Classifications

• • 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
  • 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
  • B29B2017/001—Pretreating the materials before recovery
  • B29B2017/0021—Dividing in large parts
• • 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
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C2791/00—Shaping characteristics in general
  • B29C2791/001—Shaping in several steps
• • 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
  • 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
  • B29K2105/00—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped
  • B29K2105/06—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped containing reinforcements, fillers or inserts
• • 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
  • B29K2105/00—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped
  • B29K2105/26—Scrap or recycled 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
• • 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
  • B29L2030/003—Plies; Breakers
• • 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

• a vehicle tyre is constructed in the form of a carcass made up of sheets or strips of reinforcing material impregnated and covered with a rubber compound, the carcass being secured to reinforcement rings forming the respective beads of the tyre, and forming sidewalls that support the tread of the tyre.
• the tread made of a higher quality rubber compound, encircles the carcass and incorporates a metal filamentary reinforcement band commonly referred to as a 'breaker strip'.
• the composition of the tread rubber of the tyre has a higher re-sale value and accordingly it is most desirable to carry out the reclaiming of the materials of the tyre in a manner to enable separation of the higher quality tread rubber from the remainder of the carcass of the tyre and in particular, from the rubber of that portion of the carcass that underlies the tread rubber and breaker strip.
• the term "tread portion” means the tyre tread, the breaker strip and the portion of the carcass integral with the breaker strip and immediately therebelow.
• a method of removing rubber from the tread portion of a tyre when that tread portion is in a strip form separated from the tyre sidewalls comprising the steps of sequentially passing the tread portion strip through respective treatment zones, inverting the strip between said treatment zones, and independently removing rubber from the opposite sides of the breaker strip of the tyre at the respective treatment zones.
• the method includes the steps of passing the tread portion through a first treatment zone wherein rubber is removed down to the breaker strip on one side thereof, and thereafter inverting the remainder of the tread portion and passing it through the second treatment zone to remove the rubber from the other side down to the breaker strip.
• the high quality tread rubber is removed in the first treatment zone and the carcass rubber is removed in the second treatment zone.
• the tread portion of the tyre leaves the first treatment zone, it is caused to travel in a helical path so as to be rotated about the direction of its length through 180° to present the opposite side of the tread portion to be operated on in the second treatment zone.
• the tread portion is moved along a path supported on one side while the opposed side is subject to treatment to remove rubber from the opposite side, and is then moved along a second path supported on said opposite side while rubber is removed from said one side.
• said one side is supported on a substantially flat surface and the said opposite side is supported on an arcuate or curved surface.
• the tread portion of the tyre is subjected to ultra high pressure (UHP) fluid jet treatment which breaks down the rubber and any fibre reinforcement therein, into particles.
• UHP ultra high pressure
• the size of the particles being determined both by the nature of the UHP fluid jet equipment and the speed of traverse of the tread portion of the tyre through the respective treatment zone.
• the rate of feed of the tread portion into one or each of the treatment zones is marginally lower than the rate of withdrawal from the same treatment zone so that the area of the tread portion being subjected to the fluid jet treatment is maintained in a taut state which contributes to the effective operation of the UHP equipment.
• each treatment means includes a ultra high pressure fluid jet means for operating on the tread portion to break down and particulate the rubber on that side of the breaker strip presented to the UHP jets.
• the transfer means is arranged to move the tread portion along a part helical path, between the first and second treatment means, so that it is turned through 180° during the passage from one treatment means to the other.
• the tread portion transfer means is arranged so that as the tread portion strip passes the first treatment means, it is supported on one side, and as it passes the second treatment means, it is supported on the opposite side.
• the above described method and apparatus for removing rubber from the tread portion of a tyre enables the high value tread rubber to be removed from the tread portion of the tyre in an operation separated from the removal of the carcass rubber from the opposite side of the tread portion of the tyre thereby enabling a higher overall monetary return to be achieved from the process of recycling rubber from vehicle tyres.
• Figure 1 is a side view of the tyre tread portion processor.
• Figure 2 is a sectional view through one of the UHP treatment units.
• Figure 3 is an enlarged detailed view of the treatment zone of the processor shown in Figures 1 and 2.
• Figure 4 is a view of a modified form of the second treatment zone that may be incorporated in the processor shown in Figure 2.
• Figure 5 is a diagrammatic representation of a cross section of a typical vehicle tyre.
• the vehicle tyre 26 has a tread portion 21 sidewalls 27 and beads 28.
• the bead 28 includes a rigid ring made of a number of coils of steel wire.
• the tread portion 21 comprises a breaker strip 22 normally composed of a metal fibre with a relatively thick outer layer of high quality tread rubber 29.
• the sidewalls 27 and the inner part 27a of the tread portion being formed of a lower quality rubber with a fabric reinforcement therein. This is the construction of a typical vehicle tyre that can be processed by the method of the present invention.
• the processor for recovering the rubber from the tread portion of a vehicle tyre consists of two UHP treatment units 1 and 2 with an inverting conveyor 3 extending therebetween to transfer the tyre tread portion between the respective treatment units.
• Each of the treatment units are of the same construction and one of said units will now be described with reference to Figure 2.
• an input conveyor unit 5 and an output conveyor unit 6 located respectively on opposite sides of a treatment zone 7.
• the input conveyor 5 comprises two endless belt 8 and 9 having respective substantially parallel linear flight sections 10 and 12 defining a linear passage therebetween along which the tread portion of the tyre is conveyed gripped between the flight sections 10 and 12.
• the flight sections 10 and 12 are spaced apart a distance selected so that the tread portion of the tyre, delivered there into by the intake roller 13, is effectively gripped between, and held flat by, the linear sections 10 and 12 for conveyance to the treatment zone 7.
• the output conveyor 6 is of the same basic construction as described with respect to the inlet conveyor 5 with the parallel linear flights 10a and 12a of the conveyor 6 more closely spaced than the flights 10 and 12, in view of the reduction in the thickness of the tread portion of the tyre arising from the removal of portion of the rubber therefrom in the treatment zone 7.
• the conveyors 5 and 6 are driven from a single motor (not shown) and the drive to the respective conveyors is arranged to provide the linear speed of the flights 10a and 12a to be slightly greater than the linear speed of the flights 10 and 12, preferably of the order of 1% speed differential. This speed differential ensures that the tread portion is maintained in a taut state when passing through the treatment zone 7 to assist in the breakup and separation of the tread rubber into the required particle form.
• the output conveyor 6 delivers the partly treated tread portion 21 to the invertor conveyor 3 which is arranged in a helical form so that the tread portion of the tyre exiting from the treatment unit 1 is inverted prior to delivery to the treatment unit 2.
• the invertor conveyor 3 is in the form of a substantially rigid strip twisted to the required helical configuration with a plurality of rollers 15 extending transversely of the conveyor, and at spaced intervals therealong, the rollers being driven in unison to effect the transporting of the tread portion from treatment unit 1 to treatment unit 2.
• treatment unit 2 is substantially identical to treatment unit 1 having the same arrangement of respective input and output endless conveyors and a treatment zone as previously described.
• Each of the treatment units 1 and 2 incorporates a respective UHP fluid supply unit 19 and 20 mounted on the frame of the treatment unit to supply the high pressure fluid onto the treatment zones 7 to breakdown into particle form the rubber of the tread portion on that side of the breaker strip 22 exposed to the jets of the UHP cutter unit 24.
• a UHP cutter units 24 which is preferably of the construction disclosed in detail in Australian Patent Application No. PM 7506 and that disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
• each UHP cutter unit includes two heads 17 carrying a plurality of jets, the head preferably being driven in an oscillatory or rotary movement when in operation, which assists in the breaking up of the rubber.
• the tread portion While the tread portion is being treated by the UHP cutter unit, it is supported on the fixed surface 24 and the particles of rubber generated by the cutter head 17 are carried away by the fluid through the passage 18 for subsequent separation from the fluid and drying prior to storage.
• the treatment unit 1 removes the tread rubber and the treatment unit 2 the carcass rubber, the differing quality rubbers are separately removed and collected, leaving only the metal fibre breaker strip 22 to be discharged from treatment unit 2, which can be subsequently melted down or otherwise recycled.
• FIG 4 An alternative construction of the tyre tread treatment apparatus is shown in Figure 4, this construction having the advantage of reduced complexity and hence reduced cost, and improved reliability together with floor space saving.
• the output conveyor 6 is shown in Figure 4 and in a somewhat simplified form for the sake of clarity.
• the single treatment unit is of the same construction and function as that shown in Figures 1 and 2.
• the alternative construction shown in part in Figure 4 comprises a single treatment unit of the same general construction as the first treatment unit 1 shown in Figure 2 with the invertor conveyor 3 and the second treatment unit 2 being replaced by the magnetic drum treatment unit 30.
• the drum 31 is mounted above the exit end of the output conveyor
• the tread portion at that location comprising the metal breaker strip 22 and the underside or carcass portion of the tread portion.
• the peripheral surface 32 of the drum 31 is of steel or other suitable magnetic material and mounted within the drum is a stationary permanent magnet 35 which extends along a total arc of approximately 220°.
• the magnet is positioned so that it extends at least from a location to the left of the vertical centre line of the drum 31 , at the lower side thereof adjacent the output conveyor 6, and preferably at least to the vertical axis at the top of the drum 31 or therebeyond to an extent of to about 15°.
• the magnetic strength of the magnet 35 is substantially uniform at least over the portion below the horizontal centre line of the drum 31. Also, at least over approximately the uppermost 45° of arc, the magnetic strength is preferably progressively decreased.
• This variation in the distribution of the strength of the magnet is for the purpose of having the high strength zone immediately above the delivery portion of the output conveyor 6 so that the metal mesh of the breaker band is attracted to, and held firmly in contact with the drum 31 as it rotates past the end of the output conveyor 6. As a result, as the drum rotates the remainder of the tread portion is transferred to be magnetically supported by the drum and released from the conveyor.
• the reduction in the strength of the magnet 35 over the upper portion of the periphery of the drum 31 is to reduce the magnetic force holding the breaker strip to the drum periphery so as to permit and assist in the separation of the metal breaker strip from the surface of the drum.
• the metal breaker strip 22 is discharged from the peripheral surface of the drum 35 into the chute 34 for subsequent use of melting down to raw material.
• a single UHP fluid jet head 36 carrying a plurality of jets nozzles which can preferably be of the same general construction as previously referred to with reference to Australian Patent Application No. PM 7506.
• These jets directs of high pressure liquid against the carcass material on the underside of the breaker strip 22 to thereby remove in a fine particle form this rubber material from the metal fibre of the breaker strip of the tyre tread portion.
• This released rubber material together with the used high pressure liquid are collected under gravity in the hopper 37 and are subsequently processed in a suitable separator to collect the rubber particles and to pass the water for subsequent recycling in the high pressure jet system.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Tyre Moulding (AREA)
• Separation, Recovery Or Treatment Of Waste Materials Containing Plastics (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=3777287

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (6)

Families Citing this family (4)

Citations (3)

• 1994
  • 1994-10-20 TW TW83109707A patent/TW249764B/zh active
  • 1994-10-20 CN CN94118698A patent/CN1112480A/zh active Pending
  • 1994-10-20 WO PCT/AU1994/000640 patent/WO1995011087A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (3)

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