GB1559022A

GB1559022A - Pulper for the disintegration of material

Info

Publication number: GB1559022A
Application number: GB34877A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: E&M Lamort Fils SA
Current assignee: Kadant Lamort SAS
Priority date: 1976-09-03
Filing date: 1977-01-06
Publication date: 1980-01-09
Also published as: FI763723A; IT1082708B; BR7701830A; FI63606B; CA1118395A; FI63606C; FR2363665A1; FR2363665B1

Description

(54) PULPER FOR THE DISINTEGRATION OF MATERIAL (71) We, ETS. E. & M. LAMORT, a societe anonyme, organised and existing under the laws of France, of 47, Rue du Bac, 51302 Vitry-le-Francois, France, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to a pulper for the disintegration of material which is dirty and very hard.

French Patent No. 1,603,412 describes a pulper for breaking down cellulose material and waste paper and carboard at a high rate for the preparation of paper pulp, which includes a drum designed to hold the material. The drum is slowly rotated about an inclined axis so that the material revolves and falls back upon itself. The pulper also includes a rotor with projecting ridges situated inside the drum and rapidly rotated to break down the material, the axis of rotation of the rotor generally coinciding with that of the drum and the rotor being situated close to the bottom of the inside of the drum.

French Patent No. 2,057,511, which is a patent of addition to the previously mentioned Patent, describes an apparatus which is constructed as follows. A rotor seated in a corresponding opening in the bottom of the drum is mounted to be axially displaceable by means of an abutment drive known per se. The opening and rotor cooperate with each other to define a circular gap of varying width according to the axial position of the rotor. This gap is provided for evacuation of the disintegrated material which is then collected in a receiver surrounding the drum for this purpose.

The lower part of the drum, surrounding the rotor, has a chamfered sorting rim the pointed edge of which is situated on the inside of the drum. The rotor comprises a part substantially in the form of a disc referred to as disintegrating turbine, whose side facing the inside of the drum has projecting ridges. The periphery of the turbine rotates integrally with the rotor with a slight clearance in relation to the pointed edge of the chamfer, that surface of the turbine facing the inside of the drum determining, by its position in relation to the pointed edge of the chamfer, the size of the opening for the disintegrated material so that a slice of material of thickness D thrown by the turbine passes through the opening thus formed, this opening constituting a means of sorting the material, allowing it to pass through gaps of width D.

This system of sorting using the displacement of the rotor in relation to the drum is provided in embodiments of the pulper in which the rotor is relatively small in relation to the drum, as has been disclosed in French Patent No. 2,057,511.

In embodiments of the pulper in which the rotor is large and long, substantially equal in length to the drum, sorting is effected differently. The sorting rim and turbine are replaced by a system of perforated grids.

The reason for this is that if the rotor is large and heavy, it is difficult to use a sliding transmission such as a liquid pump disc, for example, for driving the rotor since the rotor consumes a large amount of energy and rotates at high speed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a pulper having a sorting system of the sorting rim and turbine type disclosed in the French Patent No. 2,057,511, which pulper may have a large and heavy rotor substantially equal in length to the drum and requiring a large supply of energy for the tearing and breaking up of the material to be treated.

According to the invention there is provided a pulper for the disintegration of dirty and very hard material, comprising: a cylindrical drum supported by a machine frame in such a manner as to be axially displaceable between two end positions; drive means for rotating the drum in a certain sense of rotation; feed means situated at the upper end of the drum; an axially fixed rotor located inside the drum, having over at least part of its length the general form of a truncated cone or pyramideconverging towards the feed end, the axis of the rotor coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the drum, and having disintegrator teeth on its surface over at least part of its length; means for rotating the rotor rapidly compared to the rotation of the drum in the opposite sense to the drum;; a sorting turbine in the form of a disc situated at the base of the rotor and integral with it for sorting the disintegrated material, the turbine being equipped with teeth on the side facing the inside of the drum; a sorting rim on the base, of the drum in a position such that displacement of the drum carries this sorting rim forwards in front of the plane of the turbine so as to form a circular gap of adjustable width between the said rim and turbine for evacuation of the disintegrated material; and a mechanism for axial displacement of the drum.

The mechanism of displacement of the drum preferably consists of a hollow shaft or sleeve coaxial with the drum and rigidly fixed to its and extending from the base of the drum to the outside and mounted in a roller bearing which is integrally connected with the machine frame of the pulper. The sleeve is axially displaceable in its bearing under the action of actuating means which act on an external ring of the bearing, which ring is fixed in rotation.

The actuating means preferably comprises a lever or of two identical levers situated symmetrically on either side of the vertical mid-plane of the pulper, the lever or levers being mounted to pivot about one of its or their ends on a pivot fixed to the machine frame so that displacement of the other, free end of the lever or levers drives the assembly comprising the sleeve and roller bearing, the said lever or levers being connected to the said assembly by means of an articulation.

The free end of the or each lever is advantageously displaced by means of a lead screw having its axis parallel to the axis of the pulper and mounted on two bearings fixed to a stationary part of the machine frame. Rotation of the lead screw causes axial displacement of a transmission nut equipped with at least one lateral extension engaging in an oblong slot in the end of the or each lever.

The aforesaid sleeve is advantageously not directly connected to the bottom of the drum but is connected to it by way of a plate having substantially the same dimensions as the bottom of the drum and arranged parallel to it and rigidly connected to it by means of suitable cross-members, the resulting space between the said plate and the bottom of the drum constituting the collector for the treated product.

The means for slowly rotating the bottom of the drum preferably comprises a crown gear and a pinion, these two elements being adapted to slide easily in relation to each other while the crown gear is rigidly connected to the said plate. Instead of this gear and pinion system, a chain allowing for slight axial displacement of the drum could be used.

The rotor is a heavy rotor of relatively large dimensions, as indicated above, suitable for intensive shredding, tearing and disintegrating work.

The rotor is preferably pyramidal with its small diameter end facing the entry to the drum and its large diameter end formed by the plane of the turbine, the disintegrating teeth being implanted on the surfaces of this pyramid.

To avoid entanglement of twine, thread or similar objects, the rotor preferably has a minimum diameter of about 350 mm.

Furthermore, the rotor preferably has two operating zones, namely a first zone situated at the feed end, in which the rotor has shredding knives designed to tear up cellulosic material entering the drums and a second zone following the first, in which the rotor is equipped with disintegrating teeth.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an elevational view in section through a pulper according to the invention, Figure 2 is a view of the pulper from the left of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a view of the pulper of Figure 1 from above, Figure 4 is an elevational view in section through a displacement mechanism for the drum used in the invention Figure 5 shows diagrammatically the method of feeding the pulper, and Figure 6 represents a disintegrating tooth on the rotor of the pulper.

Referring to Figure 1, the pulper comprises a drum 1 designed to receive the material to be treated and slowly rotated so that the material revolves and falls back upon itself, the axis of rotation of the drum being inclined. A rotor 2 provided with disintegrating teeth 42 and shredding knives 43 is situated inside the drum and subjected to rapid rotation in the opposite sense to the rotation of the drum,~the axis dt rotation of the drum generally coinciding with the axis of rotation of the rotor and the rotor extending from the internal base of the drum along practically the whole length of the drum. At its lower end close to the lower end of the drum, the rotor 2 has a part substantially in the form of a disc, known as a disintegrating turbine 3.The turbine 3 has projecting ridges 4 on the side facing the inside of the drum.

Correspondingly, the base 6 of the drum surrounding the turbine 3 has a rim 5 referred to as sorting rim. This sorting rim 5 is chamferred (see Figure 4), the sharp edge of the chamfer being situated on the inside of the drum. During rotation of the rotor 2 with which the turbine is integrally connected, the periphery of the turbine rotates with a slight clearance in relation to the sharp edge of the chamfer, that side of the turbine 3 which faces the inside of the drum determining, by its position in relation to the sharp edge of the chamfer, the size of the opening for the disintegrated material, so that a section of thickness D of material thrown by the turbine 3 passes through the resulting opening. This opening is a means of sorting out material of a suitable size to pass through gaps of width D.

Adjusting the size of the opening is thus carried out by adjusting the divergence between the sorting rim 5 on the base 6 of the drum and the disintegrating turbine 3 carried by the rotor 2. This adjustment is obtained by axial displacement of the drum while the rotor remains axially fixed.

This axial displacement is illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 and particularly in detail in Figure 4 which shows that the base 6 of the drum is rigidly connected to a plate 7 parallel to the plane of the base 6, by means of cross-pieces 8 formed by cylindrical elements shown in detail in Figure 4 and screws9. The plate 7 which is integral with the base of the drum is rigidly mounted on a sleeve 10 whose axis coincides with the axis of the rotor. The diameter of an internal bore 11 of the sleeve 10 is slightly greater than the diameter of the drive shaft 12 of the rotor so that the rotor is freely rotatable inside the sleeve.

As shown in Figure 4, the sleeve 10 forms the internal part of a roller bearing the outer part of which is formed by the element 13 which is integrally fixed to the machine frame.

The rolling elements of the bearing comprise an internal ring 14 integrally connected in its rotation with the sleeve 10 and an external ring 15 which is non-rotatable but free to execute a translational movement in relation to the part 13 of the machine frame by way of a wearing and sliding element 16 so to allow displacement of the sleeve 10 in relation to the machine frame and hence displacement of the drum 1, to which the sleeve 10 is rigidly connected, in relation to the macHine frame, while the rotor remains fixed in position.

Axial displacement of the sleeve 10 is effected by directly acting on the piece 17 which forms the external housing of the roller bearing.

Displacement of the sleeve 10 is achieved by a cranked lever 18 pivoted about a pivot pin 19 mounted on a fixed bearing 20. The lever 18 thereby exerts an axial thrust on a link 21 one end of which is mounted on a pivot pin 22 of the lever while the other end is mounted on a pivot pin 23 carried by two side plates 24 projecting from the piece 17.

As shown in Figure 3, there are in fact two levers 18a and 18b situated on either side of the driving shaft of the rotor and two links 21 moving simultaneously under the action of the lever 18a and the lever 18b respectively, on the pivot 23 to displace the sleeve 10 and hence the drum.

To provide for the pivotal movement of the levers 18 or 18a and 18b, the said levers are mounted on extensions 25a and 25b, respectively, of a screw nut 26 cooperating with a drive screw 27, rotation of the screw 27 causing axial displacement of the nut 26 and consequently of the end of the levers 18a and 18b by way of the extensions 25a and 25b situated in the elongate slots 28a and 28b of the levers 18a and 18b, respectively.

Only one lever 18 has been shown in Figure 4.

Rotation of the drive screw 27 is effected by a motor 30. A coupling sleeve 32 and a shaft bearing 33 are interposed between the main shaft 31 and the drive screw 27.

At its end remote from the drive motor, the screw 27 is supported in a rolling bearing 34 mounted in a pedestal fixed to the machine frame.

The means provided for driving the drum are designed to allow for axial displacement of the drum. These driving means comprise a crown gear 35 rigidly connected to the plate 7 and a fixed driving pinion 36 rotated by a motor 37 which is fixed to a bed plate of the machine frame. These two elements, the crown gear 35 and pinion 36, are capable of sliding axially in relation to each other, the pinion 36 remaining fixed in its axial position while the crown gear accompanies the drum in its translational movement.

A chain permitting slight axial displacement of the drum may be used instead (This version is not shown in the drawing).

The drum, supplied with material by a feed hopper 54, is supported close to its feed opening end by rollers 37a and 37b which cooperate with a peripheral rail 38. During axial displacement of the drum in the manner described above, the drum slides axially on the rollers 37a and 37b.

The rotor 2 of the apparatus is relatively large. Its length, equal to at least two-thirds of the length of the drum, is prolonged at both ends by a support shaft supported at each end by a rolling bearing fixed to the machine frame, namely a rolling bearing 39 for the end situated close to the feed opening and a rolling bearing 40 for the other end. The arrangement for driving the rotor comprises a motor 45 mounted on a fixed part of the machine frame, a transmission chain 46 and a control device 47 for regulating the chain tension, comprising an intermediate shaft connected to the rotor by means of a conventional coupling 48.

Over a large part of its length starting from the base of the drum, the rotor 2 proper has the general form of a pyramid having the small diameter end facing the inlet of the drum and the large diameter end formed by the plane of the disintegrator turbine 3. The teeth 42 are fixed to the surfaces of this pyramid.

In order to prevent twine or similar elements winding round the parts of the rotor, the minimum diameter of the rotor is preferably of the order of 350 mm.

The first teeth of the rotor, starting from the drum inlet, that is to say in a first part 2a of the rotor, consist of flat iron elements forming the shredding knives 43. These flat rectangular iron elements or plates project from the periphery of the rotor in.a plane perpendicular to the axis of the rotor, and the leading or front edge of the elements is sharp. These knives are designed to shred cellulosic material entering the drum. The following teeth (see Fig. 6) situated further back, towards the lower end of the drum, are disintegrator teeth 42 and are formed by dihedral planes sloping towards the base of the drum. The dihedral apex is directed in the sense of the rotation of the rotor and the dihedral surfaces are folded down towards each other in the lower part of the tooth. In contrast to the sharp shredding knives, the teeth of the rotor crush but do not cut up the material.They form furrows in the material to be treated, thus setting up friction between different parts of the material. The dihedral teeth of the rotor are subjected to intense wear during the shredding and disintegrating work. They are therefore equipped with an easily replaceable surface layer 44. It is this layer which is worn down in use and maintenance of the teeth simply consists of changing this layer instead of changing the whole teeth.

The ratio of the maximum diameter of the teeth of the rotor to the maximum diameter of the drum is preferably between 0.40 and 0.55. The ratio of the diameter of the turbine to the diameter of the drum is preferably between 0.50 and 0.70.

The disintegrator teeth of the rotor are preferably inclined at an angle of at least 350 The control mechanism for adjusting the axial distance between the plane of the disintegrator turbine 3 and the plane in which the base of the drum is situated has been described above. The axial position of the drum during operation of the apparatus is controlled in such a manner that the disintegrator turbine 3 is slightly in front of the internal surface of the base 6 of the drum 1. The trajectories of the particles thrown out by the rotor 2 lie in the plane of the turbine 3 so that, since there is only a slight play between the turbine 3 and the opening in the base of the drum, no particles can escape from the drum.

If it is desired to empty the apparatus without stopping its rotation, the drum is displaced so that the turbine is shifted to the outside of the drum, to a position behind the sharp chamfered edge of the sorting rim 5.

Under these conditions, at least a portion of the particles flattened by the rotor 2 will leave the drum 1 through the annular gap between the chamfer of the sorting rim 5 and the periphery of the turbine 3. Particles of material which are thicker than the width of this gap cannot escape from the drum 1.

This arrangement enables the apparatus to operate continuously since the sorting system does not allow any material to escape until it has been sufficiently worked upon and freed from its main impurities.

As can be seen from Figures 1 and 4, the turbine 3 is provided with projecting edges 4 which, like the disintegrator teeth of the rotor and for the same reason are preferably inclined at an angle of at least 359 The purpose of this minimum inclination is to enable any material which cannot be disintegrated, for example twine caught astride on the teeth, to slide on the teeth. If this minimum angle of inclination were not observed, material straddling the teeth would be left astride on the teeth and would rapidly fill the whole rotor. The aforesaid edges 4 of the turbine have a projecting heel 4a. The object of this heel is to prevent flat, thin material which has not been disintegrated from being able to slide through the gap between the periphery of the said edges and the sorting rim 5. This heel thus ensures that the circular gap is left free.

Optionally, helical elements 49 (see Fig.

1) may be provided on the internal surface of the drum to facilitate shifting of the material from the feed opening to the back of the drum. When this arrangement is provided, the drum may be inclined at a small angle of only about 150 or it may even be placed with its axis horizontal.

The means for feeding the pulper are shown schematically in Figure 5. The feed device consists of at least one feed belt 50 on which is arranged cellulosic material to be treated. The following controls are provided to render the operation regular and automatic: When the power consumed by rotation of the rotor 2 reaches a predetermined maximum value, the belt 50 is stopped to allow the apparatus time to digest the material fed into it. When the power consumed by the rotor 2 falls to a predetermined minimum value, the belt 50 Is switched on again.

The supply of water is divided into two parts. One portion of water is supplied at the very end of the feed belt from an atomizing jet 51 (see Figure 6); the remaining portion of water is supplied from a jet 52 located inside the drum and directed on the rotor 2 which causes the water to be dispersed in the mass of material to be treated.

When the belt stops, the first supply of water from the atomizing jet 51 is stopped and all that remains in operation is the second jet 52. The purpose of this arrangemenfis to prevent excessive dilution of the material inside the drum during stoppage of the supply of material from the belt 50.

For hot operation, the water supply may be replaced by a supply of steam. The object of this is to utilize calories derived from the latent heat of condensation of steam.

The disintegrated pulp leaving the apparatus is collected on a second conveyor belt 53.

The apparatus according to the invention is particularly suitable for the disintegration of dirty and very hard salvage material, more particularly material which is resistant in the moist state.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A pulper for the disintegration of dirty and very hard material, comprising: a cylindrical drum supported by a machine frame in such a manner as to be axially displaceable between two end positions; drive means for rotating the drum in a certain sense of rotation; feed means situated at the upper end of the drum; an axially fixed rotor located inside the drum, having over at least part of its length the general form of a truncated cone or pyramid converging towards the feed end, the axis of the rotor coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the drum, and having disintegrator teeth on its surface over at least part of its length; means for rotating the rotor rapidly compared to the rotation of the drum in the opposite sense to the drum;; a sorting turbine in the form of a disc situated at the base of the rotor and integral with it for sorting the disintegrated material, the turbine being equipped with teeth on the side facing the inside of the drum; a sorting rim on the base of the drum in a position such that displacement of the drum carries this sorting rim forwards in front of the plane of the turbine so as to form a circular gap of adjustable width between the said rim and turbine for evacuation of the disintegrated material; and a mechanism for axial displacement of the drum.

2. A pulper according to claim 1, wherein the axis of the drum is inclined at an angle to the horizontal.

3. A pulper according to claim 2, wherein the said angle is about 150.

4. A pulper according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism for the said axial displacement of the drum comprises a hollow shaft or sleeve coaxial with the drum and rigidly fixed thereto extending from one end of the drum to the outside of the drum and mounted in a rolling bearing integrally connected to the machine frame, the said sleeve being adapted to be displaced with the axial rolling movement in the bearing under the action of an actuating means acting on an external non-rotatable member of the bearing.

5. A pulper according to claim 4 wherein the actuating means comprises a lever or two identical levers situated symmetrically on either side of the vertical raid-plane of the pulper, the or each lever being pivotally mounted at one of its ends on a fixed pivot of the machine frame so that on displacement of the other, free end, the lever or levers drives or drive the assembly consisting of the sleeve and rolling mechanism of the bearing, the or each lever being connected to the said assembly by means of an articulation.

6. A pulper according to claim 5, wherein a lead screw having its axis parallel to the axis of the pulper and mounted on two bearings fixed to a stationary part of the machine frame is provided for displacement of the free end of the lever or levers, rotation of the said lead screw causing axial displacement of a transmission nut which has at least one lateral extension engaging in an elongated slot in the free end of the or each lever.

7. A pulper according to claim 4, 5 or 6, wherein the said sleeve is connected to the said one end of the drum by way of a plate having substantially the dimensions of the said one end of the drum and situated parallel to the said one end of the drum and rigidly connected thereto by means of

