Improvements in Ore Concentrators.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sept., 1897
Complete Specification Left. 20th May. 1898- Accepted. 6th Aug. 1898
Improvements in Ore Concentrators.
NICOLAS DEGOUTIN, of Gondrecourt-Aix, Meurthe et Moselle, France, Mining
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention has for its object to provide an ore-concentrator which,
although based upon a totally different principle, shall recall, by its general
arrangement, the concentrators known under the name of vanners.
The objects in view are to effect a thorough separation, even in the case of grains
of various sizes; to facilitate the adjustment by rendering it less delicate than that
of most concentrators in which an endless rubber belt or table is used; to lessen
the cost price and keeping in repair of the concentrator, and finally to considerably
increase the quantity of ore treated in a given time, without yet increasing the
necessary amount of water.
"
"
The apparatus I have devised is based upon a principle similar to that of the
"batea
or pan," which have hitherto given excellent results in ore-dressing.
It is well known that if mixed ores are held in suspension in water, they will
separate in layers according to the order of their specific gravities, independently
of the shapes and sizes of the grains.
Now if a lengthwise inclined table having transverse horizontal cavities, channels
or undulations has imparted to it a rapid transverse vibratory or oscillatory move-
ment, and if such table be fed with ores while being subjected to water-jets, the
ores thus agitated by the water will class themselves into each cavity as in the
batea; if then a current of water be used to remove the worthless mineral which
has risen to the surface, the concentrates alone will remain on the table.
An apparatus for carrying out the above mentioned principle comprises an end-
less table or belt made of undulated sheet steel or other elastic material, inclined
lengthwise to the extent of 15 to 20 degrees with reference to the horizon, and
provided, at its sides, with a band of india rubber, leather or the like for preventing
the water and the ore from falling off. The said belt runs on a series of small
rollers mounted in a suitable frame and it passes over four drums which are like-
wise fitted in the frame and are also formed of undulated sheet-metal corresponding
to the undulations of the endless belt.
One drum is placed at the upper end of the travel of the belt and another one is
placed at the lower end, the upper drum being the driving drum which imparts
a progressive movement to the belt in such a manner that the upper web thereof
travels upwardly, i.e. from the lower drum toward the upper drum. The two
other drums are placed below and between the two former drums; one of them is
a tension drum and the other revolves in a water tank placed below in which the
lower web of the belt is caused to dip.
The frame is suspended by means of steel blades to metal supports secured to
wooden cross-pieces which are themselves bolted to two longitudinal girders laid
on the ground.
The driving drum receives its motion from a chain actuated by a worm-wheel

page_text: operated from a worm keyed upon the axis of a conical belt-pulley which is itself
driven by another conical belt-pulley mounted upon the main driving-shaft of
the apparatus.
The said main-shaft also carries adjustable excentrics which, by means of links,
impart to the movable frame, carrying the endless belt, the rapid transverse vibrat-
ing movement hereinbefore referred to.
The pulp is fed to the endless belt, at a point situated at about one fifth of its
length from the top, by a suitable distributor. A suitable water-jet supplying
nozzle is arranged near the top of the endless belt.
The ore falls into the first cavity or undulation it meets in the travelling belt;
owing to the action of the water-current, which keeps the ore in agitation, the
heavier grains of the latter settle at the bottom and the lighter grains gradually
rise to the top. When such undulation has become so filled, it allows all further
ore supplied from the distributor to flow freely over the same down along the
travelling belt until the said undulation passes the said distributor, at which time
'it then only meets a current of water which carries off the worthless mineral re-
maining on the surface. Any heavy grains which might be carried away are
similarly dealt with in one of the next undulations of the belt.
The belt having its undulations filled with the heavier grains of the ore then
passes beyond the water-jet supplying nozzle and reaches the drum at the upper
end of the endless belt after which it assumes a downward course and is caused to
pass through a trough containing water, wherein the undulations abandon their
contents.
The worthless mineral carried off by the water running down the endless belt is
received and disposed of in any suitable manner.
Dated this 20th dow of Sentember 1897
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, NICOLAS DEGOUTIN, of Gondrecourt-Aix, Meurthe and Moselle, France, Min-
ing 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:-
The present invention has for its object to provide an ore-concentrator which,
although based upon a totally different principle, shall recall, by its general
arrangement, the concentrators known under the name of vanners.
The objects in view are to effect a thorough separation, even in the case of grains
of various sizes; to facilitate the adjustment by rendering it less delicate than that
of most concentrators in which an endless rubber table is used; to lessen the cost
price and keeping in repair of the concentrator, and finally to considerably increase
the quantity of ore treated in a given time, without yet increasing the necessary
amount of water.
The apparatus I have devised is based upon a principle similar to that of the
"batea
or "pan," which have hitherto given excellent results in ore-dressing.
It is well known that, if mixed ores are held in suspension in water, they will
separate in layers according to the order of their specific gravities, independently
of the shapes and sizes of the grains.
Now if a lengthwise inclined table having transverse horizontal cavities, channels

page_text: or undulations has imparted to it a rapid transverse vibratory or oscillatory move-
ment, and if such table be fed with ores while being subjected to water-jets, the
ores thus agitated by the water will class themselves into each cavity as in the
batea; if then a current of water be used to remove the worthless mineral which
has risen to the surface, the concentrates alone will remain on the table.
In the accompanying drawings, I have shown an apparatus for carrying out the
above mentioned principle.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation.
Fig. 2 is a plan.
Fig. 3 is a separate view of part of the undulated table on a larger scale.
I employ an endless belt made of undulated steel or other metal Sheet 1, inclined
from 15 to 20 degrees with. reference to the horizon and provided, at its sides, with
a band of india rubber, leather or the like 2, for preventing the water and the ore
from falling off. The said belt receives from 150 to 300 oscillations per minute
crosswise and it receives the pulp at a point situated at about one-fifth of its
length from the top, from a distributor 3 and it also receives, from the topmost
point, a series of water-jets from a tube 4. The ore first settles down in the empty
undulations, after which, being kept agitated in the water, the heavier grains of
all sizes which reach one of the undulations gravitate to the bottom thereof and the
lighter grains eventually rise to the top; when one undulation is filled with heavy
ore, it then allows all further ore supplied from the distributor to flow freely over
the same down along the travelling belt until the said undulation passes the said
distributor 3, at which time it then only meets a current of water which carries
off the worthless mineral remaining on the surface. Any heavy grains which
might be carried away are similarly dealt with in one of the next undulations of
the belt.
The belt having its undulations filled with the heavier grains of the ore then
passes beyond the water-jet supplying nozzle 4 and reaches the drum 9 at the
upper end of the travelling belt, after which it assumes a downward course and
is caused to pass through a trough 5 containing water, wherein the undulations
abandon their contents.
The belt rolls upon a series of rollers 6, fitted in a light frame 7: it passes over
four cylinders 8, 9, 10, 11, also formed of undulated sheet iron. The frame sup-
porting the whole arrangement is suspended by six steel links 12 to cast iron
brackets 13 secured upon wooden cross-pieces 14 which are themselves bolted to
two girders 15, the latter being capable of being inclined at will according to the
nature of the ore to be concentrated, by pivoting them on a bolt 16 as a centre.
Tie-bolts 17 act to consolidate the brackets 13. The power shaft 18, driven by a
pulley 19, carries two fly-wheels 20, three adjustable eccentrics 21 imparting
oscillatory motion to the movable frame 7 and a conical belt pulley 22, which,
by means of a similar belt pulley 23 and a worm 24, actuates a worm-wheel 25,
the motion of which is transferred by a chain 26 to the cylinder 9 and consequently
to the belt or table 1. The cylinder 11 has an adjustable axis for tightening the
travelling belt 1.
The inclination of the apparatus, the shape of the undulations, the speed of the
belt, the number and extent of the oscillations may vary according to the ore.
The undulations should, as much as possible, reach the distributor 3 when they
are full of concentrates, the belt should be perfectly horizontal crosswise, the
undulations should be shallow and the edges thereof be slightly inclined in order
that the water supplied by the pipe 4 shall only glide upon the belt and the sur-
face of the ore already deposited, and finally the oscillations should take place
without any jarring.
The herein described apparatus performs a thorough separation, even in the
case of somewhat different sizes of grains. For instance, with pyritous quartz,
substantially sterile quartz and very pure pyrites are obtained. The regulation is
less delicate than that of most apparatus employing a rubber belt. The undulated

page_text: steel-metal belt is less costly than an india-rubber belt and easier to replace; it
can be readily coated so as to prevent the formation of rust. Finally, the
apparatus, without requiring more water than other apparatus, can treat much
more ore, the sizes of apparatus remaining the same in both cases, the speed being
high and each unit of surface carrying more concentrated ore.
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:-
The employment, in the separation of ores and materials of different densities,
of an inclined belt or table 1 having transverse cavities, undulations or pockets
and receiving motion in the opposite direction to that in which the ore tends to flow
and rapid oscillatory motion at right angles to such direction, substantially as
herein before described and as illustrated, by way of an example, in the accompany-
ing two sheets of drawing.
Data LL 1
1000