Processes by which a mixture of two or more discrete particulate materials, each of said materials having a different sliding coefficient of friction, can be separated using methods which take advantage of velocity differences generated by the application of a force to said mixture to create movement of said mixture over a surface as a function of its sliding coefficient of friction. Various apparatus to effect such processes are also disclosed.
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 331,175, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,346, filed Mar. 31, 1989, which continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/325,145 filed Mar. 17, 1987 now abandoned which is a continuation of PCT application Ser. No. PCT/US88/02814 filed Aug. 18, 1988, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/097,877, filed Sept. 17, 1987, now abandoned.
A rotary type sheet counter disc gradually counts corner portions of stacked-up sheets from the top sheet to the bottom sheet. The sheet counter disc includes an upper disc and a lower disc on which the upper disc is placed, the lower disc having a plurality of sheet suction fins equally spacedly arranged on a peripheral edge portion thereof. The sheet suction fins each have a sheet suction port which is open at a lower surface thereof, and the lower disc has a plurality of sheet loosening claws projecting in a rotating direction of the sheet counter disc from leading ends of the sheet suction fins. A plurality of sheet introduction slits are formed between upper surfaces of the sheet loosening claws and a lower surface of a portion of the upper disc which covers the sheet loosening claws. The sheet introduction slits each have a sheet introduction port opening at a distal end portion of each sheet loosening claw, and the upper disc has a plurality of sheet outlet slits equally spacedly arranged on a peripheral edge portion thereof. The sheet outlet slits each have a sheet outlet port communicating with each sheet introduction slit and opening at an upper surface of the upper disc, and the sheet suction fins each draw an upper surface of each stacked-up sheet thereto by suction. Each of the sheet loosening claws is inserted under and takes up a lower surface of a corner portion of each sheet drawn by suction, so as to introduce the same into each sheet introduction slit through each sheet introduction port. The sheet corner portion introduced into the sheet introduction sheet is introduced into the sheet outlet slit and taken up onto the upper surface of the upper disc through the sheet outlet port.
