Abstract:
A device for processing feedstock is provided that includes a rotor rotating around an axis in a housing, which houses processing tools, and has stator tools that are stationary with respect to the housing, which, by maintaining a working clearance, the rotor side processing tools are arranged opposite to the stator tools and interact with the stator tools to process the feedstock. The device also includes a resetting device for displacing the stator tools in a radial direction to set the working clearance. The resetting device for the stator tools include at least one tilted support surface, which directly or indirectly forms a contact surface for the stator tools. Whereby, the support surface is slideable with respect to the stator tools in order to adjust the working clearance.

Description:
[0001]    This nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to German Patent Application No. DE 102006056542, which was filed in Germany on Nov. 29, 2006, and which is herein incorporated by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a device for processing feedstock. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Background Art 
         [0005]    Conventional devices are used for the crushing of feedstock and/or with feedstock composed of various components, which may also be in compounds, for the separation of the components from one another, to be recovered as reusable materials for new production processes. An example of the feedstock in question is the collection of reusable materials obtained from the disposal of household waste, whereby there are large amounts of plastics mixed with sheet metal. Similarly, there is a device according to the present invention for the processing of electrical and electronic scrap, such as vacuum cleaners, telephone sets, computers, kitchen utensils, etc., whose constituent components are plastic and metal. Other applications consist of the processing of cable scrap made of plastic-coated copper or aluminum wires or in the reprocessing of old tires that are made of rubber, steel and fabric or in the processing of recycled wood, which is often contaminated with impurities, for example, with hardware. 
         [0006]    A basic objective in processing feedstock is to separate the fundamental components existing in the feedstock in order to carry out the subsequent processing steps. In most cases, this also involves a crushing of at least one of the components of the feedstock. Independently, a device according to the invention may also be used to crush the feedstock exclusively, for example that exists in a pure or unmixed form. 
         [0007]    The principal construction design of a generic device envisages a rotor-stator system. This rotor is fitted with processing tools around its circumference that are directed in a line of rotation to the stationary stator tools and interacts with them. Depending on the type of processing tools, the feedstock is thus subjected to a cutting, shearing, deformation, beating, chopping, or breaking process. 
         [0008]    Depending upon the mechanical properties of the feedstock, particularly its hardness, tensile strength and silicate percentage, this means that during the processing step the processing tools are subjected to relatively strong wear, which leads to an increasing degree to a deterioration of the processing results and to an increasing degree of power consumption. The reason for this is the enlargement of a working clearance between the processing tools caused by deterioration which is countered from time to time by a radial resetting to restore the stator tools to the conventional clearance between rotor tools and stator tools. However, this is only possible to a certain extent, so that, at regular time intervals, the processing tools must be changed, for example, by having the effective edges reground or replaced. 
         [0009]    Since both the resetting as well as the change of the processing tools considerably disturbs the operating procedure and the latter actually requires a shutdown, an effort is always being made to find an economical procedure to make the time required for resetting or changing tools as short as possible. 
         [0010]    A granulator is known from the German patent DE 20 2005 013 719 U1 that has a rotor fitted with cutting tools to which a stationary counter blade is attached by a clamp to the stator side of the housing. A radial resetting of the counter blade due to deterioration takes place after the clamp is lifted and the radial set screws have been actuated. Since the counter blades extend along the entire length of the stator and thus often consist of several rows of single blades, aligning all the counter blades by actuating the individual clamping and set screws involves a great amount of time and effort. This leads to an undesirably long operating interruption, which adds up over time to a serious economic disadvantage. 
         [0011]    In addition, a pair of guillotine shears is known from the German patent DE 200 09 718 U1, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,983,904, and which has a pivotably mounted and driven rotor, on whose surface area a plurality of chipper knives are arranged. Counter blades in knife holders are fitted on the stator side, which are positioned around the swivel axes that are axially parallel to the rotary axis. Two diametrically opposed counter blades are attached to one of the knife holders, which may be moved by swiveling the knife holder into the cutting position with its interchangeable head and fastened. In this manner, a downtime determined by knife change is limited only to the duration of the swiveling procedure of the knife holder. By contrast, the replacement of the used counter knife can take place during the crushing operation. In addition, German patent DE 200 09 718U1 discloses a device for the setting of the cutting clearance in which the width of the cutting clearance is set by a small swiveling movement of the knife holder. However, this type of cutting clearance setting means that the spatial position of the counter blade not only changes in the radial direction, but also in the vertical direction, deviating overall from an optimal cutting geometry. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device in which the stator tools can be radially set and changed with the least possible interference of the operating procedure. 
         [0013]    An aspect of the invention is to be able to carry out the resetting and changing of stator tools in the least amount of time. In an embodiment, the stator tools are to arranged with the interposition off a tilted setup surface that is radially slideable directly or indirectly via a knife holder. By means of a relative displacement of the setup surface with respect to the stator tools, the stator tools glide onto the setup surface, which produces a lifting or lowering of the stator tools with respect to the setup surface. The invention uses this lifting and lowering movement to radially reset the stator tools, both for the setting of the width of the working space as well as for the changing of the stator tools. 
         [0014]    In an embodiment, a relative displacement of the setup surface with respect to the stator tools inside the housing is performed, because this allows a very fast adjustment of the stator tools. Further, the invention comprises embodiments that provide an adjustment of the stator tools to a certain protrusion outside the housing. 
