provements in the Method of and Means for Treating or Washing Crushed Ores, Ooal, and similar Materials.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1889-Accepted, 8th Mar,
1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in the Method of and Means for Treating or Washing
Crushed Ores, Ooal, and similar Materials.
1, OSCAR BILHARZ, Oberbergrath of the Kingdom of Saxony, of Freiberg in the
Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire 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 method usually employed for treating crushed ores and similar materials
consists in passing the slimes from the stamps to settling tanks, the latter must be
discharged periodically. The working is therefore interrupted at frequent intervals
and the several grades are not properly separated so that the operation is expensive
and inconvenient.
'
'
In the method forming part of this invention these objections are removed as
this method can be worked continuously and large quantities can readily be treated
by it whilst the separation of the various grades within any convenient limits can be
very uniformly effected.
It will generally be found advantageous to treat oies containing metal in a very
fine state of division (as for instance auriferous quartz-oies pyritic ores &c) by
crushing the same, they are next sorted by sieves and, unless the stamp mill can
be placed at a sufficiently bigh level, the slime or sludge is raised by conveyors,
pumps or bucket chains, and fed into a closed launder or truck in which the ore
settles according to its various grades the coarsest part of the sludge or slime being
first separated by a sieve-drum having meshes of millimeters
For sorting the ore into grades a channel, trough or trunk A (figs. 1-3) 18
employed; this widens towards its end so that the sorting may take place more
By
rapidly and more perfectly but may otherwise be of the usual construction
the side channel S the trough or trunk receives clear water under some pressure
and the funnels a arranged beneath it throughout its length divide it into numerous
The
divisions or compartments 19 being shown in the drawings as an example
funnels in the course of operations become filled with different grades of material
whilst the material in each funnel is approximately even The first four funnels of
this apparatus will contain the coarser ore, the following ones (those in the
middle) finer ore, the last the very fine whilst the remaining portion, almost an
impalpable sand or powder, escapes from the trough and is precipitated on the band
or apron B.
If the whole of the apparatus has been constructed of dimensions suited for the
material to be treated, loss will be avoided. The materials sorted in the trough or
channel A is removed as follows: The material flows out from the open apex of the
funnels a into suitable distributing apparatus.
The coarsest portion, which may for distinction be called class I, from the first
This machine is
four funnels flows directly into a small hydraulic settling machine
combined with a suitable number of similar machines forming a set in such manner
that the ore passes from one to the other whilst yet one or more may be disconnected,
and others be connected instead. This enables portions of different gravity to be
continuously separated in various degrees according to the nature of the material
under treatment.
The settling apparatus I prefer to employ in sets as stated is shown in figs. 4 to 6
in front elevation, side elevation & plan and in figs. 7 to 9 is shown a number of
such apparatus combined into a set.
Each apparatus consists (as shown in figs. 4 to 6) of a vessel or receptacle the
upper part of which is shaped like an elongated box whilst the lower portion is
pointed somewhat like an inverted pyramid. It is adjustably attached to slotted

page_text: uprights G. The uprights adinit of attaching the receptaclo by bolts to the feet H
of the frame work shown in figs 7 to 9 The feet Hand uprights G have holes
for convenience in adjusting the height at which the receptacle F is to be fixed In
the receptacle F thero is placed a brake steve o jigger steve J adjustably suspended
on the excentric rod g covered with a layer of granulated ore and receiving the
sludge or mixture of ore and water by a chute or feed device. A packing ring
surrounds the sieve and the lower part of the receptacle F is supplied with
fresh water by a pipe o in such quantities as to equal the amount of water
passing away above through the layer of ore on the sieve and below through the
discharge.
In practice a number of those apparitus, varying with the nature of the material
to be treated, are combined. The app iritus numbered I in the drawings is so set by
bolting together the uprights G and feet H that the discharge from its receptacle F
flows to a second apparatus II placed at a lower level hence into another at a lower
level than II and so on through the whole set the last remainder passing away.
The excentrics working the rods of the several jigger sieves are all mounted on one
shaft R mounted in suitable bearings and driven by convenient means.
The layers of granulated ore with which the sieves are first covered are of different
grades so that the parts separated by the several receptacles F and delivered through
the pipes to the collecting vessels L are exactly sorted or classified according to
their specific weight. This arrangement permits not only an exact division of
the material into any suitable number of grades but is also readily adapted to
various materials by adding more apparatus receptacles F or diminishing the
number used.
A further advantage of this apparatus is that the peculiar construction of the
Jiggers greatly facilitates taking and re-fitting the same where other apparatus could
not readily be brought into operation
The ore of medium grade forming class II is taken from the middle of the
arrangement shown in fig. 1. it may be obtained from two or three funnels and by
suitable pipes be fed to settling apparatus each capable of working independently
to produce a particular grade provided the layer of granulated ore on the sieve is
properly chosen. The movement of the said sieve is obtained by an excentric from
which it is suspended by a rod, the sieve is surrounded by water and enclosed in a
funnel shaped vessel
The valuable material which is contained in the concentrated sludge discharged by
the apparatus or arrangement A above described and which with complex ores
contains the metals or in gold-ores the gold is completely retained on the layers of
granulated ore with which the sieves of the setting apparatus or jiggers are
covered.
The coarse-or- worthless-parts are carried over the layer of ore on the sieves and are
separated in the vertical central tube of the settling machine to go to the tailings
or to pass to other suitable apparatus The material passing through the sieves
passes to continuously operating racking tables D separating the same into
various portions for instance galena, arosenious and sulpurous pyrites, blende and
wastes.
Washing tables for ores have defects which are obviated by the construction
employed as part of my invention and shown in plan and section in figs. 10 & 11
The gearing for operating the parts and the motion of the latter present no
special features being similar to those heretofore known. In order to facilitate
removal of the rollers e, carrying the apron M, from the frame N of the apparatus
when the apron is to be changed the journals of the said rollerse work in open
bearings The weight of the rollers and of the apron carried thereby prevent the
rollers jumping their bearings whilst in order to change the apron the rollers merely
require to be lifted.
To prevent slipping of the apron on the rollers, which causes inconvenience in
working, studs are provided at one or both edges of the apron, the rollers
having corresponding notches or recesses for the studs to engage with.

page_text: Of greater importance than the features just referred to is the improvement
consisting in bedding the India rubber apron M upon a body of water which prevents
the apron adhering to the framing of the apparatus. A framing or table underneath
the apron can not be dispensed with as the apron must work in a regular inclined
plane if the operation is to be of the character required in such apparatus. As the
sludge or slime fed by the pipe P to the apron will also wet the table supporting the
apron the latter is apt to cling to the table and offers such opposition to the pull of
the rollers e that considerable power is required to overcome this resistance. To
obviate this difficulty a channel c is provided on the upper part of the table q. and
from this channel smaller ones d extend all along the table.
The channel e 1s
continuously fed with clean water which by the channels d is carried all over the
table There is thus a film of water between the apron and the table and this obviates
the considerable frictional resistance previously found and diminishes the power
required for working the apparatus besides materially decreasing the wear and tear of
the apron.
The ore referred to as class III is similarly to class II only the granulated ore
with which the jigger sieves are charged is finer and the jiggers pass the material
on to washing or sorting machines similar to those above referred to.
The last and IV class or grade of the ore is caught on the band or apron B,
discharged by a screw-conveyor and is also fed to washing or sorting apparatus
suitably set for treating it and fed with less water. As in treating ore as above
set forth intermediary products may be obtained it is well to be provided with reserve
apparatus for treating the same apart or differently if desirable.
In treating auriferous ores, iron ores, or coal intermediary products are however
generally not obtainable.
Where only a single valuable product is to be obtained the treatment on the
washing table may be limited or sometimes altogether dispensed with.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim.
1) A method of treating stamped ores or similar materials mixed with water by
feeding the same continuously to a closed channel, trough or launder where the
ore is divided or sorted into a suitable number of grades or classes each grade
or class being fed to continuously operating apparatus for further sorting or
concentrating the same, the final grades being afterwards separated, all as set
forth.
2) For sorting or grading ores or similar materials in the manner set forth
the arrangements whereby a number of sorting apparatus of the construction set
forth are combined so as to classify the ore continuously, the arrangement being such
that the number of individual apparatus which cooperate may be increased or
diminished to suit various materials.
3) For treating materials such as set forth a washing apparatus having a table
fitted with a channel c and smaller channels d for the purpose of allowing the apron
to be carried on a film of water as described and shown.
4) In a washing table for treating ore and the like the studs for the apron in
combination with the recessed rollers e, as set forth and shown.
5) A washing table for ore and the like on which the rollers e for carrying the
apron run in open bearings
Dated this 5th day of May 1880
BERNHARD DUKES,
226, High Holborn, London, WC, Agent for the Applicant.