Improvements in Settling Boxes Employed in the Treatment of Ores.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 30th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 1st Dec., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Settling Boxes Employed in the Treatment
of Ores.
A communication from abroad by ERNEST F. AYTON, of Zacatecas, in the
Republic of Mexico.
I, PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
The object of this invention is to provide a device to facilitate the constant and
regular discharge of a thickened pulp resulting from the fine crushing of ores in
presence of a great excess of water. It is frequently the case that the apparatus
employed for the concentration or amalgamation of ores is limited in its capacity
and result rather by the volume of material charged than by the actual weight of
ore treated. On the other hand where ores must be crushed fine, such fine
crushing can only be economically carried on in the presence of a liberal flow of
water.
The separation of the ore from the excess of water by settling in tanks is not
only a tedious and expensive operation but also involves the entire interruption of
the flow of the crushed material.
Settling boxes have been used with comparative success and a large proportion
of the excess of water has actually been removed in a clear condition but whenever
the process has been pushed to the point of not only providing an overflow of clear
water, but at the same time a discharge of thick pulp, the same difficulty has
always been encountered of procuring à constant discharge of thick pulp from a
necessarily reduced aperture without frequent blocking of the small discharge and
consequent paralysis of the entire operation.
The present arrangement is the result of acknowledging the impossibility of
overcoming the blocking of the discharge of thickened pulp by any continuous
motion; and the substitution of an intermittent positive opening and closing of
the discharge which may be performed by operating at regular intervals a lever
connected with a valve regulating the discharge. By this means pulp may be
constantly delivered of a consistency of thick mud containing over 50 per cent.. by
weight of ground ore.
According to one form of the invention a pointed settling box is provided at or
near its base with a cock and valve, a lever attached to the valve being operated at
regular intervals by means of a bolt or piece which acts on same, or on an
adjustable block carried thereby. The bolt or piece in turn is carried by a rotating
disc, the shaft of which is in turn operated in any suitable way, the disc preferably
being provided with means for adjusting the position of the bolt or piece which it
carries. A spring may be employed for assisting the lever to close the valve.
The arrangement enables the opening covered by the valve to be regulated in size.
Dated the 3rd day of March 1894.

page_text: Improvements in Settling Boxes Employed in the Treatment
of Ores.
A communication from abroad by ERNEST FREDERICK AYTON, of Zacatecas, in
the Republic of Mexico.
I, PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, 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:-
The object of this invention is to provide a device to facilitate the constant and
regular discharge of a thickened pulp resulting from the fine crushing of ores in
presence of a great excess of water." It is frequently the case that the apparatus
employed for the concentration or amalgamation of ores is limited in its capacity
and result rather by the volume of material charged than by the actual weight of
ore treated. On the other hand where ores must be crushed fine, such fine
crushing can only be economically carried on in the presence of a liberal flow of
water.
The separation of the ore from the excess of water by settling in tanks is not
only a tedious and expensive operation but also involves the entire interruption of
the flow of the crushed material.
Settling boxes have been used with comparative success and a large proportion
of the excess of water has actually been removed in a clear condition but whenever
the process has been pushed to the point of not only providing an overflow of
clear water, but at the same time a discharge of thick pulp, the same difficulty
has always been encountered of procuring a constant discharge of thick pulp from
a necessarily reduced aperture without frequent blocking of the small discharge,
and consequent paralysis of the entire operation.
The present arrangement is the result of acknowledging the impossibility of
overcoming the blocking of the discharge of thickened pulp by any continuous
motion; and the substitution of an intermittent positive opening and closing of
the discharge which may be performed by operating at regular or varying intervals
a lever connected with a valve regulating the discharge. By this means pulp may
be constantly delivered of a consistency of thick mud containing over 50. per cent.
by weight of ground ore.
In the accompanying drawing is illustrated two forms of apparatus constructed
according to this invention, Fig. 1 being a side elevation of same, Fig. 2 an end
view of a portion of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 a side elevation of another arrangement.
In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a pointed settling box a is provided at or
near its base with a cock b and valve c, a lever d attached to the valve being
operated at regular or varying intervals by means of a bolt or piece e which acts
on same or on an adjustable block carried thereby. The means for adjusting the
block may consist of a screw g as shown. The bolt or piece e in turn is carried
by a rotating disc h, the shaft i of which is in turn operated in any suitable way,
such as by the pulley j, the disc preferably being provided with means for adjusting
the position of the bolt or piece which it carries. The means shown consist of a
number of slots k arranged in various positions in the disc, and in which one or
more of the bolts may be held, the position, size, and number of same determining
the opening and closing of the valve which includes the period of time during
which it is opened and closed. The dotted lines e indicate a bolt having a larger
head or piece than e. A spring such as m carried on the rod n may be employed
for assisting the lever to close the valve c. The arrangement enables the opening
covered by the valve to be so adjusted that the amount of discharge can be easily
regulated.

page_text: In the form shown in Fig. 3 the box a has an opening for the discharge of a
larger size than required for regular discharge. This opening is covered. by a
movable shutter c' sliding in guides and supported below by adjustable bolts or
stops which regulate the fixed discharge opening. The shutter is hung on the
pivoted lever d' and kept down on the stops by spring p. The lever d' which is
attached by a link to the other end of the shutter carries on its free end an
adjustable tappet d' which is operated by a pin (or pins) or bolt el on a gear wheel
or disc which has a slow motion from worm shaft q. By adjusting the tappet d¹
the height or lift of the shutter c' and consequently the extent of discharge opening
which is uncovered at each revolution of wheel / can be regulated. By this
arrangement a small opening can be kept in constant use discharging a thick pulp
while the rapid opening and closing of the shutter at regular intervals allows of
discharge of any excess of accumulations of pulp within, and of the removal of
any obstructions or tendency to block up of the small opening.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
from abroad by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a settling box the employment of mechanism by which the discharge
opening is alternately opened and closed, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
2. In a settling box the employment of mechanism by which the discharge
opening can be opened and closed at varying intervals and for varying periods of
time, substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. In a settling box the means for controlling the discharge opening of same,
consisting of a valve, a lever operating same, a rotatable disc and adjustable pieces
carried by the disc for operating on the lever, substantially as described.
4. In a settling box the employment of mechanism by which a discharge
opening adjusted for continuous discharge is at intervals opened to a greater
extent, substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated the 30th day of October 1894.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE.