Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D67/00—Systematic disassembly of vehicles for recovery of salvageable components, e.g. for recycling

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a plant and a related method for performing, for ecological purposes , a complete recycling of all or, in any case , of most of the component/constituent materials of an automobile , with consequent recovery of the same for subsequent reuse as industrial feedstocks .
• the scrapping of vehicles takes place simply by amassing them in landfills , where parts still usable , such as electrical components or mechanical parts , are disassembled by the scrapper in an artisanal way, often following a speci fic request , to be subsequently resold on the aftermarket , while the rest of the vehicle is simply compacted into a cube , which is formed by the body plates and which also contains all the component materials that were not removed before compaction .
• the term "mechanical parts” means the vehicle engine , as well as components of the drivetrain ( gearbox, axles , etc . ) , front and rear suspensions , such as shock absorbers , springs , etc .
• the material of the compacted "cube” is also polluted by the residue of the various technical fluids that are normally contained on a vehicle , such as engine oil , brake oil , coolant , etc . , residue which is impossible to remove simply by draining by gravity (where possible ) these technical fluids .
• the obj ect of the present invention is to reali ze a plant and provide a method for obtaining an almost complete recycling of all the components and fluids of a decommissioned vehicle , in order to reduce almost to zero or completely eliminate any form of environmental pollution resulting from the vehicle scrapping .
• An obj ect of the invention it is also to provide a method and a recycling plant for decommissioned vehicles that are economically sustainable , so as to at least pay of f the plant operating costs with the sale of at least part of the recovered materials , which must therefore be separated by categories and/or by type of materials .
• Fig . 1 schematically illustrates a top plan view of a plant for recycling scrapped vehicles , in the illustrated example motor vehicles , comprising at least one main line and several secondary lines along which, according to the invention, each vehicle is disasmuld according to an in-series processing methodology;
• Fig . 2 schematically illustrates , according to a block diagram completed by some pictorial images , and in greater detail , the plant of Fig . 1 and the sequence of operations that are performed therein according to the invention;
• Fig . 3 schematically illustrates a three-quarter lateral perspective view of a station of the plant of Figs . 1 and 2 , corresponding to one of the blocks of Fig . 2 ;
• Fig . 4 schematically illustrates an operation that is performed in the station of Fig . 3 on some components of the vehicle to be scrapped;
• Figs . 5 and 6 schematically illustrate respective three-quarter lateral perspective views of two additional stations of the system of Figs . 1 and 2 , corresponding to two others of the blocks of Fig . 2 ;
• Figs . 7 and 8 schematically illustrate respective three-quarter lateral perspective views of two additional stations of the plant of Figs. 1 and 2, corresponding to two other of the blocks of Fig. 2;
• Fig. 9 schematically illustrates a three-quarter lateral perspective view of two additional adjacent stations of the plant of Figs. 1 and 2, corresponding to two others of the blocks of Fig. 2;
• Fig. 10 schematically illustrates a three-quarter side perspective view of two additional adjacent stations of the plant of Figs. 1 and 2, corresponding to as many blocks of Fig. 2;
• Figs. 11 and 12 schematically illustrate top three-quarter perspective views of respective secondary lines of the plant of Figs. 1 and 2;
• Fig. 13 schematically illustrates a top three quarters perspective view of a further secondary line of the plant of Figs. 1 and 2;
• Fig. 14 schematically illustrates, by a block diagram, a possible variant of the method and recycling plant of the invention.
• Fig. 15 schematically illustrates, by a block diagram, a detail of a possible sequence of operations and stations to be integrated into the plant of Figs. 14 and/or 2.
• the reference number 1 indicates, as a whole, a plant designed to perform the recycling of all or most of the components and operating fluids (technical fluids such as fuels, engines and brake oil, air conditioning system fluids and windscreen washer fluid) of a decommissioned vehicle to be scrapped.
• Fig. 1 shows the plant 1 as a whole and only schematically in a top plan view, to highlight the layout thereof; a plurality of decommissioned and scrapped vehicles 2 are stored in a yard 3 and are then are sequentially fed, one behind the other, in a manner that will be described, to at least one main processing line 4 arranged within a building/shed 5 and laterally served by a plurality of secondary lines 6 arranged at the side of the main line 4.
• the main line 4 is divided into a plurality of specialized stations, which are shown schematically in Fig. 2 as blocks and which consist of fixed stations sequentially crossed by a conveyor device 7 of a known type, e.g., of belt or platform type, on which the vehicles 2 are arranged resting horizontally, directly or by means of pallets.
• a conveyor device 7 of a known type, e.g., of belt or platform type, on which the vehicles 2 are arranged resting horizontally, directly or by means of pallets.
• the plant 1 can comprise more than one main line 4, each served by a plurality of corresponding secondary lines 6, e.g., the lines 4 can be arranged and operated in parallel, so that in the event of a stop of a line 4 the others can continue to operate ensuring the operational continuity of the plant 1.
• the conveyor device 7 is in any case configured to transport with predetermined speeds and with in-series sequence, one at a time and one behind the other, the vehicles 2 along each main line 4 and through the stations of the main line, in a direction T (Fig. 1) illustrated by means of an arrow; in the following the expressions "upstream” and “downstream” will be used with reference to the direction of advancement of the vehicles 2 along line 7, indicated by the arrow T.
• the plant 1 also comprises at least one shredder 8 of a known type, e.g., consisting of a ball mill or hammer mill, arranged downstream of the main line 4, e.g., immediately outside the building 5 which houses the lines 4 and 6.
• shredder 8 of a known type, e.g., consisting of a ball mill or hammer mill, arranged downstream of the main line 4, e.g., immediately outside the building 5 which houses the lines 4 and 6.
• FIG. 2 in it the plant 1 is depicted by means of a block diagram, in which a line 4 is highlighted, with the secondary lines 6, and a shredder 8; each block represents, as will be described, a fixed and specialized operating station of the line 4, and is connected to the others by arrows which illustrate the direction T of advancement of the vehicles 2 along the line 4, transported by the known device 7.
• the main line 4 is a disassembly line, along which the vehicles 2 to be scrapped are transported in series, through a plurality of the aforementioned stations, which are configured to perform sequentially, on each vehicle, a first series of predetermined operations until leaving, at the end of the main line 4 (Fig. 10) , a semi-finished product 10 consisting of a vehicle body 11, or part thereof, only.
• the plant 1 comprises a plurality of secondary lines 6, which are also disassembly lines, to which the same and specific mechanical or electrical components of each vehicle 2 taken from the main line 4 are sequentially fed, as will be described, so that each secondary line 6 is configured to disassemble a specific (or more than one specific) vehicle mechanical component (s) .
• the at least one shredder 8 is configured to reduce the semifinished product 10 exiting from the main line 4 into fragments (not shown for simplicity) of predetermined maximum dimensions.
• the main line 4 and the secondary lines 6 are configured to perform the disassembly of each vehicle 2 according to a sequence substantially opposite to that which is usually used to assembly a vehicle such as the vehicle 2 by means of an assembly line .
• This sequence is known per se and can be stored or in any case communicated to a control unit 12 of each disassembly line 4 .
• each main line 4 comprises a check-in station 13 ( Fig . 2 ) , in which each vehicle 2 previously stored in the yard 3 is washed, registered and receives an identi fication code 14 that can be read optically or electronically, which is applied externally to the body 11 or inside it ( e . g . i f the identi fication code 14 consists of an RFID radio signal transponder ) , for example .
• the check-in station 13 is configured to store on the basi s of this identi f ication code 14 groups of vehicles 2 of the same type and then sequentially feed all the vehicles 2 of the same group, for each group, to the plurality of subsequent fixed disassembly stations , as will be described .
• the subsequent stations can be configured to perform a series of identical operations on a certain number of vehicles 2 belonging to the same group before being reconfigured for vehicles 2 of a di f ferent group, allowing faster processing times .
• the main line 4 comprises a first station 15 , illustrated in greater detail in Fig . 3 , although still schematically only, equipped with a li fting system 16 of a known type adapted to li ft from the conveyor 7 each vehicle 2 arriving at station 15 , so as to make the bottom ( lower part and underbody) of each vehicle 2 accessible to respective operators P who guard the station 15.
