Improvements in the Process of and Means or Apparatus for Separating and Dressing and Finishing Granular Powdered Substances.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application; 12th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Oct., 1889-Accepted, 23rd Nov., 1889
Improvements in the Process of and Means or Apparatus for
Separating and Dressing and Finishing Granular
Powdered Substances.
or
1. EDWARD VINCENT GARDNER, of Berners College, Oxford Street, in the County
of Middlesex, Professor of Chemistry, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:
This invention relates to a process of and means or apparatus for separating particles
granular or powdered substances of different degrees of fineness or density from one
another and of dressing and finishing such substances.
In carrying my invention into effect I attach to the delivery end of a grinding
pulverizing or disintegrating machine, or I otherwise convey the material to be
treated in any convenient way to, an upright shaft formed preferably of a conical
shape and with a horizontal return or shoulder at one side up which shaft the material
is driven by the blast of such machine or by an auxiliary blast and I arrange the
height of this shaft according to the specific gravity or density of the material to be,
treated.
Within this shaft is a vertical partition which separates the shaft into two parts one
for the up and the other for the down current and extends nearly to the top thereof
and at the top of the shaft is a telescopic box cover or head which is rendered dust
tight in any convenient manner and is capable of being raised and lowered so as to
regulate the height of this cover or head above the partition.
From the top of this telescopic cover or head and at about the centre of its width is
a pendent shutter so arranged at its lower end as to meet and overlap the partition or
an extension thereof and to slide up and down in guides carried thereby.
The shutter which is suitably guided is formed of a number of articulated plates
with an opening at a suitable point for the passage of the material therethrough and
it is suspended through a slot in the telescopic cover or head from a roller enclosed
within a chamber and provided with a crank handle or other means by which it can be
revolved to raise or lower the shutter, or a vertically moveable rigid shutter may be
employed for this purpose, or a fixed or moveable shutter formed of a number of
louvre plates capable of being separately set at any desired angle or closed may be so
employed.
By these means the position of the opening above the partition for the passage of
the material can be easily regulated and thus the height to which the finely
divided particles must be raised in order to pass over the partition may be con-
veniently adjusted.
The current now passes down on the other side of the partition and in its course is
in some cases according to the nature of the substance acted upon by steam or gases
or a combination thereof issuing from the sides of the shaft in any desired number of
jets arranged in any convenient manner so as to completely envelop the current of
ground material and the steam should pass into the machine at such a pressure that
it will moisten and yet not overdamp the material and cause the particles to adhere
together and to require to be redried and in order to counteract this action I attach
to the chamber or case heating pipes or I otherwise heat the apparatus so as to prevent
any deleterious condensation during the passage of the steam but this additional heating
is not in all cases absolutely necessary.
If desired the steam or gases or a combination thereof may be introduced at any
other suitable part of the apparatus.
The down current part of the shaft communicates at its lower end with a collecting
case or chamber within which are arranged when treating some materials similar

page_text: shutters to act as baffle plates or in this situation the curtain or shutter may be formed
without any aperture therein and may depend a given distance from the roof of the
case or chamber thus compelling the material to pass beneath it and the required
length of this shutter or curtain or the size of the opening or openings therein will
depend upon the density and nature of the material under treatment and must be
regulated accordingly.
The great advantage of these shutters curtains or baffles is that the openings there-
through and their position can be regulated from the outside of the machine whilst it
is in operation and without the necessity of stopping the work or the risk of loss from
the material escaping and injury to those engaged in working.
At the end of the collecting chamber is a depending shaft which leads into an upper
dust chamber and above this shaft in such chamber are arranged inclined baffle plates
which act to divert the current and increase the distance of its travel and this chamber
is sometimes provided with adjustable shutters or baffle plates similar to those herein-
before described.
The dust chamber is fitted with frames of bunting cloth or other suitable material
through which the current passes and is sifted before it reaches the outlet shaft which
is in communication with the return blast shaft by which the circulation of the blast
is ensured and an efficient exhaust is preserved in connection with the grinding
machine and apparatus.
