering the inner hollow cone.
The central admission tube is surrounded by a wider telescopic tube, the upper part
of which extends conically downwards, and which passes deep into the inner hollow
cone. Upon the upper part of the central tube is secured a cone which opens down-
wardly, and which is above the downwardly extending conical part of the telescopic
tube. These cones are surrounded by a vessel having its lower edge turned upwardly,
which edge extends below the upper part of the central admission tube. The said
vessel is closed above by a perforated cover which is pressed by suitable means, such
as a spring upon the edge of the vessel. The latter has a discharge pipe at its lower
part and is carried by a ring fixed by means of a rod to a standard, so that the position
of the vessel can be adjusted.
Two arms hold the said admission tube in its central position in the telescopic tube,
and the latter is held by means of a bracket in an arm secured on a standard of the
frame.
The outer cone has an opening below and terminates in the interior of the hollow
shaft. The upper end of this hollow shaft is closed through the medium of a valve,
valve-rod and spring, which valve is opened through a rod and lever.
The slime introduced into the funnel at the upper end of the central admission tube
passes through the latter to the bottom of the inner hollow cone. The small cone

page_text: placed at the lower end of the central tube forces the liquid outwards, the centrifugal
action produced in the rotary movement of the inner cone throws the particles of ore
or metal of greater gravity outwards towards the upper edge of the said cone where a
dense ring of separated particles of ore or metal is formed which in the rotary move-
ment of the cone is kept suspended by the centrifugal force in the intermediate space
between the inner and outer cones.
In proportion as slime flows in, the quantity of the separated ore or metal will
increase whilst the liquid deprived of the ore or metal it contains is pressed from the
centre of the inner cone through the annular intermediate space between the above
mentioned telescopic an central tubes into the said vessel (by the pressure of the
column of water in the central tube) and flows out through the discharge pipe.
When a sufficient quantity of the separated metal has collected the rotation of the
apparatus is interrupted. As soon as the apparatus stops, the slick will descend from
the space between the inner and outer cone and can be removed from the centrifugal
apparatus after opening the aforesaid valve.
If the improved apparatus is employed for extracting gold it is desirable to
introduce an appropriate quantity of mercury into the centrifugal apparatus, whereby
its effectiveness is considerably increased.
When the working is effected in a proper manner the slime leaving the said discharge
tube will contain scarcely any traces of ore or metal. It will thus be understood that
this improved apparatus enables as complete a yield as possible of the ore or metal with a
small expenditure of time and power and very little space whilst the operation is
almost continuous.
The details more especially the frame, actuating mechanism and the purely con-
structional parts of the apparatus, can be variously modified without departing from
the nature of the invention.
Dated this 13th day of Ananst 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Separating Apparatus, Chiefly Designed for Treating
Rock, Sand, and other Material Containing Metal.
I, IGNAZ CURTER VON BREINLSTEIN of 10 Lammgasse, Vienna VIII in the Empire
of Austria, Professor, 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 apparatus constructed according to this invention has for its object to separato
substances of greater specific gravity from substances of less specific gravity more
especially ores and metals such as gold and silver from rock, sand and other material
containing the same.
By means of this improved apparatus the separation is effected in a simple and
rapid manner, much space, time and work is saved, the devices heretofore employed
such as launders, trunks, washing and sweep hearths are dispensed with, and as
complete a yield as possible is obtained. It is of course immaterial whether either
the separated ore or metal or the elutriated non-metallic material (for example kaolin)
constitutes the principal product.
If carried out on a small scale this apparatus can be employed in the laboratory for
examination.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing the Figures of which are
hereinafter referred to.
The improved separating apparatus consists essentially of two parts one of which
is hereinafter termed the twirling apparatus represented partly in section and partly
n elevation, in Figure 1 and the centrifugal apparatus, shown in section in Figure 4.
The material to be treated in the said apparatus is stamped or pounded as fine as

page_text: possible (dead) and after having been passed through a fine sieve (about 1600 meshes
to the square centimetre) in order to retain all the coarser parts which are subsequently
reduced again, is first placed with a suitable quantity of water into the twirling
apparatus Figure 1 wherein most of the ore or metal of greater specific gravity is
separated from the accompanying earthy, stony or sandy material of less specific
gravity. The slime now containing only little ore or metal in the finest division is
conveyed to the centrifugal apparatus where the last traces of the ore or metal are
separated and can be collected.
a¹ a¹
The aforesaid iwirling apparatus represented in Figure I comprises a frame
made of suitable beams in which is firmly mounted a cylindrical vessel & having a
hollow stationary axis e supported below upon a journal and held above by an arm c.
ore, the
This hollow axis carries a hopper or funnel E for the slime which contains
pipe e extends to within a short distance from the bottom of the above mentioned
cylindrical vessel b.
In this vessel is fixed a stationary cylinder d which is open above and below.
Upon the said hollow axis e is loosely slid a tube which is suitably supported at
in the frame of the apparatus and carries a cord pulleys by means of which it can be
set in rapid rotation. This tuber has mounted upon it the rotary parts of the
apparatus including a rake R adapted to stir the deposit which is rich in ore or metal,
and which has dropped upon the bottom of the vessel the said bottom being slightly
arched or dished towards the interior. Above the rake are fixed to the aforesaid
tube upwardly bent arms Z which carry helical vanes that their upper ends on the
outside of the inner stationary cylinder.
Above these vanes is loosely
Figure 3 shows an elevation of one of these vanes.
fitted upon the said tube a ring which is connected by arms d with the lower
secured
edge of the inner cylinder d so as to support the latter below, and a twirl t
through the medium of a nave Q on the tube above the said ring within the
inner cylinder d. Figure 2 shows a plan view of this twirl which presents the form
of a wind-wheel the several vanes of which may have openings provided at their inner
end, as shown at Figure 2.
At the upper part of the inner cylinder d is fixed upon the abovementioned
tube a small cylindrical vessel g at the lower edge of which are provided small
holes g¹.
Into this small vessel y extends the lower end of a tube h which is placed loosely
upon the tube held upon the hollow axis. This tube is fixed by means of collars
and arms to the cylindrical vessel and is in communication with a discharge
pipe N.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows.
The slime containing ore or metal having been put into the hopper or funnel E
Hows from the same through the hollow axis e and passes through holes at the
lower end of the said axis into the cylindrical vessel b. By reason of the rotary
movement of the aforesaid twirl and vanes t¹ in the vessel d an upward current of
the slime is caused in the inner cylinder and a downward current in the intermediate
space between the vessels d and the latter current being further sustained by the
rotation of the slime and helical vanes provided on the outer periphery of the inner
cylinder d. The curvature of the helical vanes t¹ and and of the vanes of the
twirl and the direction of the rotary motion of the apparatus must of course be
appropriately determined in order to obtain the said currents.
Owing to this circulation of the slime in the inner cylinder d and in the inter-
mediate space between the latter and the aforesaid vessel band to the centrifuga
force produced in the rotary movement of the liquid the particles of ore and metal o
greater specific gravity are forced outward, pass to the exterior of the inner cylinder
where they rapidly descend and are deposited at the bottom of the said vessel b
The slime thus formed is stirred by the rake R thereby carrying back dead particle
into the current and rendering the slime richer.
After the greatest part of the ore or metal contained in the slime has thus bee
removed therefrom the slime is caused to pass into the abovementioned small vessel

page_text: where by reason of the centrifugal force it will lose part of the ore or metal it contains,
single particles being thrown out through the holes g' in the lower part of the sinali
vessel g and settling in the outer vessel b.
Then the poor slime will rise in the tube h which extends into the said small vessel
3 and will flow off through the discharge pipe N communicating therewith for further
treatment in the centrifugal apparatus (Figure 4) hereinafter described.
The rich slime is let off from time to time by removing a plug M from an opening
in the lower part of the outer vessel. The centrifugal apparatus has for its object to
remove from the slime delivered by the discharge pipe N of the twirling apparatus
the remainder of the ore or metal still contained therein.
The frame a², a² of this apparatus carries an arm p and in these two parts, is
supported a hollow shaft S provided with a cord pulleys. This shaft is adapted to
receive a hollow cone T in which is placed a second hollow cone & with a rounded
bottom as shown in Figure 4. The outer cone T is reinforced above by a hoop D'
and is closed by an accurately fitting cover D, between the outer cone T and the
inner cone k is left a small space k. The slime to be treated is admitted through a
hopper or funnel E¹ at the upper end of a central admission tube u which extends to
within a short distance from the bottom of the inner hollow cone k.
At the lower end of the central admission tube u is fixed a small cone k³ open
above and which has for its object to force outward the liquid on its entering the
inner hollow cone k.
The central admission tube u is surrounded by a wider telescopic tube a¹ the upper
part of which is bent over and extends downwards conically, the said tube ¹ passes a
considerable distance into the inner hollow cone k. Upon the upper part of the
central tube u is secured a cone a which opens downwardly and which is arranged
above the downwardly extending conical part of the telescopic tube . These cones
are surrounded by a vessel G having its lower edge turned upwardly, which edge
extends below the upper part of the telescopic tube . The said vessel G is closed
above by a perforated cover G which is pressed by suitable means such as a springf
upon the edge of the vessel G. The latter is provided with a discharge pipe G3 at its
lower part and is carried by a ring G which is adjustably fixed by means of a rod ³
to a standard m² so that the position of the vessel can be adjusted.
Two arms, hold the said admission tube u² in its central position in the telescopic
tube and the latter is held by means of a bracket m in an arm secured on a
standard o of the frame.
The outer cone T has an opening below and terminates in the interior of the hollow
shaft S. The upper end of this hollow shaft is closed through the medium of a
valve v, valve rod and spring. The said valve is opened by means of a rod H'
and lever H.
The slime introduced into the hopper or funnel E at the upper end of the central
admission tube passes through the tube u to the bottom of the inner hollow cone k. The
small cone placed at the lower end of the central tube forces the liquid outwards, the
centrifugal action produced in the rotary movement of the inner cone throws the
particles of ore or metal of greater gravity outwards towards the upper edge of the
said cone where a dense ring of separate particles of ore or metal is formed which
in the rotary movement of the cone is kept suspended by the centrifugal force in the
intermediate space between the inner and outer cones k and T.
In proportion as slime flows in the quantity of the soparated ore or metal will
increase while the liquid deprived of the ore or metal it contains is pressed from the
centre of the inner cone k through the annular intermediate space between the
tubes u, u into the said vessel G (by the pressure of the column of water in
the central tube 2) and flows out through the discharge pipe G³.
When a sufficient quantity of the separated metal has collected in the space the
otation of the apparatus is interrupted. As soon as the apparatus stops the slick
vill descend from the space between the cones & and T and can be removed from
be centrifugal apparatus after opening the aforesaid valve v.
If the improved apparatus is employed for extracting gold it is desirable to introduce

page_text: an appropriate quantity of mercury into the centrifugal apparatus whereby its
effectiveness is considerably increased.
When the working is effected in a proper manner the slime leaving the said
It will thus be
discharge tube G³ will contain scarcely any traces of ore or metal.
understood that this improved apparatus enables as complete a yield as possible of
the ore or metal with a small expenditure of time and power and very little space
whilst the operation is almost continuous.
The details of construction more especially of the frame the actuating mechanism
and the purely constructional parts of the apparatus can be variously modified without
departing from the nature of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what I
claim is
First An apparatus for separating materials of greater specific gravity from
materials of less specific gravity in which by a twirl and a vane t' the slime is set in
rotary movement and at the same time in circulation in the vertical direction, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes described.
Second In a separating apparatus the combination of the outer vessel the
inner vessel d the twirl with the vanes substantially as and for the purpose
described.
Third In a separating apparatus the combination of the outer vessel the inner
vessel d the rotary twirl the rotary vanes and the stationary vanes on the vessel d
substantially as and for the purposes described.
Fourth In a separating apparatus substantially as described the arrangement of
the inlet in such a manner that the slime enters the said apparatus from below
substantially as above set forth.
Fifth In a separating apparatus substantially as described the arrangement of the
vessel g and the tube which is in connection with the discharge pipe substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
Sixth A centrifugal apparatus for separating materials of greater specific gravity
from materials of less specific gravity in which the inlet of the slime to be treated is
effected through a tube and the outlet of the slime which has been treated through
a tube which is concentric with the aforesaid tube, whilst the separated material is
removed through an opening in the lower part of the outer wall of the double walled
drum Tk substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Seventh In a centrifugal apparatus for the purpose specified the combination of
the two funnels T & the former of which is closed above and open below the latter
open above and closed below and wherein between the two is left above an inter-
mediate space for the slick of the inlet tube with the cone and the valve
substantially as described.
Eighth In a centrifugal apparatus for the purpose specified the combination of the
inlet tube 2 the outlet tube surrounding the same with the cone-shaped upper edge
of the cone u bent downwardly and outwards and the vessel G.
Ninth In the separation of substances of greater specific gravity from substance
of less specific gravity the combination of a twirling apparatus and a centrifuga
apparatus in such a manner that the slime to be treated will first pass through th
twirling apparatus and the slime leaving the latter and deprived of the greatest par
of the substance of greater specific gravity will pass through the centrifugal apparatus
substantially as and for the purpose described.
1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant: