IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SOLIDS OF DIFFERENT SPECIFIC GRAVITIES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Budworth Sharp of French Walls Smethwick
in the County of Stafford Mechanical Engineer, for an Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SOLIDS OF DIFFERENT
SPECIFIC GRAVITIES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Budworth Sharp
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th January 1883.
THOMAS BUDWORTH SHARP of French Walls Smethwick in the County of
Stafford Mechanical Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR SEPARATING SOLIDS OF DIFFERENT SPECIFIC GRAVITIES"
My invention consists of the improved combinations or arrangements of parts
hereinafter described of machinery or apparatus for separating solids of different
specific gravities that is for dressing ores or separating the metallic from the earthy
matters of the said ores for separating metallic particles or filings from non-metallic
particles and for other like purposes.
In constructing machinery or apparatus according to my invention I employ a
vertical or neary vertical pipe or tube (which I will hereinafter call the water tube)
open at top and bottom the top being expanded or funnel shaped. This water tube
is supported preferably in the axis of a tank having near its top a horizontal
diaphragm through which the water tube passes and in which it fits tightly there
being no communication between the upper and lower compartments of the said
tank excepting through the water tube the lower open end of the water tube is at
a considerable height from the bottom of the tank the said open bottom of the
water tube having underneath it a vessel or receptacle to receive anything which
passes out at the open bottom of the tube. Over the top funnel shaped mouth of
the water tube is a stage or platform and in the said platform is a hole opening
into a guide tube the lower end of which guide tube just enters the funnel shaped
mouth of the water tube. An entrance or inlet water passage controlled by a stop
cock or valve opens into the lower compartment of the tank and an overflow pipe
opens into the upper compartment of the tank.

page_text: In using the machinery or apparatus water is introduced by the inlet passage
into the lower compartment of the tank by which water the said lower compart-
ment of the tank and the receptacle contained in it are filled with water and a
stream of water directed upwards through the water tube. The said stream over-
flows the top funnel shaped mouth of the water tube and falling into the upper
compartment of the tank passes away by the overflow pipe.
The mixture of solid particles to be separated is put upon the platform and
pushed into the guide tube from which it falls into the water tube meeting in its
descent the ascending stream of water. By regulating the velocity of the said
ascending stream of water by means of the stop cock or valve referred to the
velocity of the said ascending stream may be made to exceed the velocity with
which the particles of the lighter solid fall in still water. By this regulation of
the ascending stream the lighter particles do not descend in the water tube but are
carried with the overflow water falling over the edge of the funnel shaped top of
the water tube while the heavier particles descend in the water tubo with a velocity
equal to the difference between their rate of descent in still water and the velocity
of the ascending stream. The heavy particles thus falling down the water tube
are collected in the receptacle in the lower compartment of the tank the lighter
particles as hereinbefore explained being carried away by the overflow water from
which they may be recovered by subsidence if they are valuable.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Budworth Sharp in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd June 1883.
THOMAS BUDWORTH SHARP of French Walls, Smethwick in the County of
Stafford Mechanical Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR SEPARATING SOLIDS OF DIFFERENT SPECIFIC GRAVITIES
"
My invention consists of the improved combinations or arrangements of parts
hereinafter described of machinery or apparatus for separating solids of different
specific gravities; that is, for dressing ores or separating the metallic from the
earthy matters of the said ores; for separating metallic particles or filings from
non metallic particles and for other like purposes.
In constructing machinery or apparatus according to my invention I employ a
vertical or nearly vertical pipe or tube (which I will herein after call the water tube)
open at top and bottom, the top being expanded or funnel shaped. This water tube
is supported preferably in the axis of a tank having near its top a horizontal
diaphragm through which the water tube passes and in which it fits tightly, there
being no communication between the upper and lower compartments of the said
tank excepting through the water tube. The lower open end of the water tube is
at a considerable height from the bottom of the tank the said open bottom of the
water tube having underneath it a vessel or receptacle to receive anything which
passes out at the open bottom of the tube. Over the top funnel shaped mouth of
the water tube is a stage or platform and in the said platform is a hole opening
into a guide tube the lower end of which guide tubo enters the funnel shaped
mouth of the water tube. An entrance or inlet water passage controlled by a stop
cock or valve opens into the lower compartment of the tank and an overflow pipe
opens into the upper compartment of the tank.
In using the machinery or apparatus water is introduced by the inlet passage
into the lower compartment of the tank by which water the said lower compart-
ment of the tank and the receptacle contained in it are filled with water and a
stream of water directed upwards through the water tube. The said stream over-
flows the top funnel shaped mouth of the water tube and falling into the upper
compartment of the tank passes away by the overflow pipe.
The mixture of solid particles to be separated is put upon the platform and
pushed into the guide tube from which it falls into the water tube meeting in its
descent the ascending stream of water. By regulating the velocity of the said
ascending stream of water by means of the stopcock or valve referred to the
velocity of the said ascending stream may be made to exceed the velocity with
which the particles of the lighter solid fall in still water. By this regulation
of the ascending stream, the lighter particles do not descend in the water tube but
are carried with the overflow water, falling over the edge of the funnel shaped top
of the water tube, while the heavier particles descend in the water tube with a
velocity equal to the difference between their rate of descent in still water and the
velocity of the ascending stream. The heavy particles thus falling down the water
tube are collected in the receptacle in the lower compartment of the tank, the lighter
particles, as herein before explained, being carried away by the overflow water. from
which they may be recovered by subsidence if they are valuable.
...I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
.
Figure 1 represents in vertical section and Figure 2 in plan machinery or
apparatus constructed according to my invention for separating solids of different
specific gravities.
་
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in both Figures,

page_text: a is the vertical water tube of the apparatus open at top and bottom the said
water tube being fixed in the axis of the divided tank b, c. The horizontal division
or diaphragm dividing the tank into two parts is marked d. The water tubo a
passes through the said horizontal diaphragm d as represented in Figure 1 and is
fixed thereto by the flange and screw bolts and nuts shown. The water tubo a is
fixed water tight in the diaphragm d so that there is no communication between
the upper and lower compartments b, c of the tank excepting through the said
water tube a. The upper end of the water tube a is expanded at a² and constitutes
the overflow end the overflow water from which falls into the upper compartment c
of the tank from whence it passes by the spout c³ into the pit e (or other receptacle)
which is furnished with an overflow pipe; is a funnel supported over the top of
the water tube a by the rods or columns g. 9 which are fixed to the upper com-
partment c of the tank. The funnel f carries a guide tubo h the lower end of which
dips into the expanded mouth 'a' of the water tube a. Crossing the funnel f is a
support, stage or platform i, i upon which a riddle may rest into which the mixture
to be separated is shovelled or placed.
In the lower compartment b of the tank is a vessel or receptacle k situated under-
neath the lower open end of the water tube a for receiving the heavier particles of
the mixture to be separated.
In order to introduce the vessol & into and remove it from the lower com-
partment b of the tank, the upper compartment c carrying the water tube a, a³ and
funnel fand other parts, is jointed to the lower compartment 6 by a hinge joint
at l. This joint & permits the upper compartment c to be thrown back or turned
asido so as to uncover the lower compartment b when required to remove and
replace the vessel k. The part c of the tank is fixed down upon the part b during
the working of the apparatus by clamps or otherwise but ordinarily the weight of
the upper part c and the parts carried by it is sufficient to maintain the part c in
position and preserve the junction between it and the part b watertight; m is the
entrance or inlet water passage into the bottom compartment b. This inlet water
passage is controlled by a stop cock or valve so as to regulate the velocity of the
stream of water passing through the apparatus according to the requirements of the
mixtures being operated upon. The stream of water entering through the
passage m is supplied from a reservoir at a greater height than the funnel for is
supplied under such pressure as will cause it to rise with the required velocity in
the tube a.
The action of the machinery or apparatus is as follows:-Water being introduced
by the inlet passage m and its rate of entrance regulated by the stop cock or valve
described, the lower compartment 6 of the tank and the vessel or receptacle k are
filled with water and a stream of water rising upwards through the water tubo a
overflows the expanded mouth a³ of the said water tube and falls into the upper
compartment c of the tank and passes into tho pit or other receptacle e. The
mixture of solid particles to be separated being placed in the riddle supported on
the platform i, a to and fro motion is given to the said riddle and the materials to
be operated upon fall in a nearly uniform stream through the guide tubo has
indicated by the dotted arrows into the water tube a and meet in their descent
the ascending stream of water in the said water tube. The velocity of the
ascending stream of water having been regulated as hereinbefore described, the
lighter particles of the mixture do not descend the water tube a but are carried
with the overflow water, falling over the edge of the expanded top a³ of the water
tube, while the heavier particles descend in the water tube a and are collected in
the receptacle k in the lower compartment b of the tank. The lighter particles
which are carried with the overflow water fall into the upper compartment c and
are conducted by the spout c³ into the pit e for recovery if valuable.
Instead of placing the mixture to be separated in a riddle as described the
mixture may be introduced directly into the funnel ƒ in a gentle stream in any
convenient manner.
In order to permit the escape of air from the top of the lower compartment ba

page_text: small hole may be made either in the diaphragm or division d as indicated at d² or
in the water tube a as indicated at d³.
The water tube a and tank may be modified in the manner illustrated in vertical
section in Figure 3.
In this modification the upper portion of the water tube a is divided by a vertical
partition into two parts or legs marked respectively a³ and a', the leg a³ opening
into the funnel fand the other leg a' forming the overflow part of the water tube.
The overflow water and lighter particles are received from the pipe a* by the
trough from which they fall into a pit or receptacle.
The action of this modification is exactly the same as that of the arrangement
already described.
By the use of my invention, skilled labour is dispensed with in the separating of
solids of different specific gravities and the separation is efficiently, economically
and rapidly effected with a minimum expenditure of water.
My invention is applicable among other purposes to the washing or dressing of
ground ores, the washing of precipitated metals, the washing of Jewellers'
Bweepings and casters' and smelters' sweepings and sweepings obtained in other
metallurgical operations and generally to the separation of all such solid particles
of different specific gravities as are not soluble in or injuriously affected by water.
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I claim as my invention―
The construction and combination of parts of machinery or apparatus for separating
solids of different specific gravities herein before described and illustrated in tho
accompanying Drawings; that is to say, the combination of a vertical water tube
with appliances essentially of the kind described and illustrated, whereby an
ascending stream of water in the said water tube is made to meet in the said water
tube a descending stream of particles to be separated, the heavier particles descending
in the said water tube and being collected at bottom while the lighter particles are
carried upwards and pass with the overflow water into a pit or other receptacle
substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof I the said Thomas Budworth Sharp have hereunto set
hand and seal this Nineteenth day of June in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
my
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT
37 Temple Street
Birmingham
THOMAS BUDWORTH SHARP (L.S.)