MXPA99011099A - Apparatus for comminuting glass - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus (10) for comminuting glass is disclosed having a housing (12). Within the housing (12) are a plurality of weighted members (14) or hammers flexibly connected to and spaced about a rotatable shaft (16). A drive member (18) rotates the shaft, causing the hammers (14) to rotate about the shaft (16) and define a rotation circumference (17). A glass intake opening (20) located at the top portion of the housing (12) is provided to introduce glass into the apparatus (10). A first adjustable plate (22) is located adjacent the glass intake opening (20) and positioned to provide a space between the first adjustable plate (22) and the hammer's rotation circumference (17). A first glass suspension chamber (24) is defined by the glass intake opening (20), the first adjustable plate (22), and the rotation circumference (17) of the hammers (14). Adjusting the space between the first adjustable plate (22) and the weigthed member's rotation circumference (17) helps control the resulting particle size of the comminuted glass as does controlling the shaft (16) rotation speed.

Description

APPARATUS FOR CRUSHING GLASS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for shredding glass, to produce glass particles having non-uniform rounded edges. The crushed glass also has striations or grooves on the particular surfaces thereof.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND Because the raw materials from which the glass is manufactured are typical of most areas of the world and are generally not expensive, glass has become an important material for various applications. Even with the proliferation of plastics, glass continues to be the material of choice for use in the manufacture of many types of containers and windows. In fact, millions of tons of glass are produced annually. Although the unique properties of glass make it suitable in many applications, the disposal of glass after its proposed use presents certain important problems. Actually, about eight percent of all municipal solid waste in the United States REF .: 32158 consist of glass. As environmental efforts increase to promote recycling or reuse, the amount of glass that is recovered from the stream of solid waste also continues to increase. In the United States alone, one million tons of glass are recovered annually for recycling. A factor that limits the amount of recycling that is done is the lack of effective and convenient recycling opportunities in many areas. The main use of broken or rejected glass, generally called "pieces of broken glass", is for the manufacturers of glass containers. Aungue it is possible to make some glass products using 50 percent broken glass pieces or more, most of the glass containers are made using 20 to 30 percent pieces of broken glass. To meet strict manufacturing specifications, however, all pieces of broken glass must be classified by color, crushed to a size suitable for introduction into the furnace, and separated from aluminum pieces and other contaminants. These requirements, combined with the high relative cost of transporting pieces of broken glass, make it difficult to produce high quality fractured glass pieces at a price which makes them viable for glass recycling.

Due to the limited options for recycling glass, most of the scraped glass is deposited or only discarded. Since it becomes more difficult to use land as an alternative for recycling, additional emphasis has been placed on identifying effective and viable options for recycling glass. Attempts have been made to grind scraped glass into stick particles to find use for such ground glass. Due to the molecular structure of the glass, however, it easily fractures which causes the particles to have extremely sharp edges. The existence of such cutting edges makes the use of ground glass impractical for most applications due to the obvious danger of handling such ground glass. Methods have been proposed by which the glass is milled in a rotating drum with the aid of grinding compounds, whereby glass granules having rough surfaces and rounded edges are produced. However, producing glass granules by such methods is expensive and results in a product which is contaminated by the auxiliary grinding compound. The removal of the auxiliary compound of the crushed, if it can be done, increases the cost of final product, which makes it economically impractical for most uses.

Because there is currently no viable method for glass recycling, large amounts of waste glass are generated annually, which contributes to filling the dumps. It would be a breakthrough in the art to provide an apparatus for recycling glass by which the glass can be processed quickly and inexpensively in a form which can be handled safely. It would be a further advancement in the art if such an apparatus could produce crushed glass free of contaminants such as grinding aids.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an apparatus for grinding glass. The apparatus includes a housing having a plurality of weight members or hammers located therein. The weight members are preferably flexibly connected and separated around a rotating shaft. Chain links are currently the preferred mode of flexible connection of members with weight to the shaft. A driving member, such as a variable speed motor, rotates the shaft, which causes the weight members to rotate within the housing. Rotating weight members or hammers define a rotation circle.

Glass is introduced into the apparatus through a glass inlet opening which is located in the upper portion of the housing. A first adjustable plate is located adjacent to the glass inlet opening and is positioned so that a space is provided between the first adjustable plate and the circumference of rotation of the members with weight. A first glass suspeneion chamber is defined by the glass inlet opening, the first adjustable plate and the rotation circumference of the hammers. The operation is rotated to the tree, which causes the weight members to rotate around the tree. The rotating weight members contact the glass inserted in the apparatus which causes the glass to strike the first adjustable plate. By adjusting the space between the first adjustable plate, the circumference of rotation of the peeled members helps to control the size of the re-crumbling particle of the crushed glass. By controlling the speed of rotation of the tree it also alters the size of the reeculous particle of the crushed glass. The glass particles rotate against each other and against the adjustable plate inside the first glass chamber. As the glass particles become eminently glued, they pass through the space between the first adjustable plate and the circumference of rotation to either a second optional glass suspension chamber or the bottom portion of the housing for collection and removal. The second glass suspension chamber is defined by a second adjustable plate, the first adjustable plate and the circumference of rotation. The second adjustable plate can be adjusted to control the space between it and the circumference of rotation. The glass particles more stick to the space fall to the bottom portion of the housing for collection and removal.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an apparatus for grinding glass within the scope of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top cross-sectional view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of another apparatus for grinding glass within the scope of the present invention. Figure 4 is a top view in cross section of the apparatus shown in Figure 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an apparatus for grinding glass to produce glass particles having non-uniform rounded edges. In FIG. 1, a lateral vieta in transverse section of the currently preferred embodiment is shown. The glass grinding apparatus 10 includes a housing 12 within which a plurality of hammers or weight members 14 rotate. The weight members 14 are flexibly connected to the rotating shaft 16 which extends into the housing 12. The weight members are preferably evenly spaced around the shaft and joined to the shaft by chain links. A motor 18 (which is shown in FIG. 2) is connected to the shaft 16 to rotate the shaft. When the shaft 16 rotates, the weight members 14 define a circumference 17 of rotation, which is shown as a die line in FIG. 1. Preferably a variable speed controller 19 is provided to vary the speed of the motor 18. Aungue Motor 18 which is illustrated in Figure 2 preferably being a variable speed motor of 10 hp, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that the motor power needed or the speed variation will vary depending on the size and capacity of the glass grinder apparatus 10 .

A glass inlet opening 20 is located in the upper portion of the housing 12 to allow the waste glass to be introduced into the grinding apparatus 10. A first adjustable plate 22 is located adjacent to the glass inlet opening 20. The area between the glass inlet opening 20, the rotating hammers and the plate 22 define a first glass suspension chamber 24. The rapid clockwise movement of the rotating hammer causes the glass inside the first glass suspension chamber 24 to suspend and move in a counterclockwise motion, as shown by the arrows This rotating action rounds off any cutting edge of the glass and simultaneously reduces the average particle size of the glass particulates. A second adjustable plate 26 is placed optionally adjacent to the first plate 22. The area between the first plate 22, the second plate 26 and the rotating hammers 14 define a second glass suspension chamber 28. The crushed glass particles, which have been reduced in size, are usually able to be pawed through the separation between the first plate 22 and the rotary hammers 14 into a second suspension chamber 28 where the glass undergoes a reduction of about 20%. Additional size and is rounded by a movement opposite to the clock hands shown by the arrows. The crushed glass particles pass from the second chamber 28 of suepeneion to the bottom of the housing 12, where a shuttle conveyor 30 transports the crushed glass to a pallet conveyor 32 for transporting the crushed glass to storage or further processing. A skirt 33 of powder preferably made of a flexible rubber material is located between the housing 12 and the conveyor 30 to prevent the powder from being released from the apparatus 10. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various means can be used to collect and remove the crushed glass from the apparatus. For example, the figure shows the shuttle conveyor 30 for transporting the crushed glass from the apparatus 10. Figure 3 shows a simple funnel collection apparatus which can be used to collect and remove the crushed glass from the apparatus. Preferably, the apparatus includes one or more dust collectors 34 for removing dust that is produced during operation of the apparatus. Dust collectors operate under light vacuum to extract the dust generated while grinding the glass. The apparatus preferably includes a rear service and inspection plate 36 for accessing and repairing the interior of the housing 12. The interior surfaces which are subject to wear preferably include wear plates 38 which can be replaced as required. A spring loaded reflective plate 40 forms a rear surface of the first suspension chamber 24. The reflective plate 40 is deflected so as to hold the glass inside the first suspension chamber 24. Large, non-fracturable materials, such as metal, which pass through the reflected reflector plate 40 fall to the bottom of the apparatus. It has been found that when the reflective plate 40 is used, approximately 98% of the glass is properly crushed. Without the reflective plate, approximately 65% of the glass is adequately crushed, while 35% of the glass requires regrind. As used herein, the term "glass" encompasses all inorganic products which have been cooled to a rigid solid state without experiencing crystallization. It is also understood that the term "glass" includes other vitreous materials which include ceramic materials such as porcelain and tile. The crushed glass that is prepared using the apparatus and method of the present invention typically has particle size in the range of about 20 mesh to about 200 mesh. As used herein, it is intended that the crushed glass includes ground glass having rounded edges, and not importing the origin of the glass. The crushed glass also has striations or grooves on the particle surfaces thereof. It has been found that striations are useful when glass is used as a filler in molded plastic parts. During operation, the plurality of hammers or weight members 14 rotate at sufficient speed to prevent the glass from passing directly through the bottom of the apparatus. The glass is held within the first suspension chamber 24 by the rotating hammers 24 and by the first adjustable plate 22. The speed of the hammers 14 causes the glass to rotate in a movement opposite to the direction of the rotating hammers. That is, if the hammers 14 rotate in a counter-clockwise direction, the glass rotates in a counter-clockwise motion within the first suspension chamber 24, as shown by the arrows in Figure 1. The plate 22 can be adjusted up or down to control the space between the plate 22 and the circumference 17 of rotation of the hammers 14. This space helps to control the particle size of the crushed glass. If the plate 22 is placed close to the rotating hammers 14, the glass is reduced to a larger particle size compared to that the plate will be placed further away from the rotating hammers. As described above, a second adjustable plate 26 and a second suspension chamber 28 further reduce the glass to the desired particle size. The glass particles are caused to oscillate and rotate within the second suspension chamber 28 in a manner similar to that of the first suspension chamber 24. The hammers 14 rotate fast enough to keep the glass suspended within the first and second suspension chambers 24 and 28. As the glass particles become small enough, they pass to the second plate and are collected and removed from the apparatus. This action is called "suspended friction". The glass grinder apparatus 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 generally operates at a speed in the range of about 1700 rpm at 2700 rpm with a hammer 14 of about 23 cm (9 inches) radius. At this speed one can obtain the best variety of particle sizes ranging from 200 mesh and smaller dust to 6 mm (1/4") size pieces, however, if larger particle sizes are desired, this is can be obtained by decreasing the rpm of the 2700 rpm rotating hammers to speeds as low as 1700 rpm, this allows the glass material to fall between the hammers 14 additionally and allows the discharge of larger sizes or pieces. adjusting the speed of the rotating hammer also helps to control the resulting particle size.A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the optimum speed will vary depending on the number of hammers the diameter of the rotating hammers.For example, an apparatus having four hammers It does not need to rotate as fast as a device that has two hammers.Also, a device that has a hammer radius of 25 cm (10 inches) should Go faster than an appliance that has a hammer radius of 38 cm (15 inches). There are other adjustments that can be made to change the size of glass particles that are discharged from the crushed glass appliance. The two adjustable plates 22, 26 can be lifted from a space or gap of 6 mm (1/4") to a separation of 38 vnm - (1/2") to control the particle size. For example, to recover more 20 mesh particles, the first plate .22 should be lowered to 13 mm (1/2") apart, and the second plate 26 to 6 mm (1/4") apart. This will provide the operator with more particles in the 20 mesh range. The plates can be raised for larger particles and can be lowered for smaller particles. The baffle plate 40 provides an important safety feature in case some non-shreddable material in the apparatus inadvertently falls.

