US3040885A - Machine for recovering precious metals - Google Patents

Description

June 26, 1962 H. BRUNEAU 3,040,885

MACHINE FOR RECOVERING PRECIOUS METALS Filed June 10, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 O Q I O 33 l3 I5 [43 I6 37 HENRY L. BRUNEAU ATTORNEYS June 26, 1962 H. L. BRUNEAU MACHINE FOR RECOVERING PRECIOUS METALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 10, 1959 U A .E u N U 8 4 M W 2 4 m 6 1 L 7 MW 3 2 H 7.1 2 5 5 N E 3 w 3 2 w 8 H 6 6 3 7 4 8 a 7 2 2 l @HIHIH.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,040,885 MACHINE FOR RECOVERING PRECIOUS METALS Henry L. Brnneau, 5326 SE. 69th Ave, Portland, Oreg. Filed June 10, 1952, Ser. No. 819,473 3 Claims. (Cl. 209-44) The present invention relates to a machine for recovering precious metals, such as gold, platinum and the like, from sand and gravel.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a power operated machine for recovering gold, platinum and the like from sand and gravel wherein the material to be separated is fed into the machine continuously.

Another object of this invention is to provide a precious metal recovering machine that is portable and that can be operated by one individual in the field of operation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a precious metal recovering machine that can be operated with a minimum amount of water.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a precious metal recovering machine that will separate the gold or platinum from the sand with one operation, this operation allowing the sand and gravel to flow downwardly, while the precious metals are caused to flow upwardly by action of the machine and then trapped by riffies.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following specification when considered in light of the attached drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the structure of FIGURE 1, with parts broken away for convenience of illustration;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical sectional view, taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view, taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view, taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view of the mechanism for agitating the precious metals;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6, with the parts in a second position;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 88 of FIGURE 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the precious metal recovery riflles; and

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary enlarged detail of the locking device for rendering the oscillation of the trays inoperative.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, the reference character M indicates generally a machine for recovery of precious metals.

The machine M includes a fixed horizontal base 10 having a generally horizontal base 11, adjustably supported and mounted thereon by adjustable screws 12. The screws 12 provides means to level the machine M when in operation.

Extending upwardly from and adjacent one end of the base 11 are legs 13 removably secured thereto. Bearings 14 fixed to the upper end of the legs 13 have journalled therein a horizontally disposed shaft 15. The shaft 15 is revolved by a motor 16 through the countershaft 17 which is journalled on the legs 13 by bearings 18. The countershaft 17 is driven from the motor 16 by a belt 19 and the shaft 15 is rotated by a V-belt pulley 20 from a belt 21 driven by the countershaft 17. This provides the proper speed reduction and drive for the shaft 15. The operation of the shaft 15 will be described later.

An inclined oscillating elongated tray 22 is supported on the base 11 on a pair of vertically disposed legs 23 made from a resilient material. The lower ends of the legs 23 are bolted to the base 11 at 24, while the upper ends of the legs 23 are bolted to the brackets 25 fixedly secured to the bottom 26 of the tray 22, as best illustrated in FIGURES l, 3 and 5.

A second elongated tray 27 is dispoed above the tray 22 and is oppositely inclined to the tray 22 and is supported upon the legs 28 and 29. The legs 28 and 29 are fixedly secured to the upper side walls of the tray 22 at their lower ends and their upper ends support the tray 27 on stub shafts 30 passing through the legs 28 and 29, as best illustrated in FIGURES l and 5.

An oscillating movement is imparted to the trays 22 and 27 by action of an eccentric cam 31. A shaft 32- is fixedly secured to the tray 22 on a pair of brackets 33. Rotatably mounted on the shaft 3-2 is a roller 34, preferably somewhat resilient in nature such as rubber. The cam 31 is keyed to cross shaft 15 and revolves therewith in the operation of the machine. The cam 31 imparts an oscillating movement to the trays 22, 27 through the roller 34 and cross shaft 32. Referring to FIGURE 7, it will be noted that there is a slight clearance between the cam 31 and the roller 34 when the cam is in the position illustrated. The purpose of this clearance is to provide a throwing action to the oscillating movement of the trays 22, 27, the purpose and object which will be described later on.

The resilient legs 23 normally position the trays 22, 27 as shown in FIGURE 7 when the cam 31 is in the position illustrated. This provides for the clearance existing between the roller 34 and the cam 31.

Sheets 35 resembling a wafile in structure, preferably of a resilient material such as rubber, are located on the bottoms 26 and 26A of the trays 22 and 27, as best il' lustrated in FIGURES 2, 3, 8 and 9. The sheets 35 have riflles in the form of pockets 36, in which the precious metals are trapped when being separated from the sand or gravel. Located above the sheets 35 are metallic screens 37, which prevent oversized rock from entering the rifiles 36.

