Apparatus for the wet-screening of particles

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR THE WET-SCREENING OF SOLID PARTICLES COMPRISING A SLOPING CONCAVELY CURVED SIEVE END SCREENING SURFACE AND FEEDING DEVICE SUPRAJECENT SAID SIEVE BEND AN ADAPTED TO DIRECT A DOWNWARDLY FALLING LAYER OF PARTICLE CONTAINING LIQUID TANGENTIALLY ONTO SAID SIEVE BEND, THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN SAID FEEDING DEVICE INCLUDES: (A) MEANS DEFINING A THROAT COMPRISING A FIXED POSITION SLOPING WALL AND A MOVABLE WALL SPACED OUTWARDLY FROM AND SLOPING DOWNWARDLY TOWARD SAID FIXED WALL, SAID MOVABLE WALL BEING COMPOSED OF A PLATE OF RESILIENT FLEXIBLE MATERIAL FIXEDLY CLAMPED AT THE UPPER END THEREOF AT A SUBSTANTIAL ANGLE TO THE VERTICAL; AND (B) A FEEDING LAUNDER FOR RECEIVING PARTICLE CONTAINING FLUID, SAID LAUNDER BEING MOUNTED ABOVE SAID THROAT, SAID LAUNDER HAVING A TRANSVERSELY ELONGATED SPOUT COMMUNICATED THERETO, SAID SPOUT DEPENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID LAUNDER TOWARD SAID THROAT.