GB2158769A

GB2158769A - Refuse compactor

Info

Publication number: GB2158769A
Application number: GB08508760A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Domenico Bogarelli; Severo Mosconi; Giovanni Meroni
Original assignee: VIB Srl
Current assignee: VIB Srl
Priority date: 1984-04-05
Filing date: 1985-04-03
Publication date: 1985-11-20
Also published as: FR2562517A1; IT1180333B; BE902030A; NL8500998A; FR2562517B1; DE3509171A1; ES8604824A1; GB8508760D0; IT8405138A0; ES541985A0; DK146885D0; DK146885A

Abstract

A compactor for solid wastes comprises a hopper 1 for loading the material and a body 2 to contain the compressed material which communicate via an opening 3 made in a vertical plate 4 which can be moved within the body 2. A primary sliding press 8 is placed in the hopper in line with the opening 3 in the plate 4 to pass material from the hopper to the body 2 and the said press 8 preferably has mounted upon it one or more prepressing units 9, 10 which are dragged along in a telescoping manner by the primary press 8. When the press 8 is inoperative the opening 3 in the plate 4 is closed by a screen (23, Figures 11-13, not shown) and the plate 4 itself is then moved within the body 2 to expel the compressed material through an openable wall 5. The unit is preferably mounted on a vehicle body. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Compactor for solid wastes The present invention relates to a compactorfor compressible wastes.

Various forms of compactor designed to accept waste discharged into a loading aperture and to transfer it into a compacting chamber have been proposed for the collection of urban waste, in particular small sized compressible solid wastes. In accordance with the known state of the art these compactors in the main use compression blades which act in the loading aperture and are controlled in order to carry out compound movements in which they take the material from the opening and compress it into the compacting chamber of body, a vertical plate which is provided to hold back the material moving progressively away from the opening as the compressed material builds up until the chamber or body is full.

The loading aperture in which the compression blades work is generally formed by a hatch which is hinged to the rear upper part of the chamber or body so that it can be rotated upwards and thus open the body when the material is being discharged. The material is expelled from the body towards the loading side by a movement of the vertical plate within the said body towards the passage from the hatch opening, i.e. in a direction opposite to that in which it moves when the material is being compacted.

Like all other similar types of compactor, which are not however described, a similar known embodiment has disadvantages due to the complexity of the movements of the compression blades and the need, when compressed material is expelled from the body, to hold open or raise the heavy and cumbersome hatch which forms the loading aperture and includes the means of compression.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a compactorwith sliding means of compression which is easy to construct and control and operate reliably with a high compression yield.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compactor in which the compressed material is expelled from the side opposite to that on which the loading aperture and the means of compression are located, thus eliminating the need to move, raise or remove the said loading aperture and/or the said means as occurs in known compactors.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compactor in which the loading aperture may be fitted and be accessible on either side of the body or the vehicle which carries it or to the rear of the said body or the said vehicle.

According to the present invention there is provided a compactor for compressible wastes having an aperture for the loading of material, a bodyto contain the compressed material and communicating with the said loading aperture through an intermediate opening and compression means for passing the material from the said loading aperture into the said body, the said loading aperture being open and accessible in a transverse or an axial direction with respect to the length of the body, in which the said intermediate opening is provided in an expulsion plate positioned vertically between the said loading aperture and the said body, in which the said expulsion plate is guided and can move within the body from a rest position adjacent to the said loading aperture towards a top-hung opening dorr in the said body, in which the said expulsion plate is provided with a screen to open and close the said opening, the said opening being open when the expulsion plate is in the said rest position and being closed by the said screen when the said expulsion plate moves towards the openable wall of the body to discharge material from the said body, and in which the said compression means comprise at least one sliding press which can move alternately within a chamber provided at the base of the loading aperture in line with the said opening in the expulsion plate, the said press moving and operating when the said opening is not closed by the said screen.

The compactor according to the invention will be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a self-propelled compactor with an open loading aperture which is accessible from the side; Figure 2 is a diagrammatical view of a longitudinal section through the compactor with the compression means in the operative or working position; Figure 3 is a horizontal transverse section taken along the line Ill-Ill of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a partial section through the compactor with the compression means in the inoperative position; Figure 6 is a cross-section taken on the line VI-VI of FigureS; Figure 7 is a cross-section taken on the line VII-VII of Figure 5;; Figure 8 is a cross-section taken on the line VIII-VIII of Figure 7; Figures 9 and 10 are plan views of a different manner of controlling the compression means in the operative position and the inoperative position respectively; Figure 11 is a cross-section of a detail of the expulsion plate with a screen which closes the aperture for the intake of material controlled by at least one suitable actuator; Figures 12 and 13 are two cross-sectional views of the expulsion plate with a closing screen controlled by the same plate control actuators, this screen being in the open and closed position respectively; and Figure 14 is a view taken on the line XIV-XIV of Figure 13.

The compactor in question comprises a hopper aperture 1, for loading material, and a body 2, for containing the compacted or compressed material, which communicate via an aperture 3 in a vertical plate or wall 4which can be moved within the body 2.

The loading aperture 1 may be open and accessible laterally with respect to the compactor as a whole, i.e. in a transverse direction to its longitudinal axis as shown in Figure 1, or at one end of the compactor, i.e. in the direction of its longitudinal axis.

The vertical plate 4 can be moved in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the body 2 from a condition in which it is located adjacent to loading aperture 1, see Figure 2, while the material is being compacted or compressed, to adjacent a wall 5 which can be swung open, see the dashed lines in Figure 3.

The wall 5 is provided on the side of the body which is furthest from the said loading aperture 1 when the compressed or compacted material is expelled. To this end, the plate 4 is mounted on sliding guides 6 and is controlled by a pair of actuating pistons 7 which are supplied with driving fluid and are placed on opposite sides exterior of the loading aperture 1 as illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings.

The vertical plate 4thus forms a divider between the loading aperture 1 and the body 2 and means for pushing the material out of the said body 2 when the openable wall 5 is detached from the body 2, the compacted material being expelled from the side opposite that on which loading and compaction take place.

While the material is being compressed, the vertical plate 4 is held stationary adjacent to loading aperture 1, see Figure 2, as a result of which the said loading aperture communicates with the body 2 via the opening 3 provided in the said plate 4.

A chamber 1', in which is mounted a primary press 8 of a height and width corresponding to the said opening 3, is provided in the lower part of the loading aperture 1 in line with the opening 3. Said press 8 can slide alternately on the floor of chamber 1', towards and away from the opening 3 and has at least one, or more preferably two secondary presses 9, 10, mounted thereupon, which presses are in turn dragged forwards towards the opening 3 and backwards away from the said opening 3 by the said primary press 8. As shown in Figures, 2, 5 and 6, each secondary press 9, 10 is guided horizontally on corresponding guides 11, 12 and has two shoulders at the base 13, 13' and 14, 14' respectively at the opposite ends of the said press.

In addition, a drag block 8', which is designed to act together alternately with shoulders 13, 13' of secondary press 9 immediately above in order to drag the same in one direction and then the other, is provided in the rear upper part of the primary press 8. Similarly, secondary press 9 has a drag block 9' thereabove which acts together alternately with shoulders 14, 14' of the overlying secondary press 10 to move it in one direction and then the other in accordance with the movements of the primary press 8.

In fact, when the primary press 8 moves towards the opening 3, moving from the rest or inoperative position shown in Figure 5, after it has travelled a distance equal to that between the shoulders 13, 13' of the secondary press 9, it engages shoulder 13 of the said secondary press 9 with the corresponding drag block 8' so as to draw the latter forward. At the same time, the secondary press 9, after travelling a distance equal to the distance between the shoulders 14, 14' of the upper secondary press 10 with the primary press 8 engages the shoulder 14 of the said upper press 10 with its corresponding drag block 9' in order to drag it in the same direction.

In practice, when the primary press 8 has moved completely towards the opening 3 in the plate 4 as shown in Figure 2, the secondary presses 9, 10 are moved by different amounts towards the interior of the chamber 1' and together completely close the base of the loading aperture 1. The primary press 8 can thus carry out its function of progressively passing and compressing the material in the body 2 towards the opening 3 in the plate 4. At the same time, the secondary presses 9, 10 help to move and precompress the material from the loading aperture 1 before the material passes into the field of action of the primary press 8.

When the primary press 8then moves backwards towards the rest position, see Figure 2, its drag block 8' engages the shoulder 13 of the secondary press 9 so as to move the latter backwards and this in turn engages the shoulder 14' of the other secondary press 10 with corresponding drag block 9' in order to move it backwards.

This embodiment of the means for compressing the material is particularly simple and functional and provides the advantages of optimum compression of the material within the body 2, increasing the efficiency of the equipment, enabling the press to travel very much further than its effective length corresponding to the length of the chamber 1' below the hopper and by means of the secondary presses 9, 10 of preventing material from falling behind the primary press 8 when this moves in the operating position.

At least one driving piston 15, provided with motive fluid and attached to the said press as shown in Figures 2 and 5, may be used for the alternating movements of the primary press 8 and thereby of the secondary presses 9, 10.

However, given the forces required for compression of the material, forces which vary in the sense that they increase as the press 8 advances along its working travel, it is preferable and convenient to attach two actuating pistons 16, 16', which cross over and lie in overlying planes as shown in Figures 3,7 and 8, to the primary press 8. The actuating pistons arranged in this way increase the thrust components on the press 8 as they extend, approximately in proportion to the force required for compaction of the material in question.

As an alternative, and as illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, two actuating pistons 17, 17', which are attached to two levers 18, 18', with a scissor hinge at 19 and are attached at the rear to two rods 20, 20' hinged at 21 in chamber 1' and at the front to another two crossing-over rods 22, 22' which are in turn hinged to the primary press 8, may be provided in order to move the primary press 8. Again in this case, the press 8 slides with a thrust force which increases progressively along the working or com pressive travel of the said press as a result of the articulated system formed from the abovementioned levers and rods, as the actuating pistons 17, 17' extend.

Also in accordance with the invention, the opening 3, in the vertical plate 4, which provides communication between the chamber 1' made at the base of the loading aperture 1 and the body 2, must remain open while the material is being compacted and must remain closed while the plate 4 moves within the body to expel the material on discharge.

For this purpose, the opening 3 is provided with a screen 23 which is fixed to and rotates with a horizontal shaft 24 supported in the lower part of the plate 4 as illustrated in Figures 11 to 14, said screen 23 can be moved angularly from a horizontal rest position in which it is in the same plane as the floor of chamber 1' to an erect position in order to close the opening 3 and vice versa.

For its angular movements from one position to another, said screen 23 may be controlled by at least one actuating piston 25 which is fed with a motive fluid and is attached to the plate 4 as shown in Figure 10. When the expulsion plate 4 moves to discharge material from the body 2, the press 8 is moved backwards and the screen 23 is controlled by the corresponding actuating piston 25 to move into the erect position and close the opening 3 as shown by the dashed lines in Figure 10. The screen 23 then holds back the material in the body preventing it from returning towards the chamber 1' through the opening 3 and the plate 4, together with the screen 23, in the closed position, may be moved progressively towards the openable, and open, wall 5 of the body so that the latter is completely emptied.At the end of the subsequent return travel to the rest position of the plate 3, the screen 23 is instead controlled to move into the horizontal position and open the opening to begin a new cycle of passing and compacting material into the body 2.

Finally, it should be noted that the screen 23 may be controlled directly by the actuating pistons 7 provided for movement of the expulsion plate 4 within the body 2 instead of being controlled by at least one specific actuating piston in the manner described above. In this case, and as illustrated in detail in Figures 12 to 14, actuating pistons 7, instead of being connected directly to the plate 4 as shown in Figure 3, are attached to two corresponding lever arms 26 which are fixed to shaft 24 of the screen 23, the said arms 26 each bearing a projection 27 which is provided at the base ofthe plate 4 to determine the erect position of the screen to close the opening 3, see Figure 13. In a similar manner, when actuating pistons 7 are drawn back to secure the expulsion plate 4 in the rest position, they rotate and automatically keep the screen 23 in the horizontal or rest position so that the opening 3 is open for the passage and compression of material into the body 2 from the press 8.

When, instead, actuating cylinders 7 extend to move the plate 4, when waste is being expelled from the body 2, the said cylinders at first rotate and secure the screen 23 in the position in which the opening 3 is closed and immediately afterwards move the plate 4 in the body 2 as a result of the support of projections 27 on arms 26 against projections 28 which help to render the plate 4 and the screen 23 an integral whole.

Claims

1. Acompactor for compressible wastes having an aperture for the loading of material, a bodyto contain the compressed material and communicating with the said loading aperture through an intermediate opening and compression means for passing the material from the said loading aperture into the said body, the said loading aperture being open and accessible in a transverse or an axial direction with respect to the length of the body, in which the said intermediate opening is provided in an expulsion plate positioned vertically between the said loading aperture and the said body, in which the said expulsion plate is guided and can move within the body from a rest position adjacent to the said loading aperture towards a top-hung opening door in the said body, in which the said expulsion plate is provided with a screen to open and close the said opening, the said opening being open when the expulsion plate is in the said rest position and being closed by the said screen when the said expulsion plate moves towards the openable wall of the body to discharge material from the said body, and in which the said compression means comprise at least one sliding press which can move alternately within a chamber provided at the base of the loading aperture in line with the said opening in the expulsion plate, the said press moving and operating when the said opening is not closed by the said screen.

2. A compactor as claimed in claim 1, in which two actuating pistons, fed with motive fluid and placed on opposite sides outside the loading aperture and extending towards the interior of the body, are attached to the said expulsion plate.

3. A compactor as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the screen to close the said opening is fixed to and rotates with a shaft mounted horizontally in the lower part of the expulsion plate, and in which the said screen can be moved angularly from a horizontal position in which it is in the same plane as the floor of the chamber in which the press acts to an erect position in which the said opening is closed.

4. A compactor as claimed in claim 3, in which at least one actuating piston, which is attached to and moves with the expulsion plate, is attached to the said screen.

5. A compactor as claimed in claim 3, in which two lever arms to which are attached the actuating pistons designed to move the expulsion plate within the body are attached to the said screen or to the corresponding shaft, each of the said lever arms having a projection which is designed to engage a projection fixed upon the said expulsion plate which the screen is in the erect position to close the opening.

6. A compactor as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the said compression means comprise a primary press which can slide alternately towards and away from the opening in the expulsion plate and one or more secondary presses overlying the said primary press which can move consecutively in one direction and the other of the primary press so that, when the primary press is moved towards the said opening, the secondary presses are moved by different amounts towards the interior of the chamber in order to move and precompress the material above the primary press and completely close the base of the loading aperture.

7. A compactor as claimed in claim 6, in which the primary press and each of the secondary presses have a length less than that of the said chamber.

8. A compactor as claimed in claim 6 or 7, in which the primary press and each of the secondary presses have means for the consecutive and linked movement of the same in one direction and in the other corresponding to alternate movements of the primary press.

9. A compactor as claimed in claim 6,7 or 8, in which two actuating pistons fed with driving fluid for alternating movement within the said chamber are attached to the primary press, the said actuating pistons being cross over and placed in overlying planes and attached in the said chamber.

10. A compactor as claimed in claim 6,7 or 8, in which two actuating pistons fed with motive fluid and attached to two scissor levers which are attached at the rear to a first two rods hingedly within the said chamber and at the front to a second two rods which cross over and are hinged to the said primary press are provided for alternating movements of the said primary press in the said chamber.

11. A compactor for compressible waste, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.