A METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DISINTEGRATION OF OBJECTS, AND USE OF SAID DEVICE

Abstract: A device for disintegrating objects, comprising a feeding arrangement with at least one member (1) arranged to engage and feed objects to be disintegrated to a member (2) for disintegration thereof, and a method in which an object to be disintegrated is forwarded to a disintegrating zone where it is subjected to disintegrating action directed crosswise to the direction of the feeding. The device is intended for disintegration of different types of objects, but is particularly suited for disintegration of mineral wool plates for insulating purposes.

Description: A METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DISINTEGRATION OF OBJECTS, AND USE OF SAID DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART The object of the present invention is a method and a device for disintegration of objects, and use of the device for said purpose. The invention is intended for disintegrating any object. However, it is particularly intended for disintegrating interconnected pieces of mineral wool, and, therefor, it will here be described with reference to this application in a non-delimiting and exemplifying way. Mineral wool is frequently applicable as insulating material in walls and roofs of different buildings. This mineral wool is generally present in the shape of plates. As walls and roofs containing such insulation are demolished, it is not possible to avoid that these plates of mineral wool are more or less wrecked and thereby obtain geometries which make them unsuitable for reuse for this purpose. Hitherto, mineral wool obtained in this way has been seen as consumed and no longer usable for insulation purposes, and has therefor been thrown away as garbage. This has also been done with wastes from new production of such plates. This is disadvantageous with respect to economical (amongst others, high garbage fees must be paid) as well as environ- mental aspects, and accordingly creates a reason to find a way to re¬ cycle such mineral wool to make it usable once again in view of insulation in buildings, even though this possibility has not been considered earlier. Furthermore, it is already known to apply the insulation material by spraying it by means of spraying devices into walls in connection with constructional work. The insulating material being comprised by mineral wool which is disintegrated or present in small pieces. It would therefore be advantageous if it would be possible to disinte¬ grate plates of mineral wool which, by way of example, have been ob¬ tained in connection to demolishing of buildings where mineral wool forms the insulating material, in such a way that it becomes possible to arrange the mineral wool in such a state that this one can be reused as insulating material by means of the spraying devices known per se. It is with these conditions in view that the present invention has been accomplished. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method which permits effective disintegration of objects. According to the invention, this object is reached by means of a method according to the inde¬ pendent patent claim 1 , which method is characterized in that an object which is to be disintegrated is fed forward to a disintegrating zone where it is subjected to disintegrating action directed crosswise to the direction of the feeding. Hereby the object can be effectively disintegrated, and particularly it becomes possible to obtain a desired disintegration of mineral wool plates. According to another embodiment of the method according to the invention, during the feeding to the disintegrating zone, objects are cut along at least one line directed generally in the feeding direction. In that way a more effective disintegrating of the object, particularly mineral wool plates, to pieces of desired shape and size is obtained. According to yet another embodiment of the method according to the invention, the object is held upstream of the disintegrating zone as it is subjected to the disintegrating action in the shape of a chop-like blow across the object. Thanks to this holding of the object, a certain stability of the latter is obtained, which facilitates the very chopping and improves the effect and reliability of the disintegration. According to yet another embodiment of the method according to the invention, this is characterized in that it is an insulating plate of mineral wool which is disintegrated, that the latter, during the feeding to the disintegrating zone, is cut up into strips along a plurality of lines directed generally in the feeding direction, and that repeatedly an end portion of each one of these strips is torn off through said disintegrat¬ ing action. Thereby, disintegration of insulating plates of mineral wool is obtained, whereby the latter, in this condition, once again can be used for insulating purposes. By cutting the mineral wool into strips during the feeding to the disintegrating member and thereafter repeat¬ edly tearing an end portion of the strips off by means of the disintegrating member, it is possible to obtain a sufficiently small and uniform size for the resulting pieces of mineral wool to make it possible to spray the latters by means of the spraying devices, mentioned in the introductory part of the description and known per se. A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for effective disintegration of objects. According to the invention this object is obtained by means of a device for disintegrating objects according to the independent patent claim 5, which device is charac¬ terized in that it comprises a feeding arrangement with at least one member arranged to engage and feed objects to be disintegrated forward to a member for the disintegrating thereof. According to another embodiment of the device according to the invention, this is characterized in that said engaging member is arranged to penetrate into and at least partly disintegrate the object. In that way a primary disintegration or preparatory cutting of the object is obtained before the latter reaches the very disintegrating member, which means that, with a given design of the disintegrating member, a finer and more effective disintegration of the object is possible than otherwise would have been the case. To accomplish the very feeding of the object to be disintegrated, the device, according to yet another embodiment of the device according to the invention, is characterized in that the feeding arrangement comprises at least one carrier from which the engaging member is ar¬ ranged to project, and in that the carrier is arranged to move while moving the engaging member through a feeding zone of the device. In order to give the object to be disintegrated a certain stability and for facilitating the tearing of the object accomplished by the disintegrating member as said disintegrating member hits and penetrates the latter, the device according to the invention according to a further embodi¬ ment is characterized in that the engaging member is arranged to hold the object as, simultaneously, the disintegrating member hits the latter for the disintegration thereof. To accomplish the very disintegration by means of the disintegrating member, the device according to the invention, according to another embodiment thereof, is characterized in that the disintegrating member is arranged at the carrier from which it is arranged to project, and in that the carrier is arranged to move while moving the disintegrating member through a disintegrating zone crossing the feeding direction of the arrangement. According to another preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, this one also comprises a member arranged to transport the disintegrated object away from the device. In such a way heaps of such disintegrated material in direct connection to the very device is avoided while it, by means of this member, is permitted to transport the disintegrated object to a suitable place. The invention also refers to use of a device for application of the method, and then particularly for use in which the disc like objects which are disintegrated are mineral wool plates intended for insulating purposes. In particular, a use is preferred according to which the device is used to disintegrate the plates into pieces suited for insulation with fragmental pieces. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Hereinafter, the invention will be described more in detail by means of the disclosed drawings which are merely given as illustration and, hence, not delimiting the present invention, and in which: Fig 1 is a partly broken perspective view of the device according to the invention; Fig 2 is a cross sectional front view of the device according to the in¬ vention; and Fig 3 is a view from above of the device according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In Figs 1-3 a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention is shown. From these can be seen that the device is provided with a feeding arrangement which comprises two carriers 3, 4 at which a plurality of engaging members 1 is arranged to project, and where the carriers 3, 4 are arranged to move while moving the engaging members 1 through a feeding zone of the device located between the carriers. The carriers 3, 4 are shaft parts which are rotatably arranged around their geometrical axes and the engaging members 1 are formed by projections projecting generally radially therefrom, prefer¬ ably, and here, with generally rectangular shape, which makes the front, outer corner, as seen in the feeding direction, the first one to hit an object and effectively grip into and penetrate into that same. Each carrier 3, 4 is arranged to be rotated for feeding an object to be disintegrated forward. From Figs 1-3 it can be seen that a plurality of engaging members 1 are arranged at each carrier 3, 4 with iπterspac- ings 12, as seen in the feeding direction, to effect the object along lines running generally in the feeding direction. The spacing is adapted to the size that one wishes to obtain for the disintegrated material. Furthermore, at each carrier 3, 4 a plurality of engaging members 1 are arranged generally in line one after the other, as seen in the feeding direction, and are arranged to enter the feeding zone in sequence one after the other to effect an object along the same line which is generally parallel to the feeding direction, but each of which is arranged to hit and effect the object upstream of the preceding engaging member. The two carriers 3, 4 are arranged to be rotated in opposite directions so as to make the engaging member 1 move towards a plurality of disintegrating members 2 arranged at a third carrier 7, during the passage through the feeding zone. As can be seen in Fig 3 in particular, one of the carriers 3, 4 presents engaging members arranged in the feeding direction generally oppo¬ site to engaging members of the other carrier 3, 4, for affection of an object from different directions but in generally the same plane. Furthermore, it can be seen in all figures, but in particular in Fig 2, that said engaging members which are arranged opposite to each other and belonging to opposite carriers 3, 4 are arranged to move through the feeding zone while being displaced in relation to each other in the feeding direction. In the preferred embodiment, each carrier 3, 4 has four engaging members 1 positioned in line with each other and separated with approximately 90°, and the relative displacement between these engaging members belonging to opposite carriers is then suitably, which also can be seen in Fig 2, approximately 45°. As seen in the feeding direction, the engaging members 1 are ar¬ ranged to pass the opposite carrier with their outer end 5 at a shorter distance therefrom than the distance between said end and its own carrier, which can be seen in Fig 2. Thus, the length of each engaging member is only somewhat shorter than the distance between the carriers 3, 4. In the preferred embodiment, among said engaging members 1 arranged opposite to each other, the ones belonging to one of the carriers 3 are arranged to, with end portions 5 thereof, during at least a part of the movement path through the feeding zone, move closer to the other carrier 4 than end portions 5 of corresponding engaging members 1 of the other carrier 4, and vice versa. The engaging members 1 are arranged to hold the object simultane¬ ously as the disintegrating member 2 hits the latter for the disintegrat¬ ing thereof. Each of the disintegrating members 2 respectively are, in their turn, arranged to hit and effect the object disintegrating ly in a di- rection generally crosswise to the feeding direction of the arrange¬ ment. To accomplish said disintegrating, the third carrier 7, which car¬ ries the disintegrating member 2, is arranged to be rotated. In the preferred embodiment in which the feeding arrangement comprises a first and a second carrier 3, 4 and the engaging members 1 projecting therefrom, a third carrier 7 from which the disintegrating members 2 project is arranged behind and between the two other carriers 3, 4, as seen in the feeding direction. This can particularly be seen in Fig 2. Each disintegrating member 2 has portions 13 arranged to hit and chop portions away from an object which is to be disintegrated. As can be seen in Fig 2, each one of the disintegrating members 2 projects aggressively from the carrier 7 with respect to the rotational direction thereof (clock wise in Fig 2). The disintegrating members also com¬ prise a portion 15 which extends between the periphery of the carrier and the rest of the disintegrating member, the effect of which is that disintegrated material does not reach the sharp angled corner present between the carrier and the aggressively projecting part of the disinte¬ grating member. By the preferred embodiment the rotational axes of the carriers 3, 4, 7 for the engaging members and the disintegrating members are gen¬ erally parallel. Furthermore, according to the invention, the disintegrat¬ ing members 2 are arranged to move with their free ends along paths which, as seen perpendicularly to the plane of these movement paths, overlap the movement paths of the engaging members 1 in the near¬ ness of and in said feeding zone. The device according to the preferred embodiment comprises a plurality of disintegrating members 2 which are arranged at the third carrier 7 with interspacings, as seen in the feeding direction, each of said disintegrating members being arranged to pass the engaging members 1 opposite to a corresponding spacing 12 of the latters in said direction. This is most clearly seen in Fig 3. As the disintegrating members 2 can project up between the engaging members 1 , the result is said overlapping of the paths of the members. Thereby also the end of the object can be cut by the disintegrating members while the object is still held by the engaging members. The device according to the preferred embodiment accordingly com¬ prises a plurality of disintegrating members 2 which are arranged beside each other at the carrier 7, as seen in the feeding direction, adjacent disintegrating members, as seen in said direction, being ar¬ ranged displaced in relation to each other in the movement direction of the carriers. Here, two adjacent disintegrating members are displaced with approximately 90° in relation to each other. Hereby the load upon the carrier is smoothed out because the disintegrating members are not forced to chop the object along the whole width thereof simultane¬ ously, but instead does this in stages. A further advantage hereby is that also the single disintegrating members obtain a more important disintegrating effect as they partly also tear material which is then completely torn by an adjacent disintegrating member. Furthermore, the device comprises a plurality of disintegrating mem¬ bers 2 which are arranged one after the other at the third carrier 7, as seen in the moving direction of the latter, said disintegrating members being arranged to move in generally the same movement path. In the preferred embodiment the disintegrating members are arranged two and two in this way, displaced with approximately 180° in relation to each other on the periphery of the carrier. The device also comprises a member 8 which is arranged to transport the disintegrated object away from the device. This member is ar¬ ranged downstream of the disintegrating members 2, as seen in the feeding direction, and has the shape of a screw, and is rotatably arranged. The carriers 3, 4, 7, the engaging members 1 , the disintegrating members 2 and the member 8 for away transportation are surrounded by a housing 9 in the walls of which the carriers and the member for away transportation are mounted in bearings and which presents a funnel-shaped opening 14 through which the object which is to be disintegrated is supposed to be forwarded to the feeding arrangement. Said constructional parts are supported by a frame 10 which surrounds the former. Here, the opening 14 has a width of approximately 65 cm, as said insulating plates are never wider than 60 cm. The carriers 3, 4, 7 and the member 8 for away transportation are arranged to be driven by one and the same driving member, in this case an electrical motor 11 connected to the housing and which, by way of example, by means of belt drive drives the former. In a way known per se the rotational speeds of the different carriers 3, 4, 7 and the member 8 for away transportation can be varied. In the present embodiment the disintegrating members 2 are arranged to be moved at a speed which is substantially higher than the one of the engaging members 1. In that way a sufficiently fine disintegrating of the object to be disintegrated is obtained. To give a feeling about the range of the rotation speeds which come in question during use of the device for disintegrating insulating plates of mineral wool, the width of which does not exceed approximately 60 cm, suitable rotation speeds for the member for away transportation are approximately 100 revolu¬ tions/minute, for the third carrier approximately 200 revolutions/minute and for the first and second carriers in the range of approximately 3 to 15 revolutions/minute, with the possibility to a change of rotation speed depending on what kind of plate, more or less compact, which is to be disintegrated. Compact plates require more important force and thereby a lower feeding speed. The described device is suitably positioned on a lorry platform and transported to places where new production of mineral wool plates takes place or where demolishing or rebuilding of buildings takes place and where mineral wool plates for insulating purposes is to be taken care of. A rack with sacks is placed in front of the lorry platform and in connection to the member for away transportation of disinte¬ grated material. Onto the lorry platform an operator takes his seat and he thereafter manually feeds down mineral wool plates into the opening 14 of the device, whereafter the feeding arrangement cuts and feeds the plates to the disintegrating members which disintegrate the strips of material that reach them. From the disintegrating members, the disintegrated material then falls down to the member for away transportation of the same. The material is transported by this member to said sacks, which are substituted as soon as they have become full, whereby a continuous action of the device is made possible. Of course the invention is not in any way delimited by the preferred embodiments described above, but a plurality of possibilities as to modifications thereof should be obvious for the man skilled in the art without those modifications diverging from the scope of the invention. For example, the engaging members 1 , which are here formed by generally rectangularly designed projections which project generally radially from a carrier, can be given a design and a projection angle from the carrier of important difference without diverging from the scope of the invention. Likewise, a number of subsequent engaging members, as seen in the feeding direction, can be different from the number which has been arranged onto the carriers of the preferred embodiment, namely four. Corresponding variations as to design, projection direction from the carrier and number are also possible with reference to the disintegrating members 2. The number of carriers and the appearance thereof could of course also be different. Even though the device has been described particularly for the disintegration of insulating plates of mineral wool, it should be realized that the application field thereof does not confine itself to only this application, but that the device advantageously also can be used for the disintegration of a plurality of different objects, of varying shape, size and composition of materials, the invention however being particularly suited to the disintegration of disc like elements.

Claims: Claims 1. A method for disintegrating an object, characterized in that an ob¬ ject to be disintegrated is fed forward to a disintegrating zone, where it is subjected to disintegrating action directed crosswise to the feeding direction. 2. A method according to claim 1 , characterized in that, during the feed to the disintegrating zone, the object is cut along at least one line directed generally in the feeding direction. 3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the object is held upstream of the disintegrating zone as it is subjected to the disintegrating action in the shape of a chop-like blow through the object. 4. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that it is an insulating plate of mineral wool which is disintegrated, that the latter, during the feeding to the disintegrating zone, is cut into strips along a plurality of lines directed generally in the feeding direction, and that, repeatedly, an end portion of each one of these strips is torn off through said disintegrating action. 5. A device for disintegrating objects, characterized in that it comprises a feeding arrangement with at least one member (1) which is arranged to engage and feed objects that are to be disintegrated to a member (2) for the disintegrating thereof. 6. A device according to claim 5, characterized in that said engaging member (1 ) is arranged to penetrate into and at least partly disinte¬ grate an object while forwarding the object towards the disintegrating member. 7. A device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the feeding arrangement comprises at least one carrier (3), from which the engaging member (1) is arranged to project, and that the carrier is ar- ranged to move while moving the engaging member through a disinte¬ grating zone of the device. 8. A device according to claim 7, characterized in that the carrier (2) is arranged to be rotated for feeding of objects. 9. A device according to claim 7, characterized in that several engaging members (1) are arranged at the carrier (3) with interspac- ings (12), as seen in the feeding direction, to effect the object along lines running generally in the feeding direction, and at distances corresponding to said spacings. 10. A device according to claim 7, characterized in that a plurality of engaging members are arranged at the carrier generally one after the other, as seen in the feeding direction, and arranged to enter the feeding zone subsequently one after the other and effect an object along the same line which is generally parallel to the feeding direction, but each of which being arranged to hit the object and effect the same upstream of the preceding engaging member. 11. A device according to claim 7, characterized in that said ar¬ rangement comprises at least two carriers (3, 4) with engaging members (1 ) and arranged on both sides of the feeding zone. 12. A device according to claim 8 and 11 , characterized in that the two carriers (3, 4) are arranged to be rotated in opposite directions so as to make the engaging members (1 ) move towards the disintegrating member (2) during their passage through the feeding zone. 13. A device according to claim 1 1 , characterized in that one of the carriers (3, 4) presents engaging members arranged generally opposite to engaging members on the other carrier (3, 4), as seen in the feeding direction, so as to effect an object from different directions but in substantially the same plane. 14. A device according to claim 13, characterized in that said engaging members (1 ) belonging to the carriers (3, 4) and arranged opposite to each other are arranged to move through the feeding zone displaced in relation to each other in the feeding direction. 15. A device according to claim 11 , characterized in that, in the feed- ing zone, at least one engaging member (1) of each carrier (3, 4) is ar¬ ranged to pass the opposite carrier with its outer end (5, 6) at a shorter distance than the distance from said end to its own carrier. 16. A device according to claim 14, characterized in that, among said engaging members (1) arranged opposite to each other, the ones belonging to one of the carriers (3) are arranged to, with end portions (5) thereof, during at least a part of the movement path through the feeding zone, move closer to the other carrier (4) than end portions (6) of corresponding engaging members (1) of the other carrier (4), and vice versa. 17. A device according to claim 8, characterized in that the carrier (3, 4) is a shaft part which is rotatably arranged generally around its geometrical axis, and that the engaging member (1) is formed by a projection projecting generally radially therefrom. 18. A device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the engaging member (1) is arranged to hold the object as, si¬ multaneously, the disintegrating member (2) hits the latter for the dis- integration thereof. 19. A device according any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the disintegrating member (2) is arranged to hit and effect the ob¬ ject in a disintegrating way and in a direction generally crosswise to the feeding direction of the arrangement. 20. A device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the disintegrating member (2) is arranged at a third carrier (7) from which it is arranged to project, and that the carrier (7) is arranged to move while moving the disintegrating member (2) through a disinte¬ grating zone which crosses the feeding direction of the arrangement. 21. A device according to claim 20, characterized in that said third carrier (7) is arranged to be rotated for accomplishment of said disintegrating. 22. A device according to claims 11 and 20, characterized in that the third carrier (7) is arranged behind and between the two other carriers (3, 4), as seen in the feeding direction. 23. A device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the disintegrating member (2) presents portions (13) which are arranged to hit and chop portions away from an object which is to be disintegrated. 24. A device according to claim 21 , characterized in that the disinte- grating member (2) projects aggressively from the carrier (7) in relation to the rotational direction thereof. 25. A device according to claims 8 and 20, characterized in that the rotation axes of the carriers (3, 4, 7) of the engaging member and the disintegrating member are generally parallel. 26. A device according to claims 7 and 20, characterized in that the disintegrating member (2) is arranged to move with its free end along a path which, as seen perpendicularly to the plane of this movement path, overlaps the movement path of the engaging member (1 ) in the nearness of or in said feeding zone. 27. A device according to claims 9 and 20, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of disintegrating members (2) which are arranged at the third carrier (7) with interspacings, as seen in the feeding direction, and that each disintegrating member is arranged to pass the engaging members (1) at a respective interspacing (12) of the latters, as seen in said direction. 28. A device according to claim 20, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of disintegrating members (2) which are arranged at the third carrier and beside each other, as seen in the feeding direction, and that adjacent disintegrating members, as seen in said direction, are arranged displaced in relation to each other in the moving direction of the carrier. 29. A device according to claim 20, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of disintegrating members (2) which are arranged one after the other at the carrier (7), as seen in the moving direction thereof, and arranged to move in generally the same movement path. 30. A device according to claims 7 and 20, characterized in that the disintegrating member (2) is arranged to be moved with a speed which is essentially higher than the one of the engaging member (1). 31. A device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it also comprises a member (8) arranged to transport the disintegrated object away from the device. 32. A device according to claim 31 , characterized in that the member (8) for away-transportation is arranged downstream from the disinte- grating member (2), as seen in the feeding direction. 33. A device according to claim 31 or 32, characterized in that the member (8) for away-transportation has the shape of a screw and is rotatably arranged. 34. A device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the engaging member (1) is arranged to feed objects to be disintegrated downwards in a generally vertical direction. 35. The use of a device according to any of claims 5-34 for disintegrat¬ ing a disc-like object. 36. Use according to claim 35, characterized in that the disc-like ob¬ jects are mineral wool plates intended for insulating purposes. 37. Use according to claim 36, characterized in that the device is used to disintegrate the plates in pieces suitable for insulation with fragmental pieces.

Inventors: KUMLIN JERRY, KUMLIN ROLF, KUMLIN, JERRY, KUMLIN, ROLF
Applicants: KUMLIN JERRY, KUMLIN ROLF, KUMLIN, JERRY, KUMLIN, ROLF
Application year: 1995
Main classification: B02C13
IPC codes: B02C18