IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND SEPARATING ORES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
-
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND SEPARATING ORES."-
A communication from abroad by John Hart Hillman, of Trigg
Furnace, County of Trigg, and State of Kentucky, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 2nd April 1873.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND
SEPARATING ORES," to be as follows :—
This Invention has for its object to furnish an improved machine for
separating or cleaning ore by a current or blast of air, which shall be
simple in construction, convenient in use, and effective in operation, and

page_text: it consists in the construction and combination of the various parts of
the machine, as herein-after more fully described.
An inclined cylinder, which is made of boiler plate, is rigidly con-
nected with a shaft by means of arms or spiders so as to be carried
around by and with said shaft in its revolution. The upper part of this
cylinder is covered for about two-thirds of its circumference with a
jacket, which is connected with and supported from the frame of the
machine. The journals of the shaft revolve in bearings in the frame,
and to its rear end is attached a bevel gear wheel, the teeth of which
mesh into the teeth of another bevel gear wheel attached to a driving
shaft, to which are attached the fast and loose pulleys to receive the
belt by which the machine is driven. The cylinder is provided with
an inwardly projecting flange around its upper end forming a circular
opening in the middle part of the said upper end, into which fits a
projection at the bottom of a feed hopper. The upper arm or spider
before mentioned is placed at a little distance from the upper end of the
cylinder to allow the ore to feed freely from the hopper into said cylinder.
The lower spider is placed at the extreme lower end of the cylinder.
The box to receive the ore is made to fit closely against the lower end
of the cylinder, and its lower part is provided with two doors which
are bent inward or toward each other, and are kept closed by weights.
From the upper part of the ore receiver a pipe or pipes lead to a fan
blower, by which a current of air is exhausted through the cylinder.
The fan blower is constructed in the ordinary manner, and is driven by
a belt from the power that rotates the cylinder, one shell of which is
perforated with numerous holes, so that when the fan is operated a
strong current of air may enter through the small holes in the cylinder,
pass through the said cylinder through the ore receiver, through the
pipes and fan, and be discharged into any desired place.
The ore after being crushed to the desired fineness is delivered into
the hopper by any suitable means and is fed into a cylinder, which by
its motion keeps the ore rolling and sliding about the inclination of the
cylinder and its own gravity, causing it to pass down to the lower end
of said cylinder. This movement of the ore rubs off the dirt and dust,
which is carried out through the cylinder, pipes, and fan by and with
the current of air. The smaller particles of ore will pass through the
while the larger particles will be carried down to
the ore receiving box. When the ore has sufficiently accumulated in
holes of the cylinder,

page_text: -
the box to overbalance the weights it will force the doors open and be
discharged into any suitable receptacle provided for that purpose, and
the doors will be again closed by the weight. The jacket is made to
fit the cylinder at its ends and at its side edges to prevent a current of
air from passing in through the holes in the upper part of the said
cylinder, thus making the current of air strong in the lower part of the
cylinder where the small particles of ore must pass through.
The small holes in the cylinder and the jacket may be dispensed with
by making the opening at the bottom of the hopper large, and forming
strips or shelves upon the inner surface of the cylinder and extending
its whole length. In this case the ore would be continually carried up
by the shelves or flanges and dropped through the cylinder until it had
reached the lower end of said cylinder, the falling ore being all the
time exposed to a current of air which would carry off all the lighter
material.
The fan blower may be placed at the upper end of the cylinder by
introducing the oro near the top of the opening and connecting the pipo
with the lower part of said opening. In this case the lower part of the
cylinder may be left open.
If desired a blast may be used instead of an exhaust, when circum-
stances will allow.
The main object in using an exhaust blast is to prevent the dust
taken from the ore from flying about. This the exhaust entirely
prevents, and the discharge may be into a large chamber where the
current would be small, and where the dust would settle by its own
weight, and could be taken away at intervals, as might be convenient.
If the air be exhausted at the upper end of the cylinder it may be
necessary to feed the ore into said cylinder by means of a rotary feeder,
so constructed as to allow only a small quantity of air to pass in with
the ore, so as not to affect the draft current passing up through the
said cylinder. In this case the air in its passage to the fan would be
compelled to pass up through the cylinder and through the falling ore,
meeting the ore as it progressed along the cylinder, the pure air thus
coming first in contact with the ore that was already nearly clean.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 30th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark, Her special licence
that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Melville Clark,
my executors, 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, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CLEANING AND SEPARATING ORES," a com-
munication to me from abroad by John Hart Hillman, of Trigg Furnace,
County of Trigg, and State of Kentucky, United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark,
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 Alexander Melville Clark, 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, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):
This Invention has for its object to furnish an improved machine for
separating or cleaning ore by a current or blast of air which shall be
simple in construction, convenient in use, and effective in operation;

