Portable mining apparatus
First Claim
1. A portable mining apparatus for classifying placer material into sized and oversized grades and recovering values therefrom, comprising:
- a portable frame;
a hollow trommel mounted to the frame for rotation about a central trommel axis having an open infeed end and an opposed discharge end;
said trommel having a continuous perforated wall formed about the central axis for passing the sized grade and retaining the oversized grade of the placer material;
said perforated wall having spiral corrugations disposed angularly along the trommel axis in a helix configuration so that rotation of the trommel will result in axial movement of free placer material held therein to agitate the material to continuously present sized grade material to the perforations of the wall and for delivering oversized grade out through a discharge end;
a hollow axle, coaxial with the central axis, mounting said trommel to the frame;
wherein said axle includes a plurality of apertures spaced along its length;
drive means on the frame for rotating the trommel about the central axis;
pump means having a discharge connected to the hollow axle for pumping water through the axle apertures and into the trommel;
elongated sluice means mountable below said trommel for receiving water and sized grade material at an intake end from the trommel and for concentrating values from the sized grade;
a suction tube operably mounted to the frame;
suction pump mounted to the suction pump for collecting water and concentrate from the sluice means;
a settling tank connected to the suction tube for receiving water and concentrate; and
a discharge tube leading from the settling tank to the intake end of the sluice for recycling water and placer material not collected within the settling tank.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A self-contained revolving trommel classifying and sluice type recovery plant is described. The trommel screen is perforated and provided with helical corrugations to subject received placer material to several forces which, combined with sufficient water added through provided nozzles, break up the placer material and expose values to the trommel perforations. The perforations are arranged in a continuous pattern within the length of the trommel. Classified material drops through the perforations into an elongated sluice, along with all the accumulated water used in the classifying-washing process. Values are separated from tailings by corrugations along the sluice length. A suction pump operates with a suction hose and settling tank to recover values from the sluice during operation.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A portable mining apparatus for classifying placer material into sized and oversized grades and recovering values therefrom, comprising:
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a portable frame; a hollow trommel mounted to the frame for rotation about a central trommel axis having an open infeed end and an opposed discharge end; said trommel having a continuous perforated wall formed about the central axis for passing the sized grade and retaining the oversized grade of the placer material; said perforated wall having spiral corrugations disposed angularly along the trommel axis in a helix configuration so that rotation of the trommel will result in axial movement of free placer material held therein to agitate the material to continuously present sized grade material to the perforations of the wall and for delivering oversized grade out through a discharge end; a hollow axle, coaxial with the central axis, mounting said trommel to the frame; wherein said axle includes a plurality of apertures spaced along its length; drive means on the frame for rotating the trommel about the central axis; pump means having a discharge connected to the hollow axle for pumping water through the axle apertures and into the trommel; elongated sluice means mountable below said trommel for receiving water and sized grade material at an intake end from the trommel and for concentrating values from the sized grade; a suction tube operably mounted to the frame; suction pump mounted to the suction pump for collecting water and concentrate from the sluice means; a settling tank connected to the suction tube for receiving water and concentrate; and a discharge tube leading from the settling tank to the intake end of the sluice for recycling water and placer material not collected within the settling tank. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A portable mining apparatus for classifying placer material into sized and oversized grades and recovering values therefrom, comprising:
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a portable frame; a hollow trommel mounted to the frame for rotation about a central trommel axis having an open infeed end and an opposed discharge end; said trommel having a continuous perforated wall formed about the central axis for passing the sized grade and retaining the oversized grade of the placer material; said perforated wall having spiral corrugations disposed angularly along the trommel axis in a helix configuration so that rotation of the trommel will result in axial movement of free placer material held therein to agitate the material to continuously present sized grade material to the perforations of the wall and for delivering oversized grade out through a discharge end; a hollow axle, coaxial with the central axis, mounting said trommel to the frame; wherein said axle includes a plurality of apertures spaced along its length; drive means on the frame for rotating the trommel about the central axis; pump means having a discharge connected to the hollow axle for pumping water through the axle apertures and into the trommel; elongated sluice means mountable below said trommel for receiving water and sized grade materials from the trommel and for concentrating values from the sized grade; hopper means having open top and bottom ends for receiving and feeding placer material into the trommel at the infeed end thereof; a hopper spray bar mounted to the hopper adjacent the open top end and connected with pump means for directing a spray of water onto placer material within the hopper to wash the placer through the bottom hopper end and into the trommel; a pair of trommel spray bars on the frame extending axially alongside the trommel on opposite sides of the central axis connected to the discharge of the pump means, for directing a spray of water radially inward against the continuous perforated wall of the trommel; and wherein the frame is movably supported by wheels and the pump means is removably mounted to the frame in a transport position located with respect to the drive means to balance the weight of the apparatus on opposite sides of the wheels. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification