Improvements in the Manufacture of Discharge Doors for Vats.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 24th May, 1898-Accepted, 30th July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Discharge Doors for Vats.
I, CHARLES BUTTERS, of 20, Bishopgate Street Within, in the City of London,
Mining Engineer and Metallurgist, 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 doors adapted to be fitted into the bottoms of vats,
such for instance as are used in the treatment of gold or other ores, to facilitate
the discharge of the gangue or solid material remaining after treatment.
According to my invention I provide a flanged ring which forms the frame of
the door and I hinge to this frame or to lugs carried thereby the door proper.
The door is retained in position by a screwed rod attached to a cross piece sup-
ported at its two ends on the walls of the ring and projecting through a central
aperture in the door, the said screwed rod having on its outer end a wing or
butterfly nut for tightening the door against its seat. My improved door with
its frame may be made of cast metal or of wrought metal.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a sectional underside view illustrating the construction of my
improved door with its frame when made of cast metal; and
Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1:
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 shewing the arrangement which I use
when making the door and frame of wrought metal :
Figure 4 is a sectional view of a detail.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a is the ring or frame of the door which frame is provided with a flange b
adapted to rest upon and to be bolted to the bottom or floor of the vat, which in
the drawing is indicated by the letter c. It will be noticed by reference to
Figure 2, that the underside of the flange is formed with a rebate so that the
portion of the surface of the flange which forms the seat for the door will
project below the under surface of the floor c. e is the door, the edge of which
bears against the seat d and the central portion f of which projects above the⚫
seat so that it enters the ring a and holds the door centrally relatively with the
seat d. g, gare ribs or webs formed upon the outer face of the door to strengthen
the same and h is a central boss against which the wing nut bears for tightening
the door. The hinge of the door is composed of a knucklepiece i which as shewn
in Figure 1 is formed in one piece with the door and of two lugs j, j bolted through
the flange b and carrying the joint pin k. 7 is the screwed rod or bolt for holding
the door up, the said bolt being formed in the centre of the cross bar m supported
at its two ends on the lugs n, n on the inner wall of the ring a, the said lugs being
notched to receive the ends of the cross bar. The sides of the notches are made
circular or inclined as shewn at o in Figure 2 so as to permit of the bar m rocking
slightly when the door is opened or closed. p is the wing nut which serves for
tightening up the door against its seat.
It will be obvious that to open the door it will only be necessary to remove the

page_text: wing nut p when the weight of the said door will cause it to swing back upon its
hinge.
When the door and frame are made of wrought metal, by stamping or otherwise,
as shewn in Figure 3, a rib is formed in the flange as shewn at b¹ in order to
bring the seat d below the underside of the tank and the door is formed with a
corresponding groove which fits over the seat and into the ring. In this modifi-
cation the knuckle picce i is made separate from the door and attached thereto
by rivets or the like. In the drawing I have represented a packing ring gas
being arranged between the door e and the seat d. In this modification also the
lugs n which carry the cross bar m are rivetted to the inner wall of the ring a.
1
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A discharge door for vats, the frame of which is flanged and adapted to be
bolted to the bottom of the vat whilst the door is hinged to the said frame and
adapted to be held in position by a wing nut on a screwed rod depending from a
cross bar removably carried in the frame, substantially as described.
2. The manufacture and use of discharge doors for vats, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
SM 1900
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.