US1289846A - Pneumatic ore-separator. - Google Patents

Description

M. S. & C. F. MACCARTHY.

PNEUMATIC ORE SEFARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I9 c917.

1,289,846. Patente Dec. 31, 1918.

v I ENVENTORC) M-SAAAC CARTHY ANY? C. F MAC CARTHY MARION S. MAcOABTI-IY, 0F DENVER, COLORADO, AND CHARLES F. MAoCARTI-IY, OF GARTHAGE, NEW MEXICO, ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO SAID MARION S. MAGGARTHY.

PNEUMATIC ORE-SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

Application filed December 19, 1917. 7 Serial No. 207,859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MARION S. Mao- CARTHY and CHARLES F. MAOCARTHY, residing, respectively, at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, and at Carthage, in the county of Socorro and State of New Mexico, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Ore-Separators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in ore separators of the type commonly known as pneumatic jigs.

In machines of this character, two balanced columns of material supported in communicating compartments upon a substantially horizontal screen are subjected to a pulsating or jigging action by impulses of air intermittently supplied to a chamber beneath the screen.

This chamber which at its lower end connects with the source of air-supply, naturally receives all fine mineral matter which during the jigging action, falls through the meshes of the screen.

While the particles falling in the chamber have individually a tendency to remain in suspension, they readily accumulate and eventually clog the entrance through which the air enters the chamber, thereby cutting off the air-supply and incapacitating the separator.

It has been observed that even the pro vision of an escape-opening in the air-supply pipe as may be found in many pneumatic igs of the above-mentioned type, is not sufficient to remedy this defect inasmuch as the particles remaining in suspension in the airchamber fall at irregular intervals in clusters of a size more than sufiicient to permanently block the escape-hole, probably due to the variations in the air pressure which occur 1n the operation of the machine.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide simple and eflicient means by which the particles falling through the screen bottom of the concentrating chamber are collected before they reach the entrance to the air-chamber and caused to move toward and through one or more discharge-openings in the sides of the same.

With the above object in view, our invent1on consists in the features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter to be described and shown in theirpreferred form 1n the accompanying drawings in the various views of which like parts are similarly designated, and in which- Figure 1 represents a vertical section through a pneumatic separator to which our above-described improvements have been applied, I

Fig. 2, a section taken along the line 22, Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3, a section similar to that shown in Fig. 2, illustrating the use of collecting troughs without the aid of guiding screens.

The reference character 2 designates the separating chamber of the separator which by means of a vertical partition 3 is divided into a tailings compartment 4 and a concentrates compartment 5.

A screen 6 divides the concentrating chamber from the downwardly tapering airchamber 7 which at its lower end connects with a conveniently located source for the supply of air under pressure. I

The two chambers are rigidly connected by means of cap-screws 8 and the separating chamber has at opposite sides of its partition, openings 9 and 10 for the discharge of the tailings and concentrates from the respective compartments.

The material is fed into the tailings compartment from a hopper 13, across a flaring apron 14 which covers the concentrates compartment 5, and the partition is at its lower edge spaced from the supporting screen to provide a passage 12 through which the mineral particles of the ore may move from the tailings compartment into the concentrates compartment as will hereinafter be more fully described.

In the operation of the machine, a jigging or pulsating movement is imparted to the material supported upon the screen-bottom of the separating chamber by the intermittent supply of compressed air to the airchamber 7, and the particles of material in the tailings compartment are in consequence stratified according to their difi'erent specific gravities.

The mineral particles which displace the lighter tailings move to the bottom of the tailings-compartment and eventually pass ,the screen upon which .the contents of the concentrating chamber are supported, are collected in'a trough 15 which in accordance with our invention is placed transversely of the air-chamber between the opposite end-walls thereof.

The trough in its preferred form is composed of two sections which diverge from a point invthe vertical axis of the chamber and pass through openings in the end walls of the chamber between-which they extend.

The trough-sections are comparatively narrow and may be made of tubes which are fitted in the walls of the openings of the airchamber and which have the upper half of their portions within the chamber, cut away.

I The trough-sections are sufficiently inclined to cause the outward movement of the ore particles collected therein, by gravitation and their tubular ends connect outside the chamber with conduits 16 which convey the collected material to conveniently located receptacles in which they are stored as a part of the concentrates which it is desired to recover.

The upwardly directed air-currents pass ing at oppositesides of the trough are diverted toward the sides of the chamber as indicated in Fig. 3, and produce a partial vacuum adjacent the apex of the trough,as at A, with the result that the greater portion of the particles falling through the screen bottom of the concentrating chamber are drawn toward the middle portion of the air-chamber and into the trough through which they move by gravity into the conduits connected at the outer ends thereof.

The falling ore particles may further be directed toward and into the trough by the provision of screens 17 which slope from the-side'edges of the supporting screen to the corresponding edges of the diverging sections of which the trough is composed.

' By making these screens of a large mesh, preferably exceeding that of the supporting screen .of the concentrating chamber,

' they present but little obstruction to the'upward movement of the'air, while they are adequate to intercept the falling ore particles and guide'th'em into the trough.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire .to secure by Letters Patent is: M v v '1 Ina pneumatic ore separator char acterized by'an air-chamber and a superchamber, an inclined trough disposed-insaid air chamber to receive material falling through the screen,-before it reaches the airinlet, and passing through a side of the chamber to convey said material to' an ex terior point of discharge.

3. Ina pneumatic ore-separator characterized by an air-chamber-ancl a superposed separatingchamber divided .by a screen, and

an air-inlet at the lowerend of-the air-ch am-' ber, an inclined trough disposed in said air chamber to receive material falling through the screen, before it reaches the air-inlet, and having an air-tight connection with an open ing in'a wall of the chamber to convey said material to an exterior point of discharge.

4. In apneumatic ore-separator characterized by an air-chamber and asuperposed separating chamber divided bya screen, and an air-inlet at the lower end of s the airchamber, an inverted V-shaped trough dis posed in said air-chamber 'to receive material falling through the screen, before it reaches the air-inlet and having air-tight connections with openings in opposite walls of the chamber.

. 5. In a pneumatic ore-separator characterized by anair-chamber and a superposed separating chamber divided by a screen, and

an air-inlet at the lower end of the airchamber, an inclined trough disposed in said air-chamber to receive material falling through the screen, before it reaches the air-. inlet, and passing through a side of the chamber to convey said material to an exi terized by an air-chamber and a superposed 1v separating chamber divided by a screen, and an air-inlet at the lower end of the airchamber, an inclined trough disposed in said air-chamber to receive material falling through the screen before it reaches the air inlet, and passing through a side of the chamber to convey said material to an exterior point of discharge, and a screen slanting upwardly from an edge of the trough to conduct said material into the same.

7. In a'pneumatic ore separator characterized by an air-chamber and a superposed separating chamber dividedby a screen, and an air-inlet at the lower end of the airchamber a slanting trough beneath the screen, which extends in spaced relation to opposite walls of the air-chamber, and in connection with an opening in another wall of the same, whereby a partial vacuum is produced by upwardly moving air currents, which causes material fallin through the screen to move into the trough.

8. In a pneumatic ore separator characterized by an air-chamber and a superposed separating chamber divided by a screen, and an air-inlet at the lower end of the air-chamber, an inverted V-shaped trough which extends beneath the screen in spaced relation to opposite Walls of the air chamber and in Copies of this patent MacCartliy Commissioner of Eatents,

Washington, D. G.

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