Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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WASTE PROCESSING MACHINE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a waste processing machine; more
specifically, to a waste processing machine incorporating a combination chipper,swing hammer and hog hammer.
Description of the Related Art
A variety of devices are provided to comminute and chip discarded
waste products. Currently, four types of equipment are generally used for this
purpose: chippers (disc and drum types), hammermills, hogs and shredders.
Shredders operate much slower than the other three types and are more suited forprocessing metals and rubber products. d .-
Chippers are generally constructed around a rotating disc or drum.
The chippers mount a plurality of blades to the rotating disc or drum and shear
the wood products into chips. Hammermills are generally constructed around a
plurality of rotating discs having a plurality of free-swinging hammers attached at
the periphery of each disc, providing for the transferring of a portion of the
kinetic energy stored in the rotating discs to the wood products through the
rotating hammers. Hogs are similar to harnmermills except that the hammers are
rigidly secured to the periphery of the rotating discs. Hammermills and hogs mayalso be constructed with a drum.
Of chippers, hammermills and hogs, chippers are generally much
more efficient, requiring less horsepower to chip the material while
simultaneously being more productive. Chippers can chip logs and trees up to 40
inches in diameter, as well as small brush. They are also used to produce a
dimensionally similar chip for the paper industry. A major disadvantage of
chippers is that they require reasonably "clean" wood in order for the chipper
knives to remain sharp. Any foreign material such as nails, spikes, rocks and sand
~3~90
will quickly dull the knife cutting edge. For this reason, chippers are not suited
for reducing wood waste such as pallets, construction refuse or paper products.
A hammermill will break up pallets, paper products, construction
materials and small tree branches. The kinetic energy stored in the free-swinging
hammers is used to break up the material. Because the hammers do not have the
same requirement for sharp edges as chipper knives, dirty material is easily
processed by a hammermill. A hammermill also has the advantage that the
rotatable hammers will recoil backwardly if the hammer cannot break the
material on impact. This built-in safety feature permits the hammers to protr.~de
several inches beyond the discs that support them, making it possible for the
hammers to make good contact with the material.
However, a known disadvantage of the hammermill is that the size
of the free-swinging hammers is limited. The hammers rely on centrifugal force
to hold them in a radially-outward position ready for impact. Upon impact, they
may swing back rapidly which produces an unbalancing force on the mill. If the
hammermill turns too fast or the hammers are too heavy, a large vibration will
occur. For this reason, the amount of kinetic energy that can be stored in the
free-swinging hammers is limited. This, in turn, limits the size of the logs being
processed to approximately six inches in diameter.
A hog is similar to a hammermill except that the hog hammers are
fixed to the discs or drum and do not rotate relative to the disc assembly. The
hog has two advantages over the hammermill. First, the disc assembly or drum
always remains balanced because the hog hammers do not swing. Second, the hog
hammer uses the full kinetic energy that is stored in the rotating disc assembly or
drum to do the work on the waste products. Normally, the stored energy in the
disc assembly or drum is far greater than the stored energy in the free-swinginghammers. Typically, logs up to eight or nine inches in diameter can be processedwith a hog. The upper limit is dictated by the amount of power available and thestructural limits of the hog assembly.
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Because hog hammers are rigidly attached to ,he disc assembly or
drum, there is a greater possibility of damag;ng the machine when the hog
hammers contact material which cannot be readily broken upon impact. Because
of possible machine damage, hog hammers do not normally protrude radially
outwardly as far as free-swinging hammers. A large protrusion would also requiremuch more power to force the hammer through the material. Typically, a hog
hammer would protrude only about half as much as a free-swinging hammer. The
resulting reduction in material contact area can push the material away from thehog hammer head rather than draw it into the disc assembly or drum, reducing
the productivity and efficiensy of the machine.
The related art does not disclose a waste processor which combines
the attributes of a chipper, hammermill and hog. However, one design has
attempted to combine the attributes of a hog hammer with a hammermill. This
design provided for a limited swing of the free-swinging hammer. The design
provided for the swinging hammer to protrude above the disc assembly the same
distance as the typical free-swinging hammers, but the backward swing or recoil is
restricted by a dead stGp, wherein a portion of the hammer still protrudes radially
outwardly from the disc assembly. At this point, further movement of the
hammer is stopped and the swinging hammer has the attributes of a hog hammer.
This compromise arrangement enables the hammers to initially
make good contact with the material being processed while using the large
amount of kinetic energy stored in the disc assembly to do the work on the :
material. One disadvantage of this compromise arrangement is that the hammers
receive two blows. The first blow occurs when the hammer impacts the material,
but a damaging blow may occur when the hammer makes contact with the dead
stop. A second disadvantage is that the hammer tip must be designed so that the
hammer presents an impact face to the material in its laid back position that will
not push the material away ~rom the hammerhead. The required harmner profile
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for this arrangement rapidly changes shape as the hammer wears, resulting in a
loss of performance.
SUMMARY OF T~IE INVENTION
The invention is direc~ed to a waste processor for comminuting and
chipping waste material. In the preferred embodiment, the waste processor
comprises a generally cylindrical housing having an inlet opening on one side and
an outlet opening on the other side. A main shaft is axially mounted within the
housing and is connected to a drive means, providing for the rotation of the main
shaft within the housing. There are at least two disss mounted a7~ially on the
main shaft which rotate correspondingly with the shaft. A bearing shaft extends
between the discs moun~ed on the main shaft. A swinging hammer is rotatably
mounted to the bearing shaft between the two discs so that a portion of the
swinging hammer extends radially beyond the periphery of the discs. The discs
are adapted to mount a hog hammer and a chipper knife at the discs' periphery ~,
so a combination of swinging hammers, hog hammers and chipper knives can be
used in a single waste processor to comminute and chip a variety of waste
materials.
In one aspect, the waste processor has a stationary hammer
mounted to the housing and which projects radially inwardly of the housing to a
point near the periphery of the discs.
In another aspect, the waste processor has a tool support which
mounts near the periphery of the discs.
Preferably, a stationary hammer is mounted to the housing in
approximately the same plane as each disc and a stationary hammer is also
mounted to the housing approximately mid-way between the plane of adjacent
discs.
In yet another aspect, a hog hammer is mounted to the tool support
and extends beyond the periphery of the disc.
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.
In a further aspect, a knife assembly is mounted to the tool support
and extends beyond the periphery of the discs. Preferably, the knife assembly has
a knife holder which retains a knife blade so that the cutting edge of the knifeblade extends slightly beyond the periphery of the discs.
Preferably, the discs have a disc aperture positioned radially
inwardly from the periphery of the discs and aligned with each other. The
swinging hammer has a shank with a base aperture which is positioned so as to
align with the disc apertures when the swinging hammer is rotated radially inward,
providing the fixing of the swinging hammer with respect to the discs by a single
rod which passes through the disc apertures and the base aperture.
Preferably, the swinging hammer has a bearing surface which
extends around the bearing shaft, and the co-efficient friction between the bearing
surface and the bearing shaft is not less than 0.20.
Preferably, the tool support is a block having a leading edge and a
trailing edge. The trailing edge is disposed in the direction of rotation of thediscs. The block has a mounting surface which extends between the leading edge
and trailing edge. The mounting surface is coincident with an imaginary plane
sloping from the leading edge to the trailing edge at an acute angle from an
imaginary line intersecting the plane at a tangent point on the periphery of thedisc.
Preferably, the tool SUppOIt is radially spaced 45 degrees from the
bearing shaft along the periphery of the discs.
Preferably, the block extends axially from the disc to abut an
adjoining block on an adjacent disc, forming a single tool support which extendsbetween adjacent discs. Parallel t-slots are disposed in the mounting surface ofthe block along lines extending from the leading edge toward the trailing edge of
the block. The angle of the block is generally 35 degrees. The block mounts to
the disc so that the block is recessed from the periphery of the disc.
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Preferably, ~ach block has opposed side edges which extend from
the leading edge to the trailing edge, three t-slots intermediate the side edges, and
a half t-slot at each side edge, so that when adjacent blocks are abutted, a whole
t slot will form at the side edges. The hog hammers can be mounted to the
mounting surface of the block by tightening bolts and nuts located in the t-slots
which provide for the hog hammer to slide down the mounting surface of the
block if the hog hammer cannot break the waste material on impact. The knife
assembly is also mounted to the mounting surface by tightening bolts and nuts inthe t-slots. In another embodiment, three stationary hammers are disposed in
substantially the same plane as at least one of the discs and the outlet opening is
disposed between two of the stationary hammers.
Preferably, there are four swing hammers radially spaced 90 degrees
apart along the periphery of the discs.
In another aspect, a waste processor which comminutes and chips
waste material has a housing in which a main shaft is mounted. The main shaft isconnected to a drive means, providing for rotating the main shaft within the
housing. A disc is axially mounted to the main shaft and rotates with the main
shaft. The disc mounts an improved tool support at the periphery of the disc. The
improved tool support comprises a block having a leading edge and a trailing
edge. The trailing edge is disposed in the direction of rotation of the discs. The
block has a mounting surface which extends between the leading edge and trailingedge. The mounting surface is coincident with an imaginary plane sloping from
the leading edge to the trailing edge at an acute angle from an imaginary line
intersecting the plane at a tangent point on the periphery of the disc.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE nRAWINGS
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings
in which:
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FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the waste processor according to
the invention.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the waste processor along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the waste processor along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the waste processor shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view of the waste processor along the
line 5-5 in FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of the waste processor along line 6-
6 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of the waste processor along line 7-
7 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view of the waste processor along the
line 8-8 in FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the chipper blade and tool holder
according to the invention.
FIG. 1û is an exploded view of the hog hammer and tool holder
according to the invention.
FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of the hydraulic leveling system
according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPrION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. I illustrates a waste processing
machine 2 which can combine the attributes of a chipper, hammermill and hog,
according to the invention, for comminuting and chipping waste material. The
waste processing machine 2 comprises three major functional systems: the infeed
system 4, the mulching system 6 and mulch expelling system 8. Waste material
enters the waste processing machine 2 through the infeed system 4 where it is
directed to the mulching system 6. The mulching system 6 breaks and chips the
waste material into a mulch which is directed into the mulch expelling system 8.
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The mulch expelling system 8 can either expel the mulch from the waste
processing machine 2 by a screw conveyor or by an impeller.
The infeed system 4 and mulch expelling system 8 are known. It is
also known to use chippers, swing hammers and hog hammers separately to
process waste material. The invention provides for unicluely combining the best
attributes of the chippers, swing hammers and hog hammers to create a waste
processing machine that can easily process any type of waste by varying the
combination of chippers, swing hammers and hog hammers as needed.
The infeed system 4 comprises infeed conveyor 12, feedwheel slide
system 13 and adjustable anvil 16. The feedwheel slide system 13 comprises
feedwheel 14, hydraulic cylinders 15, slide box 152 and box frame 154. (FIG. 11)An inlet opening 17 is defined by the space between the feedwheel 14 and infeed
conveyor 12. The waste material is placed on the infeed conveyor 12 which
moves the material into contact with the feedwheel 14 which pushes the material
through the inlet opening 17 and onto the adjustable anvil 16 which is adjacent to
the mulching system 6. Material passing under the feedwheel 14 can cause the
feedwheel slide system 13 to tilt resulting in possible binding of the feedwheelslide system 13. The hydraulic cylinders 15 are mounted to each end of the
feedwheel slide system 13, providing for the autornatic leveling of the feedwheel if
it begins to bind.
After the waste material is comminuted by the novel mulching system 6,
the mulch is expelled from the waste processor 2. The mulch expelling system
comprises discharge tube 20, impeller 22, screw conveyor 24, and thrower
discharge 26. The discharge tube 20 is mounted at the lower rear of the disc
assembly 18. The screw conveyor 20 is mounted to the bottom of the discharge
tube 20. The impeller 22 is mounted at one end of the screw conveyor 20 and the
thrower discharge is mounted above the impeller 22. The mulched material is
passed from the disc assembly 18 through the discharge tube 20 to the screw
conveyor 24 where the mulch is either moved out of the waste processing machine
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2 by the screw conveyor 24 or passed on to the impeller 22 by the screw conveyorwhere it is blown out.
The novel mulshing system 6 according to the invention is now
described in greater detail. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the mulching system 6
comprises disc assembly 18, maintenance covers 28, wear plate 30, and stationaryhammers 32. The disc assembly 18 further comprises main shaft 34, pillow blocks
36, discs 40, swing hammers 50, swing hammer bearing 60, tool holder 90, chipperknife holder 100, and hog hammer 120. Main shaft bearings 38 are rigidly
connected to the pillow blocks 36. The main shaft 34 passes through the main
shaft bearings 38 and pillow blocks 36, and rides on the main shaft bearings 38.One end of the main shaft 34 passes through the associated pillow block 36 and iconnected to a belt pulley 39. The belt pulley 39 is connected to a power source(not shown) and can accommodate single or multiple belts. Preferably, the belt
pulley 39 accommodates multiple belts.
A plurality of discs 40 are mounted to the main shaft 34. The main
shaft 34 passes through main shaft holes 42 of the discs 40. The number of discs40 used is only ]imited by the available power to turn the main shaft 34 and width
of the discs 40. However, it is preferable that seven discs 40 are mounted on the
main shaft 34 with equal spacing between each disc. The discs 40 are preferably
forty-two inches in diameter. The preferred disc spacing is approximately 9 inches
on center between adjacent discs 40.
Preferably, there are three sets of stationary hammers 32. The three
sets of longitudinally spaced stationary hammers 32 are positioned at the
periphery of the disc assembly 18. The stationary hammers 32 are rigidly
mounted to the stationary hammer mounting plates 31. Preferably, the stationary
hammers 32 are mounted to the mounting plates 31 in groups of two or three to
ensure proper spacing between the stationary hammers 32 and for ease of
handling. The stationary hammers 32 are also mounted to the mounting plates 31
so ~hat a stationary hammer 32 is in the same plane as each disc 40 and there is a
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stationary hammer 32 approximately at the midpoint between the centers of
adjacent discs 40. In a waste processing machine 10 having seven discs 40, the
corresponding number of stationary hammers is thirteen per set or thirty-nine
total.
The first set of longitudinally spaced stationary hammers 32 is
preferably located above the maintenance covers 28. The second set of stationaryhammers 32 is preferably located adjacent to the wear plate 30. The third set ofstationary hammers 32 is preferably located above the discharge tube 20. The
hammer tip 33 of the stationary hammers 32 is disposed slightly away ~rom the
outer periphery of the discs 40, preventing the discs 40, chipper knife holder 100,
and hog hammers 120 from contacting the stationary hammers as the discs 40 are
rotated. The forward most set of stationary hammers 32 is lower than the
adjustable anvil 16, providing for moving the adjustable anvil 16 over the
stationary hammers 32 and in close proximity to the discs 40.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, th~ swing hammer 50 comprises a shank
52 and hammers 54. The swing hamrner bearing 60 comprises bearing shaft 62,
sleeve bearings 64, spacers 66, outer mounting collars 68, inner mounting collars
70, and end plates 78.
The swing hammer bearing 60 is connected to each disc 40 by the
outer mounting collar 68 and inner mounting collar 70. Both the inner mounting
collar 70 and outer mounting collar 68 are inserted through a swing hamrner
bearing hole 48 on each disc 40, until flanges 69, 71 of the outer mounting collar
68 and inner mounting collar 70, respectively, contact the sides of each disc 40. A
threaded bolt 76 is inserted into countersunk openings 74 and threaded into
threaded openings 72 until tight, drawing the outer mounting collar 68 and innermounting collar 70 into tight abutment with the disc 40.
The inner and outer mounting collars 68, 70 surround the sleeve
bearings 64, retaining the sleeve bearings 64 in the desired position. The outermost discs 40 on each end of the main shaft 34 only have sleeve bearings 64
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mounted on the inner surface of the outer most discs 40. All the other discs 40
have aligned sleeve bearings 64 on each side of each disc 40. The spacer 66 is
placed between adjacent sleeve bearings 64. The spacers 66 are preferably
located at approximately the center of the distance between adjacent discs 40.
The outer mounting collar 68, inner mounting collar 70, sleeve bearing 64, and
spacer 66 are all rotatably mounted to ~he bearing shaft 62. Both ends of the
bearing shaft 62 are boited to the outermost mounting collar 68 by end plates 78and bolts 80.
The swing hammers 50 are rotatably mounted to the sleeve bearings
64. The sleeve bearing 64 passes through the bearing hole 58 of the swing
hammer 50. The spacer 66 prevents the swing hammers 50 ~rom moving
longitudinally with respect to the bearing shaft 62, during the rotation of s1iscs 40.
The spacers 66 also keep the swing hammers 50 disposed between the stationary
hammers 32 as the disc assembly 18 is rotated. Preferably, the swing hammers 50
and bearings 60 are positioned on the disc 40 so that the swing hammers will
protrude approximately 3 inches beyond the circumference of the discs 40,
advantageously providing the swing hammers with the ability to not only break upthe waste, but to draw in and compress the waste towards the disc assembly 18
which aids chipper knives 106 in cutting.
The size of the swing hammer bearing, 60 is preferably quite large
compared to similar bearings on a typical hammermill. It is known that
hammermills and especially the hammers themselves are high-wear items. The
life of a swing hammer 50 varies widely, but for a hammermill similar to the
invention, the typical life is approximately 200 hours. The increased bearing
diameter and width will increase the hammer life to approximately 1000 hours.
Further, the larger bearing diameter provides for a greater friction torque to
counteract the retrograde motion of the swing hammer after impact. If there was
no friction in the swing hammer bearing 60, the swing hammer would continue to
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rotate in retrograde motion forever after impact, resulting in the swing hammer
rotating away from any future blow.
The larger diameter swing hammer bearing 60 produces a greater
frictional torque because the friction force by a bearing is independent of the
bearing area and the torque created by the friction of the bearing is equal to the
friction force multiplied by the radius. The radius is measured from the axis ofrotation of the bearin~ shaft 62 to the outer diameter of the sleeve bearing 64.The axis of rotation of the bearing shaft 62 is preferably located 16 inches radially
outward from the axis of rotation of the main shaft 34. Therefore, as the
diameter of the sleeve bearing 64 is increased, so is the radius, and for a constant
frictional force the associated frictional torque is increased proportionally.
Preferably, the o~ter diameter of the sleeve bearing 64 is 3 5/8".
Preferably, the friction coefficient of the swing hammer bearing 60 is
not less than 0.25 which provides for the swing hammer S0 to assume its originalposition within one revoJution of the disc 40. The combination of the centrifugal
force imparted to the swing hammer by the rotating disc 40 and the friction
torque of the swing hammer bearing 60 retards the retrograde motion of the
swing hammer after impact. With a friction coefficient no~ lower than .25, the
swing hammer should stop spinning in a retrograde motion during the first 180
after impact. The centrifugal force imparted to the swing hammer S0 by the disc
assembly 18 will then accelerate the hammer in the opposite direction so that the
swing hammer 50 reaches its original position in time for the next blow. At thismoment, the hammer 50 has a rapid forward motion. The hammer tip speed is
almost twice the nominal tip speed relative to the rotating disc assembly.
Still referring to FIG. S, if it is desired not to use the swing
hammers during the processing of the waste, the swing hammers 50 can lock to
the disc 40 so that the swing hammers S0 do not protrude beyond the
circumference of the disc 40. To lock the swing hammers 50 to the discs 40, the
swing hammers 50 are rotated until locking holes 56 of the swing hammers S0
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align with swing hammer locking holes 46 o:f the discs 40. A locking bar 82 is
then inserted through the aligned swing hammer locking holes 46 of the discs 40
and the locking holes 56 of the swing hammers 50. The ends of the locking bar
82 are secured in place by nuts 84 which thread onto the ends of the locking bar82, contacting the washers 86 which tighten against the outermost discs 40. ln the
locked position, the swing hammers 50 will not interfere with the operation of the
waste processing machine 10.
Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, the tool holder 90 has mounting surface
91, T-slots 92, and mounting holes 94. The tool holder mounting block 96 has
mounting holes 98. Each side of the tool holder 90 is mounted to a disc 40.
Each disc 40 has a tool holder mounting block 96 welded to the lower most
portion of the tool holder slots 44. The bottom of the tool holder 90 rests on the
upper surface of the adjacent tool holder mounting blocks 96. The mounting
holes 94 of the tool holder 90 align with the holes 98 of the tool holder mounting
block 96. Bolts 99 are inserted through the mounting holes 94 of the tool holder90 and are threaded into the threaded holes 98 of the tool holder mounting
blocks 96, securing the tool holders 90 to the tool holder mounting blocks 96.
The ends of the tool holder 90 lie on the center line of the associated disc 40,providing for the tool holders 90 to mount to adjacent discs 40 and span across
the width of disc assembly 18.
The mounting surface 91 of the tool holder 90 has leading edge 95
and trailing edge 97. The perimeter of the mounting surface is defined by the
leading edge 9S, trailing edge 97 and ends 99. Preferably the mounting surface 91
forms approximately a 35 angle with respect to a line that is tangent to the disc
40 at the point on the disc 40 directly below the tip of the knife 106 or hog
hammer tip 124, whichever tool is mounted to the tool holder 90. 'rhe tool
holders 90 have half T-slots 93 at there ends which form a complete T-slot 92
when the tool holders are mounted adjacent to each other, providing for the
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mounting of chipper knife holder 100 or hog hammers 120 across adjacent tool
holders 90.
Referring to FIG. 9, the chipper knife holder 100 mounts to the tool
holder 90. The chipper knife holder 100 comprises clamp 102, counter knife 104,
and knife 106. The counter knife 104 has holes 108. The clarnp 102 has
countersunk holes 109. T-nuts 112 slide in the T-slots 92 of the tool holder 90.The knife 106 and counter knife 104 have corresponding knife holes 116 and 118.
The chipper knife holder 100 is mounted to the tool holder 90 by T-
nuts 112 which are slidably mounted in the T-slots 92 of the tool holder 90. TheT-nuts 112 receive the socket head cap screws 114 through the holes 108 of the
counter knife 104 and the countersunk holes 109 of the clarnp 102. The socket
head cap screws 114 are then threaded into the T-nuts 112 and tightened to
secure the chipper knife holder 100 to the tool holder 90. The knife 106 is
secured to the counter knife 104 by a set screw 110 threaded into the
corresponding kni~e holes 116 and 118. The knife 106 protrudes slightly beyond
the circumference of the disc 40, preferably 1/2 inch. The chipper knife holder
100 can mount many other types of knives. It is known to use a knife having slots
instead of knife holes 116, providing for radially adjusting the knife with respect to
the discs 40.
The preferred knife width is any width shorter than the distance
between the outer most discs 40 of the disc assemb]y 18. Preferably, the knives
106 are not as wide as the tool holders 90. The knives 106 are preferably
mounted to the tool holders with gaps between successive knives 106. Therefore,
it is preferred to have at least two rows of knives 106, and the different rows of
knives 106 are offset to eliminate any gaps during contact of the knives 106 on the
waste material. However, it is possible to mount the knives 106 across the disc
assembly without having any gaps between adjacent knives.
Referring to FIG. 10, the hog hammer 120 mounts to the tool
holder 90. The hog hammer 120 comprises body 122 and hammer tip 124. The
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body 122 has mountin~ holes 126. The hog hammer 120 can mount to the tool
holder in a manner sim;lar to the chipper knife holder 100 by T-nuts and socket
head cap screws. However, FIG. 10 shows an alternate mounting using T-bolts
128 slidably mounted in T-slots 92 and projecting through the aligned mounting
S holes 94, 126 of the tool holder 90 and hog hammer 120 with nuts 130 threaded
onto the ends of the T-bolts 128. The chipper knife holder 100 can also moune
using the T-bolts and nuts. The hog hammers 120 are preferably mounted in the
T-slots 92 which are not aligned with the disc 40 so as not to impede the rearward
movement of the hog hammer 120 when it encounters an unbreakable object.
In operation, the material, such as wooden pallets, is placed on the
infeed conveyor 12. The material rides on the infeed conveyor 12 until it is
disposed below the feedwheel 14 which pushes the material along with the infeed
conveyor onto the adjustable anvil 16, bringing the material within reach of thedisc assembly 18. The feedwheel slide system 13 by its weight partially crushes
and compacts the waste material before it reaches the disc assembly 18. The
vertical position of the feedwheel 14 is automatically adjusted when necessary to
prevent binding of the feedwheel slide system 13 by the hydraulic cylinders 15.
Each hydraulic cylinder 15 comprises a piston 132, 133 mounted to a rod 134, 135which move internally to a cylinder 136, 137. The ends of the rods 134 are
mounted to the slide box 15 which mounts the feedwheel 14 and slides within the
box frame 154. The cylinders 15 are mounted to the box frame 154 of the waste '7
processing machine 10. A hydraulic line 138 connects the top of cylinder 136 to
the bo~tom of cylinder 137. Hydraulic line 140 connects the top of cylinder 137 to
the bottom of cylinder 136 after passing through a direction control valve 142. A
hydraulic pump 144 and hydraulic fluid reservoir 146 are connected to the
direction control valve 142 by hydraulic lines 148, 150, respectively.
When material passes between the conveyor 12 and feedwheel, ~he
feedwheel will automatically ride up over the material. Because of the length of
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the feedwheel, if the load is offset from the center, the slide mechanism may tend
to bind.
When the lifting force imparted by the material on the feedwheel 14
causes the rod 134 to lift, the fluid in the top of the cylinder is forced down
hydraulic line 138, into the bottom of the cylinder 137 by piston 132 and exerts a
lifting force Oll the bottom of the piston 133 in cylinder 137. The fluid in the top
of cylinder 137 then passes through hydraulic line 140, to fill the void at the
bottom of cylinder 136, equalizing the fluid in both cylinders. Both pistons move
up and down in equal distances, causing the feedwheel 14 to remain level. If a
lifting force is encountered at the opposite end, the oil moves along hydraulic
lines 138 and 140 in the opposite direction, producing the same result.
The feedwheel 14 can be lifted with or without an incoming load by
passing through the control valve 142 i~rom the hydraulic pump 144, fluid exerting
a force on the bottom of piston 132 producing a lifting action, producing an equal
lifting force at the bottom of piston 133. The fluid from the top of the piston 133
flows through the control valve 142 back to the hydraulic reservoir 146. Similarly,
a downward pressure can also be put on the top of cylinder 137 to force the slide
box down.
After the material is passed through the feedwheel 14, the material is
contacted by whatever tool combination of swing hammers 50, chipper knives 106
and hog hammers 120 is mounted to the disc assernbly 18, breaking or chipping
the material into a mulch. By simultaneously using all three tools or a
combination of the three tools, a very efficient waste processor is obtained.
Assuming all three tools are mounted to the disc assembly 18, the swing hammers
50 contact the waste first, further crushing and compacting the waste while
drawing the waste closer to the disc assembly 18. The hog hammers 120 will
contact the waste second and further crllsh ~md compact the waste. The chipper
knives will then chip the compacted material into even finer pieces. It is
beneficial that the swing hammers 50 and hog hammers 120 crush and compact
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the material because the knives 106 of the chipper knife holder 100 cut
compacted material more efficiently than loose, springy material.
The centrifugal force impartecl by the chipper knife holders 100,
swing hammers 50 or hog hammers 120 to the mulch will force the material into
the discharge tube 20. The processed material is then removed from the
discharge tube by the screw conveyor 24 which removes the process material to anawaiting container or to the impeller 22 which throws the process material out the
thrower discharge 26. If desired, the impeller 22 and thrower discharge 26 can be
replaced with a disc type chipper which could reduce the output from the recycler
to smaller chips.
The tool selection is controlled by the type of waste being
processed. If the material being processed is "clean" (having no metal or rocks),
then only knives 106 are mounted to the tool holders 90. If the material being
processed is slightly "dirty," (having some rock and dirt fragments~, the preferred
combination includes only swing hammers 50 and chipper knives 106 . The
swinging hammers also clean sand and rocks from wood waste (such as tree
stumps) before they reach the chipper knives 106 which greatly increases the
capacity to use chipper knives 106, which in turn will increase the productivity of
the waste processing machine 10. It is possible and sometimes desireable to use a
combination of swing hammers 50, chipper knives 106 and hog hammers 120. If
the chipper knives 106 and hog hammers 120 are used simultaneously, it is
preferred that the chipper knives 106 and hog hammers 120 are alternately
mounted to the tool holders 90. If the material being processed contains metal,
the chipper knives 106 are generally not used and only hog hammers 120 are
mounted to the tool holders 90. A combination of swing hammers and hog
hammers is generally used for "dirty" material containing metal.
The swing hammers 50 are positioned on the discs 40 so that they
move between the stationary hammers. The swing hammers 50 and the stationary
harnmers 32 will usually break any material caught between them into smaller
~1 33~0
, . . . .
pieces, unless the material is too large to break. The stationary hammers 32
provide a surface for trapping material so that the hammer 54 of the swing
hammer 50 contacts the material approximately perpendicular to the surface of
the material, rather than a glancing blow.
If the hog hammer 120 is used, the body 122 of the hog hammer 120
will contact the material imparting the centrifugal force of the disc assembly 18 to
the material, causing the material to break into smaller pieces. If the hog
hammer 120 contacts material which cannot be broken, the resulting impact will
force the hog hammer to slide down the mounting surface 91 of the tool holder
90. The hog hammer 120 can slide down the mounting surface 91 until it is
disposed equal to or behind the circumference of the disc 40, preventing furtherdamage to the hog hammer and disc assembly. The waste processing machine 10
will then be turned off and the unbreakable material will be removed. The hog
hammer 120 is then manually returned to its original position and the waste
processing machine 10 can be restarted.
Reasonable variation and rnodification are possible within the spirit
of the foregoing specification and drawings without departing from the scope of
the invention.
-18-
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