I will now describe the effect and action of my process and apparatus.
The ground or divided material carried upward by the action of the machine or by
the auxiliary blast strikes against the shoulder of the shaft whereby its grosser particles
are obstructed and their momentum destroyed causing them to rebound or fall back
into the machine whilst the finer or lighter particles are carried onward by the
current to the head of the shaft through the aperture or apertures in the shutter and
downward on the other side of the partition where they are enveloped by and subjected
to the action of the gases and vapours of the jets and thus deprived of any coating
of air that may have become adherent to them in the process of grinding or blowing,
as may be desirable.
By these means the finished product is rendered more compact and close, is freed
from any tendency to fly about and escape, is more easily handled and is rendered
capable of being packed in a smaller compass than heretofore.
And furthermore the steam or gases or combinations thereof by their partial con-
densation cause a partial vacuum within the casing and apparatus and thus relieves the
grinding machine from back pressure and lessens the power needed for driving.
The current now passes into the collecting chamber where it meets the shutter or
shutters or baffle plate or plates by which the particles are arrested and are caused to
deposit upon the floor of the chamber or in hoppers from which they can readily be
removed by suitable machinery or by hand the lighter particles however pass on up
the shaft into the dust chamber where the current is acted upon by the baffle plates
and it thence passes through the sieves by which all suspended particles are arrested
and finally it passes into the return blast shaft and back to the machine.
I sometimes employ in lieu of or in addition to the shoulder of the first shaft a
series of louvre baffle plates disposed horizontally across the mouth of the shaft
capable of being opened or set at any desired angle from the outside of the machine
thereby regulating the area of the passages or openings between them.
This serves to arrest and throw back to the machine the grosser particles whilst the
finer particles only are carried onward by the current as before described and is an
excellent means of separating the finer from the grosser particles of the ground or
powdered substances.
I would have it understood that I may employ any desired number and arrangement
of collecting boxes or hoppers and of my shutters curtains or baffle plates, and that I
may dispense with the telescopic head to the first shaft and employ a fixed head
by slightly modifying the arrangement of the sliding shutter or curtain and its
attachments.

page_text: I also construct in some part of the return blast shaft a catch box or trap so that
any escaping dust may be arrested and collected before it can reach the return blast
opening into the machine.
For this purpose, I form in some part of the return blast shaft a descending and
ascending channel or dip to which I attach a removeable catch box or trap.
100
ן
1000
VAUGHAN & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Process of and Means or Apparatus for
Separating and Dressing and Finishing Granular or
Powdered Substances.
I, EDWARD VINCENT GARDNER, of Berners College, Oxford Street, in the County
of Middlesex. Professor of Chemistry, 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 a process of and means or apparatus for separating particles
of granular or powdered substances of different degrees of fineness or density from
one another and of dressing and finishing such substances.
To clearly explain the nature of my Invention reference is made to the accom-
panying drawing in which-
Fig. 1 is a part sectional elevation of the apparatus employed.
Fig. 2 is a view of a partition or shutter hereinafter referred to, and
Fig. 3 is a modified form of a portion of the apparatus.
In carrying my Invention into effect I attach to the delivery end of any suitable
grinding pulverizing or disintegrating machine such as a Carter Disintegrator A (or
I otherwise convey the material to be treated in any convenient way to) an upright
shaft B formed preferably of a conical shape as shewn and with a horizontal return or
shoulder C at one side up which shaft the material is driven by the blast of the machine
or by an auxiliary blast. I arrange the height of the shaft B according to the specific
gravity or density of the material to be treated.
One side of this shaft is formed by a partition which extends nearly to the top as
shown and which separates the shaft from a second and parallel shaft Ď for the down
current. At the top of the combined shafts B and D is a telescopic box cover or head E
which is rendered dust tight in any convenient manner and is capable of being raised
and lowered so as to regulate the height of this cover or head above the partition a.
