AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND SEPARATING METALS OR THEIR ORES FROM IMPURITIES OR OTHER FOREIGN MATTERS WHICH ARE MIXED WITH THEM
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Wright, of 42, Bridge Street, Blackfriars, City
of London, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS
FOR WASHING AND SEPARATING METALS OR THEIR ORES FROM IMPURITIES OR
OTHER FOREIGN MATTERS WHICH ARE MIXED WITH THEM."-A communication
from abroad by Messrs. Barrè, Rougnon, and Company, of Paris.
Sealed the 20th November 1860, and dated the 8th June 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Wright at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th
June 1860.
I, JAMES WRIGHT, of 42, Bridge Street, Blackfriars, City of London, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND SEPARATING METALS OR THEIR ORES FROM IM-
PURITIES OR OTHER FOREIGN MATTERS WHICH ARE MIXED WITH THEM," to be as
follows:-
This apparatus is founded on the application of centrifugal force to bodies of
different densities. It has for its object to separate metals or minerals from
the foreign or extraneous matters with which they may be mixed.
1 he machine is composed of a cylindrical vessel, to which is given a rapid
circular movement; this vessel is covered by a conical lid, which leaves suffi-
cient space between its edge and the inner surface of the cylinder to allow the
water and the lighter particles to pass between and fall into a circular trough.
The lower part is covered with a similar conical bottom like to that at the top,
through which a portion of water and the heavier bodies pass into a similar
trough at the centre of the apparatus, and round the rotating axle is a tube
[Price 8d.]

page_text: communicated with and surmounted by a hopper, within which is placed the
metal or ore to be operated upon. The machine is driven by any motive power,
and through the medium of multiplyinggeara speed of seven or eighthundred
revolutions per minute may be given.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Wright in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th December 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WRIGHT, of 42, Bridge Street, Blackfriars, City of London, Civil Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth. year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Wright, Her special licence that I, the said James Wright,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Wright, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR WASHING AND SEPARATING METALS OR THEIR ORES FROM IMPURITIES
OR OTHER FOREIGN MATTERS WHICH ARE MIXED WITH THEM," a communication
from abroad by Messrs. Barré, Rougnon, and Company, of Paris, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Wright, my executors or
administrators, by a an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of
the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said James Wright, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, that is to say:--
The principle. upon which the apparatus is founded is the application of

page_text: centrifugal force to bodies of different densities; the object being to separate
metals or minerals from the foreign or extraneous matters with which theyare
mixed. The operation can therefore only be properly be performed after the
substances which are to be operated upon have been reducedas far as possible
into powder or small pieces having nearly the same size..
In order more clearly to shew the nature of the Invention, and the mode of
constructing, combining, and making the said apparatus, I have to this Speci-
fication appended the accompanying Drawings, which are intended to shew
the general principles claimed, the details of which may be modified to suit
particular applications, and in many cases, other well known equivalents
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus, and Figure 2 a plan. The
apparatus is composed of a cylindrical vessel or vase B, fitted with a vertical
axle E, to which a rotatory motion is communicated by means of any convenient
motive power.
The vase is itself composed of three different parts; the first part P is a
frustrum of a cone, the base of which is directed towards the upper portion of
the apparatus to which it is fixed by fourscrews R, by means of which it may be
raised or depressed for the purpose of regulating the escape of the water, which
carries off with it the very lightest particles. It must be borne in mind that
this outlet is always of a circular form. The second part I, placed at the foot
of the vessel B, has also the form of the frustrum of a cone, and is moveable
on this vase or vessel by means of a slide fixed into S; it serves to guide the
heavy bodies or substances, which have to fall into Q to reach the circular
outlet U. The third part Q is moveable on the spindle E by means of a
screw, so as to regulate the circular opening according to the size of the metals
or minerals to which it is to give passage; the boss N is fixed to the axis E,
and serves to uphold the trough B, to which it is fixed in such a manner as to
drive or propel it by its rotatory movement. On this boss is a horizontal plat-
form L covered with mouldings on its surface; on this plate is also fixed a
tube Fentirely surrounding the axle, and which serves to introduce the
substances which are to be operated upon. Parallel with the platform L
another J is fixed upon the tube F, and follows the same rotatory movement
as the apparatus; on this same tube is placed a beater or agitator, which is
entirely free, and rises or descends as wanted, and, according to necessity, it is
upheld by two bearings D, moveable on the cross piece G, which is itself fixed
to the framing T; on the beater or agitator is fixed a scraper for the purpose

page_text: of removing any particles which might stick to the partitions of the apparatus.
The pipe Fjoined into pipe F", is stationary during the rotatory movement
of F11; it is maintained upon the cross piece G by means of the same bolts
which serve also to uphold the supports D, D. The funnel F surmounting
the pipe Fi is a vessel designed to receive the water mixed with the substances
to be operated upon; a mixer attached to the axle E serves to mix thoroughly
the substances with the water as soon as they enter this vessel through the
tube A. The part H is cylindrical and meant to receive the light substances
through the tube. The cylindrical part V is for the same purpose, but to
receive the metals or minerals entirely separated from foreign matters. On the
edge of
part
O is a rake P to convey the metals or minerals to the part V.
T is a cast-iron framing, which supports the entire apparatus.
The following example will give a clear idea of the working of the appa-
ratus: Suppose that a mineral or ore of any kind is to be operated upon, after
being pulverized it is placed in a hopper, from which its outlet is regulated
into a pipe which bifurcates with the water injection pipe, so that they arrive
at the same time through the tube A into the vase I, where they are at once
thoroughly mixed by the beater y, and from thence fall by their own gravity
into the tube F, Fu, it is then that the machine which is in motion during
this operation, and making from seven to eight hundred revolutions per minute,
the metals or ninerals are precipitated against the sides of the apparatus by
virtue of the centrifugal force falling into O by virtue of their specific gravity,
and again driven towards the circular opening U, by virtue of the same
centrifugal force. As for their foreign matters, their specific gravity being less
than that of the metals or minerals, they are carried away by the water and
escape to the outlet H. During this operation the beater C facilitates its
separation from the matters by means of the agitation which it produces
through the mass, which still contains a few mineral or metallic particles.
This arrangement, as may be seen, allows it to work as long as is desired
without interruption, inasmuch as on the one part the metals and minerals, and
on the other, the foreign matters are retained.
Figure 3 represents a vertical section of the inferior portion of my apparatus
with a few modifications. Nothing is changed in the upper part of the
apparatus; at the lower part, Isuppress the outlet u and the trough V, indicated
in the Figure 1. The metals separated from the foreign matters combined
with them escape through the central aperture situated at the bottom part
across the socket L, the outlet of which is regulated by means of the valve D,
which is worked by the hand. In this arrangement the axis E of Figure 1
no longer traverses the apparatus, and only just clears the cross bar N, and

page_text: rests upon the upper part of the fixed vertical shank M, which has a thread
cut upon it to raise the agitator R to the desired height. The Drawings only
shew a branch with two agitators, but we can, if necessary, use several. This
axle is attached to the socket L by a key c. The conical form of the inferior
part G permits the mineral to slide along the face towards the central
aperture O, which fits into the socket L, which rests in the arched bearer I.
On the spindle M the scraper bis fixed, which serves to clean the face of the
embouchere G, and at the same time to agitate the mass. At the commence-
ment of the operation the valve or cock D remains closed until the lower part
of the apparatus is filled with mineral up to the upper disk T. By this
apparatus from ten to fifteen tons of mineral may be washed per day, from
which it will be seen that minerals yielding by the usual process four to
eighteen per cent. may be made to yield from sixty to eighty per cent.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and how the same is
carried out, I wish it understood that what I claim and desire secured by the
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the construction and use of the vase or vessel B, having the top and
bottom conical parts attached formed and to act, as shewn in Figure 1, and
substantially as herewithin described.
Second, the use of a moveable rotating cone, similar to that shewn and
marked P,applied to the purpose herewithin described and acting, as shewnin
the Drawings.
Third, the arrangement and use of the diaphragms J, J, L, L, T, and T¹, for
the purpose and after the manner herein shewn.
Fourth, the arrangement and use of the agitators, as shewn in the Drawings
in Figures 1 and 3.
Fifth, the arrangement and mode of combining the pipes F, F, F", and
the method of working the latter in combination with the rotatory trough B.
Finally, I claim the combination of all the parts and details shewn in the
Drawings, so as to form an apparatus to be used for the purposes herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Wright, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Eighth day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and ni-tu
JAMES WRIGHT. (L.B.)