An Improved Dry Process or Method for Ore Dressing and Gold Separating, and. Apparatus for same.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 30th Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Dry Process or Method for Ore Dressing and Gold
Separating, and. Apparatus for same.
I, CHARLES PHILLIPS, of No. 55 Oxford Chambers Bourke Street Melbournė
in the Colony of Victoria, Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
inveution and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention of "An improved dry process or method for ore dressing and gold
separating and apparatus for same "has been designed for the better treatment of
gold bearing and other metalliferous substauces when dry and in a pulverous or
partly pulverous condition for the purpose of concentrating or separating or for
partly concentrating or separating the valuable parts from the waste; or the more
valuable parts from the less valuable parts by submitting such substances or
materials to a mechanical process or method.
The improvements in the apparatuses employed in this process or method relate
to a revolving belt shaking table, to a shaking tray apparatus or separator, to a
classifier or grading chamber, to an apparatus for separating dust from metalliferous
sand and to an apparatus for the further treatment of the dust which is passed off
from the last mentioned apparatus.
The invention will now be described aided by a reference to the accompanying
sheets of drawings in which
Figs. 1 and 2 are side elevation and general outline plan, respectively of the
arrangement of the several apparatuses contained in this process or method.
Fig. 3 a view taken from line a a Fig. 1 and shewing partly in section the
apparatus for separating dust from sand while Fig. 34 shews detail of the discharge
ports and Figs. 38 and 3c alternative forms for its floor.
Fig. 4 a view taken from line bb Fig. 1 of the apparatus for the further treatment
of the dust.
Figs. 5 and 6 are central longitudinal section and end view of the shaking tray
apparatus or separator and the trommel from which it is fed.
Figs. 7 and 8 are side view, partly broken away to shew the interior and end
viow respectively of the classifier.
Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are side sectional view, plan and end view respectively of the
revolving belt shaking table.
Fig. 12 is a cross section of the table shewing the air supply conduit above
it and
Fig. 13 detail of endless belt table when arranged with a rise at its upper
part, while Fig. 14 shews the adjustable end of the main connecting rod.
Figs. 1 and 2 being general views are shewn to a smaller scale than the other
figs. while throughout the whole of the drawings similar letters will indicate
corresponding parts.
The shaking tray apparatus or separator and which is more particularly shewn
in Figs. 5 and 6 is designed to retain large pieces of broken tools or gold or other
metal or metalliferous earths and for which purpose a portion of the bottom of the
tray should be perforated or reticulated. It is also designed to separate the line
particles of gold or metal or metalliferous earth from the bulk of the material
containing them, but for this purpose the bottom of the tray must not be perforated.
The separator takes the form of a tray A, hung.or supported by such as swing
straps A' in a manner that the position of the tray horizontally, may be adjusted

page_text: to suit the class of materials being treated. The dotted lines on the drawing
indicate the positions the tray may take. a is a shallow lip at discharge end of
tray and a' a deeper lip or flange at its other or back end and continued round
both sides. A is a framing from which the tray is supported. To said separator
tray a peculiar longitudinally reciprocating shake is imparted by motion derived
as follows: A orank B on a rock shaft B', heing worked by a connecting rod B
whose opposite end is centred on a crank pin B carried by such as a disc on &
revolving shaft B then another connecting rod B' attaches the separator tray to
the inner arm B on crank shaft B. The, said tray shaking gears are 30 set or
arranged that when the crank arm Be rocks in a direction opposite to the direction
of discharge from the tray over the lip a, the notion or travel of the tray decreases
or slows towards the end of the stroke of said crank arm whilst when the tray
travels in the direction of discharge the motion or travel of the tray gradually
increases until it arrives at or near the end of its stroke. The separator A herein
described may be made cylindrical or of any other convenient shape and have
either a revolving or a lateral motion given it as well as the peculiar end wise
shaking motion herein described. A is a hopper under the tray A to catch the
stuff which passes through it or over the lip a aud A' the covering over the shaking
tray. Prior to reaching the shaking tray A the materials under treatment may be
passed through a revolving trommel C suitably supported in bearings upon a
framing
Cand having a hopper C uuder it which is suspended by rods C' from a
beam Chung by the shackles C from a steelyard beam C which is hung at C
and having its other end secured to a coiled spring C which latter as the bin is
filling becomes extended and so indicates the quantity of stuff which is passing
through the trommel. C is a feed shoot leading to the trommel, Said bin C
receives the screened stuff from the trommel and which is afterwards passed from
the bin to the classifier whilst the coarser materials which would not pass through
the trommel are led to the aforesaid separating tray. Co is the trommel driving
sheave or pulley. Both the separator tray and the trommel are cased or covered
in to prevent the escape of dust.
The classifier D which is more particularly described in Figs. 7 and 8 cousists
of a casing of the form shewn enclosed at its sides, top, bottom and shallow end,
and in it are a number of horizontal perforated bafe plates D' which cause the
material fed to the classifier through the shoot D' to be subject for a longer period
to an air current produced by fan or exhauster D arranged at its shallow end,
instead of the said materials falling unobstructedly in the classifier. D is au
Archimedcan screw conveyor arranged upon the lower inclined side of classifier
and D are the openings or ports leading to the pipes or ducts D which lead the
classified material to the several revolving belt shaking tables.
The revolving belt sbaking tables are more particularly described in Figs. 1, 2
and 9 to 14, each table is euclosed within an approximately airtight casing E
which is connected by a suitable trunk or duct as E with a flue as I upon which
an exhaust fan E operates in order to collect the dust arising from the materials
under treatment on the tables and deliver it to a dust collector or dust chamber or
discharge it wherever may be desirable. F is the shaking frame or table over the
upper surface of which the endless revolving belt F' passes, such belt having a rise
at its upper part as shewn in Fig. 13 when used for separating gold or other valuable
substances of small bulk. Said rise is for the purpose of preventing or partly
preventing or retarding gold or other valuable material being carried over the head or
upper end of the table and for collecting it at the bottom of said rise ready for removal
for melting or other final treatment or the tables may be arranged with the top
surface of the belt F in one coutinuous line or plate, or nearly 60, to allow the
richer and concentrated material to fall frcely over the upper end of the table
while the waste material or tailings run off at the lower end. The concentrated
material that is carried over the upper end of the tables marked y fall into a
ahoct Haud is conveyed by a creeper and clevator I to the ore bin 1 in
readiness for being fed by shoot 1 to the finishing table x. Again, the portion of

page_text: the material that passes off at the lower end of the concentrating tables y are fed
to creeper and led to waste or for further treatment. The tables may be made
with a decreasing incline e at the upper part as shewn in Fig. 9 as they may also
have currents of air from a perforated pipe as E or any other suitable conduit
proceeding from a Root's blower or other suitable apparatus, directed against the
upward course of the material upon the belt for the purpose of driving back the
light and valueless dust or saud that would otherwise be carried over the head of
the table.
The table F is supported on a framing F pivotted or centred at about midway
of its length at the frame when set being secured at the requisite incline by
blocks or checks or by any other suitable meaus. The endless belt F travels over
the upper surface of frame or table whilst at its top end or when it has a rise
the belt passes under pressure roller F and over head 'roller F' the latter being
supported by radial arms F which may be secured at any position within the
range of the quadrant cheeks attached to table whilst roller F is supported in
bearings at end of flexible armis F10 also attached to table and said flexible arms are
acted on by pinching screws F, the purpose of which is to adjust the pressure of
roller upon the endless belt F'.
The endless belt F passes down from upper end of table and partly around a
driving drum F and thence up and over teusiou or pressure roller F both being
supported in suitable bearings, those for the drum being upon framing F whilst
those for the tension roller are upon the pivotted levers F the outer ends of which
are connected to the holding down springs F. From roller F the oniless belt
extends to the end roller F of table F and thence above its top surface to under
pressure roller F and over head roller F' as before described. Said drum F"
imparts motion to the endless belt F the spindle of drain having a tangent or
worm wheel F ou it which is driven by a worm F carried on a spindle or
shaft F the outer end of which takes into and is secured at the desired position in
an adjustable bearing F the purpose of the latter being to allow the position of
shaft to be varied when a larger or smaller wheel Fis is placed on shaft
of drum F as the case may require in order to drive the endless belt F at the
requisite speed. Shaft or spindle I derives motion from the bevel gear F
His a brush supported by endless chains H carried on amitably supported
sprockets Hand to which the motion is imparted by a chain belt H driven from a
spreckel H on the drum shaft as shewn in Fig. 9. His a receptacle into which
the brush sweeps the dust etc. and from which it is delivered to a creeper I which
conveys it to the elevator I' leading to the ore bin 'to await further treatment or
if so desired the dust etc. may be fed to another similar tablo or in fact it may be
returned to the same table to be further concentrated. are transverse metal guide
bars upon frame F and bars on under side of table F to slide against bars/*
and so retain the table in position.
To impart the shake to table F it is attached by ruds G to levers G' keyed
upon a rock shaft G'supported in bracket bearings carried upon framing F. One
of said levers G is double ended and is attached to a connecting rod G₁ provided
at oue end with an adjusting screw 9 and worked by a crank disc G* upon a
shaft Gat other side of framing and suitably supported in bracket bearings.
By these gears the materials may be evenly distributed on the table, for instance
should the material shew a tendency to lie upon the surface of the tahle furthest
from the lever G the gears are set as shewn in Fig. 11 that is the said lever G' is
arranged to take its stroke from the position shewn back to the perpendicular and
tice-versa, the effect of such stroke being to cause the table to travel gradually
slower when moving towards shaft G and reversewise gradually quickening on its
return until the lever G' reaches its perpendicular position. Should the materials
shew a tendency to lie upon the side of table nearest lever G' said lever will be set
to work to and fro from the perpendicular away from the table and again should
the materials be fairly distributed on the table the stroke of the lover G' is set to
be equidistant each side of the perpendicular. The position of lever G¹ is

page_text: controlled by connecting rod G one end of which is furnished with an adjusting
screw by means of which the distance between its end centres is regulated. To
shaft Gmotion is imparted by a rope belt passing over a sheave G' said rope
belt being shewn in Figs. 9 and 10 passing through the frame of table and carried
on guide sheaves G³.
The apparatus for separating dust from metalliferous sand is more particularly
shewn in Figs. 1, 3, 34, 38 and 30 and consists of an enclosed pan or casing J
which may receive the materials to be treated when exhausted from the classifier D
by the exhaust fan D or it may receive euch materials from any other source.
This apparatus has a central driven shaft J carrying arms J3 upon which are a
number of agitators or scrapers J the object of which is to keep the material in a
state of agitation until the dust passes off through the central aperture J and to
throw the coarser parts of the material under treatment out towards the periphery
of the pan. The floor of the pan may either be flat or inclined towards or from the
discharge aperture and the discharge openings may either be at the periphery or
be arranged at intervals between the periphery and the said discharge aperture.
The feed flue J leading to the pan or casing enters same preferably at or near its
periphery although it may be arranged at any other suitable position whilst the
outlet flue Je for the dust is at its centre. The coarser particles are discharged
through holes J' at bottom of pan and said holes are covered by a slide J which is
capable of being slid either to vary the size of the holes or to close them. A
hopper J is provided which leads the discharged materials to the well of an
elevator J by which they are fed to a concentrating table y. In the pau
apparatus J the materials are subjected to centrifugal action for the purpose of
separating fine dust from the comparatively coarser portion by the coarser portions
being gradually worked to the periphery whilst the fine dust is allowed to font
away with the air through the central aperture or its discharge may be expedited
by the introduction of an air current.
The dust that has been discharged from the pan or casing J just described is further
treated by the apparatus more particularly shewn in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 and in which
apparatus J is a settling box at foot of outlet J and feeding an elevator K¹ which
delivere the materials upon a table to whilst at same time a supply of sand is
delivered on said table from a reservoir K' arranged above it. Upon the table the
materials are further concentrated the valuable portions falling over its upper end
whilst the waste or tailings and the sand discharges at the lower end to a trommel K
which screens off the dust which may go to waste or to further treatment whilst the
sand is returned by an elevator K to the reservoir K.
The process or method to which the materials under treatment are subjected
by the several apparatuses is as follows:-The material after being dried, when
necessary, is crushed or pulverized and passed into a trommel C the tailings or
residue therefrom being delivered to the shaking tray or separator A which by
reasou of its peculiar motion retains the large pieces of metal whilst its tailings are
returned to the crusher. The Gner materials which pass through the trommel pass
to the bin C which delivers them, to the well of an elevator D' leading to the
classifier D in which the material is divided by the air current into the desired
number of sizes or classes. The coarser stuff is delivered to table z which has
a rise at its upper end to separate and retain at the foot thereof the coarse gold
and mineral, whilst the tailings are returned by elevator Ds to the crusher. The
remaining sizes or classes of materials in the classifier are delivered through the
spouts D to their respective tables y y which separate the gold and mineral from
the sand. The gold and mineral or concentrates from the last named tables
discharge into the creeper I and are fed by elevator 1' to the ore bin 1. The sand
or tailings is discharged into another creeper I and conveyed to waste or for
further treatment. The concentrates from the ore bin 1' are delivered to the
finishing table for further concentration, the free gold being collected at
the foot of rise at head of the table, while the tailings go to waste or are
returned by elevator L to the ore bin 1 for further treatment according to

page_text: is
their nature and value while the dust collected at bottom of fiuishing table
returned to the table by the elevator L'. The dust from the classifier D. is
exhausted by fan D' and delivered into centrifugal separator J where, the
Fand and dust are divided the sand collected being fed to table y for further
concentration whilst the dust which escapes through the outlet J is fed along
with an addition of sand to the concentrating table to. The concentrates from the
latter table are collected, while the tailings are passed through a trommel so as to
sift the dust from the sand and which latter is then elevated to the reservoir K*
for further use.