Located adjacent the lower end 38 of the tray 27 is a mercury containing tray 39. A hopper 49 is located on the upper end of the tray 27 and located Within this hopper is a horizontal transverse water spray nozzle 41 for sluicing the ore down tray 27. This nozzle receives a high pressure water supply from a pump 42 through flexible piping 43 and a control valve 44. The pump 42 receives its supply from a supply line 45 from a source of water (not shown). The pump 42 is driven from the engine 16 by belt 46.

A rock and sand delivery chute 47 is formed on the lower end of the tray 22, as best illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2. -In order to render the oscillating of the trays inoperative while still allowing the engine 16 to operate, a locking dog 48 engages against the end 49 of one of the brackets 25, as best illustrated in FIGURE 10'. This will hold the roller 34 away from contacting the eccentric cam 31. In order to set the trays 22, 27 into oscillating opera-tion, the dog 48 has to be moved to the full line position in FIGURES 2 and 10, permitting the roller 34 to engage the periphery of the cam 31.

The method of operation of this new and improved precious metal recovery machine will now be described. Gravel, sand and precious metals mixed therewith are placed into the hopper 40 while the trays 22 and 27 are oscillating. The gravel and sand will be washed down over the screen 3'7 and the rir'fies 36 of the tray 27 over the end 38 on to the mercury tray 39 from where it will wash over on the screen 37 and the rifiies 35 of the tray 22 and out the discharge spout 47.

The precious metal, such as gold, will be trapped in the pockets 36 of the sheets 35 from where it can be recovered later. Any fine precious metals that would tend to flow down with the sand or gravel will be trapped in the mercury tray 39, also any of the precious metal escaping beyond this tray will be further trapped on the sheet 35 of the tray 22.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 7, it will be noted that there is a clearance between the roller 34 and the cam 31. This clearance causes a throwing or pitching action to the oscillation of the trays. This pitching action causes the precious metal to tend to travel upwardly over the rifiies in a direction opposite to the gravel so as to be trapped therein.

Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A separator for removing precious metals from sand and gravel cmprising a fixed base, a second base adjustably supported on said fixed base, a tray, a pair of resilient legs extending between and connected to said second base and said tray supporting said tray in overlying inclined position over said second base, a second tray overlying said first tray, means rigidly supporting said second tray from said first tray with said second tray inclined oppositely of said first tray, said second tray having the lower end portion thereof overlying and discharging into the upper end portion of said first tray, and means on said second base for longitudinally oscillating said first tray thereby oscillating both trays, a plurality of longitudinally and transversely spaced fiat bottom pockets formed in the lower surface of each tray, a screen overlying said pockets, and an open top mercury container carried by the upper end portion of said first tray and underlying the discharge end of said second tray.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for oscillating said first and second trays includes an eccentric cam, means for rotating said eccentric cam, and resilient cam engaging means mounted on said first tray for engaging said cam to thereby oscillate said trays, said resilient cam engaging means being spaced from said 4 eccentric cam so that the low dwell of said eccentric cam is out of contact With said cam means whereby upon contact of the high dwell of said cam a jarring impact is imparted to said resilient cam means and hence said trays.

3. A device for separating metal from sand and gravel comprising a fixed base, a movable base mounted on said fixed base, means adjustably interconnecting the bases for levelling the movable base, a first inclined tray, resilient means supporting the first inclined tray from said movable base, a second inclined tray disposed in overlying relation to the first tray and inclined in an opposite direction, means rigidly supporting the second tray from the first tray, the lowermost end of the second tray being disposed above and inwardly of the end of the first tray, each of said trays having a bottom surface provided with a plurality of pockets therein, screen means overlying the pockets, water discharge means discharging Water into the upper end of the second tray, a mercury receptacle disposed below the lower end of the second tray for receiving material discharged therefrom, said receptacle being supported on said first tray at the upper end thereof and above the bottom, a shaft underlying said first tray adjacent the upper end thereof, an eccentric cam mounted on said shaft, drive means drivingly connected to said shaft, a resilient follower means carried by said first tray, said follower means being spaced slightly from the cam when the cam has the low portion thereof facing the follower means whereby the cam Will impart a jarring impact to the follower means and trays with subsequent rapid acceleration thereof for oscillating both trays simultaneously.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 237,300 McDermott Feb. 1, 1881 376,853 Campbell Jan. 24, 1888 392,860 Gauthier Nov. 13, 1888 422,043 Stone Feb. 25, 1890 545,106 Spicer Aug. 27, 1895 552,749 Curtis Jan. 7, 1896 749,578 Porter Jan. 12, 1904 1,118,128 Hedges Nov. 24, 1914 2,174,925 Mckeever Oct. 3, 1939 2,825,462 Hackney Mar. 4, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 65,135 Germany Mar. 30, 1892

Images