An Improved Dry Crushing and Classifying Apparatus for Quartz and other Ores, adaptable also as a Wet Crushing Apparatus.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 27th June, 1898-Accepted, 13th Aug., 1898
An Improved Dry Crushing and Classifying Apparatus for Quartz
and other Ores, adaptable also as a Wet Crushing Apparatus.
I, JOHN COLQUHOUN-THOMSON, of Walhalla, in the Colony of Victoria, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the follow-
ing statement:-
This invention relates to an improved dry crushing and classifying apparatus
for quartz and other ores adapted also as a wet crushing apparatus and which has
been designed to effect the separation of gold and other metals from their matrix in
order that those metals which are valuable may be saved or recovered. The main
feature of the invention consists in a crushing apparatus or mill wherein a series
of rotary crushing rollers are carried round at a high speed within a slowly
revolving cylindrical drum which is caused to revolve in a direction opposite to
that in which the rollers are carried, the materials under treatment being fed to
within the drum and crushed or finely pulverised between the rollers and interior
face of drum and when fine enough the crushed materials pass from the drum
through a grating which forms the delivery end thereof. When the invention
is used for dry crushing it is formed preferably of a combination of an automatic
feed, a blowing or air current device, the crushing mill and a classifier whilst when
used for wet crushing it is formed preferably of an automatic feed and the crush-
ing mill, the materials passing from the latter being afterwards treated by any
approved methods in order to separate or recover the valuable metals from the
waste or gangue.
In order that the invention may be well understood it will now be described aided
by a reference to the attached sheets of drawings throughout which similar letters
indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 shows the combined dry crusher and classifier by a part side and a part
longitudinal sectional view, and
Fig. 2 a half front view of the discharge end of crusher with classifier removed
and a half view of the interior with the crushing rolls in position, the cover and
grating being removed, also the feed pipe in this view is shown furnished with an
automatic feed the latter being shown in
Figs. 3 and 4 by sectional and side views respectively.
Fig. 5 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the invention as adapted for wet
crushing, and Fig. 5* modified section of drum rim when mercury grooves are
provided.
Fig. 6 a detail view showing that the crushing rollers and liners or internal
surface of drum may be corrugated instead of plain as shown in the other figures.
In the crushing apparatus A is a cylindrical drum having an open front and a
solid back the latter provided with a boss or hub A¹ by which it is supported loosely
on a horizontal shaft B, the drum being also carried by rollers C supported in
brackets C¹, said rollers fit into a groove A³ formed on periphery of drum and
which has also a turned face a upon it to receive a belt D by which the drum is
rotated. A³ is the liner or interior wearing surface of drum made preferably of

page_text: steel and in sections and secured in position by such as the countersink headed
bolts a¹. A is a gland fitting in stuffing box A5 in hub A¹ said gland being
secured by such as bolts a² and A' is a gland cod. E is an annular cover ring
secured to the drum by studs or bolts e said ring having two or more arms E
radiating to about its centre and thereat carrying a central Hange E over the outer
surface of which and the cover ring E a grating or finely perforated metallic sheet-
ing is arranged said grating being secured in position by being clamped by
aid of bolts at its outer edge between said ring E and the Hange of an annular
discharge lip G and at its centre between said Hange E and another outer flange
as G¹, a hole being left in said central flanges G¹ and E just large enough to fit
neatly over the end part of the feed pipe H which leads from an automatic or other
feed device. H¹ is a water supply branch leading to feed pipe H which may be pro-
vided with a seat bracket H2 for supporting it on a timber or other bearer as shewn.
The horizontal shaft B is supported by bearings B' carried by any suitable framing
as B whilst 133 is a driving pulley and B a loose collar on said shaft. On end
part of shaft B within drum A the boss I¹ of an armed carrier ring I is keyed or
otherwise secured and said armed carrier ring has holes in it to receive the end
parts of distance or stay bolts I which are secured thereto by nuts and the other
screwed ends of said distance bolts take into screwed holes in and so support
another ring 13 and which rings I and I³ together carry the open ended bearings I*
for the spindles or journals J₁ of the hard metal or steel crushing rollers J, said
spindles Jas will be seen by referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings being free to travel
inwards or outwards to allow the rollers to vary their position radially whilst pass-
ing over the materials or ores being crushed, the rollers being driven outwards by
centrifugal force during the time they are being carried rapidly around within
the drum.
When the invention is to be employed for dry crushing the back of the drum A
is provided with a cylindrical chamber A' in which a fan or air propeller K is
placed it being secured on shaft B and said chamber has an air inlet at A8 and an
air outlet to crushing chamber at A further if so preferred a current of air may be
led to the crushing chamber through a central hole bin said shaft B. Also in this
form of the apparatus to combine a classifier L with the crusher and said classifier
consists of a series of troughs or bins L' each provided with an adjustable side L³
which is capable of being fixed at the desired position or angle by an arm such
as being secured by a pin or bolt in the requisite hole in a curved plate " as
shown in Fig. 1. In this apparatus the pulverised or finely crushed materials
blown through the crusher grating F pass to the enclosed chamber M and out
therefrom through mouth M to over the bins into which they fall in accordance
with their specific gravity the heavier metals or particles falling to the first bin
and the next heavier to the next bin and so on. The mouth M is provided with
an adjustable plate M3 which is capable of being secured at the desired position
by bolts such as m which pass through slot holes in said adjustable plate. M³ is
a packing or gasket between discharge lip G and the wall of chamber M.
The automatic feed device for the crushing apparatus consists of a bucket piece H³
arranged on a spindle in a casing leading to feed pipe H the ores or materials to
be treated being led to the bucket piece by a shoot H' the width of the throat of
which is governed by an adjustable slide H whilst an intermittent rotary
motion is imparted to the bucket piece by its spindle having a ratchet wheel H
secured on it which gears with a pawl H7 centred on end of a weighted sway lever H8
the lower end of which during a certain portion of the rotation of the crushing
drum A is operated on by a pin H which takes the lever with it and consequently
rotates the ratchet wheel and the bucket piece until the pin leaves the lever at end
of its stroke when the weighted arm Ho brings the sway lever and pawl back
again to its starting position and which latter is regulated by a pin as h placed in
one of the holes in a plate as h¹. It will be obvious that the crushing drum A
may be made of any suitable metal and either in one piece or be made up in sections
and be provided with flanges for bolting the sections together also the crushing rolls
may either have their journals cast in one piece with them or each may be mounted

page_text: on a separate spindle and further for some purposes the crushing rolls J and
liners A³ may have their surfaces corrugated as shown in Fig. 6. In Fig. 5* d
and d are circumferential mercury wells which may be provided in drum A at
each side of liners A³.
When the crushing apparatus is in work the drum A is driven in a direction
opposite to that in which the crushing rolls are being carried, as indicated by
the arrows in Fig. 2, the velocity of the drum being much less than that of the
rolls then as the materials or ores are fed to within the drum they are crushed by
the rollers which are projected by centrifugal force against the internal crushing
surface or liners and thus pass over the materials until such time as it is sufficiently
reduced to be carried away through the grating by an air current, in a dry
apparatus, or in a wet apparatus, by the current of water.
By having the drum A rotated in a reverse direction to the crushing rolls J the
centrifugal wall of material is disturbed or broken up and it is consequently pro-
jected against the grating and thus a more rapid delivery of the crushed materials
when reduced to the requisite grade or fineness is obtained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. In an apparatus for the purpose specified a rotational drum provided with
an internal wearing surface, a solid back end, a grating discharge front and a feed
pipe which enters through flanges at centre of grating in combination with a
series of crushing rolls arranged within the drum on a suitable carrier which is
rotated at a higher velocity than and in a direction reverse to said drum and said
rolls being supported in such a manner that they are projected outwards by centri-
fugal force during their rotation substantially as described and as shown in the
drawings.
2. In an apparatus for the purpose specified a series of crushing rolls as J
arranged within a drum as A the journals J¹ of said rolls being supported in the
open ended bearings I fitted in the carrier pieces I and I which are secured
together by distance stays or bolts I said carrier piece I having a boss I on it
which is keyed on shaft B all substantially as described and as shown in the draw-
ings.
3. In an apparatus for the purpose specified a rotational drum as A having
wearing liners as A3 a grating discharge as F a feed pipe as H and a lip discharge
as G, said drum being mounted on a shaft as B and rollers as C combined with
a series of crushing rolls as J carried in bearings on an annular carrier piece as
I, I, I, and I³ which is mounted on shaft B and with a feed apparatus consisting
of a casing having a revolving bucket piece as H³ in it which is rotated by the
ratchet gear comprised of parts marked He to H and H10 and h and h¹ operated
by a pin as H on the drum A substantially as described and as shewn in the
drawings.
4. An apparatus for the purpose specified consisting of a rotational drum as A,
having a feed pipe as H leading to it a series of internal crushing rolls as J so
assembled as that they are capable of being carried around at a greater velocity
than the drum and so that the rolls may be projected outwards to upon the internal
surface of drum, said drum having a current of air passed through it from a fan
or air blower such K the crushed ores or materials being discharged through a
grating forming the front of drum and projected over a classifier as L, L' having
adjustable sides as L² substantially as described and as shown in the drawings.
Dated this Twenty-fifth day of May 1898.
J. COLQUHOUN-THOMSON.