Although I have fully described herein and shewn in the drawings one set of
apparatuses for working my improved dry process or method for ore dressing and
gold separating I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the
precise details employed therein as other modified means or devices may be used to
produce the same result.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 declare that what [
olaim is :-
(1.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating an endless
revolving belt shaking table as F suitably supported as and for the purposes
described and substantially as illustrated in the drawings.
(2.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating an endless
revolving belt shaking table such as F1 suitably supported and having a rise at its
upper part as and for the purposes described aud substantially as illustrated in the
drawinge.
(3.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating the parts
marked G to G for imparting a side shake to the endless belt shaking table F
as and for the purpose described and as illustrated in Figs. 9, 10 and 11 of the
drawings.
(4.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating an air
current conduit arranged at or about the upper part of the endless revolving belt
shaking table as and for the purpose described and substantially as illustrated in
the drawings.
(5.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating an endless
brush or scraper such as H combined with the endless. revolving belt shaking table
substantially as described and illustrated in Fig. 9 of the drawings.
(6.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating pivotting
at F the supporting frame of the endless revolving belt shaking table to allow the
incline thereof to be adjusted substantially as herein described and illustrated in
Fig. 9 of the drawings.
(7.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating enclosing
each endless revolving belt shaking table in an approximately airtight casing which
is connected with an air exhauster as and for the purpose herein described and
substantially as illustrated in Figs. 9, 10 aud 11 of the drawings.
(8.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating, the
ruller F' at head of endless revolving belt shaking table supported by radial arms.
as F, which are capable of being Fecured to the quadrant cheeks f at various
positions to adjust the height of roller as herein described and substantially as.
illustrated in Figs. 9, 10 and 13 of the drawings.
(9.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating a pressure
roller as supported by flexible arms as F10 secured to the frame of table
combined with the adjustable roller F and the endless revolving belt shaking
table substantially as herein described and as illustrated in Figs. 9, 10 and 13 of
the drawings.
(10.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating a suspended
tray or separator having a shake imparted to it from a rock arm, said shake
causing the tray to travel gradually quicker in the direction of discharge and

page_text: gradually slower in the opposite direction substantially as and for the purpose
berein described.
(11.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing aud gold separating a suspended
shaking tray as A combined with the parts marked B to B for imparting inotion
to it said tray being preferably enclosed in a casing and arranged above a hopper
substantially as herein described and as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the
drawings.
(12.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating a bin as C'
suspended from a steelyard beam as C, controlled by a spring as C³ in combination
with a trommel as C substantially as herein described and as illustrated in Figs. 5
and 6 of the drawings.
(13.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating a classifier
consisting of an open end chamber as D in which au air current is maintained by
an exhaust fan as D the floor of said chamber being inclined downwards towards
its open end while its floor is in the form of a trough provided with discharge
openings or ports as D' and a screw conveyor as D substantially as described and
as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings.
(14.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating a tier or
series of perforated baffle plates as D' arranged in the classifier as and for the
purpose described and substantially as illustrated in Fig. 7 of the drawings.
(15.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating an enclosed
chamber as J (Fig. 3) onto the floor of which the materials to be treated are fed
and whilst thereon acted on by scrapers or agitators which keep the materials in a
state of agitation until the dust passes off through the central aperture and throw
the coarser materials towards the peripherical discharge passages substantially as
and for the purpose herein described.
(16.) In a dry process or method for ore dressing and gold separating mixing the
finer materials such as dust with sand and then treating it upon an endless revolving
belt shaking table as and for the purpose herein described.
(17.) In a dry process for ore dressing and gold separating treating the finer
materials such as dust with the addition of sand by the apparatus shewn in Fig. 4
consisting in combination of the feed clevator K, sand reservoir K', concentrating
table w, trommel K and sand return elevator K, substantially as berein described
and as illustrated in the drawings.