provements in Apparatus for Washing, Separating, or Concentrating Minerals or Substances of Different Specific Gravities.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 4th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Improvements in Apparatus for Washing, Separating, or
Concentrating Minerals or Substances of Different Specific
Gravities.
We, WILLIAM CUTHBERT BLACKETT of Acorn Close, Sacriston and HENRY
PALMER of the Manor House, Medomsley R.S.O. both in the County of Durham,
Mining Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for washing separating or
concentrating minerals or substances of different specific gravities.
To effect our purpose we propose to employ a hollow cylindrical or it may be
conical-shaped metal shell of sufficient length and diameter and on the internal
surface thereof we arrange a spiral or screw like projecting ledge or rib device
formed by corrugations or properly secured angle or other equivalent strips or
bars.
The shell thus constructed need have no central shaft and to enable it to revolve
as required it may be mounted on end gudgeon bearings or on and held by suitably
shaped and arranged friction rollers or in any other equivalent and convenient
manner but in any case the bearings at one end or the rollers will have provision
made in connection therewith for elevating or depressing and consequently increasing
or decreasing the inclination of the washing shell or apparatus as may be necessary
by means of screw mechanism or otherwise.
The driving of the apparatus may be effected in any convenient manner and in
the case of friction rollers as above described by one or more of them if so
desired.
The coal mineral metallic ore or other material to be washed or separated
together with a sufficient quantity of water will be conveyed into the upper end of
the shell and fall into the spirally arranged space or spaces between or formed by
the projecting ledge or rib device aforesaid and the effect will be that the flowing
water will carry down the coal or lighter material over the projecting ledge or rib
device but will not be able to carry down the refuse stone or heavier material
which will be retained by the projecting ledge or spirally formed rib arrangement
the rotating of which together with its spiral shape and screw like action will
automatically discharge the refuse stone or heavier material at the more elevated
end of the shell.
The screw like projecting ledge or ledges or rib or ribs may vary in pitch or
height in each apparatus or in parts of the same apparatus and may be perforated
if so desired to facilitate the escape of water.
1900
A. CRA WHALL CHAPMAN,
3 St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Patent Agent.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Washing, Separating, or
Concentrating Minerals or Substances of Different Specific
Gravities.
We, WILLIAM CUTHBERT BLACKETT of Acorn Close, Sacriston and HENRY
PALMER of the Manor House, Medomsley, R.S.O. both in the County of Durham,
Mining Engineers, 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 improvements in apparatus for washing, separating or
concentrating minerals or substances of different specific gravities, and has for its
object to remedy certain disadvantages existing in such apparatus as hitherto
constructed, and to produce a more efficient and durable machine.
We will describe our invention in reference to the accompanying drawings in
which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section partly in elevation, and Figures 2 and 3
elevations respectively of the upper and lower ends of the apparatus.
According to our improvements, we employ a hollow cylindrical or it may be a
conical-shaped metal shell A with open ends and of sufficient length and diameter
or diameters, and upon its internal surface we arrange a fixed continuous spiral or
screw like projecting ledge B which may be formed by corrugations but preferably
by angle irons rivetted to the shell A. The pitch of the spiral may vary and will
be determined by the nature of the work to be done. We find it very advantageous
to form the spiral of gradually increasing depth or height from the upper or entry
end b towards the lower or outlet end b¹ of the cylinder, for example, it is effective
to make the spiral taper in depth throughout its length from about 14 or 1 at the
inlet end to 2 or more inches at the outlet end for a purpose hereinafter explained.
This metal shell, with its internal screw, is supported at or near each end and is
set at a suitable aud variable inclination and rotated by power in such direction
that the screw will eject at the upper end. We have shown two sets of friction
rollers E, E supporting the shell and engaging circular rails e, e surrounding the
shell so that the shell can revolve equally well at varied inclinations. One set of
the rollers, preferably the upper set E, is conveniently driven as indicated or
otherwise and rotates the shell, or all the rollers may be driven if desired, or the
shell may be driven by toothed gear or any directly applied power. Further an
adjustable pivot may be substituted for the rollers E to support the lower end of
the shell. To vary the inclination of 'the shell as required one set of the rollers or
the pivot is adjustable vertically; we have shown the lower set E', Fig. 3, provided
with lifting and lowering screws el el for this purpose.
a
C is the box-like feed or inlet shoot for the materials and the water and it is
shown formed with a projecting lip or shelf at c for effective delivery, D is a
supplemental water supply pipe and F and G are respectively receivers for the
separated materials.
In operation, the coal, mineral, metallic ore, or other material to be washed or
separated and a sufficient quantity of water are conveyed together through the
shoot C (with additional water from D when necessary) and fall into the shallowest
spiral spaces in the upper end of the inclined shell A, which is as stated revolved
in a direction contrary to the flow of water. The force of the water flow is
regulated by a suitably arranged valve and the inclination of the shell and is made
just sufficient to float and carry the lighter material down over the screw and
discharge same into the lower receiver G, the force of flow is, however, kept

page_text: insufficient to also carry down the heavier material which is therefore retained by
the screw B, the rotation of which serves to carry same upwardly against the How
of water and discharge continuously into the upper receiver F.
The object and advantage of gradually increasing the height of the spiral
ledge B as before described, is that the heaviest particles of the material with the
greater specific gravity may be promptly separated by the shallower part of the
spiral ledge at the upper end b and carried back while the lightest particles of
the same material would be arrested (if they escaped the shallower ledge) by the
deeper part of the spiral ledge further down; and conversely the heaviest pieces-
of the material with the lesser specific gravity, which might be accidentally-
arrested by the deeper part of the spiral ledge near the lower end 6 and so be
carried back, would become liberated, as they arrived at a shallower part of the
ledge, and so washed down again and separated.
By the above described improvements we obviate the difficulties hitherto
experienced with this class of apparatus viz. stoppages for clearance and excessive
wear and tear and expense, the wear and tear in our apparatus being altogether
inconsiderable and the action continuous, also the apparatus is self clearing and.
not liable to derangement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The improved apparatus for use in washing, separating, or concentrating
minerals or substances of different specific gravities, arranged and operating
substantially as herein described.
2. In apparatus for washing, separating or concentrating minerals or substances.
of different specific gravities, the combination of an inclined revolving shell having
an internally fixed conveyor of gradually increasing depth from inlet end to outlet
end and ted as described, with means for regulating the inclination of the said
shell, and for rotating same at varied inclinations the whole arranged substantially
as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
3. In apparatus of the kind above referred to, the use in combination with the
revolving shell, of a continuous internal projecting spiral ledge gradually increasing
in depth from the inlet end to the outlet end of the revolving shell, as and for the
purposes above set forth.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1896.
J. C. CHAPMAN,
3 St. Nicholas Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and
70 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent..