Improvements in Purifiers for Middlings and other Granular or Pulverulent Materials.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 4th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Purifiers for Middlings and other Granular or
Pulverulent Materials.
We, JOHN SMITH, of Grove Iron Works, Carshalton, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, and JOSIAH COURSE, of Grove Cottage, Carshalton aforesaid, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In purifiers as hitherto constructed the material under treatment is delivered
direct from the feed hopper on to a vibrating sieve, the result being that owing to
the thickness of the layer of the material, some of the impurities contained in it
pass through the meshes of the sieve before being acted upon by the aspirator or
fan. In order to obviate this, previous to the material falling upon the sieve, we
cause same to pass from the hopper on to a series of inclined or flat shelves (either
connected to the sieve or not), such material falling from one shelf to another, and
during its passage it is acted upon by a gentle air current, so that only the heavier
portions pass on to the sieve for further treatment, the lighter portions being
carried off by the current of air and deposited in a suitable chamber or chambers
through which such current passes, and which may be provided with baffles to
contract and expand the air, so as to facilitate the deposition of the greater part
of the light fluffy material it has taken up from the material under treatment on
its passage from one shelf to another.
The main part of the material under treatment, which passes from the lowest
shelf on to the sieve, is now treated in the usual manner on such sieve, being
submitted simultaneously to a sieving action and to the action of upward currents
of air passing through the sieve. Above such sieve, however, we arrange one or
more perforated tables or platforms, which are caused to vibrate either by being
connected to the sieve itself so as to follow the vibrations thereof, or such platforms
or tables may be vibrated independently of the sieve. Covering the perforations
of the vibrating platforms or tables we arrange a series of longitudinal channels or
chambers both above and below the tables, those below starting from one side of
the perforations and extending across same and beyond the opposite side thereof,
while those above are arranged in the reverse order. The outer edge of each
passage terminates a short distance from the surface of the table or platform, so as
to form a restricted opening for the passage of the air into each of the under
chambers or channels, through the perforated table or platform, and out of the
upper chambers or channels, whereby the air is alternately compressed and expanded,
the solid matters it has carried off when passing through the material under
treatment on the sieve, being deposited in the chambers or channels, and only
comparatively pure air passing from the purifier into the atmosphere.
Any suitable number of tables or platforms, fitted with chambers or channels both
above and below same as described, may be arranged one over the other above the
sieve, either at equal vertical distances apart, or, if preferred or found advisable, at
increasing distances, so that the air is continually allowed to expand on its course
to the fan.
Over the exit orifices for the air from the longitudinal chambers or channels
attached to the upper surface of the vibrating tables or platforms, we may arrange
inverts or baffles of any suitable form (either vibrating or fixed), such inverts or
baffles being provided for each of the tables or platforms, or for the upper one only,
or for any number of them, as found desirable.
Dated this 3rd day of March 1891.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: CUMI UPIN
Improvements in Purifiers for Middlings and other Ġranular or
Pulverulent Materials.
We, JOHN SMITH, of Grove Iron Works, Carshalton, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, and JOSIAH COURSE, of Grove Cottage, Carshalton aforesaid, Engineer,
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 :-
f
In purifiers as hitherto constructed the material under treatment is delivered direct
from the feed hopper on to a vibrating sieve, the result being that owing to the
thickness of the layer of material, some of the impurities contained in it pass through
the meshes of the sieve before being acted upon by the aspirator or fan. In order to
obviate this, previous to the material falling upon the sieve, we cause same to pass
from the hopper on to a series of inclined or flat shelves (either connected to the
sieve or not, such material falling from one shelf to another, and during its passage
it is acted upon by a gentle air current, so that only the heavier portions pass on
to the sieve for further treatment, the lighter portions being carried off by the
air current and deposited in a suitable chamber or chambers through which such
current passes, and which may be provided with baffles to contract and expand
the air, so as to facilitate the deposition of the greater part of the light fluffy
material it has taken up from the material under treatinent on its passage from one
shelf to another.
The main part of the material under treatment, which passes from the lowest
shelf on to the sieve, is now treated in the usual manner on such sieve, being
submitted simultaneously to a sieving action and to the action of upward currents
of air passing through the sieve. Above such sieve, however, we arrange one or
more perforated tables or platforms, which are caused to vibrate either by being
connected to the sieve itself so as to follow the vibrations thereof, or such tables or
platforms may be vibrated independently of the sieve. Covering the perforations
of the vibrating platforms or tables we arrange a series of longitudinal channels
or chambers both above and below the tables, those below starting from one side of
the perforations and extending across same and beyond the opposite side thereof,
while those above are arranged in the reverse order. The outer edge of each
passage terminates a short distance from the surface of the table or platform, so
as to form a restricted opening for the passage of air into each of the under
chambers or channels, through the perforated table or platform, and out of the
upper chambers or channels, whereby the air is alternately compressed and
expanded, the solid matters it has carried off when passing through the material
under treatment on the sieve, being deposited in the chambers or channels, and only
comparatively pure air passing from the purifier into the atmosphere.
Any suitable number of tables or platforms, fitted with chambers or channels both
above and below same as described, may be arranged one over the other above the
sieve, either at equal vertical distances apart, or, if preferred or found advisable,
at increasing distances, so that the air is continually allowed to expand on its
course to the fan.
