Year: 1897

page_text: I, JOSEPH MOORE, of Ardgowan, Musselburgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North
Britain, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as follows, that
is to say
My said Invention has for its object by improved apparatus of a simple kind to
obtain the washing and cleaning of coal in a continuous and economical manner.
My improved apparatus comprises an open-topped oblong box having a bottom
which is inclined longitudinally and preferably curved in cross section; and the coal
to be cleaned is fed in at the end having the higher bottom, the washed and cleaned
coal being delivered at the upper part of the other end. The box is kept filled with
water up to a certain level, and may in overflowing at the delivery end carry the
washed and cleaned coal with, or the delivery of the latter may be wholly or partly
effected by means of rakes operating at the outlet. The box is suspended by rods
from eccentrics on an overhead rotating shaft, the eccentrics being arranged to impart
to the box a transverse rocking motion by alternately raising and lowering the sides.
At the same time longitudinal and transverse reciprocations are imparted to the box
by eccentrics on the overhead shaft and operating through bell cranks and connecting
rods or other convenient mechanism. By such means the contents of the box are
kept in continuous and varying motion, with the result that stones, dirt, and any
other matters of greater gravity than the coal descend to the bottom whilst the
lighter coal gradually moves onwards to the delivery end. The materials thus
separated from the coal gradually proceed to the lowest part of the bottom of the box,
at which part they enter the lower end of a tube which is inclined and extends
towards and beyond the entering end of the box, its upper end being above the level
of the water in the box. In the tube there is a conveyor screw which when rotating
moves the stones and other materials along the tube to its upper end whence it
discharges them. The conveyor screw is worked by gearing from the overhead
longitudinal shaft, this gearing being arranged to be put into or out of action as
required, frictional pulleys being preferred for this purpose with means for putting
one of them into or out of driving contact with the other.
Dated this thirty-first day of December. 1896.

page_text: in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object by improved apparatus of a simple kind to
obtain the washing and cleaning of coal in a continuous and economical manner.
My improved apparatus comprises an open-topper oblong box having a bottom
which is inclined longitudinally. The coal to be cleaned is fed in at the end having
the higher bottom the washed and cleaned coal being delivered at the upper part of
the other and deeper end. The box is kept filled with water up to a certain level,
and may in overflowing at the delivery end carry the washed and cleaned coal with
it, or the delivery of the latter may be wholly or partly effected by means of rakes
operating at the outlet. The box is suspended and has imparted to it simultaneous
rocking, transverse, vertical, and longitudinal motions. The result of the box's
motion is that matters of greater gravity than the coal descend to the lowermost
part of the bottom, where they enter a tube in which works a conveyor screw for
discharging them, whilst the lighter coal gradually moves onwards to the delivery
end.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing the same may
be properly understood I hereunto append two sheets of explanatory drawings to be
hereinafter referred to, and showing two modifications of my improved coal washing
and cleaning apparatus.
Figures, 1, 2, and 3, on sheet, 1, of the drawings are respectively a sectional
plan, a sectional elevation, and a transverse vertical section of one modification of
the improved apparatus.
Figures, 4, and 5, on sheet, 2, are respectively a plan and a side elevation of a
second modification of the apparatus, the washing box being shown in outline only
for convenience. In thèse drawings the same reference letters and numerals are
used to mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
My improved apparatus comprises (according to both modifications) an open-
topped oblong box, A, having a bottom, B, which is inclined longitudinally and
straight (or it might be curved) in cross section. The coal to be cleaned is fed in
at the end having the higher bottom; the washed and cleaned coal being delivered
at the upper part of the other end. The box, A, is kept filled with water up to a
certain level (B1, for example) and may in overflowing at the delivery end, carry the
washed and cleaned coal with it, or the delivery of the latter may be wholly or partly
effected by means of rakes (not shown) operating at the outlet.
The box, A, according to the modification shown in Figures, 1, 2, and 3, is
suspended by rods, C, (which are attached to the box by universal joints, D) from
eccentrics, E, G, H, and J, fast on an overhead rotating shaft, K, turning in bearings
in standards, L, the eccentrics being arranged to impart to the box a transverse
rocking motion by raising and lowering the sides alternately. At the same time
longitudinal and transverse reciprocations are imparted to the box by the eccentrics,
H, and, J, the longitudinal reciprocations being obtained from the eccentric, H,
through its rod, C, a bellcrank (or bellcranks) M, and a link (or links) N, the latter
being attached by an universal joint (or joints) to the box; and the transverse
reciprocations are obtained from the eccentrics, H, and J, through their rods, C,
links, P, bellcranks, Q, and links, R, the latter being attached to the side of the box
by universal joints. By such means the contents of the box are kept in continuous
and varying motion, with the result that stones, dirt, and any other matters of
greater gravity than the coal descend to the bottom whilst coal gradually moves
onwards to the delivery end, B². The materials thus separated from the coal
gradually proceed to the lowest part of the bottom of the box, at which part they
enter the lower end of a tube, S, through an opening, T, formed in the bottom of the
box, the tube being inclined and extending towards and beyond the entering end of
the box and having its upper end above the level of the water in the box. The
tube, S, is fixed in any convenient way centrally below the bottom of the box to
downwardly projecting parts, A¹, of the box. In the tube, S, there is a conveyor