page_text: and it consists in the construction and combination of the various parts
of the machine, as herein-after more fully described.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 is a rear end view of the
improved ore cleaner; Figure 2 is a detail vertical longitudinal section
of the same taken through the line x, x, Figure 1; Figure 3 is a detail
cross section of the revolving cylinder taken through the line y, y,
Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a detail cross section of the discharge
chamber taken through the line z, z, Figure 2. Similar letters of
reference indicate corresponding parts.
A is a cylinder made of boiler plate, and which is rigidly connected
with the shaft B by the arms or spiders C, so as to be carried around
by and with said shaft in its revolution. The upper part of the
cylinder A is covered for about two-thirds of its circumference with
a jacket D which is connected with and supported from the frame E
of the machine. The journals of the shaft B revolve in bearings in
the frame E, and to its rear end is attached a bevel gear wheel F,
the teeth of which mesh into the teeth of a bevel gear wheel G
attached to the shaft H which revolves in bearings in the rear part
of the frame E, and to which are attached the fast and loose pulleys I
which receive the belt by which the machine is driven. The cylinder A
is inclined and has an inwardly projecting flange J formed around its
upper end, as shown in Figure 2, forming a circular opening in the
middle part of the said upper end, into which fits the circular pro-
jection K at the bottom of the feed hopper L. The upper arms or
3 spiders C are placed at a little distance from the upper end of the
cylinder A, as shown in Figure 2, to allow the ore to feed freely
from the hopper L into the cylinder A. The lower spider O is placed
at the extreme lower end of the cylinder A, as shown in Figure 2.
M is the box that receives the ore which is made to fit closely against
the lower end of the cylinder A, so as to receive the ore from said
cylinder. The lower part of the receiving box M is provided with
two doors N which are bent inward or toward each other, and are
kept closed by weights O, as shown in Figure 4. From the upper
part of the ore receiver M a pipe or pipes P lead to the fan blower Q
by which a current of air is exhausted through the cylinder A. The
fan blower Q is constructed in the ordinary manner, and is driven
by a belt from the power that rotates the cylinder A. The shell of
the cylinder A is perforated with numerous holes, as shown in Figure 2,
.

page_text: so that when the fan Q is operated a strong current of air may enter
through the small holes in the cylinder A, pass through the said
cylinder A, through the ore receiver M, through the pipes P, through
the fan Q, and may be discharged into any desired place.
The ore, after being crushed to the desired fineness, is delivered into
the hopper L by any suitable means, and is fed into the cylinder A.
The cylinder A by its motion keeps the ore rolling and sliding about,
the inclination of the cylinder A and its own gravity causing it to
pass down to the lower end of said cylinder. This movement of the
ore rubs off the dirt and dust, which is carried out through the
cylinder, pipes, and fan, by and with the current of air. The smaller
particles of ore will pass through the holes of the cylinder A, while
the larger particles will be carried down to the ore receiving box M.
When the ore has sufficiently accumulated in the box M to over-
balance the weights O, it will force the doors N open and be discharged -
into any suitable receptacle provided for that purpose, and the doors N
will be again closed by the weights O. The jacket D is made to fit
the cylinder A at its ends, as shown in Figure 2, and at its side edges,
as shown in Figure 3, to prevent a current of air from passing in through
the holes in the upper part of the said cylinder, thus making the current
of air strong in the lower part of the cylinder where the small particles
of ore must pass through.
The small holes in the cylinder A and the jacket D may be dispensed
with by making the opening at the bottom of the hopper L large, and
forming strips or shelves upon the inner surface of the cylinder A, and 2
extending its whole length. In this case the ore would be continually
carried up by the shelves or flanges and dropped through the cylinder
until it had reached the lower end of said cylinder, the falling ore being
all the time exposed to a current of air which would carry off all the
lighter material.
The fan blower may be placed at the upper end of the cylinder A
by introducing the ore near the top of the opening, and connecting the
pipe P with the lower part of said opening. In this case the lower end
of the cylinder A may be left open.
If desired a blast may be used instead of an exhaust, when circum- 3
stances will allow.
The main object in using an exhaust blast is to prevent the dust taken
from the ore from flying about; this the exhaust entirely prevents, and

page_text: | the discharge may be into a large chamber where the current would be
small, and where the dust would settle by its own weight, and could be
taken away at intervals, as might be convenient.
If the air be exhausted at the upper end of the cylinder A. it may be
necessary to feed the ore into said cylinder by means of a rotary feeder
so constructed as to allow only a small quantity of air to pass in with
the ore, so as not to affect the draught current passing up through the
said cylinder. In this case the air in its passage to the fan would be
compelled to pass up through the cylinder and through the falling ore,
mecting the orc as it progressed along the cylinder, the pure air thus
coming first in contact with the ore that was already nearly clean.
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as the
Invention to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,
1st. The combination of the ore receiver M. provided with weighted
doors N, O, with the cylinder A and hopper L, whether said cylinder
be perforated or not, and whether the jacket D be used or not, sub-
stantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose set forth.
2nd. The combination of a fan blower Q and air pipe or pipes P,
with the cylinder A, hopper L, and ore receiver M, whether the said
cylinder A be perforated and the jacket D be used or not, substantially
as herein shown and described and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-three.
0
Witness,
HENRY W. DEWEY,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)