EP0085054B1

EP0085054B1 - Device for fragmenting, compacting and discharging of voluminous bulk goods, in particular household waste

Info

Publication number: EP0085054B1
Application number: EP19820900842
Authority: EP
Inventors: Nils Gösta ROSENBERG
Original assignee: Rosenberg & Co AB
Current assignee: Rosenberg & Co AB
Priority date: 1981-03-17
Filing date: 1982-03-17
Publication date: 1986-12-03
Also published as: FI74655C; DK150294C; DK508082A; EP0085054A1; FI831286A0; DE3274528D1; FI74655B; FI831286L; WO1982003200A1; DK150294B

Abstract

The device for fractioning, compacting and discharging of voluminous bulk goods, in particular household waste, consists of a housing (1) supporting an essentially vertical feeding shaft (2) with a circular discharge opening. Under the feeding shaft (2) a number of rings are constructed on top of each other (4-8), for mutual relative rotational movement around the discharging openings' central axle. Each ring is formed with a towards the rings' centre pushing shovel formed part, which for each ring pushes more in towards the centre than the above laying one, and which boarders an eccentric opening throughout the rings. The rings are constructed in such a way that by relative rotational influence, bulk goods, gravitationally fed through the rings, can be simultaneously fractioned, through interaction between the rings contra rotating shovel formed parts. Under the bottom ring (8) a cylindrical discharging chamber (24) is constructed with therein a horizontal forward and backward moving plunger device (25) for cutting and compacting the out of the lowest ring coming fragmented bulk goods into a discharging pipe (26).

Description

The present invention relates to constructions for handling and forwarding voluminous bulk goods, in particular household waste and refuse.
A rational handling of voluminous bulk goods, such as household waste and refuse, places high demands on the equipment used, not only from a hygenic and environmental point of view, but also from an economic point of view. Some known arrangements for the handling of household waste are discussed below in greater detail.
A device known on the market for handling household waste comprises a so-called sack-changer with a compactor. The sack-changer is available in different designs, of which the so-called carousel changer is commonly used. It consists of a frame which is stepwise rotatable around a vertical shaft, said frame having holders for a number of sacks which by stepwise rotating the frame, one by one can be placed into a position below the opening of the disposal shute. When a sack has been filled up with waste the frame is rotated one step so that the filled sack is brought into a position below a compactor, comprising a plunger by means of which the content of the sack is compacted to approximately half its volume. The frame is then rotated back into position under the shute. When the sack is completely filled the frame is rotated one step in order to bring an empty sack into position under the opening of the disposal shute.
A disadvantage of the above sack-changer with compactor is that due to its constructional height it requires a relatively high ceiling height in the waste-disposal room, which makes it less suitable for installation in older buildings with insufficient ceiling height in the waste disposal room. Even if the constructional height is made sufficiently low, the sacks have to be transported from the sack-changer manually, which according to the present workers protection standards is not accepted in waste-disposal rooms with a ceiling height less than 2.1 m. The sacks filled with their compacted content are heavy and difficult to manage and therefore, if the waste-disposal room is located below ground level, a so-called stair lift is required, by means of which the sacks or waggon with sacks are transported along the stairs up to the ground floor for further transportation.
According to another known arrangement for the processing of household waste a so-called waste-screw is used. The waste is transported .from the shute opening in a drum of steelplate by means of a motor driven, rotating shaftless steel spiral to a central collecting station within the area, where the waste is compacted in a closed container.
A disadvantage of the waste-screw is that it requires extensive installation work including locating below ground level of a pipe including a spiral. The installation of the waste-screw is thus quive costly and is most suitable for installation in connection with new building of residential blocks or block complexes.
According to a third known arrangement for handling of household waste a so-called waste suction unit is used, which means that the waste is transported by air in a closed system to a collecting station where the waste is compacted in a container. The pipes in this waste structure are usually about 400 mm in diameter, but if the waste suction unit is combined with grinders, which are disposed under each shute, and which grinds the waste, a pipe having a diameter of 160 mm is sufficient. The combination of waste suction unit and grinder is often called a miniwaste suction unit and is due to its size suitable for installation in older buildings.
The waste suction unit as well as the waste-screw mentioned previously, suffers from the disadvantage that it requires extensive installation work and is therefore costly. Furthermore, in order to obtain sufficient reliability in operation high airspeeds are needed, resulting in an unwanted high noise level. The miniwaste suction unit, which due to its smaller size is more advantageous from an installation point of view, requires, however, more maintenance work in order to function satisfactorily. The cutting blade of the waste grinder is exposed to much strain and has to be replaced often. In the waste grinder waste is crushed, but no compacting is effected.
DE-A-2 412 065 discloses a device for compacting and discharging bulk material as specified in the introductory part of the appended claim 1. in this known apparatus there is a considerable risk that the bulk material which by gravitational force is fed in the vertical direction, only is subjected to a compacting operation, which may result in a compacted, conical plug, stopping further feeding of material through the apparatus.
The object of the present invention is to provide a device for fragmenting, compacting and discharging of voluminous bulk goods in particular household waste and refuse, avoiding or lessening the above mentioned disadvantages of the known devices, and which fragments, compacts and discharges bulk goods, is simple in construction and has a low constructional height and is therefore well suited for installation in waste-disposal rooms having a low ceiling height.
According to the invention the objects referred to above are obtained by means of a device for fragmenting, compacting and discharging voluminous bulk goods, in particular household waste, which is designed in accordance with the features specified in claim 1. Particular embodiments of the invention are specified in claims 2 to 5.
The invention is described below in connection with an example of an embodiment and with reference to the enclosed drawings, of which

Fig. 1 shows a schematic, vertical cross-section of the device;
Fig. 2 is a vertical partial cross-section through the rings;
Fig. 3 is a section taken as indicated at I-I in Fig. 1;
Fig. 4-9 are horizontal views of the rings 4-8 in Fig. 1, and
Fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the interaction of the rings.

As most clearly appears in Fig. 1, the device shown in the drawings consists of a frame 1 e.g. in the form of a steel construction of plating or a square tube etc. In the top of the frame is fastened a circular, cylindrical, essentially vertical feeding shaft 2 with an inner diameter corresponding to the diameter of the mouth of a connected waste shute 3, preferably somewhat larger, enabling the waste shute to protrude a short distance into the feeding shaft 2. Vertically under the feeding shaft there are mounted a number of rings 4-8, provided with shovel formed, inwardly protruding parts 10A-E, and arranged so that, on relative rotational movement of the rings around a geometrical axis substantial coaxial with the geometrical axis of the feeding shaft, the rings will affect bulk goods, which is fed by gravitation, through the rings, towards the central parts of the rings, at the same time fractioning the bulk goods by interaction between the shovel-like parts of the oppositely rotating rings. Rings 4-8 can be mounted for rotation in opposite directions to each other, but as shown in the preferred embodiment according to Figure 1, every second ring 5, 7 is fixed to the frame 1 and every second ring 4, 6 and 8 is rotatable.
Disposed immediately under the feeding shaft 2 is a rotatable ring 4, supported by the ring 5 which is attached to the frame. Ring 4 consists of a circular cylindrical casing 9 and a horizontal top plate 10A, which forms an annular flange; which rests upon and is attached to a shoulder of a circular cylindrical support profile 11 surrounding the ring. Support profile 11 has on the outside been provided with grooves 12 for a V belt which is part of a drive transmission for the rotation of the ring.
As appears particularly in the schematic Fig. 4, the ring 4 is provided with a shovel formed portion 10A protruding towards the middle of the ring and occupying a part of the surface enclosed by the ring and having a shovel surface 14 facing the centre axis of the ring 4 and preferably having a curvature as in the so-called Archimedes spiral i.e. having an inwardly decreasing radius. The dimensions of the shovel formed portion 10A are growing radially towards the middle of the ring as seen in a direction opposite the rotational direction of the ring 4, as marked with an arrow in Fig. 3. The portion 10A which protrudes towards the center of the ring thus delimits an excentric opening through the ring, the restricting walls of which extend in parallel to the rotational axis of the ring, the excentric opening having a cross section which is at least partly enclosed by an arched line, the radius of which decreases towards the centre of the ring. By rotation of the ring the shovel surface 14 defines a passage, free of obstacles, through the ring 4, as is marked by a dotted circular line in Fig. 4.
Both of the other rotatable rings 6 and 8 are constructed in a manner corresponding to that described in connection with ring 4. Ring 6 thus includes, as particularly appears from the schematic Fig. 6, a shovel formed portion 10C protruding towards the centre of the ring and having a shovel surface 15. The essential difference in comparison to the ring 4 is that the shovel-formed portion 10C protrudes further into the centre of ring 6 compared to the corresponding portion 10A of the ring 4. When the ring 6 is rotated shovel formed part 10C defines a passage without obstructions, as marked with the dotted circle-line in Fig. 6, which is less than the equivalent free passage through the ring 4. Correspondingly ring 8, as appears from the schematic Fig. 8, has a shovel formed portion 10E with a shovel surface 16. The shovel formed portion 10E protrudes even a bit further towards the centre of ring 8, so that when rotating ring 8 a passage free of obstacles is demarcated as marked by the dotted circular line in Fig. 8, which is less than the corresponding free passage of ring 6.
Under the uppermost rotatable ring 4, and supporting this ring, is a non-rotatable ring 5, which by fixing means 17 is attached to the housing 1. The fixed ring 5 is constructed in a similar manner as the rotatable rings previously described, but differs, however, partly in that the supporting profile 18 which surrounds the ring does not have any grooves for V-ropes, partly in that the shovel formed portion 20 of the ring, has a design substantially mirror-reversed compared to the shovel formed partion 10A of ring 4, as particularly appears from the schematic Fig. 4. The dimensions of the shovel formed portion 10B are thus decreasing towards the centre of the ring as seen in a direction opposite the rotational direction of the rotatable ring. Corresponding to what is the case in ring 4, the shovel formed portion 10B is designed with a shovel surface 20 facing the centre axis of the ring, said shovel surface extending from the periphery of the ring in a concave curvature towards the centre of the ring, preferably in a curvature correspoding to a so-called Archimedes spiral. The shovel formed portion 108 protrudes a bit further towards the centre of the ring than the corresponding shovel formed portion 10A of ring 4.
Ring 7 which is fixedly attached to the frame 1 and supports the rotatable ring 6, is designed in a corresponding manner as the previously described fixed ring 5. The shovel formed portion of ring 7 protrudes a bit further towards the centre of the ring than the corresponding portion of the rotatable ring 6 disposed above.
The lowermost rotatable ring 8 is supported by a supporting ring 22 attached to a bottom 19 which is fixed to the frame and includes a central discharge-opening 23 for discharging of bulk goods fragmented by the rings. As shown in Fig. 9, the opening 23 may have a form which basically corresponds to the form of the free opening in ring 8.
As most clearly appears in Fig. 2 the supporting profile 11, 18, of the rings 4-8 protrudes above the upper plate 10 of the rings, whereas the bottom edge of the circular shells 9 of the rings extends below the upper surface of the support profile 11, 18 for the next ring. The labyrinth like passage thus formed at the lower, peripheral part of the ring, contributes effectively to prevent bulk goods particles from penetrating into the surroundings.
The propulsion for simultaneous rotation of the rotatable rings is effected by a drive motor not shown in the figures via a drive transmission. The drive transmission comprises three vertical shafts 34, 35 and 36 journalled in the frame and, seen from above, disposed in the corner of an equally sided triangle. Three V-belt pulleys are mounted on each of the shafts and are situated just opposite the respective rotatable ring. Preferably two of the shafts are connected each with its own drive motor. As appears from Fig. 4, 6 and 8, the shafts 34, 35 and 36 are situated such a distance from the rotational axis of the rings that the V belts 37 engage with the V-belt grooves 12 in each respective ring with a certain dimensional angle, which should be sufficient for transferring the propulsive moment to the ring. The traction forces of the V-belt thereby has a radial component force, which affects the rings on three sides and contributes to the centration of the rings. In the device shown in the drawings the rings are driven for rotation counter-clockwise as shown by the arrow in Fig. 4, 6, 8 and 10.
The bottom 19 disposed below the lowermost rotatable ring 8 forms by means of its opening 23 a connection between the rings and a chamber 24 disposed under the bottom 19, said chamber preferably being formed as a cylinder with a substantially horizontal axis and opening into the discharge pipe 26. Disposed in the cylindrical chamber 24 is a plunger device 25 which is moveable in the cylinder 24 in the longitudinal direction thereof between a rear position indicated by continuous lines, in which the opening 23 is completely exposed for feeding a string of fractioned bulk goods through said opening, and a forward position in which the front of the plunger device is situated on the opposite side of opening 23, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The reciprocating movement of the plunger device in the cylinder 24 is achieved executed by means of a driving device disposed under the cylindrical chamber and consisting of an electric motor 31 with an angular gear 32. The output shaft of the gear supports a crank arm 33, which at one end is flexibly attached to a linking device 28, and which at the other end is flexibly attached to the plunger device 25, at the rear end thereof, via link fittings 27. Through this mechanism the rotating movement of the motor and the angular gear is converted into a reciprocating movement of the plunger device 25 in cylinder 24.
The plunger device consists of a horizontal flat bar 25A and a vertical flat bar 25B having a width, which with a suitable play corresponds to the inner diameter of cylinder 24. The cross section of the plunger device thus has the form of a cross as shown in Fig. 3. On both sides of that part of the flat rod 25B of the plunger device which protrudes above the horizontal flat rod 25A, two scraping washers 29 are attached to the cylinder. The scraping washers 29 are located immediately behind the rear edge of opening 23 and have as an object to prevent fragments of bulk goods and particles from following the plunger on its return stroke. At the underside of the horizontal flat bar of the plunger device 25A two scraping washers 30 are arranged in a similar manner, said scraping washers being attached to the bottom of the horizontal flat bar 25A of the plunger device between this and the vertical flat bar 25B.
The purpose of the scraping washers 30 is to keep the bottom of the cylinder free from bulk goods fragments and particles by scraping action during forward movement of the plunger. The scraping washers 29 and 30 are thus shaped as circle quadrants and are provided with self adjusting boarder linings; not shown in the figure, forfitting-up against the plunger and the cylinder respectively. During feeding movement of the plunger, bulk goods is thus fed into the discharge tube 26 while simultaneously being compacted. Thanks to the above described design of the plunger, it does not need to cut off the string of bulk goods during each feeding movement of the plunger, which would have been the case if the working surface of the plunger against the bulk goods would have been entirely circular. Due to this, the driving means for the plunger device may be dimensioned for significantly lower power demand, which also considerably decreases the wear of the plunger and cylinder. When passing opening 23, the upper, vertical protruding part of the plunger device 25 cuts through the string of bulk goods. The plunger device illustrated in the figures is mechanically driven but, of course, hydraulic or pneumatic plunger devices which bring about a linear reciprocating feeding movement may be used as well.
As rings 4, 6 and 8, via the drive transmission, is made to rotate, the household waste, which is charged into the feeding shaft 2 from the waste shute 3, is affected by the shovel formed portion 10A protruding from the first ring 4 towards the centre of the ring. The bulk goods is thereby affected partly in the direction of the centre of the ring, partly, due to the gravitational forces, in axial direction downwards. The bulk goods is thereby brought into contact with the shovel surface 20 in the fixed ring 5 situated below ring 4. The bulk goods is torn into rags i.e. fractioned and in this ring also forced partly towards the centre of the ring and partly in axial direction towards the following rotating ring. During transport through all of the rings, radial variations are brought about in the bulk goods and thus a fractioning and a simultaneous axial feeding of the strings of bulk goods into the cylindrical chamber 24 located under the lowermost ring. Under influence of the reciprocating movement of the plunger in this cylindrical chamber the string of bulk goods is deflected towards the discharge pipe 26, while the plunger movement effects a compacting of the bulk goods, at the same time feeding it into pipe 26 which has a larger diameter than the cylinder 24. The extent of compacting can be made variable by adjusting the length of the cylinder 24 and the length of stroke of the plunger. The household waste discharged into the pipe 26 in the form of a compacted string is further transported in the pipe by using compressed air or vacuum, to a central collecting site, e.g. a container.
Due to its simple design the device according to the invention can be produced at a moderate cost and is, due to its compact construction, well suited for installation in narrow spaces. As the device compacts as well as discharges the household waste, the transport pipes for the compacted household waste can be kept relatively small, which is advantageous for the installation and tubing.
The invention, as described above with reference to the drawings, is not limited to this, but can be subject to variations within the scope of the following claims. The curved surfaces of the shovel formed portions may thus be provided with an edge or a toothing for further improving the fractionation. The number of rings may also vary depending on-the type of bulk goods to be treated in the device and depending on the desired extent of compacting. Nor is the invention limited to treatment of household waste and refuse, but may advantageously be used for compacting and feeding other bulk goods e.g. peat or chips.

Claims

1. Device for fragmenting, compacting and discharging voluminous bulk goods, in particular household waste, comprising a substantially vertical, tubular feeding shaft (2) supported by a frame (1) and having a circular discharge opening; at least two cylindrical rings (4-8) disposed one above the other under the feeding shaft (2) for relative rotational movement in opposite directions substantially about the geometrical axis of the discharge opening, thereby affecting bulk goods present in the rings (4-8) in a direction towards the centre of the rings characterized in that each ring (4-8) is provided with an excentrically protruding, shovel-like portion (10A-10E) having a substantially vertical, helically curve wall and defining an excentric through opening through the ring, the shovel-like portion (10A-10E) of each ring extending closer towards the centre of the ring than the shovel-like portion of the ring situated above, the curvature of the shovel-like portion (10A-10E) of every second ring being basically mirror-inverted compared to the curvature of intermedite rings.

2. Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the first ring (4), which is located directly under the feeding shaft (2), and each second of the following rings are rotatable, and that the ring (5) located directly under the first rotatable ring (4) and each second (7) of the following rings are fixedly attached to the housing.

3. Device according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that said shovel-like portion (10A-10E) covers a part of the surface enclosed by the ring in order to restrict the through flow area of the ring, said shovel-like portion being provided with a shovel surface (14, 20) facing the centre of the ring and extending in a concave curvature, the radius of which decreases towards the centre of the ring.

4. Device according to any of claims 1-3 characterized in that the dimensions of the shovel-formed parts of the first ring (4) located directly under the feeding shaft (2) and of every second one of the following rings (6, 8) are growing as seen in a direction opposite to the rotational direction of said rings, and that the corresponding dimensions of the ring (5) located directly under the first ring (4) and of every second one of the following rings (7) are decreasing as seen in the same direction.

5. Device according to any of the preceding claims characterized by a preferably cylindrical chamber (24) disposed under the lowermost ring (8), said chamber opening into a substantially liorizontal^- discharge pipe (26) for discharging compacted bulk goods, said chamber (24) being provided with reciprocating piston means (25) which, on forward movement, deviates and compacts the string of fragmented bulk goods discharged from the lowermost ring (8), at the same time feeding it into the discharge pipe (26).