CA2176335A1 - Multi-flail glass pulverizer - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is a glass pul-verizer (6) in which two rotat-able flail assemblies (39 and 46) are housed within two contiguous drum-like housings (8 and 16), re-spectively. One housing (g) has an inlet (10) on one end and the other housing (16) has an outlet (20) located on an end furthest from the end adjacent the inlet.
The housing (8) having an out-let (20) is longer than the other housing (16) thereby allowing the pulverized glass to exit the device in a relatively low speed and con-trolled manner. The flails (42) of the flail assemblies (39 and 46) are flexible and are secured to flat-bottomed slots (72) or spot faces located on the exterior of the shaft (32).

Description

Wo 95/13875 ~ PCTIUS93111223 2~ 7633~

MULTI-FLAIL GLASS PUIVERIZEl~

Field of the Invention The invention is in the field of apparatus for comminuting materials. More spf~c;flr~lly, the invention is a glass pulverizer that employs two drum-shaped ho~1c; n~q oriented in a side-by-side contiguous fashion. Within each housing is a rotatable flail assembly comprising a central rotor to which a plurality of fl~o~ihl~ flail members are attached in a spiral configuration.

Backqround of the Invçntion Numerous r~^h;n~,c have been developed specifically for comminuting empty glass containers. By breaking the containers into fragments, the recycling or disposal of the glass material is facilitated. Machines developed for this purpose typically include an inlet opening through which the glass containers are inserted and an outlet opening through which the broken glass fragments and glass dust are ejected. To accomplish the breaking of the glass, these ~-rhin~q usually employ either a crushing apparatus or a h -rm; 11 form of breaker apparatus.
A significant problem with prior art r~h;nf.c that employ a crusher-type apparatus is a susceptibility of the machine to jamming when metal or plastic is inadvertently dropped into the machine ' s inlet . To UV~lUI '' this difficulty, the machine will either have the ability to crush the metal, or it will include an automatic dump ~ Wo gS/l387s ~ i7 ~ 3 3 5 PC~IUS93111223 ~

apparatus that allows the machine to purge its contents when the anvil of the crushing ---h;ln; Fm meets an unusual resistance. Both of these solutions add an undesirable measure of ~ 1 ~Y; ty and expense to the device.
In r ~r~h; n~R that employ a h: ; 11 type of breaking apparatus, frequent and expensive maintenance is often required. The h: ' 1 l is usually comprised of a number of rigid me~ al "ham.mers" that are mounted on the exterior surface of a central rotatable shaf t . Each hammer must be sharp and straight for the machine to operate efficiently.
However, during use the individual hammers rapidly become dulled. In addition, when metal objects are inadvertently fed into the device, these objects can bend or break some of the hammers, which would necessitate the machine being placed out of service until the damaged hammers can be repaired or replaced.
One m~dification that has been used somewhat successfull~ in vveLl ; n~ the failings of the prior art h: ; 11 q is the use of flexible hammers in lieu of rigid hammers. The fl~;hl~ hammers are typically in the form of movable chains that are attached to the machine ' s central shaf t in a spaced-apart conf iguration . The chains break the glass and allow any metal fragments or metal containers to rapidly pass through the device without causing any damage .
The chain-type of flexible hammermills, while providing a number of advantages over the prior art rigid breaker bar h: ~~ ;llq, still suffer a number of failings.

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~ WO 9S/13875 ~ 7 6 3 3 5 Firstly, the degree of comminution is uncontrolled, and as a result relatively large diameter fragments of glass are often ejected from the device's outlet. Since the outputted material ; nr~ ri~q these large glass shards or fr~,; LS mixed with the smaller glass particles, the material cannot be easily recycled and is difficult to handle. For example, a major use of pulverized glass is in road construction where the pulverized glass is mixed with asphalt or similar materials. The large glass fr~3 ~~ Ls would make the mixture unsuitable for this application.
A second problem with prior art chain-type hammermills is that the layout of the device normally required either a gravity or blower induced flow of material through the device in order to prevent the material from clogging the unit. As a result, the machine would require a large foundation. In addition, when a blower is used to enhance flow through the device, a significant increase in operating and maintenance costs is produced.
A third problem with prior art devices is that the flowpath of the material within the machine is inefficient and uncontrolled. This results in the high speed ejection Of minir~lly broken material from the device's outlet.
This high speed material can cause damage to whatever container or surf ace is being used to receive the broken glass .
Lastly, the present methods of fastening the chain-type of flail hammers to the rotatable shaft can cause premature wear in both the attachment end of each PCr/US93/11223 ~

flail and in the shaft itself. This can necessitate early rPrlAC t of the flails and/or replA~ t or ~ hin;nrJ
of the shaf .

