Improvements in Apparatus for Dressing Ores.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 3rd Jan., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Dressing Ores.
We, CARL LÜHRIG, of Dresden, Saxony, German Empire, Engineer, and JOHN
CHARLES CUNINGHAME, of 127 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland, Iron and
Coal Master, do hereby declare the nature of said 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 apparatus for treating ores, so as to separate and retain the
portions containing valuable minerals, by the operation of a succession of machines,
arranged so as to avoid as much as possible manipulation of the material dealt with.
The arrangement which is adopted for this purpose is represented by the accom-
panying drawing which is a vertical section of a building, with a set of the dressing
plant arranged according to this invention.
The ore to be dressed is raised to the top of the building by means of an elevator
or lift A. It is delivered into a hopper B whence it passes to the stone breaker, or it
may be a set of stone breakers, C. For feeding the ore from the hoppers B into the
breakers C, a reciprocating pusher D may be employed, this being moved to and fro
As the ore
by the connecting rod E from a crank on a slowly revolving wheel F.
passes towards the breakers, the smaller fragments escape downwards through sieves G
to which a jogging motion is imparted by the tappet H.
The ore reduced by the breakers C together with the smaller fragments from the
sieves G is conveyed by the shoot I into a revolving sizing drum J, which separates
the material according to sizes that pass into shoots K, K', K, respectively. Thence
they are led into three sets of washers L, by which they are concentrated in the
usual manner.
The concentrated material is at intervals passed from the washers by
opening the valves M, into drainers N.
The water carrying the finest portions of the ore is led by a shoot N' into graders
or funnel shaped boxes P, by which these portions are graded according to their
specific gravities and sizes.
The larger fragments which pass through the drum Jare delivered on a slowly
revolving table R where the attendants select the valuable pieces which require no
further dressing and reject the useless pieces. The rest requiring further dressing
passes by a shoot S to a pair of crushing rolls T whence the fragments pass to a
revolving sizing drum J¹. From this the sized material is passed by the shoots U
into the washers L' to be concentrated, drained, and graded in the same manner as
that dealt with by the washers L.
Such of the material from the drum J' as requires reduction is led by the shoot U¹
to crushing rolls T and thence to the sizing drum J, from which the sized material
is led by the shoot V into sets of washers to be concentrated, drained, and graded
as above.
The material which passes through J' is passed by the shoot V1 through another
pair of crushing rolls T to a sizing drum J³, the finer material being led by the
shoot W into the graders P and sizing drum J', while the coarser fragments are fed
by the shoot W into the elevator X, carrying them to the stamps Y.
The sized material from J' is led into the grader P, the products of which are con-
centrated on washers p.
The overflowing liquid from all the concentrators and graders is passed into the
pit Z where the heavier fragments and particles sink to the bottom, whence they may
be raised by the elevator X to the stamps Y to be further pulverised. The finer and
lighter particles flow with the water over a partition into a sludge pit, in which the
sludge band b moves slowly in the direction of the flow of the water, scraping together

page_text: the fine sludge and depositing it in the pit Q. The elevator c conveys the sludge to
the grader P, or,
if the sludge is of no value, it may be at once removed.
The greater part of the water after settlement, is raised by the rotary pump e to be
used over again.
The rollers T, T¹, T³, serve for crushing not only products from the sizing drums.
but also such products from the washers L, L' L as requires further treatment.
The number of sets of rollers, drums, and washers may be varied according to the
character of the material treated.
The ore which has been crushed and pulverised in the stamps Y is separated into
several sizes by means of the revolving drums f³, ƒ ƒ³, (communicating with one
another by g, g', 92, g³) and led by spouts h, h', h², h³, into washers p, P², P², P³, P^,
whence from time to time the concentrated ore is removed, the water passing by the
troughs 9, 99, 93, 9' to a channel leading into sludge pit Q.
The material that passes through the meshes of the drum f³ is graded in a series of
graders which feed suitable percussion tables or other known apparatus for concen-
trating slimes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is
The apparatus for dressing ore, placed in successive storeys of a building with
suitable elevators and shoots, so arranged that the ore raised to the upper storey is
dealt with as it descends, by crushing, stamping, grading, washing, and otherwise, as
set forth, so as to separate the rich or metalliferous portions for subsequent
treatment.
Dated this 94th day of Na
1000
H. GARDNER,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said Carl Lührig and J. C. Cuninghamo.