At the top of this telescopic cover or head E and at about the centre of its width is
situated a pendent shutter F so arranged at its lower end as to meet or be over-
lapped by the partition a or an extension thereof and to slide up and down in guides
formed therein.
as
This shutter F is formed of a number of articulated plates with an opening
shown for the passage of the material therethrough and it is suspended through a slot
in the telescopic cover or head from a roller enclosed within a chamber and provided
with a crank handle or other means by which it can be revolved to raise or lower the
shutter F, or a vertically moveable rigid shutter may be employed for this purpose:
or, a moveable shutter formed of a number of louvre plates (such as that shown at G
in another part of the apparatus) capable of being separately set at any desired angle
or closed may be so employed.
By these means the position of the opening above the partition a for the passage of
the material can be easily regulated and thus the height to which the finely divided
particles must be raised in order to pass over the partition may be conveniently
adjusted.
The current now passes down the shaft D on the other side of the partition and in

page_text: its course is in some cases according to the nature of the substance acted upon by
steam or gases or a combination thereof (or in some cases by a jet or spray of water)
issuing from the sides of the shaft at about the point H in any desired number of jets
arranged in any convenient manner so as to completely envelop the current of ground
material. The steam should pass into the machine at such a pressure that it will
moisten and yet not overdamp the material and cause the particles to adhere together
and not to require to be redried and in order to counteract this action should it occur
I may attach to the chamber or case, heating pipes or I otherwise heat the apparatus,
so as to prevent any deleterious condensation during the passage of the steam but this
additional heating is not in all cases absolutely necessary.
If desired the steam or gases or a combination thereof may be introduced at any
other suitable part of the apparatus.
The shaft D communicates at its lower end with a collecting case or chamber I
within which may be arranged when treating some materials similar shutters to act as
baffle plates or in this situation a curtain or shutter i may be used similar to the
shutter F but without any aperture thereon and may depend a given distance from
the roof of the case or chamber thus compelling the material to pass beneath it so that
the velocity of the draught may be conveniently regulated as the density and nature of
the material under treatment may require.
The great advantage of these shutters curtains or baffles is that the openings
beneath or therethrough can be regulated from the outside of the machine whilst it is
in operation and without the necessity of stopping the work or the risk of loss from
the material escaping and in the case of deleterious materials injury to those engaged
in working.
At the end of this chamber I is a shaft or chamber K the opening to which may be
also controlled by a curtain or shutter or as in the case shown, by the louvre plates G.
This shaft K connects with an upper dust chamber L by a slot in the floor, in
which chamber if desired inclined baffle plates may be arranged which act to divert the
current and increase the distance of its travel.
The dust chamber L is provided with partitions or floors which are fitted with
frames m of bunting cloth or other suitable material through which the current passes
and is sifted before it reaches the outlet which is in commiunication with the return
blast shaft M by which the circulation of the blast is ensured and an efficient exhaust
is preserved in connection with the grinding machine and apparatus.
I will now describe the effect and action of my process and apparatus.
Part of the ground or divided material carried upward by the action of the machine
or by the auxiliary blast strikes against the shoulder C of the shaft B whereby its
grosser particles are obstructed and their momentum destroyed causing them to
rebound or fall back into the machine. The conical shape of the shaft also assists in
this, as it allows the current to be expanded and its velocity being thus lessened some
of the heavier particles will fall from same. The finer or lighter particles are carried
onward by the current to the head of the shaft through the aperture f in the shutter F
and downward on the other side of the partition a where they are enveloped by and
subjected to the action of the gases and vapours of the jets and thus deprived of any
coating of air that may have become adherent to them in the process of grinding or
blowing.
By these means the finished product is rendered more compact and close, is freed
from any tendency to fly about and escape, is more easily handled and is rendered
capable of being packed in a smaller compass than heretofore.