$ummarv of the Invention The in~ention is a glass pulverizer that employs two multi-f_ail ~c- ~l;es. Each assembly is located in a separate drlm-shaped housing with the two housings having contiguous side edges. The unit has a feed inlet situated on a top surface of one of the housings and an outlet located on a bottom surface of the other housing. Each multi-flail assembly comprises a rotatable shaft that is oriented along the associated housing ' s longitudinal axis .
In the area where the two hollc;n~c are joined together, complementary orr~n;nr~c in the two housings form a conduit to allow the initially broken glass to pass back and forth between the two hr llc; n~C and their associated flail as..~ c.
Each of the two housings are supported on a common foundation and are parallel to each other. The two housings are identical in diameter but have distinctly different lengths. The second housing extends outwardly past the f rst housing and it is in the bottom of the outwardly extending portion in which the device's outlet is located .
Preferably, each housing includes an interior liner of a plastic material such as polyurethane. The liner is expendable ~nd is primarily designed to absorb the impact ~ WO95/13875 ~ r ~ ij t 2 ~ 76335 PCT/USg3~ll223 and cutting forces caused by the inputted materials as they rebound off the interior surface of the housings. In this manner, the liner protects the interior surface of the associated housing. The end of each housing is removable to facilitate rPrl ~ t of the lining . In addition, when the end of a housing is removed, the housing' s flail assembly can be easily removed through the end of the housing .
The two multi-flail assemblies are oriented in a parallel manner and are centered within their associated housing . Attached to the rotatable shaf t of each f lail assembly are a plurality of separate, flexible flails. The flails are oriented on the shaft in a spiral fashion so that when the shaft is sp;nn;n~, the flails extend away from the shaft and assume a spiral configuration about the shaft. The spiral orientation causes the assemblies to also function as an auger to move the broken glass through the device in the direction of the outlet.
The flails can be in the form of multi-link chains, wire ropes or pivotable links to which pivotable hammer members may be attached. Optionally, the flails can be encased in a plastic material to reduce wear and prevent direct contact between the flail ' s flexible connection points and the glass particles.
In addition, the flails may be in the form of a flexible three piece unit. The disclosed flail includes a specially designed member for attachment to the shaft. The attachment member is fastened to the shaft using a fastener W09S/13875 ~ ~ ~ ! `. 2 ~ 7~335 PCT/US93/1~223 ., ~ ,, assembly. The shaft has a flat surface or spot face wherein when the fastener is properly tightened down on this spot face, the flail will naturally assume a correct orientation. The attachment member is pivotally engaged to one end of a rigid link. The outer end of the link ;nrl--tlt~c a Fivotally engaged hammer member.
Each f lail is secured to its associated rotatable shaft using a removable fastener. The shaft includes a slot at each location where a flail is attached. Each slot has a smooth bottom surface and rounded end and is complementary in shape to the end portion of the flail.
Placing the flail in the slot assures the correct orientation in the spiral for the proper function as an auger. sy ~rigidly securing the end of the flail, the incidence oi wear at the end of the flail and in the shaft is significantly reduced.
The layout of the device is uniquely adapted to control the through-flow and degree of pulverization of the glass. When the glass initially enters the first housing, it is rapidly broken into large pieces by the first flail assembly. The glass fragments are then directed into an "impact zone" located in the area where the two hr1lci n,Jc are joined. In this area, the glass bounces back and forth between the first and second flail assemblies until the fragments have been reduced in size with approximately ninety-five percent of the particles having a diameter between 10 millimeters and 0.1 millimeters. At the same time, the pulverized glass is drawn by the auger-type ~ Wo95/13875 ~ r r ~ 2 t 76335 YCIIIIS93111~23 action of the flail ~c~ ; es toward the outer end of the device and eventually to the extreme outer end of the second housing where the outlet is located.
By the time the fragments reach the machine's outlet, they have been pulverized so that they form a non-sharp cubic aggregate. The aggregate is moving at a relatively low speed and in a controlled f ashion . The material then exits the machine via the outlet and falls into a collector placed below the device. In lieu of a col 1ector, the material may be directed onto a conveyer which brings the aggregate to another machine for further processing.
The invention optionally ; nr~ llld~.C a water spray unit that directs a stream of water onto the glass as it enters the first housing and is initially broken. The water does not adversely affect the comminution process and functions to reduce the ; nri~ nre of airborne glass dust that would otherwise be produced by the unit.
~ o rotate the flail assA ' 1i,~c, a single motor is connected to both rotatable shafts via a belt and pulley system. The belts and pulleys are arLal~ged so that both shafts and therefore both chain flail ~CSPmhl 1es spin in the same direction. Alternatively, each flail assembly can be provided with its own motor.
Due to the design of the device, gravity or blowers are not required to move the pulverized glass through the unit. This allows the user to .1; cpF-nSe with the significant structure normally required to support the unit and also to avoid the cost of devices dedicated to the moving of the W0 95/1387~ , ~, r~ 3 $ PCI'NS93/11223 ~

glass .

8rief DescriPtion of the Drawinqs Figure 1 is an elevational view of the invention.
Figure 2 is a plan view of the invention shown in f igure 1 .
Figure 3 is an end view of the invention shown in figure 1. A liquid spray system that can optionally be added to the invention is shown in phantom in this f igure .
Figure 4 is a partially cross-sectioned elevational view of the invention of figure 1 taken through the first hous ing .
Figure 5 is a cross-section elevational view of the invention shown in figure 1 taken through the second housing .
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional end view of the invention shown in f igure 1 taken at a point proximate the end of the h~nlc;n~c shown in figure 3.
Figure 7 is a side view of an end portion of one of the flail assemblies shown in figure 5.
Figure 8 is an end view of the flail assembly portion shown in f i~ure 7 .
Figure 9 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of a flail.
Figure 10 is a side view of another alternate embodiment of a flail.
Figure 11 is a top view of the flail shown in figure 10.
:

9S/13875 .i~ 2 1 7633~ PCrlUS93111223 Detailed DescriPtion of the Drawinqs Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, - wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several f igures, there is shown by the numeral 1 a glass pulverizer unit . The unit ; nrl ll~lPC a support rL .l~rk 2 upon which the pulverizer apparatus 6 rests .
As can be seen in f igures 1 and 2, the pulverizer apparatus comprises a first cylindrical drum-like housing 8 that ;nrllltlPc a top mounted inlet structure 10. The inlet structure has a central opening 12 that is riulL~,u~lded by a funnel-shaped wall structure 14. Contiguous to the first drum-shaped housing 8 is a second cylindrical drum-like housing 16.
The second housing 16 is oriented wherein its longitudinal axis is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the first housing. Located on the bottom surface of the second housing is an outlet structure 20. The outlet ; nclllflPR a circular wall structure 22 that ~UlL~.lUII~S a central opening 24.
Figure 3 provides an end view of the apparatus in which the unit ' s drive mechanism can be seen . The drive -h~ni~m ;nrlu~pc a top mounted motor 26 that is connected by a first belt 28 to a pulley 30 that is mounted on a rotatable shaft 32. A second belt 34 connects the motor to a pulley 36 that is mounted on a second rotatable shaft 38.
When the motor is operating, the belts cause shafts 32 and 38 to turn in the same dilection. Alternatively, but not WO95113875 r C~ 2 ~ 76335 PCr/US93/11223 ~

shown, two motors may be employed with one motor connected by pulley and belt to shaft 32 and the other motor connected by pulley and belt to shaft 38.
Figure 14 provides a cross-sectional view of the first housing 8 shown at a time when the shaf t is spinning .
Within the housing is a flail assembly 39 comprising the center shafl: 32 that is located proximate the housing's longitudinal axis and supported at each end by bearings 40.
The bearings are secured to the housing. The flail assembly further comprises a plurality of flexible flails 42 that are each removably attached to shaf t 32 by removable fasteners (detailed in figure 7). In the embodiment shown, the flails are in the form of multi-link lengths of chain. Each flail is attached to the shaft so that it is spaced from any adjacent flails by both a vertical and horizontal distance. The flails are thereby located so that when the shaft is rotating, the centrifugal force causes the flails to extend outwardly and form a spiral/auge I shape.
The spiral shape formed by the flail assembly when it is rotating performs two functions. Firstly, it causes an effective and controlled comminution of the inputted glass containers and/or glass ragments. Secondly, it causes the glass to move toward an outer end 44 of the housing in a direction parallel to the housing ' s longitudinal axis .
Also lccated within the housing is a removable plastic liner 45. The liner fits snugly against the interior surface of l:he housing and protects it from being damaged WO95/13875 ~ i; .i i 2 1 7 6 335 PCT/US93)112~3 by direct contact with the high speed glass and/or metal f ragments .
- Figure 5 provides a cross-sectional view of the second housing 16 shown at a time when the shaft is spinning. In this view, one can see a flail assembly 46 located within housing 16 that is substantially identical to flail assembly 39 except that it is longer. This second flail assembly includes the rotatable shaft 38 (supported at each end by housing-attached bearings 47 ) and a plurality of flexible flails 50 removably secured to the shaft. The flails are alldnyed and secured to the shaft so that they will produce a spiral configuration when the shaft is rotating in the same manner as employed in flail assembly 39 and having the same functionality. In addition, the auger action of flail assembly 46 will move the pulverized glass toward an outlet 20 that is located on the outer end 52 of the housing 16.
A removable plastic liner 51 is located within housing 16 and protects the interior surface of the housing from flying pieces of glass or metal. It should be noted that the liners 45 and 51 may be removed from their associated housing by removing bolts 53 from the end portions 44 and 52 respectively and then removing the sheet metal screws 55 that fasten the liners to their associated housings.
Figure 6 provides a cross-sectional view taken across the width of the device. In this view, the shafts and individual flails can be seen as well as a contact zone 54 located between the two housings. Housing 8 has a long, WO9511387~ 6:~35 PCT/US93/112~3 basically rectangular opening 56 located in its side. The opening is contiguous to a similarly shaped opening s8 in the side of housing 16. These two openings join the interior of the two housings together and allow glass fragments to bounce between the two hr- l~inqq and be impacted by the flails of each of the two flail assemblies.
This causes the glass fragments to become completely pulverized as they move toward the outer ends of the housings under the auger type action of the flai assemblies. When the glass reaches the outer end 44 of the shorter hou~ing 8 ~ it bounces into the longer housing 16 where it is moved in a controlled manner by flail assembly 46 to the outer end 52 of the housing. Once the fully pulverized llass reaches outlet 20, it falls through the outlet l s center hole into a removable container or drum (not shown) or onto a ~ veye:L (not shown).
To aid in reducing the amount of airborne glass particles that are sometimes released from the device a water spray system may optionally be included. The spray system is shown in phantom in f igure 3 wherein a hose or pipe 60 is connected to a source of water 62. A valve 64 is located in the hose adjacent the unit and functions to control the volume of water passing through the hose.
Att ched to the outlet of the valve and mounted to the side of the device l s inlet 1 o is a spray nozzle 66 .
A fine spray of liquid introduced as glass is inserted into the device or at any other point is effective. This wetting ac~ on causes ~e ~ ne glass par~c es o a~ere ~o o 95/13875 ,~ 2 1 7 PCI IUS9311 1223 larger glass frA5 ts and thereby the amount of ~;rhnrne glass dust at the outlet 20. The operation of the overall device is for the most part unaffected by the added liquid.
Figures 7-9 provide detailed views of the structure of the flail assemblies when said ~SA '1;PS are at rest. In figures 7 and 8, an end portion of flail assembly 39 is shown. It should be noted that a view of an end portion of flail assembly 46 would be identical to the portion shown in f igures 7 and 8 .
In the shaf t portion shown in f igures 7 and 8, the attachment structure for the flails 42 may be readily seen.
Each of the flails is in the form of a length of chain that has an inner end link 70 that is fitted into a complementary slot 72 on the shaft. The slot has a flat bottom surface 73 and has a width approximately equal to the width of link 70. A fastener 74 extends through the center opening of link 70 and a head portion 76 of the fastener contacts the outer surface of the link to hold the link into the slot. In this manner, link 70 is rigidly fixed to the shaft with its bottom surface in full contact with surface 73 of the slot. It should be noted that the link of the flail adjacent to link 70 can pivot on link 70 and thereby maintain the flexibility of the flail. By immovably fixing link 70 to the shaft, the shaft will not become worn as the rest o~ the flail pivots and moves on the end of link 70. It should also be noted that the slots 72 are rounded on one end and located in a staggered manner to enable the previously described spiral orientation of WO95/13875 ~ $ ! ~ 2 1 ~6~35 PCT/US93/llZZ3 the flails hhen the shaft is spinning.
Figure 9 shows a second embodiment of a flexible flail 80 which could be substituted or one or all of flails 42 or 50 descri ~ed in the primary ~ ' '; t . As shown, flail 80 incl~ld~fi a plurality of interconnected links 82 that are contained within an elongated polyurethane or rubber cover 84. The col er is flexible and unctions to protect the enclosed links and to minimize the amount of pulverized glass that collects on the links. By eliminating the direct contact between the glass particles and the links, the wear life of the links are extended.
As also shown, a rotatable hammer 86 is located at the distal end ( furthest from the connection point to the shaft) of the flail 80. The hammer is made from an ?l y hard material such as hardened steel, ceramic or carbide and is movably connected to the adjacent link 87.
The connect- on is provided by the end of link 87 being received within an aperture 88 of the hammer. A pin 92 is inserted through the hammer 86 and the adjacent link 87 to secure the link 87 in place. The movable hammer is especially useful when a non-frangible item has been entered into the machine. When the hammer contacts the item, the connection allows the hammer to rotate about its connection to the adjacent link of the flail ana thereby not become ( amaged or excessively worn by the impact with the item.
Figures 10 and 11 show another embodiment of a flexible flail 94 that can be substituted for one or all of WO 95/13X75 ~ ~ ~ 2 1 7 6 3 3 5 PCIIUS93111~23 flails 42 or 50. The flail includes a connector 96 that is designed to be secured to the shaft 32 or 38 of the flail - assembly by a bolt or similar fastener 99 that would extend through aperture 98. The fastener 99 is designed to be threadably engaged to a complementary threaded bore ( such as 74) in the shaft. The fastener 99 thereby functions to secure and correctly position the connector 96 on the shaft's surface. In this manner, each flail can be secured to the shaft to obtain the desired spiral orientation of the flails.
Attached to the connector 96 is a link 100 that is pref erably made of a hardened steel material . The attachment is made using a press-fit pin 102 that extends through apertures 104 in the connector and which only loosely fits through an aperture 106 in the link. In this manner, the rod is able to pivot about pin 102. A plastic bushing can be used to protect the pin 102. The outer or distal end of the rod has a pivotally attached hammer 108.
The hammer member is preferably made of a hardened steel material and is connected to the rod by a pivot pin 110.
The pin is press- fit into apertures 112 of the hammer and loosely fits through an aperture 114 of the rod. Plastic bushings 113 at four locations, keep the link 100 from contacting and wearing the connector 96 and the hammer 108.
In this manner, the hammer can pivot on the end of the rod thereby providing the hammer with a second pivot point relative to the shaf t .
To summarize the operation of the unit, the user WO 95/13875 ~ L; r,i, ~ 2 1 7 6:3 3 5 PCT/US93111223 inputs glass containers through the inlet 10. The containers break as they contact the flf~x;hle flails that are moving below the inlet . The resultant f ragments of broken glass are then swept by the flails into the impact zone 54 between the two housings. The fragments bounce back and forth between the individual flails of the two flail assemblies and thereby become fully comminuted into small particles and reach a size wherein approximately ninety-five percent of the particles are between 1 and 0.1 millimeter in diameter. During the comminution process, the auger action of the two flail assemblies causes the glass particles to move toward the outer ends of each housing. When the particles reach the outer end 44 of the shorter housing 8, they are swept into the flails of the longer housing where they are then propelled in a controlled fashion toward the outlet 20. The particles then fall hrough the outlet's center hole 24 into a removable drum or similar container (not shown) or onto a cul.veye. (nût shown).
The em 70diments disclosed herein have been .li sC-lcce~l for the pur-70se of f.~ rizing the reader with the novel aspects of the invention. Although preferred: ~ ~ir ts of the invention have been shown and described, many changes, mo(~ifications and substitutions may be made by one having ordinary skill in the art without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims.

Claims (20)

1. An improved glass pulverizer of the type having a hollow first housing, an inlet means leading to the interior of the housing, a first rotatable flail assembly located within said housing wherein said flail assembly comprises a rotatable shaft and a plurality of flexible flails that are mounted at one end to said shaft, and a rotator means connected to said shaft to rotate said shaft and wherein the improvement comprises:
a plurality of shaped slots located on the surface of the shaft, said slots having a flat, substantially planar bottom surface and having first and second parallel sidewalls and wherein a plurality of said flails each have an end member that has a predetermined shape with a bottom surface and a longitudinal axis whereby said end member is adapted to fit within one of said slots located on said shaft and wherein when an end member is located in one of said slots, said end member lies flat in said slot with the bottom surface of the end member contacting the bottom surface of the slot and the longitudinal axis of the end member being substantially parallel to the sidewalls of the slot; and fastening means that function to fasten the flails to the shaft.

2. The glass pulverizer of Claim 1 further comprising:
a second hollow housing operatively connected to the first housing and having a second flail assembly located within its interior, said second flail assembly comprising a rotatable shaft that has a plurality of flat-bottomed slots located on its surface and a plurality of flexible flails that are attached to said shaft, whereby end members of said flails are secured within said slots by securing means;
a rotator means connected to said shaft of said second flail assembly to rotate said shaft; and a side opening located in each of said first and second housings, said side openings being contiguous and allowing material to travel back and forth between said housings via the side openings.

3. The pulverizer of claim 1 wherein the flexible flails are in the form of chains having a plurality of connected links and wherein the end member of each of said chains is a link having a center opening.

4. The pulverizer of Claim 3 wherein the fastening means is adapted to extend through the center opening of the end member of the flails.

5. The pulverizer of Claim 1 further comprising a flexible cover located about an exterior surface of at least one of said flails.

6. The pulverizer of claim 1 wherein the first housing has an elongated cylindrical shape and a removable end portion.

7. The pulverizer of Claim 6 further comprising a removable liner that is shaped to cover the interior surface of the housing and wherein said liner can be removed from the housing through an opening that is formed when the end portion of the housing is removed.

8. The pulverizer of Claim 7 wherein the removable liner is made from a polyurethane material.

9. The pulverizer of Claim 1 wherein a plurality of the flexible flails include an elongated link that is pivotally engaged at one end to the end member and wherein a hammer member is pivotally engaged to a second end of the rod.

10. The pulverizer of claim 1 wherein the flails of the first flail assembly are mounted on the shaft in a spiral configuration whereby when the shaft is spinning, the flails assume a spiral shape and function in a manner similar to an auger.

11. The pulverizer of claim 2 further comprising a removable liner made of a plastic material located within each of said housings.

12. A glass pulverizing apparatus comprising:
a first drum-shaped hollow housing having a first end, a second end, an inlet and an outlet;
a first flail assembly operatively mounted within said first housing, said flail assembly comprising a central rotatable shaft supported at first and second ends by said housing and further comprising a plurality of flexible flails releasably secured to an exterior surface of said shaft;
a motor means operatively connected to said first flail assembly wherein said motor means functions to cause said flail assembly to rotate; and wherein at least one of said flexible flails of the first flail assembly includes an end member releasably secured to the shaft, an elongated rod pivotally attached at a first end to the end member, and a hammer portion pivotally attached to a second end of the rod.

13. The apparatus of Claim 12 further comprising:
a second drum-shaped hollow housing, said second housing having a first end, a second end, a side opening and a bottom-located outlet;
a second flail assembly operatively mounted within said second housing;
wherein the inlet of the first housing is located proximate a first end of said first housing and functions to allow glass material to enter an interior area of said first housing;

wherein the second housing has a first end adjacent the first end of the first housing and wherein the outlet of the second housing is located proximate a second end of said second housing wherein said outlet functions to allow glass material to exit from an interior area of said second housing;
wherein said first and second housings are contiguous and each have a longitudinal axis;
wherein said housings are oriented so that their longitudinal axes are substantially parallel;
wherein the outlet of the first housing is connected to the side opening of the second housing to thereby allow material to travel between the interior areas of the first and second housings; and wherein the second housing is longer than the first housing with the second end of the second housing extending outwardly past a second end of the first housing.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising a flexible cover located on and surrounding each flexible flail.

15. The apparatus of Claim 12 wherein the first housing has a removable end portion.

16. The apparatus of Claim 15 further comprising a removable liner located within the first housing and substantially surrounding the interior area bounded by the first housing.

17. The apparatus of Claim 16 wherein the removable liner is made of a polyurethane material.

18. A glass pulverizing apparatus comprising:
a drum-shaped hollow housing having a first end, a second end, an inlet and an outlet;
a flail assembly operatively mounted within said housing, said flail assembly comprising a central rotatable shaft supported at first and second ends by said housing and further comprising a plurality of flexible flails releasably secured to an exterior surface of said shaft;
a motor means operatively connected to said flail assembly wherein said motor means functions to cause said flail assembly to rotate; and wherein at least one of said flexible flails of the flail assembly is enclosed within a flexible cover.

19. The assembly of Claim 18 wherein at least one of said flexible flails of the flail assembly includes a hammer portion that is rotatably connected to a body portion of said flail.

20. The assembly of Claim 18 wherein the housing has a removable end portion and a removable interior liner.