AU5829494A - Parallel-shaft disintegrator - Google Patents

Description

PARALLEL-SHAFT DISINTEGRATOR Field of the Invention

The following invention relates to a disintegrator for processing such materials as cured rubber in used tyres. Known disintegrators for processing waste tyres produce particles of insufficiently small size for the purpose of recycling. Accordingly, the processed rubber pieces require additional treatment or processing.

Other known disintegrators require both mechanical energy input for processing the material and thermal energy input for the reduction of particle size.

Object of the Invention

It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages and/or more generally to provide an improved disintegrator. Disclosure of the Invention

There is disclosed herein a disintegrator apparatus comprising: a body having extending longitudinally therein a cavity comprising a pair of intersecting cylindrical surfaces defining a stationary cutting edge extending longitudinally of the cavity, inlet means to one end of the body communicating with the cavity, outlet means at the other end of the body also communicating with the cavity, a pair of rotatably driven shafts located within the cavity and extending parallel to one another, each shaft comprising a feed means located nearby the inlet means and a plurality of disks of differing configuration mounted upon the shaft so as to rotate therewith and cooperate with said longitudinal edge, the disks being located downstream of said feeding means, and discharge means from the other end of each shaft. Preferably, the disks are located upon their respective shafts such that their cutting edges follow a helical line.

Preferably, star-formed disks are provided, each having a conducting sectional area 1.5 to 3.0 times less than the area of disks located immediately behind them. Brief Description of the Drawings

A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional elevational view of a two-shaft disintegrator,

Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the disintegrator of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional end elevational view taken at A-A in Fig. 1,

F1g. 4 1s a schematic cross-sectional end elevational view taken at C-C in Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional end elevational view taken at B-B in Fig. 1 , and Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional end elevational view taken at D-D in Fig. 1. Description of the Preferred Embodiment

In the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a disintegrator comprising an intake bin 1 located upon a body 2. Within body 2 is a cavity 3 having located therein a pair of intersecting cylindrical surfaces 4. Extending longitudinally of and within cavity 3 is a pair of rotating shafts 14 and 15. At various locations along shafts 14 and 15 differing types of cutting disks 7, 9, 11 and 12 are provided. At the feed end I of body 2 a worm feeder 16 of varying pitch is provided upon each shaft 14, 15. At the discharge end IV of body 2, a nozzle 18 is provided for discharge of processed material. Also located upon shafts 14, 15 nearby the discharge nozzle 18 are further respective worm feeders 17.

Located upon shafts 14 and 15 between the inlet variable pitch worm feeders 16 and discharge worm feeders 17 are a plurality of cutting disks of different configuration.

Referring initially to Fig. 3, each shaft 14 and 15 has affixed thereto by way of keys 20 a triangular shaped cutting disk 19. As each shaft 14, 15 rotates in the same direction, cutting disks 9 also rotate such that distal edges thereof cooperate with the respective cylindrical surfaces 4 of body 2. Material treated by disks 9 is severed into small pieces as a result of cutting edges 5 formed in body 2.

It should be appreciated that the cavity 3 about edge cutting disk 9 is of diameter somewhat smaller than the diameter of the cavity at the region I of inlet hopper 20. Typically, the cross-section of the cavity in the vicinity of hopper 20 is 1.05 to 1.25 times greater than the cross-section of the cavity at the cutting disks and at the region of diminished pitch of worm feeder 16. The triangular cutting disks 9 of which there may be several on each shaft have different thicknesses with respect to one another. Typically, the ratio of thicknesses from one such disk to another is 2:1:3. Referring now to Fig. 4 an alternative cutting disk arrangement is provided in the region III of body 2. These disks 12 are provided with grooves 13 which interengage with cylindrical surface 14 and cutting edge 5 in body 2. Such cutting disks are intended to provide a homogenisation process to the material prior to discharge at nozzle 18. Alternative types of disks are depicted in Figs. 5 and 6, located at regions II and III respectively. Disks 7 form a conducting section of the apparatus being 1.5 to 1.7 times larger than the area locating disks 11 at zone III. Each disk 7 is typically provided with four rays 7A, although 5, 6 or more rays 7A may be provided. The overall apparatus can be arbitrarily divided into the following zones: zone I being the sealing zone, zone II being the four step disintegration zone, zone III being the separation zone for insufficiently disintegrated particles and zone IV being the discharge zone. In use, pieces 20 of cured rubber resulting from the separation of the metallic cord from the tyre are fed to transport worm feeders 16 into the sealing zone I.

The pieces 20 arrive at the disintegration zone II, where the disk 7 perform disintegration by cutting against edge 5. The disks 8, 9 and 10 then perform the disintegration process. In the separation zone III, the disks 11 and 12 act as a knife on the particles to prevent the discharge of insufficiently disintegrated material.

In the discharge zone IV the produced disintegrated mass is directed by the worm feeder 17 towards nozzle 18. It should be appreciated that modifications and alterations obvious to those skilled in the art are not to be considered a;, beyond the scope of the present invention. For example, the shape and or configuration of cutting disks may be altered where necessary without department from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (3)

CLAIMS :

1. A disintegrator apparatus comprising: a body having extending longitudinally therein a cavity comprising a pair of Intersecting cylindrical surfaces defining a stationary cutting edge extending longitudinally of the cavity, inlet means to one end of the body communicating with the cavity, outlet means at the other end of the body also communicating with the cavity, a pair of rotatably driven shafts located within the cavity and extending parallel to one another, each shaft comprising a feed means located nearby the inlet means and a plurality of disks of differing configuration mounted upon the shaft so as to rotate therewith and cooperate with said longitudinal edge, the disks being located downstream of said feeding means, and discharge means from the other end of each shaft.

2. The disintegrating apparatus of claim 1 wherein the disks are located upon their respective shafts such that their cutting edges follow a helical line.

3. The disintegrator apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein at least one of said disks is star-formed having a conducting sectional area

1.5 to 3.0 times less than the area of disks located immediately behind them.