IMPROVEMENTS IN SORTING ORES, OR.. SEPARATING METALS FROM EACH OTHER, AND FROM. CERTAIN COMBINATIONS WITH OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Louis Stanislas Chenotand Eugène, Charles
Adrien Chenot, of Clichy-la-Garenne, near Paris, Empire of France,
Chemists, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SORTING ORES, OR..
SEPARATING METALS FROM EACH OTHER, AND FROM. CERTAIN COMBINATIONS
WITH OTHER SUBSTANCES."
775 7
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alfred. Louis Stanislas
Chenet and Eugène Charles Adrien, Chenot at the Office of tlie Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition and Declaration, on the 7th'
July 1856, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment
Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, ALFRED
LOUIS STANISLAS CHENOT and EUGENE CHARLES A DRIEN. CHENOT, of Clichy-la-
Garenne, near Paris (Empire of France), Chemists, send greeting..
WHEREAS we are in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SORTING ORES, OR SEPARATING METALS FROM EACH OTHER, AND FROM CERTAIN
COMBINATIONS WITH OTHER SUBSTANCES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to
grant unto us, our executors, administrators, and assigns; Her Royal Letters
Patent for the saine, and have made solemn declaration that we are the first
and ue Inventors thereof.
.1
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Alfred Louis Stanislas. Chienot aud
Eugène Charles Adrien Chenot, do hereby declare that the following Complete
Price 3.]

page_text: Specification, under our hand and seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature
of the said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The sorting of pounded ores may be of two kinds; first, with respect to
volume; and, secondly, with respect to density.
The first operation may be effected merely by the sifting process, or better
by means of a novel apparatus, called deviation apparatus, which shall be here-
after described.
The second operation, which consists in sorting or separating ores of dif-
ferent density, will be productive of greater results. Infact, smelting, almost
always resorted to for the treatment of metallic ores, so blends and identifies
the metal with the extraneous substances as to render the elimination of the
latter a matter of great difficulty; whilst the separation or sorting being once
thoroughly effected, there remains to deal with unitarian compounds, and
thereby reduction, refining, soldering, smelting, and volatilization are greatly
simplified.
This being said, we shall now make an illustration of the application of the
principle of our Invention to combustible matters, that we shall consider as
ores to be purified. Separation and sorting are bere the more important, as
theyare to answer a double purpose, byeliminating all extraneous matters; the
caloric power will thereby be increased, and all sulphurets, phosphurets,
arseniures, etc. shall be almost entirely cleared off.
We shall now describe what we term "sorting by successive deviations."
Supposing three bodies a, a, a", (Fig. 4, Sheet 3,) of a same volume but of
different densities: let the body a drop by its own gravity, it will follow the
vertical line A, B, unless some action causes it to deviate; but if the same a
meets with any current of any fluid (even magnetic fluid), and if the said
current is sufficiently intense, a will deviate from the vertical line A, B, and
drop into the case c; the body a', which is heavier, will be deviated a little by t,
to the action of which shall be joined that of t', and then a will drop at c;
a" will drop at c, impelled by the united deviating forces t, t, t. Thus it
may be said that the sorting or separation of various bodies will take place by
successive deviations from the course that each of these would have otherwise
run impelled by a primary projecting force. The bodies to be classed or sorted
will then run the resultant, or line resulting from the inert force imparted by a
primary impulse, and from the successive deviations from the same, whatever
may be the direction in which these actions are produced. The bodies of same
volume and different density will be deviated with an intensity inverse to their

page_text: deusity, and the bodies of same density and different volume will be deviated;
with an intensity inversely proportionate to their volumes.
.
We will now explain what.we term "electro-sorting," or separating bodies
from each other by electric attraction or repulsion, or by electric attraction.
and repulsion, whatever be the mode of application. Supposing an attractor
P (Fig. 5, Sheet 3,) a pendulum, for instance, which is electrified by any
suitable means: supposing, again, that P having touched K has acquired the
same sort of electricity, P will be repelled. (The oscillating motion may, nay
must be, effected by any suitable means). P, on travelling. over a table T,
which is powdered over with substances to be sorted, will attract part of the
said substances, but on touching K', the attracted substances will drop at P';
the same effect will be produced on its return, and on touching K, P will let
the attracted substances drop at T. T may be an endless band also electrified,
and in certain cases it may retain on its surface certain bodies, whilst P shall
only attract such as T has not power enough to secure. If, for instance,
magnetic substances, iron, or its magnetic oxyds, nickel, etc., are to be
separated from other substances, the table or band T may be electro-
magnetized, so that any magnetic body of the same electricity, as iron, whill
keep on T, whilst will only attract the others, and vice versa; at the same.
time that P attracts, P may repel, &c. Finally, from what has been said it
appears that all combinations tending to produce an alternate or continuous
sorting of any substanceswhatever are applicable, and do not depart from the
principle herein specified.
In describing the improved apparatus, which are illustrated in theannexed
Drawings, we shall omit many particulars which are conducible indeed to
the purpose, but which may be varied and modified in their size, forms, and
dimensions. We shall only point out the principal arrangements and
essential conditions upon which our principle rests.
The three annexed Sheets of Drawings are to be considered as selected
examples rather than as invariable standards. The sorting machines may be.
divided into two principal series, according to the agent that is to work them.
First, the machines worked by permanent magnets, either naturalorartificial;
second, the machines worked by electro-magnets. Considering them with
respect to the motion of the magnets, we shall describe three principal sorts:-
first,the machine with continuous motion through a circular or any other line
round horizontal or vertical axes (Sheet 1); second, the machines with
alternate motion, either rectilinear or circular (Sheet 3); and, thirdly, the
machines worked by permanent magnets or electro-magnets, (Sheet 2)
As illustrative of the first sort, the machine shown as Sheet 1 substantially

page_text: consists of a series of magnets a, a, a, a, a, the forms of which may be varied
or modified, and are placed into a copper or zinc cuse of endless band or table
T, by means of which the substances to be sorted spread on by any suitable
means; a sieve 'T', for instance, are brought under the machine of a separating
partition P for the materials to be classed; and, lastly, if the machine is
worked by electro-magnets, a commuter K is made to establish the current
through the electro-magnets, the nearest to the endless band. If the machine
is worked by permanent magnets, either natural or artificial, a brush or even
one or more permanent magnets placed at q, so as to have their poles cor-
responding with such as are of the same electricity as those of the machine,
will detach from the disk the matters still adherent there. In the machines
with alternate motion (Sheet 3,) the same elements are found as in those
described distributor, endless band, commuter for electro machines, brushers,
permanent magnets for machines worked by permanent magnets. The
inachines worked bypermanent magnets consist of a certain number of electro-
magnets or permanent magnets, under the poles of which a disk or a zine or
copper plate passes, which is animatedwith a circular or rectilinearcontinuous
or alternate motion. Sheet 2, which is illustrative of those machines,shows the
magnets or electro-magnets a, a, a; the disk C; the endless band T; the
distributor T, and the separating partition P. As in all machines of such
description,the disk C is intended to carry away the materials by friction, and
projections should be contrived on its surface to facilitate this operation.
Another description of electro-sorting-machines is illustrated at Figure 6,
Sheet 3. A is a horizontal cylinder, slightly inclined, provided with a certain
number of metallic rings B, B, inserted so as to turn in bearings c, c. The
cylinder A is provided with a spiral wire d, d, which surrounds it entirely,
passing under the rings B, B; along these wires there circulates a current,
which imparts electricity to the metallic rings. By such an arrangement of
the electro-magnets,assimilableto a seriesof electro-magnetsplaced end toend
in the form of a horse shoe, one ring will constantly be positive, the next
negative, and so forth, with alternation of poles concentrating their action.
e is an endless band, upon which the ores to be sorted are laid, beneath a
cylinder turning round the two drums G, G; H, H, are the bearings of the
drum shafts; I is an inclined plane, which is stationary, and level to the
periphery of the cylinder A; it is divided into corresponding partitions and laid
opposite to the rings. Supposing, now, the endless band brought by a
continuous rotary motion in the direction of the arrow K with a quantity of
pounded ores, the most magnetic ore will be attracted, and will rush on the
first right-hand ring, which is the farthest, whilst the least magnetic will be

page_text: attracted, and will rush on the left-hand ring, which is the nearest, and such as
are magnetic at a less degree will stick to the intermediate rings. The
idio-electric substances shall not stir. The magnetic substances collected on the
cylinder shall be carried away in its rotary motion and meet the plane I, that
will detach them, and along which the said substances will glide thence to be
directed to the different partitions i, i.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be carried into effect, we wish it to be distinctly
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details herein
described, as such may be varied or modified without departing from the
principle of action thereof; likewise we do not confine ourselves to the strict
figure or form of any apparatus or portions of apparatus herein described; but
we claim as new and of our Invention,―
First, sorting ores, or separating metals from each other aud from other
substances, by electric or other process.
Second, the means above specified in order to obtain this result.
In witness whereof, we, the said Alfred Louis Stanislas Chenot and
Eugène Charles Adrian Chenot, have hereunto set our hand and seal,
this 4th day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six.
A. L. S. CHENOT. (L.S.)
E. C. A. CHENOT. (L.S.)