Over the exit orifices for the air from the longitudinal chambers or channels
attached to the upper surface of the vibrating tables or platforms, we may arrange
inverts or baffles of any suitable form (either vibrating or fixed), such inverts or
battles being provided for each of the tables or platforms, or for the upper one only,
or for any number of them, as found desirable.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of an apparatus embodying our invention.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken through the vibrating sieve and tables or
platforms, and
Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale of a portion of one of the
perforated tables or platforms having longitudinal channels or chambers arranged
above and below it, and inverts or baffles arranged above the air exit orifices of
the channels or chambers over such table or platform.
In the drawings A is the feed hopper of the machine, from the bottom of which
hopper the material to be treated is permitted to flow at the desired rate by regu-
lating mechanism of ordinary construction, but instead of falling directly upon the
sieve B of the purifier as usual, such material first falls upon a series of shelves C,
arranged in the form of steps (such shelves being shown as having a slight incline
in the drawings), and in its passage from one shelf to another the material is acted
upon by a gentle air current passing between the shelves and then to the fan E, the
light portions of such material carried off by the air current being deposited in the
chamber D below the shelves C, from which it is delivered by a screw or other
conveyor G. Instead of the air current passing directly from the chamber D to
the fan E, it may be first caused to pass through side chambers D', in which
baffles F are preferably arranged, so as to ensure any light material still contained
in the air being deposited in such side chambers before the air is delivered by the
fan into the atmosphere. The material deposited in the side chambers D' may be
removed through doors or openings d at the bottom of such chambers.
The material under treatment falls from the bottom shelf C on to the sieve B,
and is there treated in the usual manner, being submitted simultaneously to a sieving
action and to the action of upward currents of air passing through the sieve. Over
the sieve we arrange one or more perforated tables or platforms H, which are
caused to vibrate either with the sieve or independently thereof. Attached to each
of such platforms or tables above the perforations therein is a series of longitudinal
channels or chambers I, which starting from one side of the perforations extend
across same and beyond the opposite side thereof, the open or outer edge of such
channels or chambers terminating within a short distance from the upper surface of
the table or platform. Beneath each of the tables or platforms II, a series of
similar channels or chambers J is attached thereto, these under channels or
chambers starting from the opposite side of the perforations in the tables or
platforms to that at which the upper channels or chambers start, and like them
extending (but in the reverse direction) across such perforations and beyond the
opposite side thereof, their open or outer edge terminating within a short distance of
the under surface of the table or platform.
As the current of air passes through the sieve B and to the fan E, it will in its
passage to the latter have to pass through the restricted openings between the
outer edge of the under channels or chambers J and the under surface of the
perforated tables or platforms H, expanding in such channels or chambers, then
through the perforations in the tables or platforms H, and through the upper
chambers or channels I, and out through the restricted passages between the outer
edges of such upper chambers or channels and the upper surface of the tables or
platforms, to the fan E.
The air current in its passage will thus be alternately compressed and expanded,
aud the solid matters it has carried off when passing through the material under
treatment on the sieve B, will consequently be deposited in the chambers or
channels I and J, the vibration of which will cause same to be delivered auto-
matically from the machine through suitable openings or passages at the tail end
of the machine, while the air passing through the fan E will be comparatively
pure.
Any suitable number of vibrating tables or platforms H. with upper chambers
or channels I and under chambers or channels J may be arranged at any
suitable distances one above the other over the sieve B, and inverts or baffles K of
any suitable form (either vibrating or fixed) may be arranged over the exit orifices
for the air of the upper longitudinal chambers or channels J of each or any of the

page_text: vibrating tables or platforms, so as to still further check or impede the passage of
the air to the fan, and thereby ensure the more perfect deposition of any solid
material the air may contain.
The arrows in the drawings indicate the course of the air currents through the
machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
In purifiers for middlings and other granular or pulverulent materials.
1. The employment of a series of shelves (either inclined or flat) arranged
in the form of steps with spaces or passages between them, and over which shelves
the material to be treated is caused to fall in succession on its way from the
feed hopper to a vibrating sieve, such material in its passage from one shelf
to another being acted upon by a gentle air current, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
2. The employment of one or more vibrating perforated platforms or tables
arranged over a vibrating sieve through. which a current of air is caused to
pass, such table or tables being each provided with a series of channels or
chambers on its upper and its under side, the channels or chambers on one side
starting from one side of the perforations and extending across same and beyond the
opposite side thereof, while those on the opposite side are arranged in the reverse
order, and the outer edge of each channel or chamber (both above and below)
terminating within a short distance of the surface of the table or platform, the
current of air which passes through the vibrating sieve being caused to pass
through the vibrating platforms or tables and the channels or chambers attached
thereto on its way to the fan, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3. The employment with the vibrating platforms or tables having channels or
chambers attached to their upper and under sides (as set forth in the preceding
claim), of a series of vibrating or stationary inverts or baffles arranged above
the orifices for the passage of air from the chambers or channels attached to
the upper surface of such vibrating perforated platforms or tables, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 30th day of November 1891.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicants.