Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Ore and other Pulverulent Materials to Pulverizing and other Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 25th May, 1898-Accepted, 3rd Sept., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Feeding Ore and other Pulverulent
Materials to Pulverizing and other Machines.
I, BENJAMIN THOMAS LACY, of the City and County of San Francisco, State of
California, United States of America, Engineer and Merchant, 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:-
My invention relates to a machine for feeding or supplying crushed or broken
ore to stamps or other kinds of machinery to pulverize the same; also applicable
to feeding or delivering other comminuted material at a uniform and predeter-
mined rate.
My improvement consists in various novel features in such machines that will
be fully pointed out in connection with the drawings; and set forth in the claims
at the end of this specification.
The object of my invention is to provide devices of a simple nature that will
uniformly supply to stamps or other pulverizing apparatus comminuted ore, at
a rate determined and varied by simple adjustment; also to provide for the
protection and endurance of the operating parts of the machine and in other
features hereinafter specified and explained.
In the drawings; Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine.
Fig. 1 a detail side view of a portion of the friction gripping devices.
Fig. 2 a vertical sectional view of the machine.
Fig. 3 a front elevation thereof.
Fig. 4 a detail vertical section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 a horizontal section of a portion of the machine showing more clearly
the gripping devices.
This invention is designed to produce a machine of simple construction which
will feed the crushed ore evenly, irrespective of whether the material be very
wet, coarse, or finely comminuted, as hereinafter more fully set forth.
Journalled in an inclined stationary bearing 1, mounted in a suitable frame-
work is a shaft 2, which is set obliquely inclining upward and forward, and
fastened on the extreme upper end of this shaft above the bearing 1, is a dished
feed disc 3 having formed on its lower side a circular rack 4. Meshing with
this rack is a bevelled pinion 5, secured on a horizontal shaft 6, this shaft being
journalled at its inner end in a bearing or socket 7 carried by the pedestal 1,
and its outer end in a bearing 8 bolted to the frame at one side. Secured on the
projecting end of the shaft 6 is a wheel 9, which has a smooth, flat rim, and
embracing and protecting the upper half of this wheel is a hood 10, this hood
being pivotally mounted on the shaft. Pivotted on the shaft 6 and extending
rearward is an arm 11, this arm being bifurcated at its forward end, where it is
pivotted to the shaft, to embrace the bearing or pedestal 8. The rear end of
this arm is slotted or bifurcated to embrace the smooth rim of the wheel 9 at a
point about on a level with the shaft.
Resting loosely in recesses 12 formed in the bifurcated parts of the arm 11, one

page_text: recess being on each side of the wheel-rim, are the friction rollers 13, one roller
lying in each recess. Each recess 12 tapers downward so that the roller will
normally rest against the adjacent smooth face of the rim, and in each recess
rests a bearing-plate 14 to receive the thrust of the roller, this bearing-plate
being readily removed for the purpose of repair and renewal.
Formed on the
rear lower ends of the hood, are projecting heels 15, which normally rest upon
the rollers and keep them pressed down in the tapering recesses.
To resiliently connect the pivoted hood 10 to the swinging arm 11, so that
the pressure on the roller 13 will be a yielding one, a bolt 16 is attached to
arm 11 and passed up through an extension 17 on the hood, and a coil-spring 18
is placed on the bolt above the extension and holds the spring in place by a
suitable adjustable nut 19; by this little device the pressure on the rollers may
be readily regulated.
Depending from the rear end of arm 11 is a link 20, pivotally connected
at its lower end to a flat spring 21, which serves to normally draw the arm 11
and attached hood downward. To limit the downward movement of the arm 11
is a vertical link 22, pivotally connected at its upper end to an arm 24 project-
ing rearward from one end of a rock-shaft 25, journalled in tubular bearings on
the front of the machine, and provided about midway its length with a forwardly
projecting arm 26. Engaging this arm 26 is a rod 27, which may be reciprocated to
depress the arm 26 by any suitable mechanism. To limit the downward move-
ment of the arm 24 is a stop 28, this stop being carried by a suitable lever 29
pivotted on the frame at one end and adjustably clamped thereto at its other end,
this adjustment permitting the stop 28 to be raised or lowered.
It will be observed that by the mechanism above described the feed-disc 3 will
receive an intermittent rotary movement when the rod 27 is reciprocated. The
reciprocations of the rod 27 will be communicated to the link 22, and this link
will vibrate the arm 11 and attached hood 10, the arm 11 being normally drawn
down by the spring 21 against the lifting action of the link 22. As the arm 11
rises, the rollers 13 normally grip the wheel 9 and rotate it, the hood 10 moving
in unison therewith, thus imparting a slight rotary movement to the feed-disc;
but when the arm 11 is drawn down, the rollers loosen their grip on the wheel,
permitting the same and the feed-disc to remain stationary, a spring brake-block 30
serving to prevent the friction wheel 9 from turning while the rollers are loosen-
ing. Of course the tension on the spring 18 will not be sufficient to prevent
the rollers from rising in their recesses when the arm 11 is lowered.,
The feed-disc 3 is peculiarly constructed. It is set on an inclination of about
30 degrees, and its rim portion concave or flared upward and outward, and its
centre elevated to form a cone 31 whose apex is slightly below the plane of the
upper edge of the rim. The bodily inclination of the disc is secured by mounting
its shaft in an oblique position. The front portion of the disc projects beyond
the frame of the machine, and it is from this edge that the ore is fed and delivered
into any suitable receptacle. Mounted on the frame of the machine is a
hopper 32, whose lower end is almost entirely closed by the disc 3, an exten-
sion 33 of the hopper having its depending sides fitting closely the contour of
the upper face of the disc, a portion of the front wall of this extension being
cut away at 34, at one side of the centre of the cone 31, to form an outlet for
the ore, the oblique sides of the rim and cone making this outlet of substan-
tially a triangular shape. A vertically adjustable gate 35 enables this aperture
to be regulated in size.
Secured to the lower portions 33 of the hopper at one side of the gate 35 is a
suitable arm or flange 36 which extends forward and rests against the upper face
of the disc near its front or discharge edge, the arm being curved to conform
to the edge of the disc and terminating near the front or discharge edge, whereby
this flange will serve to retain the material on the disc, until it reaches the point
of discharge. Secured on the hopper, opposite the flange 36, is a scraper 37
whose rear edge extends the full height of the cone and serves to scrape the

