Back to results
US 4,056,464 AGranted
Mineral jigs
OwnerDonald James Crossinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
OwnerDonald James Crossinventor
Estimating the term…
A mineral jig for use in treatment plants for the concentration of heavy minerals e.g. cassiterite, gold, platinum, garnet, pyrites and magnetite includes a container for water comprising an upper substantially cylindrical portion and a lower frusto-conical plunger portion, the container including an inlet for water and an outlet for concentrated slurry. A rotor of dished or inverted frusto-conical form is mounted for rotation in the upper portion, and carries a screen of wire mesh or perforated metal. A drive is provided for vertical oscillation of the plunger and a water seal is located between the portions. In operation, slurry on the rotor is subjected to pulsations as a result of the plunger oscillations and to centrifugal force causing a vortex to form in the container co-axial therewith. Heavy mineral passes through the screen and is concentrated prior to collection, while lighter metals move up the rotor and eventually spill over the edge thereof for subsequent collection.
A mineral jig comprising a container for water, pulsating means to cause said water to pulsate in the container, an inlet to the container for water, a rotor mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and including a rotary frusto-conical bed in the container;
The jig according to claim 16, wherein said receiving means for the lighter materials comprises a volute shaped discharge trough.
A method of separating minerals from a slurry mixture of relatively heavy minerals and relatively light minerals in water comprising feeding the slurry mixture on to a frusto-conical upright permeable member which is arranged for rotation about a vertical axis and which has an upper discharge, further diluting the said mixture, imparting pulsations to said slurry and forming a slurry vortex on the frusto-conical member by rotation of the member about said vertical axis whereby mineral separation occurs by relatively heavy minerals passing through the permeable frusto-conical member while light minerals move up the member to the upper discharge of the member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.