page_text: screw, S¹, which when rotating moves the stones and other materials along the tube
to its upper end whence it discharges them. The conveyor screw, S', is fast on a
shaft, S, turning in a suitable bearing, S³, at one end, and connected by an universal
joint, St, to another short shaft, S, turning in a suitable bearing, S, suspended by
arms, S', from the box, the shaft, S³, having on it a pulley, S, by which it is driven
from a pulley, S₁, loose on the overhead rotating shaft, K. The pulley, S', is
put into and out of action as required by frictional pulleys, K¹, and, K2, the one
frictional pulley, K¹, being in a piece with the driving pulley, S, and loose on the
overhead shaft, K, while the other frictional pulley, K2, is moved on a feather or key
in the overhead shaft into and out of driving contact from the loose frictional pulley by a
hand lever, K³, centered on an arm or bracket, K',-fixed to one of the standards.
In the modification shown in Figures, 4, and 5, the box, A, is supported at the
sides on shafts, V, turning in bearing brackets, V₁, the box having at each side two
horizontally projecting pins, V2, fitting into pieces, V³, made with vertical bearings in
which work the eccentric rods, C, of eccentrics, E, G, H, and J. fast on the shafts, V.
The eccentrics, E, G, H, and J, are fixed on the shafts, V, obliquely and from this
method of connection, the eccentrics, as they rotate with the shafts, impart to the
box vertical, transverse, and longitudinal motions. One of the shafts, V, is provided
with fast and loose pulleys, V, for driving it and with a pulley, S', for driving the
conveyor screw (S) and with frictional pulleys, K, and K2, for putting the pulley, S⁹,
into and out of operation. The pulley, S, is arranged to drive a pulley, W₁, on a
counter shaft, W2, and a pulley, Ws, on the counter shaft drives a pulley, S8, on a
shaft, S, supported and connected to the conveyor screw shaft, S², in a manner
similar to the corresponding parts of the modification first described.
The one
shaft, V, is driven from the other shaft, V, by sprocket wheels, V5, and a chain.
Other parts of this modification not described are similar to the corresponding
parts of the modification first described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the improved coal
washing and cleaning apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference
to Figures, 1, 2, and 3, of the accompanying drawings.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the improved coal
washing and cleaning apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference
to Figures, 4, and 5, of the accompanying drawings.
3. Improved coal washing and cleaning apparatus, comprising an open-topped
box, having an inclined bottom, and having simultaneous rocking transverse,
vertical, and longitudinal motions imparted to it by suitable mechanism to separate
the coal from the stones, dirt, and other matters, the coal being washed or raked over
one end of the box, while the stones, dirt and other matters sink into a tube in which
works a conveyor screw for discharging them substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this twenty-ninth day of September, 1897.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.