APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR RECLAIMING GRAVEL, SOIL PARTICLES AND WOOD PIECES FROM A MIXTURE OF THE SAME

摘要

A mixture of rock, soil particles and wood pieces (10') is introduced into a water tank (34) generally between a manifold (64) for a plurality of jet nozzles (62) and a vane or baffle (66) towards which the nozzles (62) discharge streams of water. Buoyant and nonbuoyant wood pieces (14) are moved by currents produced by jet streams issuing from the nozzles (62) towards and over the baffle (66) onto a wood piece conveyor (150) which removes the wood pieces (14) out from the water tank (34). Rocks (16) from the mixture drop down onto a rock receiving portion (82) of a rock conveyor (82, 84) which collects the rock (14) and removes it out from the water tank (34). Soil particles (18) from the mixture are washed off from the rock (16) and wood pieces (14) and settled to the bottom of the tank (34). A drag chain conveyor (160) moves accumulated soil particle mud out from the bottom of the chamber (34). The water in the chamber (34) overflows first into a first settling chamber (52) and then into a second settling chamber (54). A pump (174) pumps the water from the tank (54) back to the manifold (64).