• a li fting system 16 of a known type adapted to li ft from the conveyor 7 each vehicle 2 arriving at station 15 , so as to make the bottom ( lower part and underbody) of each vehicle 2 accessible to respective operators P who guard the station 15.
• the station 15 is configured to remove from each vehicle 2, automatically or through the intervention of one or more operators P, respective specific components in a predetermined way, both while the vehicle 2 is on the ground (resting on the conveyor 7) , and while the vehicle 2 is kept lifted from the ground thanks to the lifting system 16; in particular, the station 15 is configured for: i) removing by unscrewing (by means of manual tools actuated by the operators P or by robots, known and not illustrated for simplicity) the fastening screws of the respective wheels 18, which are then fed to a first secondary line 6b arranged at the side of the station 15, ii) removing, generally by unscrewing, respective body parts 19 made of plastic material such as bumpers and stone guards, which are fed to a second secondary line 6c, arranged next to line 6b, for example, iii) removing after drilling a hole with a punch 20 (Fig.
• a respective vehicle catalyst (known and not illustrated for simplicity) , which is easily reachable due to the fact that the vehicle 2 is lifted; v) removing all the other technical fluids from each vehicle 2, such as engine oil, brake oil, air conditioner fluid and windscreen washer fluid (with the exception of gearbox and differential gear oil) by gravity and subsequent pressurization of the respective tanks and by subsequent suction, performed with a plant 25 adapted for reverse technique fluid removal (Fig. 3) .
• Station 15 is also configured to perform the operations referred to in the previous steps or points i) , ii) and iv) and to remove any accessories present on the bumpers or other plastic body parts 19 while performing the previous operation or step iii) and/or while performing the previous step or point v) .
• the plant 25 is configured to access and interface the vehicle control units, e.g., the ABS control unit (known and not illustrated for simplicity) in order to use the same components of the various hydraulic systems of each vehicle 2 to perform step v) .
• the vehicle control units e.g., the ABS control unit (known and not illustrated for simplicity)
• the ABS control unit it is possible to operate the pistons of the vehicle braking system, in order to completely expel any residual brake oil in the vehicle brake system within the plant 25.
• the main line 4 also comprises a second station 26, arranged downstream of the first station 15.
• the second station 26 is illustrated in greater detail, though still schematically only, in Fig. 5 and comprises:
• a first booth 27 of a known type, which can be fluid- tight sealed and equipped with a suction system 28, - a control unit 29 configured to connect to a respective diagnostic socket 30 of each vehicle 2 while the vehicle 2 is housed in the first booth 27 and to actuate respective airbags (known and not illustrated for simplicity) of the vehicle 2 detonating them, and a cutting system 31 (Fig. 3) for the removal of the detonated airbags, e.g. actuated by operators P or by robots after the detonation of the airbags.
• the gases produced by the detonation of the airbags do not disperse into the environment, but are collected by the suction system/device 28 and sent to an appropriate ecological disposal network, so that the operators P can access the booth 27 to remove the detonated airbags without risk, which are removed from station 26 (the disposal of the detonated airbags is represented as an arrow 32, Fig. 2) , e.g., towards a special recovery plant (known and not illustrated) for the technical fabric of which they are composed.
• the second station 26 is preferably also configured to remove any LPG or methane tank 33 from the vehicle 2, when present, e.g. previously depleted of the fluids contained therein in the previous station 15 (or in another dedicated station) , e.g. in the same way described for the other technical fluids referred to in station 15.
• the tank 33 is also moved away from station 26 towards a special recycling plant, known and not illustrated (disposal operation, represented by arrow 34, Fig. 2) .
• the main line 4 comprises, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, also a third station 35 (Fig. 2) better illustrated, though still schematically, in Fig. 6.
• the station 35 is configured to remove from each vehicle 2, while it is arranged on the conveyor 7, respective moving parts 36 thereof such as hoods, doors and tailgate. According to an aspect of the invention, this removal does not take place by unscrewing these parts (which would take too long) , but by cutting the moving parts 36 on respective pivoting hinges (known and not illustrated) by means of shears 37 (Fig. 2) , actuated manually by operators P or by robots.
• the removed moving parts 36 are fed to a third secondary line 6d, where all the components present thereon (locks, motors, window lifters, gaskets, glasses) are disassembled away from line 4 and recovered.
• the main line 4 also comprises a fourth station 38, better illustrated, though still schematically, in Fig. 7.
• the station 38 is equipped with a second booth 39 provided therein with at least one cutting robot 40 configured to cut from the body 11 a respective vehicle roof panel 41 (Figs. 8 and 11) at the base of the uprights thereof, i.e., flush with a belt line of vehicle 2.
• the fourth station 38 is also configured to remove from each vehicle 2, by glue cutting with a vibrating tool or torch (known and not illustrated for simplicity) , actuated by the operators P or by robots, respective glazed parts 42 of the body 11 such as windshield, rear window, any third lights (meaning as "third lights” the rear side windows which are sometimes present, in particular on SW (station wagon) vehicles .
• a vibrating tool or torch known and not illustrated for simplicity
• the main line 4 comprises a fifth station 43 also illustrated in greater detail, though only schematically, in Fig. 8, configured to remove from each vehicle 2 wiring harnesses, door contour gaskets and plastic upright trim ( all known parts and not illustrated for simplicity) , as well as the roof panel 41 previously cut in the fourth station 38 and to feed it to/dispose of it towards the third secondary line 6d (the disposal 44 of roof panel 41 is represented by the arrow, Fig . 2 ) , together with the moving parts 36 .
• a fifth station 43 also illustrated in greater detail, though only schematically, in Fig. 8, configured to remove from each vehicle 2 wiring harnesses, door contour gaskets and plastic upright trim ( all known parts and not illustrated for simplicity) , as well as the roof panel 41 previously cut in the fourth station 38 and to feed it to/dispose of it towards the third secondary line 6d (the disposal 44 of roof panel 41 is represented by the arrow, Fig . 2 ) , together with the moving parts 36 .
• the main line 4 also comprises a sixth station 45 configured to remove from each vehicle 2 , with the vehicle resting hori zontally on the conveyor 7 , the following components ( Fig . 9 ) :
• a respective steering column 48 at least part of a respective steering column 48 , the removal being, however, performed by shearing thereof by means of a shear 37 actuated by the operators P or by robots ; a respective dashboard or instrument panel 49 of the vehicle 2 ;
• a respective air conditioner of the vehicle when present (not illustrated for simplicity) , optionally removing it together with the dashboard or instrument panel 49 or leaving it on the body 11 and removing it after removing the instrument panel 49 .
• the sixth station 45 is also configured to unscrew a top support 50 of a respective engine 51 of each vehicle 2 and to remove any rear control units , when present ( e . g . , that of the stereo system) .
• the main line 4 also comprises a seventh station 52 ( Fig . 2 ) configured to remove from each vehicle 2 a respective bottom mat and any residual plastic and soundproofing so as to uncover and subsequently remove respective wiring harnesses of each vehicle 2 .
• the removed parts are disposed of from station 52 ( arrow 53 ) .
• the main line 4 of Fig . 2 also comprises an eighth station 54 configured to remove any covers or plastic elements , electrical components , hoses for technical fluids , e . g . brake oil and air conditioning fluid, still present from an engine compartment of each vehicle 2 . These components are removed by shearing with shears 37 and the remaining part of the steering column 48 is also manually removed by the operators P .
• the seventh and/or eighth stations 52 , 54 are also configured to unscrew at the top, by means of the tools 48 actuated by the operators P or by robots , the respective shock absorbers 23 of each vehicle 2 , which had previously been emptied and cleaned of the relative technical fluid in the station 15 .
• the main line 4 also comprises a ninth station 55 configured to perform the disassembly of respective mechanical components 56 (with the meaning to be attributed to this term discussed in the introduction) of each vehicle 2 , in particular of respective front and rear axles and of the respective engine 51 .
• the ninth station 55 is arranged downstream of the previous ones , in particular it is arranged immediately downstream of the seventh and eighth stations 52 , 54 and is equipped ( Fig . 10 ) with a rotation system 57 for vehicles 2 configured to receive in support a vehicle 2 at a time and to rotate it sideways , holding it , so as to lay each vehicle 2 on its side/ flank so as to make the body bottom and the lower part of the engine compartment easily accessible , which are presented to the operators P and/or any robots in a position transversal to the sliding plane of the conveyor 7, vertical or slightly inclined with respect to the vertical.
• the station 55 is also configured to unscrew (e.g. by means of tools 48, illustrated only schematically for simplicity) , following the overturning of each vehicle 2 (of what remains of each vehicle 2, since most of the components have already been removed from it) the respective residual (lower) fastenings, known and not illustrated, of the mechanical components 56.
• the station 55 is also provided with a series of pallets 58, which are fed to and removed from station 55 in a continuous cycle, one at a time, through a two-way secondary line 6f.
• the station 55 is configured to rotate each vehicle 2 again on the horizontal by means of the rotation system 57, to place it no longer directly on the conveyor 7, but on a respective pallet 58 which in the meantime (while the vehicle 2 - or what remained of it - it was rotated by the rotation system 57 on its side) , has been placed on the conveyor 7.
• This positioning operation of the pallet 58 on the conveyor 7 is performed while performing the step of unscrewing the remaining constraints of the engine 51 and of the other complex mechanical components 56. Consequently, when each vehicle 2 (or rather what is left of it) is rotated horizontally on a respective pallet 58, i.e., it is placed horizontally on a pallet 58 placed on the conveyor 7, the mechanical components 56 and the engine 51 fall by gravity on pallet 58.
• each vehicle 2 only the body 11 or part thereof remains intact (the roof panel 41 having been previously cut and eliminated) , apart from a possible radiator i f not previously removed, and this body or part of the body goes to constitute the semi- finished product 10 .
• the semi- finished product 10 is removed from the respective pallet 58 and placed again on the conveyor 7 , while the pallet 58 carrying the mechanical components 56 is separated from the body 11 and is fed to the fi fth secondary line 6f , along which the mechanical components 51 , 56 will be removed from pallet 58 and the pallet 58 will be back fed towards line 4 .
• the mechanical components 51 , 56 removed from the pallet 58 are manually or automatically disassembled at a side of the secondary line 6f to recover the components .
• the main line 4 includes , in the non-limiting example illustrated, a tenth station 59 arranged immediately downstream of the ninth station 55 and which is schematically illustrated in the same Fig . 10 .
• Station 59 is configured to remove a respective radiator 60 ( Fig . 12 ) from each vehicle 2 and any remaining sheared parts of hoses and wiring harnesses , unless such operations have already been performed in one of the previous stations .
• the secondary line 6d is schematically illustrated therein, which is the one that receives the moving parts 36 previously sheared from the body 11 in station 35 .
• the roof panel 41 cut in station 28 and removed in station 43 is also fed to this line 6d .
• the line 6d is an overhead line served by a suspended conveyor 61 along which supports or templates 62 move and to which the moving parts 36 and the roof panel 41, when it is removed, are hung. While the supports 36 move along the conveyor 61, appropriate operators or robots (not shown) perform the disassembly from the doors 35 of glasses, electrical parts, motors, window lifters, coatings and plastic finishing panels. From roof panel 41 the internal or "imperial" lining is removed. The removed parts are separated by homogeneous component categories and sent to single recycling processes, known per se, while the moving parts 36 and the roof panel 41, now reduced to pure sheet metal frames, are sent to the shredder 8, where they are shredded together with the bare body 11, obtaining high-quality foundry raw material. The same applies to the glazed parts of the moving parts 36, which are joined to the glazed parts 42 removed in station 43, providing valuable raw material for glassware.
• the secondary line 6f which serves not only station 55, but also station 59 when present, is shown in more detail, while still only schematically.
• Line 6f is equipped, in the non-limiting example illustrated, with a series of conveyors 63 on the ground (e.g., belt) , arranged e.g., side by side, and with an overhead conveyor 64 equipped with supports 65 that move along it.
• a series of conveyors 63 on the ground e.g., belt
• an overhead conveyor 64 equipped with supports 65 that move along it.
• the engine 51 is separated from the front axle (or rear if the vehicle 1 is rear-wheel drive) and from its support crosspiece and hung to a support 65.
• Each "clean" engine 51 is taken away from the conveyor 64 and sent for recycling in a known way. While the axles and other mechanical components 56 continue along the conveyors 63 , all the aluminium parts ( e . g . , the steering box ) are removed and collected together ; even the radiators 60 (which are made of aluminium) are j oined to these aluminium parts removed from the mechanical components 56 and sent for recycling as a valuable foundry material .
• axles or other mechanical components 56 are then fed to a station 66 where oils and other lubricants and polluting fluids are removed by means of a reverse-technique fluid removal plant 67 , in an identical manner to what has already been described for station 15 of the main line 4 . It is only in this station 66 that oil from the gearbox, steering gear and di f ferential are removed .
• the line 6b is made on an elevated structure 69 , arranged above and to the side of the station 15 and is equipped with an elevator device 70 and belt descender devices 71 .
• respective press machines 72 configured to receive the wheels 18 one at a time and break the wheel rim so as to separate respective tires 73 from the wheels 18 . These are then taken away by the descenders 71 and collected together with the other rubber parts , forming a valuable raw material for the chemical industry .
• the broken rims are separated according to the type , i . e . , in light alloy and sheet metal , collected in a basket 74 and sent separately for recycling, either towards the shredder 8 ( sheet metal rims ) or together with the separate aluminium parts and collected in line 6f ( alloy wheels ) .
• the instrument panel 49 after the removal of the electrical parts ( instruments , air conditioner i f present ) , is pooled with the other plastic parts , forming a homogeneous recovery raw material .
• the seats 46 are cut , the electrical parts (motors , cables ) are removed, and the covers and padding are separated, which are sent separately for recovery .
• a plant lb similar to plant 1 but having a " simpli fied" main line 4b, suitable for obtaining a less thorough but also less expensive separation of materials , is schematically illustrated in blocks therein . Details similar or identical to those already described are indicated for simplicity with the same reference numbers .
• Line 4b comprises the check-in station 13 , the first station 15 for removing wheels and for eliminating technical fluids and the second station 26 for detonating and removing the air bags , which are identical to those corresponding to the line 4 and operate in the same way already described .
• Line 4b di ffers from line 4 already described in that it lacks the previous ly described stations 35 , 38 and 43 and instead comprises a fourth station 38b which replaces stations 35 , 38 and 43 .
• the station 38b does not have the cutting robot 40 and possibly also the booth 39 and is configured to remove from each vehicle 2 , by glue cutting with a vibrating tool or torch, only the respective glazed parts 42 of the body such as windshield, rear window, any third lights , as well as any wiring harnesses , door contour gasket , plastic coatings that can be removed without disassembling the moving parts 36 .
• Station 38b is also configured to remove the radiator 60 and respective electric motors , when present , from each vehicle 2 .
• the station 55b is configured to perform the disassembly of respective mechanical components 56 of each vehicle 2 , in particular of respective front and rear axles and of an engine 51 of each vehicle 2 .
• station 55b is equipped with a rotation system 57 identical to that already described, to lay the vehicles 2 ( or what is left of them) on one side and, subsequently, to unscrew respective fastenings of these mechanical components 56 to the body 11 and to then place the vehicles 2 hori zontally on a pallet 58 , so as to cause the mechanical components 56 to fall by gravity onto the same .
• the pallet 59 is subsequently fed to a secondary line 6f , similar to that already described .
• Plant lb di f fers from plant 1 not only for the replacement of line 4 with line 4b, but also for the fact that it includes a second shredder 75 arranged downstream of the main line 4b and upstream of the first shredder 8 .
• the second shredder 75 is configured to reduce each semi- finished product 11 (including also the seats 46 ) into fragments having dimensions not greater than 10 by 10 centimetres ; this second shredder 75 is equipped with noz zles 76 for the emiss ion of water j ets 77 for the abatement of dust and heat generated by the grinding of the semi- finished product 10 .
• a system 79 for separating and collecting the fragments coming out of the shredder itsel f can be arranged .
• the separation and collection system 79 is especially necessary in the case of plant lb, but may be missing in plant 1 , in which a much more powerful separation and recovery of the materials of the various components of each vehicle 2 are performed .
• a second separation and collection system, similar to 79 could also be placed between shredders 75 and 8 .
• the separation and recovery system 79 is illustrated in greater detail , by means of a block diagram, in Fig . 15 .
• the separation and recovery system 79 operates with a plurality of stations configured to separate the fragments coming out of the shredder 8 (or 75) from each other on the basis of their component materials.
• the system 79 provides a first section 80 for separation and recovery, and a second section 81 arranged downstream of section 80 and configured for the more stringent separation and recovery of some types of materials.
• the section 80 includes a suction system 82 for light materials, in particular in the form of "light” fluff (e.g., deriving from the grinding of the seats) which are separated by suction; two magnetic drums 83,84 are arranged in parallel or in series with the suction system 82, which allow to separate non-ferrous materials (also or in particular in the form of "heavy” fluff) , which are collected in block 85 for subsequent further separation, and ferrous or iron- containing materials, e.g., derived from the metal structures of the seats or consisting of parts of electric motors, which are collected in blocks 86 and 87, respectively for subsequent recycling, represented by block 88.
• light fluff e.g., deriving from the grinding of the seats
• two magnetic drums 83,84 are arranged in parallel or in series with the suction system 82, which allow to separate non-ferrous materials (also or in particular in the form of "heavy” fluff) , which are collected in block 85 for subsequent further
• the materials present therein are fed to the second section 81, which is a section for fine-separation based on various known technologies, represented in a nonlimiting and non-exhaustive manner by respective block 89.
• separators represented by block 89
• separators selected from the group consisting of: gravity and/or centrifugal and/or hydraulic current separators; cyclones; magnetic drums; suction units; settling tanks; their combinations .
• the materials thus separated are stored in block 90 by type, from where they can be taken to be sold as raw materials that can be used in industry .
• the invention extends to a method for performing the recycling of all , or most of the components and operating fluids of a decommissioned vehicle 2 to be scrapped and which comprises the step of sequentially transporting the vehicles 2 to be scrapped through a plurality of stations making up the line 4 or 4b, arranged in series , and the step of sequentially disassembling each vehicle 2 according to a sequence opposite to that used on an assembly line to assemble the vehicle 2 itsel f , until leaving behind a semifinished product 10 which comprises ( in the case o f the plant lb ) or consists only of ( in the case of the plant 1 ) a vehicle body 10 or part thereof .
• the method of the invention also comprises at least one step of shredding the semi- finished product 10 preferably performed by means of a ball mill or hammer mill .
• the drilling is performed, preferably by means of a punch 20 , of respective shock absorbers 23 and of a fuel tank 24 of each vehicle 2 and subsequently the removal of respective technical fluids contained therein is performed by gravity and/or by counter-pressure suction and subsequent washing with pressuri zed air ;
• each vehicle 2 is arranged inside a fluid-tight sealable booth 27 equipped with suction 28 and in which access is made to a diagnostic socket 30 of each vehicle 2 to actuate , by means of an appropriate software , respective vehicle airbags , detonating them, sucking up in the gases generated by the detonation ; in this step, after the detonation of the airbags , they are removed by cutting; in this preliminary step or after it, any LPG or methane tank, i f present , is also removed from each vehicle 2 .
• the subsequent disassembly steps are performed in the remaining stations of line 4 or 4b, and at the end of all the steps or operations , substantially all the components of the initial vehicle 2 are obtained in the storage block or space 90 , divided by type of materials , separated at such a level as to make each component present in the storage space 90 a recoverable raw material directly usable as such in industry and therefore having an economic value .

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• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
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• 2022
  • 2022-08-04 WO PCT/IB2022/057255 patent/WO2023017375A1/en unknown
  • 2022-08-04 EP EP22754569.6A patent/EP4384435A1/de active Pending

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