US 4,379,526 AGranted

Ore mill and metal separating device

OwnerWilliam E. Doddsinventor

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Abstract

A drum is supported for rotation between two shafts having gears thereon engaging a ring gear around the outer periphery of the drum. A crushing and milling cylinder is journalled for rotation upon a vertically adjustable shaft extending freely through the entrance and exit apertures in the side plates of the drum and this shaft is supported within stationary bearings one upon each side of the drum. The sludge comprising finely crushed rock and water is discharged through the exit in one side wall and into a hopper where it is conveyed by a conveyor system over and through a bed of mercury which extracts the gold in the form of an amalgam. The sludge is then discharged from the other side of the mercury bed.

Claims6

Dependent claims

An ore mill and metal separating device, said separating device comprising in combination means to receive the mill sludge from the ore mill, conveyor means conveying said sludge from said means to receive same, a mercury bed, said conveyor moving said sludge to one side of said bed and through said bed and discharging means at the other end of said bed, said separating device including a first solid blade type screw conveyor portion inclining downwardly at an angle from said means to receive the mill sludge, a substantially horizontal container for said mercury bed, a central, solid blade type screw conveyor spanning said container and being partially submerged in the mercury within said mercury bed and being operatively connected by one end thereof to one end of said first conveyor portion, and a third solid blade type screw conveyor portion inclining upwardly at an angle from the other end of said bed and being operatively connected by one end thereof to the other end of said central screw conveyor thereby forming a continuous articulated conveyor assembly.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.