Year: 1886

page_text: I, MAXMILIEN EVRARD, of St. Etienne, Loire, France, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved construction of machinery for washing coal
and other minerals wherein all substances of different densities contained in a
mixture are sorted and separated in one and the same apparatus, the essential
features of which are; firstly, that the materials to be treated are conveyed
mechanically in the direction of the washing table, whether this be of rectangular,
annular or other shape, and whether the feed motion be continuous or intermittent;
secondly, in the division of the washing table into as many compartments as it is
desired to obtain different qualities, the depths of the compartments being made to
vary according to the size and density of the material treated; thirdly, in arranging
the piston or plunger action that effects the up and down motion of the water in
which the materials to be sorted are contained, so that the motion of the piston or
plunger is varied in proportion to the density of the material contained in each
compartment. The construction and action of the apparatus is as follows:
The feeding or distributing plate, which either has a to and fro motion, if the
action is intermittent, or a circular motion if it is continuous, conveys the granular
mixture into a horizontal reciprocating frame having a number of transverse bars
or paddles, which in moving to and fro in the water contained in the washing tank,
distributes the material according to its density onto the perforated washing table,
having as many transverse partitions as there are different qualities of material to
be sorted. At the side of the tank is a cylinder with piston or plunger actuated
by a cam so that at short intervals the piston is caused to force air into a chamber
in the tank, so that in depressing the water in such chamber the main body of
water in the tank is alternately raised and lowered.
The perforations of the table are made to vary in size in each compartment,
being largest in the compartment at the feeding end, and smallest at the other end,
by which means, the above described upward and downward action of the water
through the table will be varied in each compartment according to the density of
the material contained therein. The feeding frame in receiving the above described
horizontal motion effectually agitates the material by means of its transverse bars
or paddles as the material is raised by the upward motion of the water, and thus
it is effectually sorted in the different compartments according to its density, the

page_text: motion of the feeding frame, when a reciprocating one, being so arranged that the
motion in the direction of the feed is rapid while the return motion is slow. The
feeding frame also has vertical stirrers that pass down into the compartments of
the feeding table in order to stir up the material thereon and thus facilitate the up
and down movement imparted by the water.
.
One side of each compartment of the washing table is closed by a sluice, by
opening which more or less the lower stratum of the compartment may be allowed
to flow to a greater or less extent into a smaller compartment on the other side of
the sluice, having also a perforated bottom and subject to the action of the water,
and the other sides of this compartment has an adjustable overflow weir whereby
the material is, during the up and down motion of the water, delivered into either
& worm conveyer or chain buckets, or other known device for conveying away the
sorted material, there being one such apparatus for each compartment. When
ordinary coal is operated upon a division into three classes is generally sufficient,
the light impurities being conveyed to a compartment of the tank at one end,
whence they are removed by chain buckets, while the coal and the stones are
respectively conveyed from their compartments into different parts of a longi-
tudinal trough in which is a worm-conveyer with right and left handed screw
blades that convey the two materials delivered into the trough to either end of the
machine where they are delivered into shoots. At the bottom of the washing tank
is another worm conveyer that conveys the mud or pulverulent particles which
descend through the perforations of the washing table, to a discharge orifice.
The motion is imparted to the agitating piston (which may consist of an inverted
bell dipping in water) by means of a cam or tappet on a rotating shaft, acting
upon the loaded end of a lever the other end of which is connected to the piston.
The motions for the feeding frame and feed plate are also obtained by a cam
actuating a lever that is connected by toggle links to the frame and plate so as to
move these in opposite directions, another cam being made to act on a lever
connected to bell cranks to one arm of which the feed frame is suspended, so that
at intervals an up and down motion is imparted to the frame as well as a to and
fro motion.
According to another modification the washing table is made with a slight
inclination towards the before mentioned sluice and second compartment, to
facilitate the passage of the material into the latter.
The longitudinal trough for receiving the materials is divided into two, which
are inclined upwards in contrary directions towards the delivering ends, and each
trough has a separate conveying worn.
The washing tank is formed at bottom into two funnel or hopper shaped com-
partments, each leading to a discharge pipe, so that the sludge is conveyed away
through these without the aid of a conveying worm. The said pipes are made of
flexible material, so that by raising the discharge end more or less, the rate of
discharge of the sludge may be regulated, while by lowering them to the horizontal
position, the whole contents of the washing tank can be discharged.
The agitating piston is in this arrangement directly acted upon by a cam pressing
downwards on the end of the piston rod, which is also connected to one end of a
weighted lever that effects the raising of the piston again.
Dated this Oth dogs of Wabruary 1826

page_text: I, MAXMILIEN EVRARD, of St. Etienne, Loire, France, 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:-
My invention relates to an improved construction of machinery for washing coal
and other minerals wherein all substances of different densities contained in a
mixture are sorted and separated in one and the same apparatus, the essential
features of which are; firstly, that the materials to be treated are conveyed
mechanically in the direction of the washing table, whether this be of rectangular,
annular or other shape, and whether the feed motion be continuous or intermittent,
secondly, in the division of the washing table into as many compartments as it is
desired to obtain different qualities, the depths of the compartments being made
to vary according to the size and density of the material treated; thirdly, in
arranging the piston or plunger action that effects the up and down motion of the
water in which the materials to be sorted are contained, so that the motion of
the piston or plunger is varied in proportion to the density of the material con-
tained in each compartment. The construction and action of the apparatus is as
follows:-
The feeding or distributing plate, which either has a to and fro motion if the
action is intermittent, or a circular motion if it is continuous, conveys the granular
mixture into a horizontal reciprocating frame having a number of transverse bars
or paddles, which in moving to and fro in the water contained in the washing tank
distributes the material according to its density on to the perforated washing
table, having as many transverse partitions as there are different qualities of
material to be sorted. At the side of the tank is a cylinder with piston or plunger
actuated by a cain so that at short intervals the piston is caused to force air into a
chamber in the tank so that in depressing the water in such chamber the main
body of water in the tank is alternately raised and lowered.
The perforations of the table are made to vary in size in each compartment,
being largest in the compartment at the feeding end, and smallest at the other end,
by which means the above described upward and downward action of the water
through the table will be varied in each compartment according to the density of
the material contained therein. The feeding frame in receiving the above described
horizontal motion effectually agitates the material by means of its transverse bara
or paddles as the material is raised by the upward motion of the water, and thus
it is effectually sorted in the different compartments according to its density, the
motion of the feeding frame, when a reciprocating one, being so arranged that the
motion in the direction of the feed is rapid while the return motion is slow. The
feeding frame also has vertical stirrers that pass down into the compartments of
the feeding table in order to stir up the material thereon and thus facilitate the
up and down movement imparted by the water.

page_text: One side of each compartment of the washing table is closed by a sluice, by
opening which more or less, the lower stratum of the compartment may be
allowed to flow to a greater or less extent into a smaller compartment on the other
side of the sluice, having also a perforated bottom and subject to the action of the
water, and the other side of this compartment has an adjustable overflow weir
whereby the material is, during the up and down motion of the water, delivered
into either a worm conveyer or chain buckets, or other known device for conveying
away the sorted material; there being one such apparatns for each compartment
When ordinary coal is operated upon a division into three classes is generally
sufficient, the light impurities being conveyed to a compartment of the tank at one
end, whence they are removed by chain buckets, while the coal and the stones are
respectively conveyed from their compartments into different parts of a longi-
tudinal trough in which is a worm-conveyor with right and left handed screw
blades that convey the two materials delivered into the trough to either end of the
machine where they are delivered into shoots. At the bottom of the washing
tank is another worm conveyer that conveys the mud or pulverulent particles
which descend through the perforations of the washing table, to a discharge
orifice.
The motion is imparted to the agitating piston (which may consist of an inverted
bell dipping in water) by means of a cam or tappet on a rotating shaft, acting upon
the loaded end of a lever the other end of which is connected to the piston. The
motions for the feeding frame and feed plate are also obtained by a cam actuating
a lever that is connected by toggle links to the frame and plate so as to move
these in opposite directions, another cam being made to act on a lever connected to
bell cranks to one arm of which the feed frame is suspended, so that at intervals an
up and down motion is imparted to the frame as well as a to and fro motion.
According to another modification the washing table is made with a slight
inclination towards the before-mentioned sluice and second compartment to facilitate
the passage of the material into the latter.
The longitudinal trough for receiving the materials is divided into two, which
are inclined upwards in contrary directions to the delivering ends and each trough
has a separate conveying worm.
The washing tank is formed at bottom into two funnel or hopper shaped com-
partments, each leading to a discharge pipe, so that the sludge is conveyed away
through these without the aid of a conveying worm. The said pipes are made of
flexible material, so that by raising the discharge end more or less, the rate of
discharge of the sludge may be regulated, while by lowering them to the horizontal
position, the whole contents of the washing tank can be discharged.
The agitating piston is in this arrangement directly acted upon by a cam
pressing downwards on the end of the piston rod, which is also connected to one
end of a weighted lever that effects the raising of the piston again.
I will describe apparatus according to my invention, referring to the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section, Fig. 2 is a transverse section, Fig. 3 is a plan.
The distributer D is shewn as a reciprocating slide, intermittent in its action. It
might however be arranged in another form to revolve continuously. Partitions c
which may vary in height separate the compartments of the washing table c
which is made of perforated plate. The total area of the perforations in each
compartment is made to decrease from the entering to the leaving end of the table,
either by using smaller holes towards the leaving end, or by closing a greater or
less number of the holes by strips of metal fixed over them. Above the table is
mounted the frame H having a number of paddles a projecting down from it. On
one side of the washing table are valves R which can be opened more or less to
allow the lower layers to flow into the compartments b which have also perforated
bottoms. By sluices V the different qualities of material are allowed to escape.
For washing coals usually two compartments suffice the various qualities of the
separated material being carried off some by the chain of buckets W which delivers

page_text: them by the shoot a and some by the two worms & having right and left threads
which deliver them separately at B and y. For ores requiring very complete
separation into many qualities, additional means of discharge of any known kind
may be employed. The movement of the water is obtained by means of a bell P
like that of a gasometer. A crank M working the levers and links L and the
bell cranks E raises the frame H when it reaches the end of its forward stroke and
allows it to descend at the end of its back stroke. A cam N working the levers
and links L' moves the frame H slowly forwards and allows it to be returned
rapidly by the descent of the counterweight Q.
A worm S¹ extending along the bottom of the tank conducts the sludge to the
pocket whence it flows into receptacles before being pumped up again to feed
the apparatus. Figs. 4 and 5 are sections and Fig. 6 a plan shewing a modified
form of the apparatus. In this case the tank is divided into several collecting
compartments as B B' rendering the sludge worm unnecessary, and flexible pipes a
are attached to their outlets O so that the speed of discharge may be varied by
raising or lowering their mouths. The washing table C is also inclined towards
one side to facilitate the flow of the lower layers through the valves R. The
cam C is arranged to act directly on the gasometer bell in opposition to the
counterweighi Q¹, and the two side worms S2 S³ are inclined. Cross bars T are
introduced into the feeding tank to relieve the distributer D of part of the load on
it. Although I have shewn the movement of the liquid as being effected by a
reciprocating gasometer bell, it might obviously be by a piston or flexible
diaphragm.
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 in respect of machinery for washing coal and other minerals is:-
1. The division of the washing table into a number of compartiments for
separating different qualities of the material caused to move along it, substantially
as described.
2. The use of flexible pipes for varying speed of discharge from the several
compartments, substantially as herein described.
3. The construction and use of washing apparatus as herein described with
reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
4. The construction and use of the modified washing apparatus described with
reference to Figs. 4, 5 and 6.
Dated this Oth dan N
1
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.