IMPROVEMENTS IN ORE SEPARATORS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Raphael Hunter Brandon, of No. 1, Rue Lafitte, Paris,
France, Engineer and Patent Agent, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ORE SEPARATORS." A communication from Emory Bassett Hastings,
Mechanical Engineer, Joseph F. Holbrook, and Robert Lewis Goddard,
Gentlemen, all of Palmer, County of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts,
United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Raphael Hunter Brandon at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st January 1881.
RAPHAEL HUNTER BRANDON, of No. 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris, France, Engineer
and Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORE SEPARATORS." [A communication
from Emory Bassett Hastings, Mechanical Engineer, Joseph F. Holbrook, and
Robert Lewis Goddard, Gentlemen, all of Palmer, County of Hampden, and State
of Massachusetts, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to that class of ore separators in which the stamped ore
and ore-bearing rock are separated one from the other by being brought in contract
with a blast of air, and the object of the Invention is to provide improved devices
for manipulating said stamped ore-bearing rock, whereby a more perfect separation
of ore and earthy substances is obtained, and for operating upon magnetic ores so
as to subject the product of the stamp mill to both pneumatic and magnetic action,
whereby nearly all the metal is saved.
In carrying this Invention into practice a feed-hopper is used, having an
adjustable opening through which the stamped material falls upon an endless band.
To further regulate the feed and insure an even distribution, a toothed bar or rake
is arranged across the opening with its teeth reaching into the same, and to which
a transverse motion is imparted by means of a suitably connected leaver bearing
against the corrugated or undulated side of the driving pulley of the machine.
This endless band as it carries the material along in a horizontal or nearly
horizontal direction passes between two boxes, the lower of which receives by
means of suitable connecting pipes a blast of air from a fan or other similar

page_text: (
apparatus, and delivers through suitable openings in its upper side a current of air
which passing through the porous material, such as wire gauze, of which the band
is made, lifts the light earthy and rockly particles out of the heavier metallic
particles of the stamped material on the band, and immediately as they are
lifted these particles are sucked in through openings in the lower side of the upper
box into the latter, to which is connected a pipe leading to an exhausting fan, and
by this second or exhaust current thus established the particles are drawn away
out of the machine. The heavy particles which remain on the band are then, if
magnetic ore is being treated, subjected to the action of permanent or electro-
magnets, to finally separate the metallic parts from the earthy or rocky particles
that may still have remained. These magnets are mounted on that drum of the
endless band which is on the end of the machine opposite to the feed hopper, and
as the band with the material thereon passes downward over the said drum, all the
metallic particles are held by the attractive force on the surface of the band, whilst
the non metallic particles fall off immediately into a suitable duct, which may be
constructed adjustable if desired. The metallic particles fall off into a separate
receptacle, as the portion of the band on which they adhere moves away from the
magnetic drum. The latter is preferably constructed of a hollow shaft carrying a
wooden casing, upon which are fixed longitudinal series of electromagnets, the wires
of all magnets of such series being connected together, and the wires of the
outermost magnets of each series being connected to radial conducting bars which
are insulated from the hollow shaft, but pass through the same, and are set in two
bars of conducting material reaching from each extremity to a sufficient distance
into the shaft, but also insulated therefrom. To the ends of these bars are connected
in any suitable manner the conducting wires leading from an appropriate electric
generator.
The surface of the drum upon which the endless band runs is formed by segmental
shaped armatures set in the pointed and slotted ends of the magnet cores, so that
the ends of one armature come opposite the middle or nearly so of the adjacent
ones, whereby a more unbroken surface is obtained.
The driving pulley for imparting motion to the endless band may be mounted
either upon the shaft of the magnetic drum or upon the opposite drum of the band,
or gearing may be used for the purpose.
It is evident that if non magnetic ores are to be treated, the magnetic drum may
be dispensed with, and the band may run upon two ordinary drums.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Raphael Hunter Brandon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th July 1881.
RAPHAEL HUNTER BRANDON, of 1, Rue Lafitte, Paris, France, Engineer &
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ORE-SEPARATORS." A communication from
abroad by Emory Bassett Hastings, Mechanical Engineer, Joseph F. Holbrook, and
Robert Lewis Goddard, Gentlemen, all of Palmer, County of Hampden, and State
of Massachussetts, United States of America.
This Invention relates to that class of ore separators in which the stamped ore
and ore-bearing rock are separated one from the other by being brought in contact
with a blast of air, and the object of the Invention is to provide improved devices
for manipulating said stamped ore-bearing rock, whereby a more perfect separation
of ore and earthy substances is obtained, and for operating upon magnetic ores
so as to subject the product of the stamp-mill to both pneumatic and magnetic
action, whereby nearly all the metal is saved.
We attain the above objects by the construction and devices illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a slight elevation partly in section of my improved machine;
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the blast and suction boxes and blast-pipes detached
from the machine; Figure 3 is a plan view of the apron drum; Figure 4 is a
detached view of the shaking feed-device; Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of the
magnet apron-drum and its connections; Figure 6 is an end elevation of the drum,
Figure 5, and showing manner of connecting the magnets; Figure 7 is an isometric.
view of my improved magnet and armatures.
Like letters refer to like parts in the several Figures.
:
Upon a suitable frame A we mount the various parts of the machine, which
consist of an ore-box or receptacle B adapted to receive stamped ore and rock to
be operated upon. Said box B is provided with a gate a, which may be lifted or
lowered by any suitable mechanism to govern the discharge from it of the
pulverized material through an aperture x on to the endless apron of the machine.
An apron roll or drum D is adapted to be revolved in proper bearing supports
on frame A by applying power thereto by means of a driving pulley or gear
secured to its shaft; or it may be driven by the said endless apron, as shown.
A second apron-roll E is hung in suitable bearings on frame A parallel to the
first named roll or drum D, near the end of the machine, as shown.
The entire surface of said roll or drum E over which the apron P of the machine
passes is composed of magnet armatures, as hereinafter described, and this drum is
provided with a driving-pulley, as shown, by which movement is imparted to the
machine.
Drum E is constructed upon a hollow shaft F, over which is a tubular wooden
casing i, and upon the outer surface of said wooden casing are secured the
magnets v arranged in longitudinal rows, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, and said
magnets are provided with a segmental shaped armature secured in the slotted
point of each of the magnet cores, and are arranged relative to each other, as shown
in Figure 7.
Only a portion of the magnet cores in Figure 5 are shown with wires wound
upon them, but in practice the entire number of magnets on the drum is finished
complete, and provided with armatures as seen in those at the left in Figure 5 and
in Figure 6.
Through perforations through the hollow shaft F, bushed with insulating
material, are fixed four connection posts o, o, o, o; of metal, which are firmly

page_text: connected to two copper or other suitable bars c, c, which are fixed in an insulated
position in the end of shaft F, as shown in Figure 5.
To the outer end of each of bars c connection is made with any suitable electrical
generator by wires 2 and 3, and the wires of each row of magnets on the drum are
connected, and from the outer one connection is made with posts o, as shown in
Figures 5 and 6. The bearings of shaft F in frame A when it is mounted therein,
as in Figure 1, are so arranged as not to interfere with bars c, and it will be
understood that the wires 2 and 3 are held in contact with the surface of bars c
as they revolve by means of any of the well known devices used for that purpose.
It will be seen that the armatures e of the magnets are so arranged that the end
of one stands opposite, or nearly so, the centre of the adjoining one.
In so arranging the armatures a more unbroken armature-surface is formed on
drum E for the apron P to pass over, and an evener magnetic action is obtained.
A wire-cloth apron P or one of other suitable porous material is secured, around
drums D and E, in the position seen in Figure.
A blast-box R is located transversely across the machine between the upper and
lower portions of apron P, in the top side of which, close against said apron, are
two air-passages, as shown, and the two branches of an air-blast pipe K are
connected to the under side of box R, and convey a blast of air thereto from a
suitable fan.
An air-suction box H is fixed directly over the said blast-box R, and just above
apron P, the latter being arranged to move between said two boxes, and said
suction-box H is provided with an opening 4 through its bottom, over one of those
in box R, and a second opening 5 in its side, close to, said apron, and near the
second opening in box R, as seen in Figure 1, and a suction pipe L leads from
box H to a suitable exhaust fan.
.
A toothed feed-bar 6 is arranged in proper supports directly in front of opening x
in the feed-box B, Figure 1, and its teeth project slightly into said opening. A
longitudinal reciprocating motion is given to said bar by a lever 7 pivoted to said
box and to the end of bar 6.
Said lever 7 runs forward just by the face of the driving-pulley 8 on drum E,
and is provided with a friction roller 9 which comes in contact with the
corrugated edge of said pulley, and thus said bar 6 is operated as above named.
A discharge spout T is secured under drum E, and its upper rear side may be
adjusted back or forward under drum E by means of a hinge 10 connecting the
upper and lower portions of its rear side.
The operation of this machine is as follows, viz.:-The pulverized ore and rock
is placed in box B and falls down there into the opening ac. The machine is now
set in motion and the longitudinal reciprocating motions given to the toothed bar 6
causes said material to slowly run from said box on to the apron P.as the latter moves
along, spreading a thin layer over its surface. The apron carries said material
along between boxes H and R, and it first encounters a blast of air rushing up
through the opening in box R under the opening 4 in the upper box H, and through
porous apron P, and this blast of air carries the non-metallic parts or light portions of
said material up away from the apron and they are immediately drawn into box H
and carried off through tube L. If all of the non-metallic portion of the material is
not removed by its encounter with the first blast the rest will be carried off by the
action upon it of a second blast, which rushes up through the opening in box R
carrying it up before the opening 5 in box H, through which it will enter said box
and be carried off as was the first.
What remains now upon apron P is heavy rocky matter or metallic, and if the
ore be magnetic the action of drum E upon these two remaining matters will be
as follows:-
As soon as the ore upon the apron moves within the magnetic field created by
the armature surface of drum E under apron P, said ore will adhere to the apron
and be carried around the drum until the apron under it leaves said drum, when
the metal or ore will drop away from the apron in the rear of the spout T, and

page_text: meanwhile the sandy or rocky parts of what was left on the apron has fallen into
said spout.
When the ores being worked are not magnetic the machine may be worked
without any connection of drum E with an electrical generator, and in that case
they are separated by the action of the air-blast and exhaust box, between which
the ores are carried on the apron.
If desired permanent magnets of the requisite strength may be substituted in
place of the electro-magnets on the drum E,
It is obvious that the force of the blast and exhaust currents of air upon the
stamped material carried on the apron may be so graduated as always to adapt
them to the weight of the metalic and non-metallic matter in such a way as to just
lift and carry off the rocky and earthy portions and leave all of the metal upon the
apron.
The fineness of the meshes of the apron P is determined by the quality of the
stamped ore and quartz, care being taken that it shall be so adapted to the fineness
of the ore as to prevent its falling through the meshes.
Attempts which have heretofore been made to cause the separation of ores and
earthy substances by subjecting the stamped mass to the action first of a lifting air
current, and then directing a current of air against the upwardly borne lighter
substances to blow them away from the ore have failed to result satisfactorily,
owing to the fact that such floating particles as happen to be within the range of
the blown air current would be carried with it, while those outside of its range
would fall back on to the ore, and the proper separation would not be effected.
What we claim as our Invention is.-
4.
The combination in an ore-separating machine of the endless apron P, the air
5 blast box R, the air suction box H, and an electro-magnet for acting upon the ore
after it has been subjected to the action of lifting and suction air-currents,
substantially as set forth.
4.
The combination in an ore-separating machine of the endless apron P, the air
5 blast box R, the air suction box H, and an electro-magnet for acting upon the ore
after it has been subjected to the action of lifting and suction air-currents,
substantially as set forth.
5.
The combination with the endless apron P of the air blast box R. located

page_text: 7.
In an ore-separating machine, the magnetic apron drum E, constructed to carry a
series of magnets provided with segmental armatures upon its surface adapted to
be connected through the shaft of the drum with an electrical generator,
substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Raphael Hunter Brandon, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
M. n. DRAN DON. (S.)
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