An Improved Process of Separating Powdered or Finely Divided Particles Containing Mineral Bearing Substances of Different Degrees of Specific Gravity.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application. 2nd Aug.. 1892-Accepted, 3rd Sept., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process of Separating Powdered or Finely Divided
Particles Containing Mineral Bearing Substances of Different
Degrees of Specific Gravity.
I, ORRIN BURTON PECK, a Mining Engineer, residing at No. 225 Dearborn
Street, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States of America, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement :-
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatus for carrying out my process with the
cover removed from one of the parts;
Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken in the line 2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction
of the arrows;
Fig. 3 is a plan view of a detail hereinafter described:
Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified apparatus for carrying out my process;
Fig. 5 is a partly sectional elevation on line 5 of Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 is a cross sectional elevation taken in the line 6 of Fig. 4;
Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view on line 7 of Fig. 4;
Fig. 8 is a sectional view of one half of a modified form of wheel; and
Fig. 9 is partially a plan and partially a sectional view taken on line 9; 9,
of Fig. 8.
course,
Of
In carrying out my process of separating powdered or finely divided particles
containing mineral bearing substances of different degrees of specific gravity, I
make a pulley A, preferably of large diameter, mounted on and revolved by a
rotatable shaft B, which may be rotated by a pulley at its top or in any other
suitable way. The top of the pulley A is provided with an inwardly extending
flange C, with an upwardly extending rim c, which is carried up a desired distance.
A belt D, made of any suitable material, and with its inner upper surface preferably
bevelled or chamfered to present a separating surface preferably inclined with
reference to the axes of its circular travel is arranged on the pulley and extended
far enough above the same to present a sufficient separating surface. It also
makes, between the uprising rim of the pulley and the separating surface of the
belt, an annular channel in which the material to be treated may be deposited.
if desired, the uprising rim c of the pulley may be dispensed with, as the
action of centrifugal force would carry the material under treatment outward, and
thus render the uprising rim of the pulley unnecessary. I arrange two of these
pulleys in near juxtaposition to each other, as shown in Fig. 1, and preferably
mount them both on the same bed plate E. Between the pulleys A. are preferably
arranged idlers F, which bear against the outer surface of the belt between the
main pulleys A, and bring the sides of the belt close together so that as the belt
passes around the idlers its direction or course is abruptly changed as it spreads
out again to encircle the pulleys A. Between the main pulleys and between the
idlers is arranged a partition G, provided with pockets g, as particularly shown in
Fig. 3, adapted to catch the material thrown off from the belts while passing
around the idlers, as hereinafter described. A water spraying pipe H is arranged
within the separating surface of the belt, and preferably carried around the
greater portion of its circumference in each pulley. A material supply pipe I
is arranged to deposit the material to be treated on the receiving surface or
flange C of the pulley A, at or near the point where the belt first engages with
the pulley after leaving the idlers in the course of its travel. The material
deposited on the receiving surface or flange of the pulley is carried by the action

page_text: of centrifugal force against the separating surface of the belt, and up along the same,
as it travels in its course around the pulley, where it is subjected to the gently
spraying water from the water pipe H, which assists the action of centrifugal force
in driving and throwing off the lighter particles of the material being treated.
Heavier particles adhering to the separating surface of the belt are carried in its
travel to the point where it passes around the idler and its course abruptly changed.
when they are thrown off from the surface of such belt at a tangent by the action
of centrifugal force, as shown at J, in Fig. 1. The particles thus thrown off are
caught in the pockets of the partition G, which is provided with a bed plate
preferably inclining to a hole K, to which the material slides, and through which
it passes to the desired place to be secured. The removal of the heavier particles
from the separating surface of the belt is rendered easy from the fact that as soon
as the belt leaves the pulley and ceases to travel in a circle, the particles are no
longer held against it by the action of centrifugal force. In other words, centri-
fugal force ceases to be developed and to operate on the particles to cause them
to adhere to that portion of the belt which has ceased to travel in a circle, so that
the particles may be readily removed. Instead of using idlers, therefore, to
cause the particles adhering to the belt to be thrown off from its surface,.
other means may be employed to remove the particles from the belt, as
described in an application simultaneously filed herewith for the novel features
of the apparatus.
It is obvious that various changes can be made in the mechanical means.
employed for carrying out my process, and I do not therefore desire to be
considered as limiting myself to the details of construction of the mechanism
used.
In order to illustrate some of these changes, I have shown a modified arrangement
in Fig. 4.
I
In this modification I use a pulley A, preferably largest at the center, or
crowning, so the encircling belt will slant from its edges outward towards the
center line, and present two separating surfaces, one above and one below the center
of the pulley and inclining outward in that direction. The rim of this pulley is
largely cut away, making a framework of it. Instead of using another large pulley
to operate in conjunction with the pulley A, I prefer to use a smaller pulley A,
mounted upon a shaft, and sustained in journals. This pulley may be of any
ordinary design, of suitable width and size to carry the belt passing around it.
then provide the idler F, which I prefer to make inclining to its center, as shown.
Around the pulley or framework A and the pulley A', and passing inside of the
idler F, I mount or place the belt D. This belt I preferably provide with rows of
perforations d along near its central portion, as shown, through which the lighter
material, or the larger portion of it, and the water may escape. The belt is made
or provided with an inside surface, preferably of smooth rubber; to present or
afford a suitable separating surface, which will be exposed or presented to receive
material to be separated where the rim of the pulley is cut away, which portion I
have indicated by the letter D', (Fig. 7).
By means of the annular channels, or distributing plates C, secured on the pulley
or frame, as shown supplied by the feed pipes I, and the spray pipes H, material
and water may be deposited on the surfaces of the belt presented through the
openings in the rim of the pulley or framework, and the lighter particles driven
by the action of centrifugal force and water, across towards the portion or edge
of the separating surface farthest from the axis of rotation and in the direction
where the perforations are, through which all, or a portion of the same will escape.
The water supply pipes H are perforated and arranged to spray the desired amount
of water on the surface of the belt, where it is required to assist in washing and
separating the materials on the separating surface.
The pockets to which heavier and adhering material is carried and receptacles
into which it is thrown through the change of course of travel of the belt, are

page_text: preferably provided with a number of horizontal partitions, into which the material
from different horizontal positions on the belt will be thrown and caught, soithat
as there may be differences in the degree of richness of the material on different
planes on the surface of the belt, it will be caught in separate receptacles, or
in a divided manner, whence it may be led off by pipes or chutes, as desired,.
to the place of deposit. I have designated these partitions by the letter g
and the pipes or chutes through which the material is taken off by the letter g¹¹.
In Figs. 8 and 9 I have illustrated a further modification. In this modification
I make a pulley, grooved, hollowed out or depressed on a portion of its face,.
leaving, however, a sufficient portion of the face raised, and adapted to engage and
carry, or drive the belt.
In this way there are spaces or chambers L between
the outside surface, or face of the pulley where it is depressed, and the inside
surface of the belt, into which material to be separated may be introduced or
passed, and deposited on the separating surface of the belt. The inside surface
of the belt used in this modification, as in the one above described, is made in a
way to afford a suitable separating surface, and is mounted around the pulley,
as in the former instance. The pulley is also largest at the centre, so the
action and travel of the materials being separated is substantially the same.
Through means of the annular channels, or trough C, the holes or passages,
and the supply pipes I, the materials to be separated are introduced in the
I do not wish
spaces or chambers L, and on the separating surface of the belt.
to here claim the particular mechanism comprising the modified means shown and
described herein, as I wish to make them the subject of other applications.
Where the process is carried on with the employment of pulleys and idlers,
as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, centrifugal force is alternately
developed in a direction against or towards the separating surface of a portion of
the belt, and then from it, depending upon what part or place in the course of its
travel such portion may be travelling through, and at all times while the belt is
travelling by means of the pulleys and idlers, centrifugal force is acting on or against
one side of a portion of it, so to speak, and at the same time, on or against the
opposite side of another portion of it.
It will be seen, however, that the process described may be carried out by various
modifications in the particular form and arrangement of apparatus that may be
employed to practise or embody it; but in all cases the material is deposited on
the belt while it is travelling in a circular direction.
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 process of separating powdered or finely divided particles containing
mineral bearing substances of different degrees of specific gravity, which consists
in depositing the material to be separated on the separating surface of a travelling
belt, and first subjecting them to the action of centrifugal force in a direction
towards the separating surface of the belt, and afterwards subjecting the
particles adhering to the belt to the action of centrifugal force in an opposite
direction to throw them off from the separating surface, substantially as described.
2. The process of separating powdered or finely divided particles containing
mineral bearing substances of different degrees of specific gravity, which consists in
depositing the particles of material to be treated on the surface of a belt where it
is travelling in a circular direction, and carrying the particles which adhere to the
belt to a point where it ceases to travel in a circular course, where they are thrown
off by the reversal of the direction of action of the centrifugal force, substantially
as described.
3. The process of separating powdered or finely divided particles containing
mineral bearing substances of different degrees of specific gravity, which consists in
causing the lighter particles to be carried by the action of centrifugal force across

page_text: the surface of a belt where it is travelling in a circular direction to a point of
discharge, and carrying the heavier particles on the belt to a point where it ceases
to travel in a circular course where they are removed, substantially as described.
Dated this 31st day of May 1892.
ORRIN BURTON PECK.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.