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. shown schematically in Figure 5. The feed device consists of at least one feed belt 50 on which is arranged cellulosic material to be treated. The following controls are provided to render the operation regular and automatic: When the power consumed by rotation of the rotor 2 reaches a predetermined maximum value, the belt 50 is stopped to allow the apparatus time to digest the material fed into it. When the power consumed by the rotor 2 falls to a predetermined minimum value, the belt 50 Is switched on again. The supply of water is divided into two parts. One portion of water is supplied at the very end of the feed belt from an atomizing jet 51 (see Figure 6); the remaining portion of water is supplied from a jet 52 located inside the drum and directed on the rotor 2 which causes the water to be dispersed in the mass of material to be treated. When the belt stops, the first supply of water from the atomizing jet 51 is stopped and all that remains in operation is the second jet 52. The purpose of this arrangemenfis to prevent excessive dilution of the material inside the drum during stoppage of the supply of material from the belt 50. For hot operation, the water supply may be replaced by a supply of steam. The object of this is to utilize calories derived from the latent heat of condensation of steam. The disintegrated pulp leaving the apparatus is collected on a second conveyor belt 53. The apparatus according to the invention is particularly suitable for the disintegration of dirty and very hard salvage material, more particularly material which is resistant in the moist state. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A pulper for the disintegration of dirty and very hard material, comprising: a cylindrical drum supported by a machine frame in such a manner as to be axially displaceable between two end positions; drive means for rotating the drum in a certain sense of rotation; feed means situated at the upper end of the drum; an axially fixed rotor located inside the drum, having over at least part of its length the general form of a truncated cone or pyramid converging towards the feed end, the axis of the rotor coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the drum, and having disintegrator teeth on its surface over at least part of its length; means for rotating the rotor rapidly compared to the rotation of the drum in the opposite sense to the drum;; a sorting turbine in the form of a disc situated at the base of the rotor and integral with it for sorting the disintegrated material, the turbine being equipped with teeth on the side facing the inside of the drum; a sorting rim on the base of the drum in a position such that displacement of the drum carries this sorting rim forwards in front of the plane of the turbine so as to form a circular gap of adjustable width between the said rim and turbine for evacuation of the disintegrated material; and a mechanism for axial displacement of the drum.

3. A pulper according to claim 2, wherein the said angle is about 150.

cross-members, the space between the said plate and the said one end of the drum forming the collector for the treated product.

8. A pulper according to claim 7, wherein the drive means for rotating the drum comprises a crown gear and a pinion adapted to slide easily in relation to each other, the crown gear being fixed to the plate.

9. A pulper according to any preceding claim, wherein the rotor has the shape of a pyramid equal in length to at least two-thirds of the length of the drum and having its smaller diameter end adjacent the inlet of the drum and its larger diameter end formed by the plane of the turbine, the disintegrator teeth being implanted on the surfaces of this pyramid.

10. A pulper according to any preceding claim, wherein the rotor has a minimum diameter of the order of 350 mm so as to prevent pieces of twine winding round its periphery.

11. A pulper according to any preceding claim wherein the rotor is divided longitudinally into two zones, namely, a first zone situated at the feed end in which the rotor is equipped with shredding teeth, and a second zone in which the rotor is equipped with disintegrator teeth.

12. A pulper according to claim 11, wherein the shredding teeth each consist of a substantially rectangular metal plate projecting from the periphery of the rotor in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the rotor, the leading edge of the plate being sharp.

13. A pulper according to any preceding claim wherein the disintegrator teeth of the rotor each consist of a section which is V-shaped in profile projecting from the periphery of the rotor, the apex of the section being directed in the sense of rotation of the rotor and the arms of the V being folded back towards each other in the point of the tooth situated close to the rotor.

14. A pulper according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the disintegrator teeth of the rotor, the shredding knives of the rotor and the teeth of the disintegrator turbine have a minimum angle of inclination of 350 in relation to the radius of the rotor, passing through the base of the tooth or of the knife.

15. A pulper according to any preceding claim, wherein the ratio of the maximum diameter of a circle enveloping the teeth of the rotor to the diameter of the drum is between 0.40 and 0.55.

16. A pulper according to any preceding claim, wherein the ratio of the diameter of the disintegrator turbine to the diameter of the drum is between 0.50 and 0.70.

17. A pulper according to any preceding claim wherein the teeth of the disintegrator turbine have a heel projecting from the external edge opposite the sorting rim so as to prevent flat, thin pieces of material which have not been disintegrated from slipping through the clearance between the teeth of the turbine and the sorting rim.

18. A pulper substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.