And furthermore, the steam or gases or combinations thereof by their partial
condensation cause a partial vacuum within the casing and apparatus and thus
relieves the grinding machine from back pressure and lessens the
for driving.
power
needed
The current now passes beneath the shutter i into the chamber I and from thence
through the louvre plates G or other adjustable shutter into the shaft or chamber K
the material being deposited both upon the floor of the chamber I and the chamber K

page_text: from which it can readily be removed by suitable machinery or by hand the lighter
particles however pass on up into the dust chamber L (where it may if desired be acted
upon by baffle plates) and it thence passes through the sieves m. on the underside of
which most of the suspended particles are arrested and collect and finally it passes into
the return blast shaft M and back to the machine. The current at this point should be
perfectly free from any suspended or floating particles but I sometimes find it convenient
to place a small chamberNabove the hopper of the disintegrator said chamber having
any suitable number of bunting frames (similar to the frames in in the chamber L)
on the underside of which the remaining particles are collected. This chamber is
placed so as not to interfere with the feeding of the hopper in the usual way. To
remove this finely divided material from the frames m and q. I place doors such as
shown at and in the chambers L and N to enable the attendant to lift and beat
the frames and so cause the collected particles to fall down (in the case of the
chamber L) onto the floor . The lower frame is preferably beaten first and then
stood up out of the way as shown in dotted lines to allow the upper frame or frames
to be beaten and the material to fall through the opening below.
I sometimes employ in lieu of the shoulder C of the shaft B.a series of louvre baffle
plates as shown in Fig. 3 (or they may be employed in addition to the shoulder) and
dispose them horizontally across the mouth of the shaft and so as to be capable of
being separately opened or set at any desired angle from the outside of the inachine
thereby regulating the area of the passages or openings between them.
This serves to arrest and throw back to the machine the grosser particles whilst the
finer particles only are carried onward by the current as before described and this is
an excellent means of separating the finer from the grosser particles of the ground or
powdered substances.
I would have it understood that I may employ any desired number and arrangement
of collecting boxes or hoppers and of the shutters curtains or baffle plates and that I
may dispense with the telescopic head to the first shaft and employ a fixed head by
slightly modifying the arrangement of the sliding shutter or curtain and its attach-
ments.
It will be evident that the apparatus is adapted for separating and dressing various
materials and substances but I have found it especially valuable in connection with
the grinding of white lead in which I am able to collect the floated particles in a high
degree of fineness and density.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. The process of separating granular or powdered substances which consists in
carrying same upon a current of air up a vertical or conical head or shaft and sub-
sequently through shafts or chambers in which they are subjected to the action of
steam or other suitable gases or vapours said shafts or chambers having adjustable
shutters or curtains therein which serve to regulate the draught and the travel of the
materials and in which chambers the heavier particles are deposited the lighter
particles being arrested or collected upon frames of bunting or similar material
substantially as described.
2. In apparatus for separating granular or powdered substances a vertical shaft
up which the material is carried on a current of air, a shoulder in said shaft, and a
return down shaft, an opening between the two shafts having therein a shutter the
height of the opening in which is adjustable substantially as described.
3. In apparatus for separating granular or powdered substances the employment of
shafts or chambers having therein shutters or louvre plates the openings beneath or
through which can be regulated from the outside substantially as and for the purposes
described.
4. In apparatus for separating granular or powdered substances consisting of shafts
or chambers along which the material is carried on a current of air the employment
of a jet or jets of steam or other suitable gases or vapours substantially as and for
the purpose set forth,

page_text: 5. In apparatus for separating granular or powdered substances a vertical shaft of
expanded or conical shape up which the material is carried on a current of air,
adjustable louvre plates in said shaft a return down shaft and a series of collecting
chambers all substantially as described.
6. The apparatus for separating granular or powdered substances constructed
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 23rd day of October, 1889.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE.
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agent for the Applicant.