Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
  • B26F—PERFORATING; PUNCHING; CUTTING-OUT; STAMPING-OUT; SEVERING BY MEANS OTHER THAN CUTTING
  • B26F3/00—Severing by means other than cutting; Apparatus therefor
  • B26F3/004—Severing by means other than cutting; Apparatus therefor by means of a fluid jet
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
  • B26D—CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING
  • B26D3/00—Cutting work characterised by the nature of the cut made; Apparatus therefor
  • B26D3/003—Cutting work characterised by the nature of the cut made; Apparatus therefor specially adapted for cutting rubber
  • B26D3/005—Cutting work characterised by the nature of the cut made; Apparatus therefor specially adapted for cutting rubber for cutting used tyres
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29B—PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
  • B29B17/00—Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics
  • B29B17/02—Separating plastics from other materials
  • B29B17/0206—Selectively separating reinforcements from matrix material by destroying the interface bound before disintegrating the matrix to particles or powder, e.g. from tires or belts
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
  • B26D—CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING
  • B26D7/00—Details of apparatus for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting
  • B26D7/01—Means for holding or positioning work
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
  • B26D—CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING
  • B26D7/00—Details of apparatus for cutting, cutting-out, stamping-out, punching, perforating, or severing by means other than cutting
  • B26D7/01—Means for holding or positioning work
  • B26D7/02—Means for holding or positioning work with clamping means
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29B—PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
  • B29B17/00—Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics
  • B29B17/04—Disintegrating plastics, e.g. by milling
  • B29B17/0404—Disintegrating plastics, e.g. by milling to powder
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29B—PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
  • B29B17/00—Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics
  • B29B2017/0094—Mobile recycling devices, e.g. devices installed in truck trailers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29B—PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
  • B29B17/00—Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics
  • B29B17/02—Separating plastics from other materials
  • B29B2017/0213—Specific separating techniques
  • B29B2017/0217—Mechanical separating techniques; devices therefor
  • B29B2017/0224—Screens, sieves
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29B—PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
  • B29B17/00—Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics
  • B29B17/02—Separating plastics from other materials
  • B29B2017/0213—Specific separating techniques
  • B29B2017/0268—Separation of metals
  • B29B2017/0272—Magnetic separation
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29B—PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS
  • B29B17/00—Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics
  • B29B17/04—Disintegrating plastics, e.g. by milling
  • B29B2017/0424—Specific disintegrating techniques; devices therefor
  • B29B2017/0428—Jets of high pressure fluid
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
  • B29K2021/00—Use of unspecified rubbers as moulding material
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
  • B29L2030/00—Pneumatic or solid tyres or parts thereof
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
  • Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
  • Y02W30/50—Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies
  • Y02W30/52—Mechanical processing of waste for the recovery of materials, e.g. crushing, shredding, separation or disassembly
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
  • Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
  • Y02W30/50—Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies
  • Y02W30/62—Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling

Definitions

• THIS INVENTION relates to a method and apparatus for reclaiming rubber and other constituents from tyres which have served their useful life.
• Used tyres have traditionally either been dumped in stock piles or disposed of in landfills or the like. However, these traditional methods of disposal of used tyres have resulted in significant environmental problems due to the likelihood and eventuality of fires in tyre dumps and the "floating" to the surface of tyres used in landfill areas.
• Shredded or whole tyres can be used as a supplemental fuel in a variety of applications. Specifically, tyres may be used as an industrial fuel in boilers and electricity generation and also in cement kilns where the ash residue is incorporated in the cement. Whole tyres may also be used to provide novel noise or safety barriers and may even be used to provide artificial reefs, break waters, marine fenders, plant containers or structures for land embankment erosion control. Shredded tyres, or more usually crumb rubber which is produced from used tyres, is used for addition to asphalt paving products to provide an asphalt material having increased flexibility and improved resistance to thermal and reflective cracking.
• crumb rubber is in carpet backing, doormat backing and underlay carpet, an agent for brake linings and friction material, as a base material for artificial sports grounds, a vibration absorption material, a filling for joints in roads, and anti-static mats for computer use and the like.
• an agent for brake linings and friction material as a base material for artificial sports grounds, a vibration absorption material, a filling for joints in roads, and anti-static mats for computer use and the like.
• an aim of the present invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for the reclaiming of rubber and other constituents from tyres which have served their useful life.
• the present invention provides a method of reclaiming rubber and other constituents from used tyres having a reinforced tread portion, the method comprising removing the rubber from the tread portion down to substantially the reinforcement therein by using ultra high pressure fluid jets- and subsequently converting the residual tyre constituents to a form suitable for recovery of said constituents.
• the removal of the rubber from the tread portion of the tyre is achieved by rotating the tyre about its axis and by fixing the ultra high pressure fluid jets relative thereto.
• the tyre may of course be fixed and the jets may be rotated thereabout.
• most tyres also include a pair of axially spaced coaxial beads and for these tyres the rotation of a tyre about its axis would also of course be rotation of the tyre about the axis of the beads.
• the tread rubber may be removed from the tyre in one piece, such as by an ultra high pressure fluid knife, or in a small number of pieces, or may be removed directly in granulated or crumbed form. This latter alternative reduces the need for further processing of the one-piece tread rubber to convert it to a granulated or crumbed form if desired.
• the rubber removed from the tread portion may be used as granulated, crumbed, or powdered rubber for any of the particular applications described above, and the size and quality of this rubber product may be readily altered by the pressure, configuration and location of the ultra high pressure fluid jets.
• ultra high pressure fluid jets are also used to convert the residual tyre constituents to the form suitable for their recovery.
• the residual tyre constituents generally comprise the tread reinforcement, whether that be in the form of a steel reinforcement or a fibre reinforcement, the side wall components and the pair of coaxial spaced beads.
• the use of ultra high pressure fluid jets, and in particular the use of ultra high pressure water jets provides many advantages which particularly suit the method and apparatus of this invention. For example, materials such as rubber are difficult to cut by conventional cutting methods but are cut with relative ease by ultra high pressure water. Further, there is only a negligible amount of heat generated by the cutting action which may otherwise cause the rubber particles to become sticky and agglomerate, and there is virtually no dust produced during the cutting process. Further still, it is possible to remove rubber adhering to steel reinforcement and bead components without generating metallic fines which would be difficult to subsequently remove and would incur unnecessary cost.
• Ultra high pressure water jets also only generate low levels of thrust and thus the clamping requirements for the tyres are much less than they would be with conventional cutting methods. Furthermore, the granulated or crumb rubber product is automatically washed during the cutting process and thus only requires subsequent dewatering prior to grading and packing.
• rotating water jets would be utilised having reasonably small jet sizes such as in the order of 0.25 mm diameter, resulting in water velocities of up to 915 m/s at fluid pressures in the order of 5000 to 60000 psi.
• the preferred pressure range would normally be in the order of 10000 to 50000 psi with a preferred pressure of 35000 psi. It will be noted that the velocity of the water jets is almost three times the speed of sound.
• the residual tyre constituents may be subjected to a single operation where ultra high pressure water jets are used to fragment all of the constituents concurrently to produce a pulp material capable of being subsequently subjected to cleaning and classifying operations.
• the remaining constituents may be converted to the separate rubber, metal and fibre components and then may be separated by any known separation technique such as magnetic separation, or by gravitation techniques, the pulp having been previously dried in a conventional drier, or being separated wet and subsequently dried.
• the separate components may then be sorted and packaged as necessary.
• the residual tyre constituents are not processed to a pulp in a single operation, but rather undergo separate operations to firstly separate the individual components and then to process those components to create the desired products.
• ultra high pressure water jets may be used to separate the beads from the side wall and then to separate the side wall from the tyre carcass.
• the metal in the beads may be stripped from the surrounding rubber, and the rubber and fibre (or rubber and steel reinforcing) would also be separated by virtue of the action of the ultra high pressure water jets.
• the carcass may be subjected to further action of ultra high pressure water jets to convert any remaining materials to a pulp form.
• a tyre may be rotated about its axis adjacent to a multiple head rotating ultra high pressure (UHP) water jet operated at 10000 to 50000 psi.
• UHP ultra high pressure
• the action of the water jets hydromills the rubber from the tread portion quickly and effectively and the rubber may be recovered by filtration or any other suitable solid/liquid separation process as crumbs or powder as required.
• the nature of the products will depend upon the water pressures used, the number of jets, rotational speed, and the distance of the jets away from the tyre.
• the rubber product may then be dried in a rotary kiln dryer or the like prior to weighing packaging and despatch. If necessary, the rubber product may be classified according to its particle size prior to packaging and despatch.
• This initial stage of the invention is complete when substantially all of the tread rubber has been removed from the tyre. Adequate control may be achieved over the removal of tread rubber as the depth of cutting can be precisely controlled by adjusting the water pressure and/or the speed of rotation or stand off distance of the water jets.
• the remaining tyre carcass with steel belt reinforcement (if present), side walls and steel beads may then be similarly rotated about its axis while similar rotating UHP jets firstly remove the steel beading and then the side wall of the tyre.
• the side wall of the tyre is preferably demolished to rubber granules (such as crumb rubber) and reinforcement particles, whether those reinforcement particles be steel particles or fibre particles. In this same operation it may be possible to cut the steel beads to steel pieces of a predetermined length.
• the final stage of the method of the invention acts on the residual carcass of the tyre which usually consists of steel wire bonded by thin layers of rubber with a thin inner rubber layer.
• This carcass is preferably turned on its side whilst a double rotating UHP water jet progressively destroys the total carcass.
• the resultant pulp is preferably collected for drying, separation and packing.
• the ultimate separation of steel from rubber and fibre may be conducted by use of an electromagnet or the like, while separation of rubber and fibre may be readily attended to by drying and agitation.
• any suitable process may be used to separate the relevant components and to provide them in a form ready for packaging.
• the removal processes or separating processes are not acceptably efficient it is possible to include a stage for the total destruction of any material taken from the system that has unacceptable quality or composition.
• Such a total destruction stage may simply be a system of ultra high pressure fluid jets configured so as to convert any material to a pulp.
• the method of this invention may be readily automated by use of known automation technology, or may be provided in a simplified version in a mobile form.
• the apparatus could be adapted so as to be readily incorporated on a truck or trailer and taken to tyre disposal and waste landfill sites for processing a minimum quantity of tyres. It is envisaged that such a fully mobile truck/trailer unit would be independently powered by a die ⁇ el generator. The operation would preferably be semi automatic with a programmable logic controller control system operated by a one or two person team.
• each of the UHP water jet systems would preferably be substantially enclosed in order to provide acoustic insulation and also to ensure the containment of all rubber granules generated.
• the method of this invention does not involve the combustion of materials or the use of chemicals and does not generate dust during operation.
• the small volume of water used in the cutting process would be filtered and recycled within the process and thus there would be virtually no effluent or noxious air omissions to cause environmental problems.
• the process also generates only negligible odours due again to the low level production of heat.
• the only envisaged environmental difficulties would be the noise generated by the operation of the ultra high pressure water jet cutting equipment at supersonic velocities. However, these noise difficulties can be readily contained.
• the invention therefore provides a method and apparatus for converting waste tyres into useful byproducts such as granulated, crumbed or powdered rubber together with relatively high grade steel scrap material.
• the process is able to vary the size of the rubber product and is able to operate on a wide variety of types and sizes of waste tyres.
• the process is extremely environmentally friendly and may be operated on a mass basis or on a small basis in a mobile or portable form.
• the rubber materials generated by this method are readily usable in various products and for various markets throughout the world.
• crumb rubber manufacturing facilities in countries such as France, Netherlands, Germany and the United States.
• all of these plants utilise conventional process technology.
• production is expected to increase to in excess of 200000 tonnes of crumb rubber per annum in an attempt to meet the growing demand for such a product.
• the method of this invention not only cost effectively solves an existing problem that lies in the ever increasing number of waste tyres, but produces an end product having a steadily increasing demand.
• Figure 1 is a flowsheet showing process stages of a first embodiment of the present invention
• Figure 2 is a flowsheet showing process stages of a second embodiment of the present invention
• Figures 3a and 3b are end and side views respectively of apparatus used in the second embodiment as illustrated in Figure 2;
• Figure 4 is a schematic top view of further apparatus used in the second embodiment as illustrated in Figure
• FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of further apparatus used in the second embodiment as illustrated in Figure
• waste tyres are fed to the primary stage 10 of the ultra high pressure UHP water treatment unit 22 by the infeeding system 16.
• the UHP water treatment unit 22 utilises water jets operating at pressures in the range 10000 to 50000 psi to fragment/shred and convert the waste tyres into manageable and useful forms or components as raw materials for various manufactured products.
• the process of fragmentation and shredding is known as hydromilling/hydroblasting and has the advantages that it is highly effective, uses a relatively small quantity of water and generates little dust.
• the tyre In the primary stage 10, the tyre is rotated on a fixed axis under multiple head rotating UHP water jets.
• the action of the water jets hydromills the rubber from the tread portion very quickly and effectively and the rubber may be recovered by filtration or any other suitable solid- liquid separation process as crumbs or powder.
• the nature of the products will depend upon the water pressures used.
• the rubber product is then dried in a rotary kiln dryer 14 prior to weighing, packaging and dispatch. If necessary, the rubber product is classified according to its particle size prior to packaging and dispatch.
• the primary stage is complete when substantially all the tread rubber has been removed from the tyre. As indicated earlier, good control can be achieved over the removal of tread rubber because the depth of cutting can be precisely controlled by adjusting the water pressure and/or the speed of rotation of the water jets. At that point, the tyre carcass remaining may be cut across its perimeter and laterally spread and fed through an automated feeding system to the secondary stage 12 of the UHP water treatment unit 22. The carcass is then subjected to a further hydromilling treatment except that the water pressure employed may be somewhat higher to ensure that more retractible materials such as metal reinforcing and bead wires are also converted with rubber and fibre into a pulp form. This ensures a higher reclamation efficiency of tyre constituents.
• the materials are then subjected to magnetic or gravitational separation to recover metal.
• the metal is dried, if necessary, weighed, packaged and dispatched possibly for recovery in a metal reclamation plant.
• the rubber/fibre mixture remaining is then dried in rotary kiln dryer 18 prior to separation of fibre in separation unit 20 which might again be accomplished using a gravitational technique.
• the materials are then sorted, weighed and packaged prior to dispatch for use in various applications.
• incoming tyres 30 are offloaded to a covered store 32 having a capacity of, for example, 30000 tyres based on the most common sizes (13 and 14 inch rims).
• Tyres may then be transferred in groups to the initial separation stage 34 where they undergo the removal of the rubber from the tread portion thereof down to substantially the reinforcement therein by way of ultra high pressure water jets.
• An example of apparatus suitable for this is illustrated in Figures 3a and 3b.
• the remaining portion of the tyre (including the side walls, the carcass and the steel beads) and the liberated tread rubber may then be palletised and transferred to a second covered storage area 36 ready for further processing.
• the tread rubber is shown transferred to a collection bin 38 prior to final weighing and packaging.
• a further ultra high pressure water system 40 which successively removes the bead and demolishes the side wall to rubber granules, known generi ⁇ ally as "crumb rubber", and fibre particles.
• the fibre particles are generally in the form of steel fibre particles, however they may be in the form of cloth fibre particles if the particular tyre is constructed with reinforced cloth.
• the crumb rubber and fibre particles exit via a screw conveyor system for dewatering 42, separation 44, and storage of the fibres at store 46.
• the crumb rubber is stored in bins 48 after having been collected in a surge bin 50, transferred to a dryer 52 and classified through a screen 54.
• An example of apparatus suitable for this further ultra high pressure water system 40 is illustrated in Figure 4.
• the carcass After separation of the side walls and beads from the residual carcass of the tyre in stage 40, the carcass is transferred to a third ultra high pressure water jet stage 56.
• the carcass usually comprising the reinforcing steel belt wires, is totally disintegrated by the action of the ultra high pressure water jets.
• the remnants of the residual steel belt wires are removed by magnetic separation in the separation unit 58 following which the steel material is combined with the steel beads at store 60 for sale as high grade steel scrap.
• the two dewatering means 42 and 62 are preferably vibrating dewatering screens which would remove most of the water from the material leaving the ultra high pressure water stages 40 and 56. This reduces the load on the dryer 52 and also allows the recovering and recycling of the water after filtration, for use in each of the ultra high pressure water stages 40 and 56.
• the dryer 52 is preferably a gas fired fluidised bed dryer capable of a throughput of at least 2% to 3 tonnes per hour which dries the crumb rubber ready for packaging. Material exiting the dryer 52 is preferably elevated by a screw conveyor to discharge into the vibrating screen 54 which, in this embodiment, separates the material into two size ranges each passing into a respective surge pin by gravity prior to weighing at stage 66 packing at stage 68 and storage at stage 70.
• Each of the three ultra high pressure water jet processing stages 34, 40 and 56 preferably have their own dedicated systems employing a special intensity pump unit generating a system pressure in the order of 35000 psi.
• the jets which are fitted in the special rotating heads are preferably made from sapphire.
• the method of transporting the crumb rubber in particular is preferably by screw conveyors through the various downstream stages. Furthermore, due to the use of an inclined screw conveyor after each ultra high pressure water jet stage, dewatering of the product may be accomplished to a satisfactory level prior to drying without the need for further dewatering equipment.
• the separation conducted at stage 44 of textile fibres from the resilient crumb rubber after the disintegration of the side wall in ultra high pressure water stage 40 may be accomplished by air separation or possibly by an elutriation column after the drying stage.
• An elutriation column may prove to be preferable in some instances due to the comparatively large particle size range for the crumb rubber produced from side walls in combination with reasonably short lengths of fibre produced.
• Illustrated in Figures 3a and 3b is apparatus suitable for use in the ultra high pressure water stage 34 of Figure 2. Illustrated is an enclosed apparatus 70 having a mild steel enclosure 72 surrounding two rotating shafts 74 each bearing waste tyres 76. Each tyre 76 is secured to shafts 74 by way of adjustable grips 78.
• Ultra high pressure rotating jets 80 are configured adjacent the tread portion of the tyre 76, with the head of the jet being enclosed in cowling 82.
• the jets 80 are mounted on a longitudinal linear track 84 via a track traveller 86, and have an adapter 88 to suit the horizontal rotating system and an offset drive and swivel 90 for the UHP jets.
• the jets are supplied at 92 by water at about 35000 psi and have hydraulic flow and return lines 94 and 96 respectively and a vacuum return line 98.
• an ultra high pressure jetting system is provided on each side of the apparatus in order to be able to operate on tyres located on each rotating shaft 74. This operation will be better described below.
• Figure 3b better illustrates the preferred arrangement of a series of tyres located along the rotating shafts 74, each shaft capable of being operated upon by the UHP jets 80 as they move along the longitudinal linear track 84. Also evident is the drain gully 100 which allows the exiting of the used water to be utilised for subsequent filtration and recycling.
• the apparatus as illustrated in Figures 3a and 3b is loaded with tyres sorted according to size, the tyres being fitted on the hydraulically rotating central shafts 74 with the expanders 78 gripping the tyres at the inner bead or rim.
• the number of tyres loaded at any one time depends upon tyre weight and size and also on the size of this apparatus.
• the linear track 84 equipped with the hydraulically rotating UHP water jets 80 at rotational speeds of about 1500 RPM and with water pressures in the 35000 psi range, moves at a constant speed predetermined by the tyre size and tread thickness, removing the tread rubber on all of the rotating tyres on one of the shafts 74 in one pass. Whilst this operation is in progress the second shaft of the apparatus may be loaded.
• a cross over switch may activate the second linear track similarly equipped with UHP jets which commences to remove tyre tread on the second shaft of tyres. Whilst this operation is in progress the first batch of tyre carcasses may be removed and another batch loaded. This operation may thus be constantly repeated, and each linear track may operate in both directions there thus being no necessity to retrack after each pass.
• the minor cowling 82 is also fitted with a low pressure vacuum extraction system 98 to collect in excess of 80% of all rubber particles for transfer to filtration or drying systems.
• An intermittent low pressure spray system may also be included within this apparatus to ensure that all residual rubber not collected by vacuum is washed to the collection gully 100 and pumped or gravity fed to the filtration or drying systems.
• FIG. 4 Illustrated in Figure 4 is apparatus suitable for the ultra high pressure water stage 40 utilised to separate the side walls and beads from the remaining tyre carcass.
• This apparatus includes external cowling 102 having a tyre carcass 104 loaded vertically therein.
• a drive roller 106 and spring loaded idler rollers 108 and 110 rotate the tyre carcass about its axis while two short linear trackers 112, having a capacity for angular adjustment, and being fitted with rotating UHP jets 115 similar to that discussed above, remove firstly the steel beading 114 and secondly the side wall 116 of the tyre.
• All residual rubber steel and fibre from the side walls preferably falls into a collection hopper below and is then transferred to the various drying and separation units prior to packing.
• the carcass includes exposed steel braid 120 already having had the rubber tread removed therefrom.
• Illustrated in Figure 5 is an ultra high pressure water jet system suitable for use at stage 56 (illustrated in Figure 2) and responsible for the total disintegration of the residual carcass of the tyre after processing in stages 34 and 40.
• the residual carcass 122 being in the form of essentially a continuous steel belt, mainly of steel wire bonded by thin layers of rubber with a thin inner rubber layer, without tread rubber, side walls or beads, is transferred to the apparatus by chain link conveyor 24.
• a double rotating UHP water jet 126 progressively destroys the carcass when held between adjustable tyre support means
• the support means 128 may be of any suitable type for adequately holding or supporting the carcass as necessary.
• the residue resulting from the destruction of the carcass is caught on grid 132 for transfer via the conveyor 134 as metal scrap 136 for collection in store 60 (as illustrated in Figure 2) .
• the remaining material that passes through grid 132 is collected in catchment facility 138 and transferred via outlet 140 for dewatering, drying and addition to the crumb rubber obtained from other stages in the process.

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Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (27)

Families Citing this family (7)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1992
  • 1992-03-05 WO PCT/AU1992/000095 patent/WO1992015438A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1992-03-05 EP EP92906652A patent/EP0574490A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1992-03-05 HU HU9302495A patent/HUT75439A/hu unknown
  • 1992-03-05 CA CA 2105581 patent/CA2105581A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1992-03-05 JP JP4506305A patent/JPH06504740A/ja active Pending
• 1993
  • 1993-09-03 FI FI933863A patent/FI933863A0/fi not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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