page_text: material therefrom as the disc revolves and whose lower front edge 39 is curved
and inclined to bear upon the dished rim of the disc, this scraping edge 39 inclin-
ing forward and away from the flange 36, as shown more particularly in Fig. 3.
This scraper is pivotted on a bolt 40 carried by a bracket 41 projecting forward
from the lower portion of the hopper and is clamped in its adjustable positions
by a clamp lever 42 threaded on bolt 41. The upper edge of the scraper is pro-
vided with a flange 43, which serves to prevent the material being pushed up
over the scraper.
The advantages of the above described peculiarly constructed feed devices are
obvious. The obstruction presented to the passage of the ore by the formation
of the disc and hopper greatly increases the friction, and thereby prevents a too
rapid feed, even when handling very wet or very fine ores, the friction holding
it back until it reaches the edge; this is difficult to attain, and I am not aware
of any other machine that, will feed uniformly all kinds of ores, whether wet
or dry, or fine or coarse. The cone in the centre has several advantages; it
holds the ore and prevents it flowing out too fast, and also serves to carry it
nearer to the edge of the disc, and thereby enables the scraper to be made shorter,
and consequently set at a greater angle than would be the case if the scraper
extended to the centre of the disc. By thus setting the scraper at a greater
angle than usual, the ore is prevented from packing against the scraper.
also be seen that the ore that comes out on the cone passes onto the scraper over
the edge 38 and meets the stream of material coming against the scraper over
the edge 39. This peculiar action also prevents packing against the scraper,
as the ore coming on the scraper over the edge 38 meets and pushes along length-
wise of the scraper, the material that comes over the main scraping edge 39.
it will
It will be observed that the lower edge of the hopper bears against only the
rear or upper half of the disc, leaving the front or lower half free, and as said
before the lower edge of the hopper conforms to the contour of the cone and
bevelled rim. The lower portion 33 of the hopper preferably inclines rearward,
as shown most clearly in Fig. 2, to increase the obstruction to the passage of the
ore.
The object in setting the rim 36 in from the edge of the disc is to prevent any
material that may escape under the arm from passing off the disc before it
reaches the feed point, it being obvious that should any of the material work its
way under the arm, the disc will have revolved sufficiently to bring the material
to the feed point before it reaches the edge of the disc.
It is obvious that the angle made by the cone at its junction with the disc
may be filleted or rounded, and the scraping edges 38 and 39 joined by a curved
edge so as to form practically one curved scraping edge, and other changes
in the details of construction may be made without departing from the nature
and results of this invention, and it is also obvious that the machine may be
used for feeding materials other than ore if desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In an ore feeding machine, the combination of a hopper, a feed disc sup-
ported thereunder, this disc being inclined bodily and provided with an upwardly
projecting cone in the path or course of the material, and means for imparting
movement to the feed disc.
2. In an ore feeding machine, the combination of a hopper, a dished feed disc
mounted thereunder and provided with a central cone in the path or course of
the material, means for imparting movement to said disc, and a scraper bearing
against the disc.
3. In an ore feeding machine, the combination of a hopper, a bodily inclined
feed disc forming the bottom thereof and provided with a cone in the path or
f

page_text: course of the material, means for rotating the disc, and a scraper provided with
scraping edges working against both the disc and the cone.
4. In an ore feeding machine, the combination of a hopper provided with a
feed aperture in its front side, a dished feed disc closing the lower end of the
hopper except the feed aperture, the front half of the disc projecting in front of
the hopper, said disc being provided with central cone partially
obstructing the feed aperture, a scraper projecting forward from
the aperture to the discharge edge of the disc, having two scraping edges, one
scraping the cone and the other the rim, a curved arm extending forward from
the hopper and terminating near the feed point, substantially as described.
5. In an ore feeding machine, the combination of feed mechanism and means
for intermittently rotating the same, said means consisting of a shaft carrying
a friction wheel, a pivotted arm and means for vibrating same, a movable grip-
ping device carried by said arm, adapted to normally engage the friction wheel,
means for pulling said arm down and means for intermittently lifting it, and
means for pressing down upon said gripping device to force it against the fric-
tion wheel, this latter consisting essentially of a pivotted part adapted to swing
in unison with said arm and having its free end bearing against said gripping
device, and an adjustable spring tension device connecting said pivotted parts
to said pivotted arm adapted to vary the pressure on the gripping devices, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes set forth.
6. In an ore feeding machine, the combination of a disc and means for inter-
mittently rotating the same, said means consisting of a shaft carrying a pinion
engaging the disc, and a friction wheel, a pivotted vibrating arm provided with
gravitating friction rolls gripping the rim of the friction wheel and a shield
provided with projections resting on said rollers to hold them against the fric-
tion wheel, means for drawing down the vibrating arm, and means for lifting it,
as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 25th day of May 1898