IMPROVEMENTS IN SEPARATING ZINC, COPPER, OR OTHER ORES OR MATERIALS FROM CARBONATE OF IRON, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR.” PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick John King, of Bishopgate Avenue, in
the City of London, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SEPARATING ZINC, COPPER, OR OTHER ORES OR MATERIALS FROM CARBONATE
OF IRON, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick John King
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 29th July 1878.
I, FREDERICK JOHN KING, of Bishopgate Avenue, in the City of
London, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEPARATING ZINC, COPPER, OR OTHER ORES OR MATERIALS
FROM CARBONATE OF IRON, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOB," to be as
follows:-
-
My Invention consists in effecting the separation of ores such as zinc
or conner ores from carbonate of iron.

page_text: It has hitherto been found to be practically extremely difficult to
separate the above óres, as, being of about the same specific gravity; the
ordinary washing or dressing machines do not affect the required
separation, and consequently the ores are not saleable at anything like
the value they would be if the separation was effected. To avoid this
difficulty and render the product of greater commercial value I firstly
subject the ores or materials to be separated to the action of heat in
closed or partially closed retorts; or in any furnace in which air is
practically excluded during the roasting process, whereby the carbonic
acid is removed from the iron, the iron being thereby changed to a
magnetic state. These ores are then passed over a revolving wooden
wheel or roller, on the circumference of which I place rings of iron or
steel, each alternate ring being in contact with the opposite poles of a
number of magnets inserted in the wheel or roller, and I place around
this wheel or roller a continuous band of silk or other textile fabric, or :
any material through which the magnetic power will pass. This band is
by means of a second wheel, or roller, or other convenient arrangement
drawn away from contact with the magnetic wheel or roller for a short
distance during its revolution.
The ores prepared as above described being passed through a hopper
or otherwise passed upon the band around the magnetic wheel or roller,
the magnetic particles are carried to the point where the band leavès the
magnetic wheel or roller, and then drop into a receptacle for the iron,
while the non-magnetic zinc, copper, or other ores or substances fall from
the band into another receptacle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick John King in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th January 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
JOHN KING; of Bishopgate Avenue, in the City of London, Merchant, 8
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Hor
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of July, in-the
'

page_text: which the magnetic power will pass is passed around this wheel by
means of a second wheel or roller or other convenient arrangement, such
band being thereby removed from the influence of the magnetic wheel
or roller for a short distance during its revolution.
The ores prepared as above described on being passed through a
hopper or otherwise deposited upon the band around the magnetic wheel
or roller the magnetic particles are caused to adhere to that part of the
band which is in immediate contact with the magnetic wheel or roller,
and are carried to the point where the band leaves the magnetic wheel
or roller, and then drop into a receptacle for the iron, while the non-
magnetic zinc, copper, or other ores or substances fall from the band
into another receptacle.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I-shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the corresponding Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a transverse vertical section of a
series of closed or partially closed retorts set in a furnace for the purpose
of effecting the preliminary operation of heating the ores whilst excluded a
from contact with the atmosphere; Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical
section of the said retorts and furnace, and Figure 3 is a corresponding
elevation of the feeding or front end of the furnace and set of retorts.
A is the brickwork of the heating furnace; B are the fire-bars, and C,
the fire-door. Above the fire-bars are disposed at a convenient height a 2
set of inclined cast-iron revolving retorts D, D, D, provided with con-
tracted necks E, E, E, at each end, and being furnished in each neck
with hollow screws a, a¹, fast on the spindle F which carries the retort.
Each of these spindles works in bearings at b, b, in the two cast-iron
casings G and H, situate outside the brickwork of the furnace. A spur 3
wheel c is mounted on one end of each spindle, and these spur wheels
all gear into the centrally disposed spur pinion d, as shown clearly by
dotted circles in Figure 3. On imparting a rotary motion to any one of
the retort spindles or to the pinion d in any well-known manner, such
motion will be transmitted to the other retorts of the set. The outer 3
casings G and H should be sufficiently large to embrace the feeding and

page_text: delivery ends of the set of retorts, the casing G forming a continuation
of the feeding hopper I, into which the ores or mixture of ores and other
substances to be operated upon are deposited, and whence they are
drawn by the screws a into the interior of the retorts. By the time the
3 ores have traversed the length of the retort, they will have undergone a
thorough heating, and will be delivered through the delivery neck by the
screw a¹ into the casing H, whence they fall into the closed box or
receptacle K fitting with a discharging door L, and are thence removed
"in order to undergo the operation of separation by magnetic attraction in
the peculiar separating machine, which I shall now proceed to describe,
and which is represented in vertical section at Figure 4 of my Drawings.
In this Figure A represents one of the standards or frames of the
separating machine, and B, B³, are two magnetic wheels or rollers, the
axes O, O³, of which are mounted in bearings in the said standards, and
are driven at a slow speed by driving straps or otherwise from the main
driving shaft D. One or more endless bands or webs E, E¹, are passed
round a portion of the circumference of each wheel or roller B, B¹, and
are caused to extend some distance from the said wheels or rollers by
being passed round ordinary carrier wheels or rollers F, Fª, mounted in
adjustable bearings, for the facility of maintaining a proper degree of
tension on the endless bands. These bands are composed of textile fabric,
thin sheet copper, or other metal or material, which, whilst being non-
magnetic in itself will permit of the passage of the magnetic power of
the magnets a, a, inserted in the said wheels or rollers, such magnets
being either electro or permament magnets. G is a feed hopper, into
which the previously heated ores are placed, such hopper being situate
above the upper magnetic wheel and band B and E, and provided with
any well-known arrangement of supply regulator at the discharge mouth
thereof, worked by a band or otherwise from the axis of the magnetic
wheel. Beneath this wheel B there are provided two hoppers H and H',
the point of division 6 between these two hoppers being situate nearly in
a perpendicular line below the centre of the magnetic wheel or roller, as
shewn in the Drawings. The band E travels slowly in the direction of
the arrow, and the contents of the hopper G fall upon the said band.
On passing round one-half of the roller B in close contact with the
magnets, but with the band interposed between the magnetic ore will
adhere to the surface of such band, whilst the non-magnetic particles
will fall by their own gravity into the hopper H. The magnetic particles

page_text: Second. The combination of an endless band permitting the passage
of magnetic influence in connection with a magnetic wheel or roller, in
the manner and for the purposes as herein-before described.
•
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick John King, have to this
my Specification set my hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of
January, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.