For example, when particles such as steel bolts fall into the glass grinder apparatus, the hammers 14 (which are flexibly connected to the rotating shaft) are retracted by the impact which allows the hard material such as the steel bolts to pass through. the hammers and they fall in the background. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate another apparatus for shredding glass within the scope of the present invention, generally designated 50. The embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4 is similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 2, except that only an adjustable shredder plate is used and the glass inlet opening is slightly offset. The glass grinder apparatus 50 includes a housing 52 having an upper portion 54 and a lower portion 56. The housing is configured to house a plurality of hammers or weight members-58 flexibly connected to a rotating shaft 60 which extends into the housing 12. The weight members are preferably evenly spaced around the shaft 60. A member may be used. impeller (not shown in Figures 3 or 4), such as a variable speed motor, for rotating the shaft 60. When the shaft 60 rotates, the members 58 with weight define a circumference 62 of rotation, shown as a dashed line in Figure 3. A glass inlet opening 64 is located in the upper portion 54 of the housing 52 so as to allow waste glass to be introduced into the grinding apparatus 50. An adjustable plate 66 is located adjacent to the glass inlet opening 64. The adjustable plate 66 is preferably adjusted up or down to control the space between the adjustable plate 66 and the circumference 62 of rotation. The area between the glass inlet opening 64, the circumference 62 of rotation and the plate 22 defines a glass sleep chamber 68. The rapid rotation of the members 58 with weight causes the glass inside the glass suspension chamber 68 to suspend and rotate against each other and against the adjustable plate 66. This twisting or rocking action rounds off any cutting edge of the glass and simultaneously reduces the average particle size of the glass particulates. The crushed glass particles which have a small size are capable of passing through the space between the plate 66 and the rotating hammers 58 to the lower portion 56 of the housing 52 in a collection funnel 70. The collection funnel 70 has an outlet opening 72 to allow removal of the crushed glass for storage or further processing. Apparatus 50 preferably includes one or more dust collectors 74 for dust removal produced during the operation of the apparatus. Dust collectors operate under light vacuum to extract the dust generated while grinding the glass. Preferably, the apparatus includes an inspection plate 76 for accessing and repairing the interior of the housing 52. A reflective plate 78 is preferably provided to form the back surface of the suspeneion chamber 68. The reflector plate 78 holds the glass inside the evacuation chamber 68. The apparatus 50 operates eustantially in the same manner to the apparatus 10 to produce crushed glass particles useful for various applications. The apparatus for shredding glass within the scope of the present invention is capable of efficiently recycling large quantities of waste glass in a form which can be handled safely. The apparatus within the scope of the present invention is also capable of being free of contaminants such as grinding aids. The present invention can be constituted in other specific forms without departing from its essential characteristics. The described modalities are considered in all aspects only as illustrative and not limiting. Therefore, the scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is the conventional one for the manufacture of the objects or products to which it refers.

Claims (20)

CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following is claimed as property:

1. An apparatus for shredding glass, characterized by comprising: a housing having an upper portion, a lower portion and side walls; a plurality of weight members, flexibly connected and spaced apart around a rotating shaft, wherein the weight members, when rotating around the shaft, define a rotation circumference; a driving member for rotating the shaft; a glass inlet opening located in the upper portion of the housing; a first adjustable plate which is located adjacent to the glass inlet opening and positioned so that there is a space between the first adjustable plate and the rotation circle of the member with a pee, wherein the space is adjustable; and a first glass melting chamber comprising the region defined by the glass inlet opening, the first adjustable plate and the rotating circumference of the member with pee, wherein the euspension chamber, in combination with the rotating members with Weight, is configured to suspend glass inside the suspension chamber until the glass becomes small enough to pass through the space between the first adjustable plate and the rotation circle.

2. The apparatus for shredding glass, according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a means for collecting and removing crushed glass from the apparatus.

3. The apparatus for grinding glass, according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises one or more dust collectors for extracting glass dust produced during the operation of the apparatus.

4. The apparatus for shredding glass, according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a reflecting plate defining a trailing surface of the first suspeneion chamber.

5. The apparatus for shredding glass, according to claim 4, characterized in that the reflector plate is emitted by a reeorte.

6. An apparatus for shredding glass, according to claim 1, characterized by further comprises: a second adjustable plate which is located adjacent to the first adjustable plate and which is positioned so that there is a space between the second adjustable plate and the circumference of the second plate. rotation of the limbs with pee, where space is adjustable; and a second glass suspension chamber comprising the region defined by the first adjustable plate, the second adjustable plate and the circumference of rotation of the members with weight.

7. The apparatus for shredding glass, according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of weight members are flexibly connected to the shaft by chain links.

8. The apparatus for shredding glass, according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving member is a variable speed motor.

9. The apparatus for grinding glass, according to claim 1, characterized by the housing further comprises a removable access door to allow maintenance of the apparatus.

10. The apparatus for shredding glass, according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing comprises an inner surface and wherein the housing further comprises replaceable wear plates which are located on at least a portion of the inner surface.

11. A method for grinding glass, characterized by comprising: (a) introducing a quantity of glass into the glass crushing apparatus, comprising: a housing having an upper portion, a lower portion and side walls; a plurality of weight members flexibly connected and spaced around a rotating shaft, wherein the weight members, when rotating around the shaft, define a rotation circle; a driving member for rotating the shaft; a glass inlet opening which is located in the upper portion of the housing, - a first adjustable plate which is located adjacent to the glass inlet opening and which is positioned so that there is a space between the first adjustable plate and the circumference of rotation of the members with pee, where the space is adjustable; and a first glass suspension chamber comprising the region defined by the glass inlet opening, the first adjustable plate and the circumference of rotation of the members with weight; (b) rotating the shaft to cause the weight members to rotate rapidly and make contact with a certain amount of glass, which causes the glass to strike the first adjustable plate and is blown into the glass suspension chamber until the glass becomes small enough to pass through the space between the first adjustable plate and the circumference of rotation, - and (c) adjust the space between the first adjustable plate and the rotation circle of the members with weight.

12. The method for grinding glass, according to claim 11, characterized in that it also comprises the step of collecting and removing the crushed glass from the apparatus.

13. The method for grinding glass, according to claim 11, characterized in that it also comprises the step of removing glass dust produced during the operation of the apparatus through a dust collector.

14. The method for shredding glass, according to claim 11, characterized in that it further comprises the step of controlling the speed of rotation of the shaft.

15. The method for grinding glass, according to claim 11, characterized in that the amount of glass that is introduced into the apparatus is selected from glass in plates and automobile glass.

16. The method for grinding glass, according to claim 11, characterized in that the amount of glass that is introduced into the apparatus includes ceramic materials.

17. The method for grinding glass, according to claim 16, characterized in that the amount of glass that is introduced into the apparatus is selected from porcelain and tile.

18. An apparatus for grinding glass, characterized in that it comprises: a housing having an upper portion, a lower portion and side walls; a plurality of weight members, flexibly connected and spaced apart around a rotating shaft, wherein the weight members, when rotating around the shaft, define a rotation circumference; a driving member for rotating the shaft; a glass inlet opening located in the upper portion of the housing, a first adjustable plate which is located adjacent to the glass inlet opening and positioned so that there is a space between the first adjustable plate and the rotation circumference of the members with weight, where the space is adjustable; a first glass suspension chamber comprising the region defined by the glass inlet opening, the first adjustable plate and the circumference of rotation of the members with weight, wherein the first chamber of suepeneion, in combination with the rotating members with weight, is configured to euepender glass inside the euepension chamber until the glass becomes sufficiently glued to pass through the space between the first adjustable plate and the circumference of rotation. a reflecting plate which defines a rear surface of the first glass sleep chamber; a dust collector for extracting glass dust - produced during operation of the apparatus, - and a means for collecting and removing crushed glass from the apparatus.

19. An apparatus for shredding glass, according to claim 18, further comprising: a second adjustable plate which is located adjacent the first adjustable plate and which is positioned so that there is a space between the second adjustable plate and the circumference of rotation of the members with weight, where the space is adjustable; and a second glass suspension chamber comprising a region defined by the first adjustable plate, the second adjustable plate and the circumference of rotation of the members with weight.

20. An apparatus for shredding glass, according to claim 18, characterized in that the driving member is a variable speed motor.