Improvements in Ore Separators.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 17th Sept., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ore Separators.
I, EMIL KREUSER, of Mechernich, Rhine Province, in the Empire of Germany,
Retired Director of Mines, 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 an electro-magnetic ore separator. This is illustrated
in Figs. 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings, and consists of two cylindrical
electro magnets, which are arranged with their dissimilar poles opposite to each
As will be seen from the
other, and have cylindrical pole surfaces A and B.
form of construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, these electro-magnets are formed
of wrought iron core pieces, a and b, of I-shape in longitudinal section, and of
the wire coils c, d and e, f. Further, at the two heads or ends there are arranged
the pressure rings g, h, and i, k, for the purpose of limiting the mutual approach
of the cylinders produced by magnetic attraction. These pressure rings are
fastened in such a manner that they are capable of being readily changed. The
distance between the cylinders may be increased or diminished, according to
requirement, by changing the pressure rings. The current is supplied through
the rubbing rings l, m, and no. The supply of the material to be separated
may be effected either (as shown in Fig. 2) by means of the endless bands C
and D, or by direct supply, on to the naked metallic surfaces of the poles. In
the latter case, the pole surfaces are preferably made somewhat rough, for the
purpose of preventing the small particles of ore from slipping away too quickly.
The effect of this peculiar arrangement of the two electro-magnets is, that the
magnetic lines of force which are uniformly distributed over the whole periphery
of the cylindrical pole surfaces in the case of a single electro-magnet of this
class, will, in the present arrangement, be concentrated at the place where the
distance between the pole surfaces is smallest.
The mode of operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
The material to be separated is charged by means of the charging devices E
and F, either on to the charging bands C and D, or directly upon the rollers or
cylinders A and B. By the rotation of the cylinders in the direction indicated
by the arrows, the material is brought into the zone of magnetic action. By
the action of the magnetism, which is concentrated to an extremely high degree
in this zone, the more strongly magnetic particles of the mixture are held back
on the pole surfaces, and, by the further rotation of cylinders, they pass out of
the zone of the most powerful magnetic action, and fall gradually into the recep-
tacles G and H, whilst the weaker magnetic particles of the mixture pass into
the receptacle I. The employment of belts or bands prevents the particles of
ore from adhering too strongly to the pole surface, and it also effects a sure
delivery of the substances attracted. By this means, also, the separation of
strongly magnetic substances is rendered possible. The use of cylinders is by
no means restricted to the horizontal arrangement; in fact it is often of advan-
tage to arrange the said cylinders in pairs, or in more than two together,
vertically over one another, or side by side, but inclined at a determined angle
to the horizontal. The diagrams Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate these arrangements.
Further, one or more of the cylinders may be replaced by suitably arranged

page_text: fixed or stationary electro-magnets, as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 5.
When the cylinders are arranged vertically one above another, or inclined at an
angle to a horizontal plane, in the manner above stated, generally only the upper
cylinder will be employed for the extracting operation. In this case, it is advis-
able to surround the lower pole surface with a layer of a neutral material, such
as brass, leather, paper, hard rubber, etc., of such thickness, that the thickness
of this layer shall be either equal to, or greater than, the half of the smallest
distance between the pole surfaces. With the object of effecting, with this
arrangement, a sure delivery of the attracted particles of ore, the upper pole
surface is advantageously provided with flutes or teeth. The longitudinal section
of the cores of the cylindrical magnets is not exclusively limited to the arrange-
ment of I-shape in longitudinal section, but the cores may be made of other
shapes in longitudinal section, so long as the electro-magnet which is surrounded
with the operative winding of wire, is itself made of cylindrical form, with cylin-
-drical pole surfaces. Other arrangements of this kind are illustrated in the
drawings, Figs. 6 and 7. The number of cylindrical pole surfaces provided on
one cylinder may be increased according to requirements. The other arrange-
ments in the case of these cylindrical electro-magnets with cylindrical pole
surfaces, are to be made corresponding to the hereinbefore described arrangements
of those having an I-shape in longitudinal section, and shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5.
The main advantages of the described construction, apart from the facility of
manufacture, and its great effective capacity, are the following:-
First The electro-magnets are capable of rotation, with the result that the
wear of bands or belts is comparatively small, and that, in the cases where the
material to be treated is charged direct on to the pole surfaces, the use of bands,
which entails many disadvantages, in working on a large scale, may be dispensed
with, and the ore can be brought into contact with the naked pole surface.
This is especially of particular value for the treatment of very weak magnetic
substances, such as zinc blend, or sulphur pyrites, because, with the use of bands,
the attraction, which is of itself very weak, is rendered still weaker by the
separating thickness of the band. A further advantage of the apparatus consists
in that, by the use of two cylindrical magnets arranged opposite each other, the
whole of the magnetic force is concentrated at the place where it is required for
separating the ore, and is not uniformly distributed over the entire surface, as
is the case with other cylindrical or drum-shaped magnets. For the treatment
of ore of several sizes, or for the production of several final products, it would
be, in many cases, advisable, as already indicated, to arrange several cylinders
in the manner described side by side, or vertically or obliquely over one another.
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. An electro-magnetic ore separator, consisting of two or more rotary cylin-
drical electro-magnets, which are arranged with their dissimilar poles opposite
to one another, and which have cylindrical pole surfaces.
2. A special form of construction of the electro-magnetic ore separator of the
kind specified in Claim 1, in which a rotary cylindrical magnet is replaced by
a correspondingly arranged fixed or stationary electro-magnet.
3. A machine of the kind specified in Claims 1 and 2, in which the cylindrical
pole surfaces are provided with teeth or flutes.
Dated this 5th day of August 1000
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.