Patent ID: 8418856

Claim:
A vibratory screening apparatus for use in separating solids from a liquid and solids mixture feed, said apparatus comprising a vibratable screen element mounted over a reservoir suitable for holding a body of liquid slurry, a first end of said screen element being disposed at a level inside said reservoir such that, in use, said first end is submerged in a said body of liquid slurry at one end of said reservoir, with the second end of said screen element being disposed above the other distal end of said reservoir, such that said screening element is inclined to the horizontal with at least a portion thereof being submerged in a said body of liquid slurry; and means formed and arranged for vibrating said screen element such that oversize solids in a liquid slurry, in use of the apparatus, are dewatered on the screen element and are discharged from the second elevated end of screen element and undersize solids pass through the screen element; wherein the vibratable screen element is mounted in a basket and vibrated by vibration means acting on the basket and either: the mounting system of the basket is provided with means for lowering the basket cyclically into and out of the fluid reservoir; or: the mounting system of the basket is provided with means for raising and lowering cyclically the first end of the screen while the distal end of the screen is fixed and pivots; thereby allowing the screen element to carry out its separation of solids when submerged and then to clear itself of oversize solids when the basket is in a raised position or when the first end of the basket is raised.