Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MOBILE SORTING UNIT
Field of the Disclosure
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to sorting methods and
apparatus and, more
particularly, to mobile sorting methods and apparatus.
Background of the Disclosure
[0002] Various types of mobile sorting methods and apparatus are known in the
art. Such
systems are often particularly suited for a specific type of commingled
materials, and.
typically include one and sometimes two screeners mounted on a mobile
platform. For
example, U.S. Patent No. 6,843,376 to Dube et al. discloses a mobile screening
unit having a
first screener and a second screener mounted on a mobile support frame. When
used to
separate composite materials having particles of various sizes, the first
screener may separate
large size particles from small and medium size particles, while the second
screener separates
small size particles from the medium size particles. The mobile screening unit
of Dube et al.
therefore separates incoming material by size into small, medium, and large
particles.
[0003] Separating materials solely by size, as taught by Dube et al., is of
only limited use:
Materials with different characteristics or requirements for re-use (or
disposal) may have a
similar size, and therefore further sorting, typically by hand, is required to
separate the
similarly sized materials into the desired material streams. When sorting
construction and
demolition materials, for example, rock or aggregate may have the same general
size
dimensions as paper or trash. While these materials may have similar size,
their end uses are
quite different. Specifically, aggregate may often be re-used on site or at
another site as base
or fill material, while paper may have a BTU content usable as fuel or trash
must be disposed
in an appropriate landfill. Consequently, the medium sized products must be
further
separated for these different end uses.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0004] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a mobile sorting unit in accordance
with the
teachings of the present disclosure;
[0005] Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the mobile sorting unit of Fig. 1;
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[0006] Fig. 3 is a left end view of the mobile sorting unit of Fig. 1;
[0007] Fig. 4 is a right end view of the mobile sorting unit of Fig. 1; and
[0008] Fig. 5 is a plan view of the mobile sorting unit of Fig. 1.
[0009] While the methods and devices described herein are susceptible to
various
modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments
thereof are
depicted in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be
understood,
however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific
forms disclosed in the
drawings. To the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications,
alternative
constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the
invention as defined
by the appended claims.
Detailed Description
[0010] Mobile sorting apparatus and methods are disclosed for separating
usable material
from commingled materials. Portable apparatus may be provided for performing
sorting
operations on site. The apparatus may include a sorting unit having multiple
separator
stations for removing materials having a particular characteristic from the
commingled
materials. For example, the sorting unit may include an oversized separator,
an undersized
separator, and a mass separator. Each separator station may remove material
from the
commingled materials that is potentially reusable. Additionally or
alternatively, the sorting
unit may separate material from the commingled materials that may be returned
to or
otherwise stored on site, thereby reducing the.volume and weight of material
that must be
transferred off site.
[0011] An exemplary mobile sorting unit 20 is illustrated in Fig. 1. As shown,
the mobile
sorting unit 20 includes a platform such as trailer 22 having a.set of wheels
24 at one end.
The trailer 22 preferably includes a hitch 26 and a retractable support 28.
The hitch 26 may
be of any configuration recognized in the art and capable of attaching to a
truck, tractor, or
other transport vehicle. The support 28 is movable between a transport
position in which a
foot of the support is lifted from the ground, and in operational position, in
which the foot of
the support engages the ground to support one end of the trailer 22, thereby
to maintain the
trailer in a substantially horizontal position.
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[0012] A sorting unit 30 is supported on the trailer 22 and adapted for
transport with the
trailer. The sorting unit 30 may be permanently or releasably secured to the
trailer 22. The
trailer 22 and sorting unit 30 may have dimensions (or may be placeable in a
transport
configuration having dimensions) that meet department of transportation sizes
regulations for
unrestricted transport along roadways. Preferably, the assembled trailer 22
and sorting unit
30 have dimensions less than approximately 8-1/2 feet wide by 55 feet long by
14 high. The
sorting unit 30 separates commingled materials deposited therein according to
certain
physical characteristics, thereby to sort the commingled material into
multiple, potentially
reusable materials streams.
[0013] The sorting unit 30 preferably includes an inlet hopper 32 for
receiving bulk
commingled material. In the exemplary embodiment, a conveyor 34 is located at
a base of
the hopper 32 and includes a variable speed drive for adjusting the feed rate
at which the
commingled material enters a first separator station. The hopper 32 includes
opposing side
walls 33 that flare outwardly from one another, thereby to direct commingled
material toward
the conveyor 34.
[0014] In the illustrated embodiment, the sorting unit 30 includes an
oversized material
separator station 36 for removing oversized materials from the commingled
materials. The
oversized separator station 36 includes an oversize classifying medium 37 that
allows smaller
material less than a maximum size to pass through the oversized classifying
medium while
advancing oversized material greater than the maximum size to the oversize
discharge area
38. The maximum size is preferably at least 3 inches and typically
approximately 5 to 10
inches. Oversized material reaching the oversize discharge area 38 may be
transported to a
different apparatus or site for further sorting, while material passing
through the oversize
classifying medium may be advanced to an outlet for further processing in the
mobile sorting
unit 20.
[0015] In the exemplary embodiment, the oversized material separator station
36 is
provided as a vibratory finger screen. The finger screen includes a plurality
of longitudinally
spaced finger screen sections having spaced fingers projecting therefrom to
form a classifying
medium 37. The fingers are spaced by a preselected amount sufficient to allow
materials up
to a preselected size to pass through the fingers as the finger screen is
vibrated, such as by
vibratory drive 39. The vibratory drive 39 may include a motor having an
eccentrically
loaded shaft that generates a vibratory force when rotated. Material larger
than the
preselected size advances along the top of the finger screen section to the
oversize discharge
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area 38. Material smaller than the preselected size passes through the finger
screen sections
to the oversize separator outlet 40 (FIG. 2). In the illustrated embodiment,
the outlet 40
extends across an entire bottom portion of the finger screen. The space
between adjacent
fingers and between adjacent finger screen sections may be adjusted as desired
to obtain the
maximum size. In the current embodiment. Additional details of a suitable
finger screen are
provided in U.S. Patent No. 5,108,589, which issued to Sherman on April 28,
1992, the
entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. Furthermore, screeners
other than a
finger screen may be used to separate the oversized material without departing
from the
present disclosure.
[0016] A first transfer conveyor 42 is provided for receiving and transporting
the smaller
material passing through the oversize separator station, as best shown in FIG.
2. In the
illustrated embodiment, the conveyor 42 has a first end 41 positioned below
the oversize
separator station outlet 40 and an inclined second end 43. The transfer
conveyor 42 is
preferably a belt conveyor, however other types of conveyors and apparatus for
transferring
the material may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
[0017] The sorting unit 30 may further include an undersize separator station
44 for
removing fines or other small particles from the commingled materials. The
undersize
separator station includes an undersize classifying medium 45 that allows
material smaller
than a minimum size to pass through the undersize classifying medium to an
undersize
discharge area 46 while advancing material larger than the minimum size to an
undersize
screener outlet 47. The minimum material size is adjustable, and is preferably
less than
approximately five inches and typically within a range of approximately 1/8 of
an inch to 2
inches.
[0018] In the exemplary embodiment, the undersize separator station 44 is
provided as a
screener such as the STARGEAR screener marketed by Sherbrooke O.P.M. LTD. of
Quebec,
Canada. Such a screener includes a plurality of shafts connected by gears to
rotate in the
same direction. Disks having finger-like projections, which in certain
embodiments may
appear similar to a star-shape, are attached to and rotated with the shafts to
form the
classifying medium 45. Gaps between the projections allow undersized material
less than the
minimum size to pass through to the undersized discharge area while advancing
larger
material greater than the minimum size to the outlet 47 of the screener. While
a star screener
is preferred, other types of screeners may be used to separate the undersized
material without
departing from the scope of this disclosure.
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[0019] An undersize material discharge conveyor 50 is provided for receiving
undersized
material from the undersize discharge area 46 and advancing it to a discharge
point, as best
shown with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 5. The conveyor 50 may be a belt
conveyor that is
pivotally coupled to the sorting unit 30 or the trailer 22 for rotation
between transport and
operational positions. In the transport position, a free end 51 of the
conveyor 50 is positioned
adjacent the sorting unit 30 to reduce the width profile of the mobile sorting
unit 20. In the
operational position, the free end of the conveyor 50 is rotated outwardly to
define a
discharge point spaced from the unit 20. The conveyor 50 may be equipped with
a magnetic
head pulley 52 to separate metallic objects from the material advanced by the
conveyor 50.
[0020] A second transfer conveyor 54 is provided for receiving and advancing
larger
material from the outlet 47 of the undersize separator station 44, as best
shown in FIGS. I
and 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the second transfer conveyor is a belt
conveyor having
a first end 56 positioned below the outlet 47 and an inclined second end 58.
While the
second transfer conveyor 54 is preferably a belt conveyor, other types of
conveyors and
apparatus for transferring the material may be used without departing from the
scope of this
disclosure.
[0021] The sorting unit 30 includes an additional separator station for
separating material
according to a characteristic other than size. In the exemplary embodiment, a
mass separator
station 60 is provided for sorting materials according to density. As noted
above, different
materials may have roughly the same size and therefore remain commingled after
passing
through the undersize separator station. These similarly sized materials may
have different
characteristics that allow for different types of re-use or disposal. By
further sorting these
materials by another characteristic, such as mass, the sorting unit 30 allows
for a greater
variety of output materials, which may eliminate subsequent manual or other
additional
sorting steps that may otherwise be required to fully separate the commingled
material.
[0022] In the illustrated embodiment, the mass separator comprises a destoner.
-An
exemplary destoner is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,624,370 which issued to
Danner, et al.
on November 25, 1986, and is incorporated by reference herein. The destoner
includes a
trough defining two plateaus 62, 64 interrupted by a drop-out opening 66.
Materials are
conveyed along the upper plateau 62 and over the drop-out opening 66 by a
vibratory force
provided by vibratory drive 68, which may be a motor with an eccentrically
loaded shaft. An
air supply source, such as a fan 70, fluidly communicates with the destoner to
provide
pressurized air flow which is directed through the drop-out opening 66 at an
angle to the
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plane of the upper plateau 62 which breaks apart constituents of the material
and propels
particles of a predetermined density to a landing area on the second plateau
64. The lighter
objects landing on the second plateau 64 are transported to a discharge area
72 for further
processing or disposal. Heavy materials falling through the drop-out area
advance to an
outlet 74 of the destoner. While the exemplary embodiment employs a destoner
as the mass
separator station, other types of apparatus capable of separating materials
according to
relative mass may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
[0023] A third transfer conveyor 76 (FIG. 1) is positioned to receive heaving
material
exiting the mass separator station 60 and advance it to a final discharge
conveyor 78. In the
exemplary embodiment, the third transfer conveyor 76 is a belt conveyor having
one end 80
positioned below the outlet 74 of the mass separator station 60 and an
opposite end 82
positioned above the final discharge conveyor 78.
[0024] The final discharge conveyor 78 is positioned to receive the heavy
material exiting
the third transfer conveyor 76 and advance it to a final discharge point, as
best illustrated in
FIGS. 1, 4 and 5. Similar to the discharge conveyor 50 described above, the
final discharge
conveyor. 78 may be a belt conveyor having a first end 84 pivotally coupled to
the trailer 22
or sorting unit 30, so that the conveyor 78 may be placed in either a
transport position or an
operational position. In the transport position, a second end 86 of the final
discharge
conveyor 78 is positioned adjacent the sorting unit 30 to reduce the profile
width of the
mobile sorting unit 20. The second end 86 may be rotated away from the sorting
unit 30 in
the operational mode to provide a discharge point spaced from the trailer 22.
The final
discharge conveyor 78 may include a magnetic head pulley 88 for removing
metallic material
from the material traveling along the conveyor 78.
[0025] A power supply (not shown) may be provided on the trailer 22 to
generate power
for the motors used to operator the various components of the separator unit.
The separator
stations may use vibratory, rotary gear, or other drives to provide a force
for advancing and
separating the material. The feed, transfer, and discharge conveyors may use
similar drives
to move the conveyor belt or otherwise advance material there along. Each of
these drives
includes a motor, and the power supply generates power for operating the
motors.
Additionally or alternatively, the various components of the sorting unit 30
may be powered
by an auxiliary power supply, such as a power source provided at the site.
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[0026] The mobile sorting unit 20 may be used to separate commingled materials
from a
variety of sources into one or more reusable materials. When used at
construction or
demolition sites, for example, the commingled materials may include rock,
concrete, dirt,
wood, metal, or other materials used in the construction buildings. This
material is typically
accumulated and stacked on site. Accordingly, the mobile sorting unit 20 may
be transported
to the site to perform sorting operations.
[0027] When commingled construction and demolition materials are deposited in
the inlet
hopper 32, the conveyor 34 controls the rate at which the materials are fed
into the oversize
separator 36. Materials larger than the predetermined maximum size pass do not
pass
through the oversize separator 36 but instead are removed from the sorting
unit 30. Such
oversized materials may include large chunks of concrete or stone, wood, or
other materials.
The smaller material is then advanced to the undersize separator 44, which
removes fines or
smaller particles. For construction and demolition material, fines typically
include dirt, dust,
or other similarly sized particles. Such fines may be re-used on site or at
another site as fill.
The remaining materials are then forwarded to the mass separator 60, which
removes lighter
particles from the stream. The lighter particles may include paper or other
materials that have
a BTU content, and therefore may be removed for use as fuel. Alternatively,
the lighter
materials may be removed for disposal as trash. The remaining heavier
materials are
typically stone or aggregate which may be reused either on site or at another
site.
[0028] The foregoing apparatus and methods provide a mobile means for
separating
reusable material from commingled materials on site. The system is automated
and requires.
minimal manual labor. The settings of the various separator stations may be
adjusted to
accommodate different types of commingled materials. Accordingly, the volume
and weight
of material requiring off site disposal is reduced and reusable material may
be transported
directly to its final destination rather than first being hauled to a central
facility. The
commingled material is sorted by size and at least one other characteristic,
such as mass, to
obtain a more complete separation of the commingled materials.
[0029] While the present invention has been described with reference to
specific examples,
'which are intended to be illustrative only and not to be limiting of the
invention, it will be
apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that changes, additions or
deletions may be made
to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of
the invention.
