ZA200601306B - Waste compactor - Google Patents

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

} [0001] This invention relates to a method of compacting bulk waste and to a compactor for carrying out the method. See

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0002] Known portable waste compactors include a large capacity, approximately 4m? to 20m?, waste bin, a waste inlet into the bin which is situated adjacent one end of the bin, a compaction press plate which extends across the internal width of the bin with its bottom edge on or adjacent the floor of the bin and a hydraulic ram for moving the press plate from a first position in which at least its upper edge is clear of the waste inlet on the side of the inlet away from the bin waste collection chamber and a second position in which waste below the inlet is transported by the press plate a short distance into the bin waste collection chamber. The press plate is periodically reciprocated by the ram between its first and second positions of movement in the bin progressively to fill and eventually compact the waste in the waste collection chamber of the bin.

[0003] When the bin is filled with compacted waste it is transported by a skip waste-type dedicated truck to a waste dump site to be emptied. It is then cleaned and returned to the user.

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[0004] One drawback to waste compactors of the above type is that in eventually compressing the large volume of waste in the waste collection chamber of the bin inadequate pressure is applied to the waste to destroy many articles, such as bottles and the like in the waste which are then dumped intact oo 5 into the waste dump site with the bottles and other containers in the waste perhaps containing material which is potentially dangerous to human waste dump scavengers.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0005] It is the object of this invention to provide a method of and apparatus for significantly improving the efficiency of waste compactors of the above type.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] A method of compacting waste in a waste compactor bin according to the invention includes the steps of filling a waste collection zone in the bin, which is defined between a compaction press plate and a compression reaction plate, through an elevated inlet into the bin, moving the compression press plate towards the reaction plate to compact the collected waste between the two plates in the waste collection zone, removing the reaction plate from the path of the press plate and moving the compacted waste by means of the press plate into a compacted waste collection chamber in the bin, relocating the press and reaction plates in their waste collection zone defining positions in the bin and repeating

P.20577/bjt the above process until the compacted waste collection chamber of the bin is at least substantially filled with compacted waste.

[0007] The method may include the steps of removing the reaction plate from the path of the press plate by lifting the plate in the bin from the press plate path.

[0008] Preferably the reaction plate is located on the ends of swinging arms which are pivotally connected to structure in the bin and rotating the arms by means of hydraulic rams to lift and lower the plate from and into the press plate path into the compacted waste collection chamber in the bin.

[0009] A waste compactor according to the invention comprises a waste bin, an elevated waste inlet into a waste collection zone in the bin adjacent a first of its ends, a compaction press plate in the bin which is movable from a first position at the first end of the bin to a second position in a compacted waste collection chamber in the bin, a compression reaction plate in the bin which is movable between a first position in which it is situated in the path of movement of the press plate to its second position of movement to cause waste which is moved by the press plate to be compacted between it and the pressure plate in the waste collection zone and a second position in which it is clear of the press plate path to enable the compacted waste to be moved from the waste collection zone into the compacted waste collection chamber by the pressure plate, and means for sequentially moving the press and reaction plates between their first and second positions of movement.

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[0010] The waste compactor may include piston and cylinder rams for lifting and lowering the compression reaction plate from and into the path of movement of the compaction press plate.

Tr [0011] The reaction plate may be located on swinging arms which are pivotally connected to fixed structure in the bin with the piston and cylinder rams each being connected between an arm and fixed structure in the bin for rotating the arms about their pivots to lift and lower the compaction compression plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] An embodiment of the invention is now described by way of a non-limiting example only with reference to the drawings in which :

Figure 1 is a cut-away isometric view of the compactor of the invention, and

Figures 2 to 5 are partially diagrammatic sectioned side elevations of the compactor of Figure 1 which illustrate the operation of the machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0013] The compactor 10 of the invention is shown in the drawings to include a waste bin 12 having a compacted waste collection chamber 14, an elevated waste material inlet 16 which is situated in a stepped-down portion of the bin 12, a compaction press plate 18 and a compression force reaction plate 20.

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[0014] The compaction press plate 18 is carried by a press plate carriage 22 which carries on its side walls aligned slide formations 24 which are slidably located in slide channels 26 in the side walls of the bin 12. The press plate carriage is moved towards and away from the waste collection bin 14 by a pair of oo 5 piston and cylinder hydraulic rams 28.

[0015] The reaction plate 20 is located between and fixed to swinging arms 30 which carry towards their free ends outwardly projecting trunnions 32 which are journaled for rotation in suitable bearings, not shown, which are located in the side walls of the bin 12. The reaction plate 20 is operated, as will be described below, by piston and cylinder hydraulic rams 34 which are connected to act between their upper ends which are pivotally located on pivot pins which project inwardly from the side walls of the bin 12 and the free ends of their piston rods which are connected to lugs on the reaction plate swinging arms 30, as shown in the drawings. The upper ends of the rams 34 are, as shown on the left in Figure 1, shielded from compacted waste by cover plates 35.

[0016] A reaction stop beam 36 is fixed to and extends between the side walls of the waste bin in the waste collection chamber 14.

[0017] The operation of the compactor 10 is now described with reference to

Figures 2 to 5 in which S indicates the maximum stroke length of the compaction press plate 18.

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£-2006/ 01306

[0018] In use, the press plate 18 carriage 22 is located by the rams 28 at the rear limit of its stroke and the reaction plate 20 is lowered by the rams 34 to the position shown in Figure 2 at which its lower edge rests on the floor of the bin 12. oo “In this position of the plates 18 and 20 a waste collection pre-compaction zone 38 is defined, below the bin inlet 16, between the plates 18 and 20, the floor of the bin and the side walls of the bin, as shown in Figure 2.

[0019] When the waste collection zone 38 has been filled or nearly so with waste, the hydraulic system, not shown, for operating the plate rams 28 and 34 is switched on and the rams 28 are activated to move the press plate carriage 22 towards the plate 20 to compact the waste material in the zone 38 under high pressure, which could be as much as 190kN at 150 bar, as shown in Figure 3. At this high compaction pressure almost everything, such as bottles, other containers and so on in the waste are crushed to destruction in full view of the operator of the compactor 10.

[0020] On completion of the Figure 3 waste compaction the rams are again activated to withdraw the press plate carriage 22 back to its Figure 1 position to be clear of the reaction plate 20 which is now raised by its rams 34 to the position illustrated in Figure 4 where upper movement of the reaction plate 20 is stopped against the reaction bar stop 36.

[0021] The rams 28 are again activated to move the press plate 18 carriage 22 beneath the raised reaction plate 20 into the waste collection chamber 14 of the

P.20577/bit bin 12 at the forward limit of its stroke S to feed the highly compacted waste 40 into the already compacted waste 42 in the waste collection chamber 14 of the bin 12 as shown in Figure 5. Each further load of compacted waste 40 which is : fed into the collection chamber 14 further compacts the waste 42 in the chamber 14 in a second compaction step in the operating process of the compactor.

[0022] The press plate 18 carriage 22 is now withdrawn back to its Figure 2 position and the reaction plate is similarly lowered back to its Figure 2 position by the rams 34 to re-establish the waste collection zone 38. The operating cycle of the compactor as described above is periodically repeated until the waste collection chamber 14 of the bin 12 is filled or nearly so with the compacted material. Obviously, the compacted waste capacity of the waste collection chamber 14 is increased over that of the prior art compactors, which do not include a pre-compaction stage, as the waste is far more tightly compacted to a smaller volume than is otherwise the case in bins which do not include a compaction reaction plate.

[0023] The loaded compactor is now lifted and transported by a dedicated truck to a waste fill site and emptied. Although not mentioned in the specification or shown in the drawings the forward wall 44 of the bin 12 is in fact a door which is top-hinged for the discharge of the compacted waste material in the waste collection chamber from the compactor. As mentioned in the preamble to the specification the compactor now is cleaned and returned to its user.

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[0024] The invention is not limited to the precise details as herein described with reference to the drawings. For example, the reaction plate need not be operated by the swinging arms 30, and could be in the form of a slide gate which is oo slidably located in channels in the side walls of the bin to be movable between its two positions of operation by rams such as the rams 34.

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Claims (8)

1. ] 1. A method of compacting waste in a waste compactor bin including the steps of filling a waste collection zone in the bin, which is defined between a em compaction press plate and a compression reaction plate, through an elevated inlet into the bin, moving the compression press plate towards the reaction plate to compact the collected waste between the two plates in the waste collection zone, removing the reaction plate from the path of the press plate and moving the compacted waste by means of the press plate into a compacted waste collection chamber in the bin, relocating the press and reaction plates in their waste collection zone defining positions in the bin and repeating the above process until the compacted waste collection chamber of the bin is at least substantially filled with compacted waste.
2. 2. A method of compacting waste as claimed in claim 1 including the steps of removing the reaction plate from the path of the press plate by lifting the plate in the bin from the press plate path.
3. 3. A method of compacting waste as claimed in claim 2 wherein the reaction plate is located on the ends of swinging arms which are pivotally connected to structure in the bin and rotating the arms by means of hydraulic rams to lift and lower the plate from and into the press plate path into the compacted waste collection chamber in the bin.

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4. 4. A waste compactor comprising a waste bin, an elevated waste inlet into a waste collection zone in the bin adjacent a first of its ends, a compaction press plate in the bin which is movable from a first position at the first end of the bin to a second position in a compacted waste collection chamber in the bin, a compression reaction plate in the bin which is movable between a first position in which it is situated in the path of movement of the press plate to its second position of movement to cause waste which is moved by the press plate to be compacted between it and the pressure plate in the waste collection zone and a second position in which it is clear of the press plate path to enable the compacted waste to be moved from the waste collection zone into the compacted waste collection chamber by the pressure plate, and means for sequentially moving the press and reaction plates between their first and second positions of movement.
5. 5. A waste compactor as claimed in claim 4 including piston and cylinder rams for lifting and lowering the compression reaction plate from and into the path of movement of the compaction press plate.
6. 6. A waste compactor as claimed in claim 5 wherein the reaction plate is located on swinging arms which are pivotally connected to fixed structure in the bin with the piston and cylinder rams each being connected between an arm and fixed structure in the bin for rotating the arms about their pivots to lift and lower the compaction compression plate.

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7. 7. A method of compacting waste in a compactor bin substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.
8. 8. A waste compactor substantially as herein described with reference to and : as illustrated in the drawings. DATED this 14" day gh FEBRUARY 2006 [J] McCALLUM RADEMEYER & FREIMOND Patent Agents for the Applicant

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