ES2975174T3 - Device for crushing bulk material, and corresponding method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a crusher for crushing bulk material, as well as to a trailer and a method therefor. The crusher comprises: - a frame provided with an opening; - a rotating drum which is arranged on the frame and in which blades are provided; - counter-blades which are connected to the frame and which operate with the blades to crush the material introduced into the opening; - a screen located at the bottom of the drum; and - an access door connected to the frame and provided with a tilting mechanism so that easy access to the screen can be obtained by opening the door. (Automatic translation with Google Translate, without legal value)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Device for crushing bulk material, and corresponding method

The present invention relates to a shredder or a so-called chipper. Such a shredder is used for shredding bulk material, for example wood. In practice, the material is reduced in size using shredders that are specifically used for one type of material. This means that such a shredder is used specifically for, for example, wood. For other materials, other types of shredders are used. In practice, this results in shredders with limited flexibility of use.

EP 1442796 A1 describes a crusher comprising a frame, a drum, a screen and a screen support.

JP 2004202365 A discloses the rotary crusher with a coupling part arranged on the screen.

EP 2045016 A1 describes a shredder which, for maintenance purposes, can be accessed through a door leading to the interior. A similar arrangement is described in US 4,385,732 A having two shredding shafts and two access doors to the interior. These shredders describe the features according to the preamble of claim 1.

Relatively high forces are required to crush bulk material. Therefore, counter-knives are usually supported on the frame to withstand the forces exerted by the rotating drum and the bulk material being pressed between the drum knives and the counter-knives. Depending on the bulk material, the counter-knives may wear out over time. For maintenance purposes, maintenance personnel would have to access the knives by opening a maintenance door and additionally dismantle the knives mounted on the frame structure. This is time-consuming as parts of the entire crusher have to be dismantled.

The present invention aims at providing an improved shredder with which the above-mentioned drawbacks are avoided or at least reduced.

This objective is solved by the crusher for crushing bulk material according to claim 1.

By providing a rotating drum on which the blades are arranged, the bulk material conveyed within the crusher frame is crushed by the joint action of these blades with counter-blades which are preferably fixedly arranged on the frame. By allowing the blades to rotate, the material is pressed into the space provided between the blades and the counter-blades. These blades are also called hammers, knives, combs, etc.

After the crushing stage, the crushed material is carried through a screen. Depending on the size of the screen, the crushed material is either discharged or dragged back by the drum for further crushing.

Providing an access door which is provided with a tilting mechanism makes it possible to obtain relatively easy access to the interior of the shredder, and in particular to the screen, by opening this door. Furthermore, a door can be understood as any other form of door element, such as for example a trap door or a partition. The door is preferably located at the side of the shredder and, in the closed position of the door, substantially completely seals the shredding space in which the drum is present, while in the open position access is obtained to the various components, including in particular the screen as indicated above. This has the advantage that a user can relatively easily change the screen for another screen with the associated screen size. This makes the shredder according to the invention suitable for application with various types of bulk material, including for example wood, carpets, floor coverings, plastic, walls, etc. In this case, the bulk material is specially de-ironed, i.e. iron parts are removed from the introduced bulk material in order to simplify further processing.

According to the invention, the counter-blades are arranged in the door. According to the invention, the door is provided with an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between a blade and a counter-blade.

A precise adjustment of the gap between the knives and counter-knives enables the best shredding or cutting performance, which can be adjusted depending on the bulk material on the one hand and the desired shredding size on the other. This can be done efficiently thanks to this precise adjustment, so that the material to be reduced in size also requires fewer revolutions in the shredder for further shredding. This results, among other things, in a reduction in the amount of diesel required when using a separate diesel engine as a drive. This keeps costs and emissions to a minimum.

The adjustment mechanism comprises a locking means for fixing the door relative to the frame during use. The fixing of the door also fixes the counter-knives connected to it relative to the drum. This results in any iron pieces present in the bulk material not being able to push the knives and/or blades aside and causing problems during further processing of the material.

By using the adjustable screen size in combination with the currently preferred slow-rotating shredder with a rotation speed in the range of 20 to 40 rpm, and particularly around 30 rpm, it has been found that the shredding of the bulk material can be performed in a single shredding step. This has the result that a separate pre-shredder is not needed. The shredder according to the invention thus provides a universal shredder suitable for shredding various types of bulk material, wherein the inner parts of the shredder are also accessed by means of the door, which in a currently preferred embodiment provides the user with access from the ground. This greatly increases the comfort of use and provides a flexibly adjustable shredder.

In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the tilting mechanism comprises a rotation element for performing a rotary movement of the door when the door is opened, and a translation element for performing a translation movement of the door when the door is opened.

The rotational movement and the translational movement are preferably carried out subsequently, and more preferably partially or simultaneously superimposed. This achieves a safe and efficient running/movement when opening the door. Preferably, during the translational movement, the door moves away from the rotation shaft around which the rotational movement is carried out. An advantage of this specific combination of running/movements is improved access to the internal parts of the shredder, for example for maintenance and cleaning. Furthermore, it provides easy access to the counter-blades, especially in the case where the blades are attached to the door, as is the case in a presently preferred embodiment. Furthermore, the screen support is dragged along during the translational movement, which allows effective access to the screen support.

In a currently preferred embodiment, the tilting mechanism is designed such that in the substantially open position the entire door is located outside the frame. Because the door in the open position is located substantially completely outside the frame, the door and/or the elements mounted on it can be lifted relatively easily using a crane or a clamp. This considerably improves the working conditions in the event of repairs, since it is not necessary to lift such a heavy element by hand, on which counter-blades are preferably also mounted. This increases the ease of use.

In an advantageous preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the tilting mechanism is provided with a support for lifting and co-moving the door at the lower part defined in the closed position of the door.

When a support is provided, not only a door element is opened. By means of the co-movement of the lower part as well, the door element is moved even further outwards in the open position. This improves access for a user and also greatly simplifies the removal of the door element with a crane, for example for maintenance and repair purposes.

In a currently preferred embodiment, the support is designed as a hook-shaped support element, which is hooked behind a hinge-shaped half-element provided on the underside of the door element, which in the closed position rests on a shaft or pin of the frame. Other embodiments are of course also possible.

Preferably, the tilting mechanism is also provided with a safety element to keep the lower part of the door moved by the support in the open position. The safety element prevents the door from falling out of the crusher during opening and causing dangerous situations. In fact, the outward sliding of the door element during opening is limited by the safety element.

Preferably, the frame is further provided with a screen support part which is at least partially movable or slidable outwards by means of the tilting mechanism during opening of the door. Allowing the screen support part, on which the screen used in a presently preferred embodiment rests, to slide outwards during opening of the door greatly simplifies access to the screen for a user. In this way it is possible to efficiently change a screen and/or to remove unwanted parts remaining on the screen from the crusher. This results in an effective option for adapting the crusher according to the invention to the bulk material to be crushed, whereby other unwanted components, such as iron parts, can be efficiently removed from the crusher without causing further damage.

By placing the counter-blades in the door, on the one hand, a stable fixing of the counter-blades in relation to the rotating blades is achieved. On the other hand, by placing the counter-blades in the door, the counter-blades are relatively easily accessible by opening the door.

In a currently preferred embodiment, the blades are provided in a modular form, so that these blades can also be replaced relatively easily in case of damage or to use the shredder for other bulk materials.

In another advantageous preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the drum is provided with an internal bearing support.

Providing a bearing support inside the drum allows for better support of the drum. This is important in view of the relatively large forces exerted on the drum during the crushing of bulk material. By providing an internal bearing support, the distance between a left and a right bearing is relatively smaller, so any possible buckling of the drum is also reduced. This also better maintains the distance between the knives and counter-knives, so that efficient crushing can be achieved.

The invention also relates to a trailer provided with a shredder as described above.

Such a trailer offers the same effects and advantages as the shredder. By using a trailer fitted with the shredder described above, a so-called stand-alone installation can be obtained. In this case, the trailer is preferably provided with a separate drive which uses, for example, a diesel engine and, if desired, a crane or a grapple to fill the shredder with the bulk material to be processed. In this way, the shredder according to the invention can be used effectively in various locations, including remote locations such as, for example, in a forest.

The invention is capable of carrying out a method described but not claimed for crushing bulk material, comprising the steps of: providing a crusher as described above; conveying material to be crushed into the opening; crushing the material; and discharging the crushed material.

Such a method provides the same effects and advantages as those indicated for the shredder and/or the trailer provided with it.

It has been shown that the subsequent and/or partial or complete joint execution of the rotary movement and the translation movement when opening the door results in a safe and effective method, for example for carrying out maintenance.

Other advantages, features and details of the invention will become clear based on its preferred embodiments by referring to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a view of a shredder according to the invention placed on a trailer;

Fig. 2 shows a view of the shredder in Figure 1 with the door open;

Figs. 3 and 4 show additional views of a shredder of Fig. 2;

Figs. 5-7 show views of the door opening;

Figs. 8-10 show views of the components of the shredder of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 11 shows a view of the crusher drum according to Fig. 2.

A trailer 2 (Fig. 1) is provided with a shredder or chipper 4. The shredder 4 is driven by an independent drive 6, which in the embodiment shown comprises a diesel engine. The wagon or trailer 2 is positioned during use on the ground surface 12 using wheels 8 and supports 10.

The shredder 4 (Fig. 2) is provided with a container or frame 14 which, in the embodiment shown, can be placed on the frame 16 of the wagon 2. On the upper side of the frame 14 there is an opening 18 in which a plurality of inclined feed plates 19 are arranged. In this way, the material to be shredded can be fed into the space limited by the frame or container 14 of the shredder 4. Inside the shredder 4 a drum 20 is provided in which a plurality of knives 22 are arranged. The drum 20 is a rotating drum. A flap or door 24 is provided on one side of the shredder 4. In the embodiment shown, a plurality of modular counter-knives 26 are arranged in the door 24.

The drum 20 (Figs. 3 and 4) rotates during use about the central axis 28. The knives 22 rotate during use through recesses between adjacent counter-knives 26 to thereby cause actual shredding of the material. The type of knife 22 and counter-knife 26 can be adapted to the type of material to be shredded and the desired shredding size. A curved support portion 30 is provided at the bottom of the drum 20 on the side walls of the shredder 4 during use. A screen support portion 32 is also provided on which a screen 34 may be placed. The screen support portion 32 rests in use on the shaft 36 and the pin 38. In the closed position, the door 24 likewise rests on the shaft 36. Movement of the door 24 is accomplished by using the cylinder 40, which is mounted at a first mounting point 42, and by using the cylinder rod 44 on the shaft 46. A first arm 48 is also provided between the pivot point 50 and the shaft 46. The shaft 46 is connected using a second arm 52 to the hinge 54 on the door 24. The door 24 is provided on the upper side with a slotted hole 56 in which a locking latch 58 secures the door in the closed position. The distance between the blades 26 and the blades 22 is established and maintained in use.

When the door 24 is opened (Figs. 5-7), the cylinder 40 slides outwardly, whereby the cylinder 40 and the arm 48 rotate about the respective pivot points 42 and 50. In the embodiment shown, the door 24 will firstly rotate about the shaft 36 using one half of a hinge-like element 60. The door here moves from the closed position of Fig. 5 to an intermediate position as in Fig. 6. With a further inward sliding of the cylinder 40, the carrying hook 62 arranged on the arm 48 jointly displaces the pin 64 arranged at the bottom of the door 24 during the tilting movement so that the door 24 is pulled outwardly and lies substantially outside the crusher frame 4 in the open position (Fig. 7). During this combined tilting and sliding movement of the door 24, in the embodiment shown, the sieve support part 32 is pulled outwards together with the sieve 34, whereby the sieve support part 32 no longer rests on the pin or shaft 68 with the support part 66, but instead with the outer end 70. Furthermore, a safety hook 72 is provided in a shredder 4 with which the pin or shaft 64 is held in place and therefore cannot simply fall out of the shredder 4 in the open position.

The screen 74 (Fig. 8) is positioned on the side of the drum 20 facing downwards during use. The positioning of the blades 22 is adapted to the material to be crushed (Fig. 8 and Fig. 9). In the embodiment shown, the drum 20 is provided with a number of supports 76 on which blades 22 are provided. A flange 78 is provided at the outer ends of the drum 20.

The counter-blades 26 are provided in a modular manner in recesses 80 arranged in the door 24. In this way, the counter-blades 26 are easily replaceable.

The drum 20 with flanges 78 is driven from the outside using a drive 82. On the inner side of the drum 20 a bearing support 84 is provided which comprises a flange 86, which is fixedly connected to the inner side of the drum 20, and a carrier gear 88. In this way the length of the drum 20 between the two flanged support points 86 is reduced, whereby less outward bending occurs in the case of similar forces.

During use of the shredder 4, material to be shredded is introduced into the opening 18, for example by using a crane. Due to the rotary movement of the drum 20, on which the knives 22 are arranged, the material to be shredded is shredded between the knives 22 and the knives 26, which in the embodiment shown are mounted on the door 24. In the lower part of the shredder 4 the shredded material is transported over the screen 74 with a certain screen size. The screen 74 determines what size of the shredded material can exit the shredder 4. This material is then discharged. To access the interior of the shredder 4, the door 24 is opened using the cylinder 40. In this way unwanted parts can be removed from the screen 74, and/or components, including the screen 74 itself, can be replaced in a relatively simple manner.

The present invention is in no way limited to the preferred embodiments thereof described above. The rights sought are defined by the following claims, within the scope of which many modifications may be envisaged.

Claims (8)

1. Crusher (4) to crush bulk material, which includes: - a frame (14) provided with an opening (18); - a rotating drum (20) which is arranged on the frame and on which blades (22) are provided; - counter-blades (26) which are connected to the frame (14) and which operate with the blades (22) in order to crush the material transported into the opening (18); a sieve (34) located at the bottom of the drum (20); and - an access door (24) connected to the frame and provided with a tilting mechanism so that easy access to the interior of the shredder (4) can be obtained by opening the door, wherein the counter-blades (26) are arranged in the door (24), characterized by that The door (24) is provided with an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the distance between a blade (22) and a counter-blade (26), wherein the adjustment mechanism further comprises a locking means for fixing the door (24) relative to the frame (14) in use, wherein the door (24) is provided on its upper side with a slotted hole (56) in which a locking latch (58) fixes the door (24) in a closed position. 2. Crusher (4) according to claim 1, wherein the tilting mechanism comprises: - a rotation element (60) for performing a rotary movement of the door (24) when the door (24) is opened; and - a translation element (62) for performing a translation movement of the door (24) when the door (24) is opened. 3. Crusher (4) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the tilting mechanism is made such that in the substantially open position the entire door (24) is located outside the frame. 4. Crusher (4) according to claims 2 or 3 when it depends on claim 2, wherein the translation element (62) of the tilting mechanism is provided with a support for lifting and co-displacing the door (24) at the bottom as defined in the closed position of the door (24). 5. Crusher (4) according to claim 4, in which the tilting mechanism is also provided with a safety element to keep the lower part of the door displaced by the support in the open position. 6. Crusher (4) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the frame is further provided with a sieve support portion (34) which is provided in a sliding manner at least partially outwardly by the tilting mechanism during opening of the door (24). 7. Crusher (4) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the drum (20) is provided with an internal bearing support. 8. Trailer (2) provided with a crusher (4) according to one or more of the preceding claims.