Improved Apparatus for Sorting or Separating Pulverulent or Granular Substances, more particularly applicable for Extracting Gold from Auriferous Earths and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 4th July, 1899-Accepted, 5th Aug., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Sorting or Separating Pulverulent or
Granular Substances, more particularly applicable for Extracting
Gold from Auriferous Earths and the like.
I, PIERRE LEJEUNE, of No. 20, Boulevard des Capucines, Paris, France, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved construction of apparatus for sorting
pulverulent or granular materials in such manner that the particles of high specific
gravity are separated from those of low specific gravity. The apparatus is applicable
with advantage to the treatment in the dry way of alluvial earths or auriferous sands,
and I will describe the same as applied to this purpose.
The apparatus is particularly applicable to "placer" mining where there is scarcity
of water, as in treating auriferous earths or sands in the dry way, it enables all the
gold contained in a large mass of earth to be concentrated in a comparatively small
volume.
The apparatus works automatically and continuously; the auriferous earth or sand
falls from a hopper on to the upper part of an obliquely inclined table so arranged
that the inclination in the direction of the width is greater than that in the direction
of the length. This table has on its upper surface projecting parallel ribs running in
the direction of its length, and either the table or the material upon it receives a
jolting motion by suitable means whereby the light particles being projected to a
height above the ribs, are caused to descend over these in the direction of the greatest
inclination, that is to say transversely of the table, and they eventually fall off at the
lowest side, while the heavy particles descend along the ribs and fall into receptacles
at the lower end of the table.
The apparatus may be arranged in various ways for carrying out the above described
mode of operating. According to one arrangement the doubly inclined table is finely
perforated and forms the upper side of a bellows-like structure, the lower plate of
which has one or more air valves opening inwards, and receives an up and down
motion by the action of an excentric, crank or lever with or without the aid of springs
so that on the descent, air is admitted into the space between the lower plate and the
table, through the valves, while on the ascent this air is forced through the fine
perforations of the table, and thereby imparts the required jolting motion to the
granular material on the latter. The table is by preference enclosed at top by a
casing on which is carried the hopper that delivers the material to be sorted on to the
highest part of the table.
The lowest end of the casing is connected by a closed shoot to a closed receptacle,
so that when auriferous earths are treated no theft is possible during the sorting
operation.
Dated this 7th day of Oathon 1900
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improved Apparatus for Sorting or Separating Pulverulent or
Granular Substances, more particularly applicable for Extracting
Gold from Auriferous Earths and the like.
I, PIERRE LEJEUNE, of No. 20, Boulevard des Capucines, Paris, France, Engineer,
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 an improved construction of apparatus for sorting pulveru- 5
lent or granular materials in such manner that the particles of high specific gravity
are separated from those of low specific gravity. The apparatus is applicable with
advantage to the treatment in the dry way of alluvial earths or auriferous sands, and
I will describe the same as applied to this purpose.
The apparatus is particularly applicable to "placer "mining where there is scarcity
of water, as in treating auriferous earths or sands in the dry way, it enables all the
gold contained in a large mass of earth to be concentrated in a comparatively small
volume.
The apparatus works automatically and continuously; the auriferous earth or sand
falls from a hopper on to the upper part of an obliquely inclined table so arranged
that the inclination in the direction of the width is greater than that in the
direction of the length. This table has on its upper surface projecting parallel
ribs running in the direction of its length, and either the table or the material upon
it receives a jolting motion by suitable means whereby the light particles being
projected to a height above the ribs, are caused to descend over these in the direction
of the greatest inclination, that is to say transversely of the table, and they
eventually fall off at the lowest side, while the heavy particles descend along the ribs
and fall into receptacles at the lower end of the table.
The apparatus may be arranged in various ways for carrying out the above described
mode of operating.
.
One arrangement, by way of example, is shewn in plan view at Fig. 1 of the
accompanying drawings,
Fig. 2 shews a longitudinal section on line 2-2 Fig. 1, and
Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 3-3 Figs. 1 and 2.
A is the table inclined in two directions, the inclination in the transverse 3
direction being greater than that in the longitudinal direction, as shewn clearly
at Figs. 2 and 3. C are the longitudinal ribs projecting up from the top of the table.
The table is made of permeable material such as woven fabric; it forms the top of a
bellows D the lower part of which is moveable and provided with valves. It has a
vertical reciprocating motion imparted to it by any suitable means such as a 3
revolving cam or excentric F, whereby it first draws in air from below and then forces
it through the permeable table to which it consequently imparts a series of
concussions.
The table A also forms the bottom of a closed casing B, the cover of which carries
a hopper G from which the auriferous earth is introduced on to the uppermost corner 4
of the table. In consequence of the vibratory movements of the latter the lighter
particles are made to descend in the direction of the greatest inclination in jumping
over the ribs C, and they fall into a shoot at H at the lowest side of the table. The
heavier particles which contain all the gold on the other hand descend along the ribs
to the lower end of the table, where they fall into a box I.
It will be seen that the operation is automatic and continuous; as the gold is
41

page_text: inaccessible from the point of entrance into the machine to the point of its collection
in the box I, fraudulent removal is impossible.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. Apparatus for sorting or separating pulverulent or granular materials and in
particular for concentrating auriferous earths, consisting of a table to which percussive
motion is imparted and which is obliquely inclined, the inclination in the transverse
direction being greater than that in the longitudinal direction, and the upper face
being provided with a series of longitudinal parallel ribs, substantially as and for the
purpose described.
2. In apparatus for sorting or separating materials such as is referred to in the
First Claim, constructing the said table of woven fabric and forming the upper part
of a bellows, the moveable bottom of which is provided with valves and has an up
and down motion imparted to it by suitable means substantially as described.
3. Apparatus for sorting or separating pulverulent or granular materials, and in
particular auriferous earths constructed and operating substantially as herein described
with reference to the drawings.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.