IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO APPARATUS TO BE USED IN SORTING ORES, COAL, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Henry Johnson, Colliery Proprietor, and William
Haydock, Mining Engineer, both of Wigan, in the County of Lancaster, for
"
an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO APPARATUS TO BE
USED IN SORTING ORES, COAL, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Henry Johnson and
William Haydock at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th
July 1880.
JAMES HENRY JOHNSON, Colliery Proprietor, and WILLIAM HAYDOCK, Mining
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
Engineer, both of Wigan, in the County of Lancaster.
RELATING TO APPARATUS TO BE USED IN SORTING ORES, COAL, AND OTHER
SUBSTANCES."
.
In sorting ores, coal, and the like, very frequently two or more kinds of mineral
have to be separated, such as cannel and common coal, rich ore, poor ore, ang
gangue, and it is desirable to assist the pickers by machinery. For this purpose
we have been largely experimenting, and have found as a result that a combination
of mechanically sorting as to size with distributing tables travelling or rotating to
assist the pickers gives the best result.
As applied to coal, we deliver the coal down the usual screen bars onto a
perforated revolving table. This table can either be a cast iron grating or a grating
made of wrought iron bars or tubes. The former is in our opinion the cheapest
and most convenient. Round the edge of this table the pickers stand and sort the
coal, throwing one variety to be separated, preferably that of which there is the
smallest quantity, on to the raised centre of the table. As the table rotates just
before the point where the screen bars deliver onto it a scraper is adapted to the
table. This is preferably curved and is rigidly stationary, and is so shaped as to
scrape all the coal left on the lower part of the table into a wagon alongside. This
scraper can be made to raise and lower so that it can at times not scrape the table.
This is useful when the wagons are being changed, when there are few pickers and
the friction of continuous scraping would be great, or when the elevated portion of
the table has to be scraped off. This latter is done in a similar manner to the lower
Prins 71

page_text: part by means of a stationary scraper lowered at intervals so as to scrape the coal
on the high central plateau on to the lower part (when the latter is clear of coal)
and deliver it from thence into a wagon. For this purpose a central pivot projecting
above the table is useful as a point of attachment or support to the scraper. . A
scraper for the central plateau can however, if desirable, be dispensed with, as the
scraper being smooth the coal can more easily be pushed off the central part by
a hand scraper or pusher.
The slack falling through the table will collect on a shelf below where it can be
scraped off into a wagon on the opposite side of the apparatus to the wagon taking
the larger coal.
These wagons can be run up to the tables on lines of rail, and two or more
tables can be rotated by one engine and by any convenient mechanism now used
for turntables. Sometimes instead of or as well as the central plateau we have a
central hole with a raised edge to receive any stones, gangue, or other material
required, separating from the rest. Wagons on a line of rails running underneath
the table (in what would be called a "cove" in glass-works) carry off these
materials.
.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by.
the said James Henry Johnson and William Haydock in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 15th January 1881.
JAMES HENRY JOHNSON, Colliery Proprietor, and WILLIAM HAYDOCK, Mining
Engineer, both of Wigan, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
RELATING TO APPARATUS TO BE USED IN SORTING ORES, COAL, AND OTHER
SUBSTANCES."
Fig. 1 is a sectional clevation; Fig. 2, a plan.
In sorting ores, coal, and the like, very frequently two or more kinds of minerals
have to be separated, such as cannel and common coal, rich ore, poor ore, and
gangue, and it is desirable to assist the pickers by machinery. For this purpose we
have been largely experimenting, and have found as a result that a combination of
mechanically sorting as to size with distributing tables travelling or rotating to
assist the pickers gives the best result.
As applied to coal, we deliver the coal down the usual screen bars B onto a
(preferably perforated) revolving table A; in the Drawing only part is shown
perforated to avoid complexity. This table can either be a cast iron grating or a
grating made of wrought iron bars or tubes, or in rare instances a plane surface.
The first mentioned is in our opinion the cheapest and most convenient. Round
the edge of this table the pickers stand and sort the coal, throwing one variety to be
separated (preferably that of which there is the smallest quantity) onto the raised
centre C of the table. As the table rotates just before the point where the screen
bars deliver onto it a scraper D is adapted to the table. Sometimes we have two
or three of these arranged to be raised and lowered at will, so that by placing
either of them in position or raising them we can make any one of the three or
none of them scrape the coal into its respective wagon. In the Drawing two only
are shown, D scraping into spout F and E scraping into spout G. These scrapers
are preferably curved, as shown, and held by stationary supports on or near the
stationary spouts F and G. The exact mode of attaching the scrapers to their
supports is immaterial so long as they are free to rise and fall unless stopped by a
peg or stop but held rigidly from moving in any other direction. This raising of
the scrapers is especially useful when the wagons are being changed, when there
are few pickers and the friction of continuous scraping would be great, or when
the elevated portion of the table has to be scraped off. This latter is done in a
similar manner to the lower part by means of similar scrapers I, J (corresponding
in number and position to D, E, as shown), one of which is lowered at intervals so
as to scrape the coal on the high central plateau onto the lower part (when the
latter is clear of coal), the lower scraper D or E delivering it from thence into a
wagon by means of spouts F or G. For this purpose a central pivot projecting
above the table is useful as a point of attachment or support to the scrapers, or
they can be sustained by beams or a platform above. A scraper for the central
plateau can however, if desirable, be dispensed with, as the table being smooth the
coal can more easily be pushed off the central part by a hand scraper or pusher.
The slack falling through the table will collect on a shelf K below, where it can
be scraped off by scraper L, shown in dotted lines, into a wagon (under the screen
bars B in the Drawing) on the opposite side of the apparatus to the wagon taking
the larger coal.
These wagons can be run up to the tables on lines of rail, and two or more tables
can be rotated by one engine and by any convenient mechanism now used for
turntables, such as the bevil gearing M, N, and bearing rollers P, P. Sometimes
instead of or as well as the central plateau we have a central hole or hopper with

page_text: a raised edge to receive any stones, gangue, or other material required separating
from the rest. Wagons on a line of rails running underneath the table (in what
would be called a ** cave in glass works) carry off these materials.
Having now described our Invention, and the best mode known to us of carrying
it into effect, we wish it to be understood that what we believe to be new and
desire to protect under the herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The manufacture or use of revolving sorting tables for sorting coal, ores,
or other substances, said tables receiving the rough material from a spout or
otherwise and slowly revolving while the sorters sort the various qualities into the
different zones of the table, each of which (if more than one in number) is capable
of being emptied separately by stationary scrapers, substantially as described.
Second. The perforated table A with shelf below caused to revolve beneath
stationary or adjustable scrapers which automatically scrape off the various qualities
into their respective wagons.
Third. In a revolving sorting table, the raised centre C or its, equivalent, a
hopper with raised rim in the centre, substantially as and for, the purposes
described.
Fourth. The special design and arrangement of machinery, substantially as shown.
and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I; the said William Haydock, for and on behalf of myself.
and the said James Henry Johnson, have hereunto set my hand and seal,
this Thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty one.
WILLIAM HAYDOCK. (L.S.)