         [0015]    The invention comprises all types of relative displacement between the stator tools and the setup surface. Thus, it is possible to prepare the setup surface of the peripheral area of a rotating disk or roller that is arranged off-center to its axis of rotation. Likewise, the setup surface may be formed from a flat or curved area that is tangentially or slid in parallel to the rotation axis of the rotor. According to the invention, all types of relative displacement lead to a transformation of the sliding movement into a radial movement of the stator tool with respect to the rotor axis. 
         [0016]    An axially directed sliding movement of the setup surface is preferred for the invention, for which corresponding linear guides may be provided within the device. In this manner, a relatively greater sliding movement may be realized, which makes it possible to construct the setup surfaces with relatively less tilt, making a sensitive radial setting of the stator tools with high precision possible. 
         [0017]    In an embodiment of the invention, the setup surface of the wedge surface can be formed from a wedge component, whereby the basis of the wedge component is positioned in a guide enabled by the relative displacement. In addition to the possibility of providing a single long wedge component along the stator tools, an embodiment includes two or more consecutive wedge components in an axial direction, which, as a result of the setup surface achieved, permits a compact construction of a device according to the invention. 
         [0018]    Where the arrangement of several wedge components is concerned, it is advantageous to arrange them on a joint base plate, which inevitably produces a synchronization of the relative displacement of the individual wedge components. 
         [0019]    A worm gear or rack and pinion drive is provided as a drive in a further embodiment of the invention, to which a reduction gear is connected in series. These drives thus permit a sensitive control of the relative displacement, which can be carried out manually as well as by means of a motor. 
         [0020]    In a further embodiment of the invention, to decouple the setting mechanism from the strong forces acting on the stator tools in operation, a clamping device to anchor the stator tools to the stator is provided. The clamping device can include two clamping bars running along both longitudinal sides of the stator tools of which one or both can be pressed by means of tensioning wedges on the stator tools. Such a tensioning device can be quickly clamped or released and thus contributes to a further reduction of the shutdown times due to tool changes. 
         [0021]    In addition, the combination of individual components in a subassembly or package is preferred. This subassembly or package may belong with the components of the resetting device, in order to be able to remove the entire subassembly from the housing or to insert it with only an ejecting movement. The time to change the processing tools is thus further shortened. This embodiment of the invention is advantageously used when adjusting the stator tools to a certain protrusion outside the housing. 
         [0022]    A mechanical ejection of the subassembly or package from the housing also works in this sense, for which a continuation of the linear guide outside the housing is provided according to a an embodiment of the invention. In this manner, the individual subassemblies are mechanically backed out through openings in the front side of the housing, where, because of accessibility attained by this means, they can be easily, safely and quickly removed and replaced by new ones. 
         [0023]    Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]    The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein: 
           [0025]      FIG. 1  illustrates a longitudinal section through a device according to the invention along the line  1 - 1  illustrated in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-section through the device illustrated in  FIG. 1  along the Line II-II; 
           [0027]      FIG. 3  illustrates a top view of the device illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  illustrates a longitudinal section in the area of the stator tools along the Line IV-IV illustrated in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0029]      FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-section in the area of the stator tools along the Line V-V illustrated in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 6  illustrates a partial view of the clamping device for fixing the stator tools along the Line VI-VI illustrated in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0031]      FIGS. 7-9  illustrate various views of further embodiments of the resetting device; and 
           [0032]      FIG. 10  is a detailed view of the resetting device illustrated in  FIG. 9 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0033]    The sections illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 3  provide an overview of the device according to the invention. The invention initially comprises a housing  1  in a somewhat rectangular shape, which rests on a frame construction, indicated with  2 . The housing has two opposing front sides  3  and  4 , which together with the connecting lateral sides  5  and  6  enclose a workroom  7 . Below, housing  1  is open through a material outlet for the material hauloff. Above, housing  1  is closed, which has a central rectangular-shaped opening  9  extending along the entire length of housing  1 , and this opening  9  is connected to a vertical, duct-shaped material outlet  10  that is flush with the opening  9 . 
         [0034]    To the outside of each of the front sides  3  and  4 , a console  11  and  12  is centrally welded, which is used to house the horizontal pivot bearings  13  and  14 . A horizontal drive shaft  15  is positioned in bearings  13  and  14 , which extends through openings in the front sides  3  and  4  over the entire length of housing  1  and beyond and whose longitudinal axis forms the rotation axis. Via a coupling  17 , a gear box  18  and V-belt  19 , one end of the drive shaft  15  is connected with a drive  20  in the form of an electric motor. 
         [0035]    Within housing  1 , a horizontally arranged rotor  21  can be seen, which is built torque proof on the rotor plates  22  sitting on drive shaft  15 . Each of the rotor plates  22  uniformly has distributed processing tools  24  on their periphery, which are constructed of shearing blades in the present example. All processing tools of rotor  21  delineate a uniform circumferential circle  25  during the rotation around axis  16 . 
         [0036]    In the peripheral area of rotor  21  underneath material outlet  10 , stator tools  26  can be seen extending over the entire length of rotor  21 , which, by maintaining a small working clearance  35  ( FIG. 4 ), are radially opposite to processing tools  24 . Stator tools  26  have a complementary profile to processing tools  24  of rotor  21  and interact with them. 
         [0037]    Stator tools  26  are arranged in trough-shaped knife holders extending from front side  3  to front side  4 , which are clamped rigidly opposite housing  1  in clamping devices  28 . Each clamping device  28  is constructed of two laterally offset, axially parallel clamping bars  29  and  30  that centrally houses knife holder  27 . At the same time, bar  29  is rigidly connected with front sides  3  and  4 , while the opposite clamp  30  can be pressed via a tensioning wedge against knife holder  27 , which is individually more closely described in the description for  FIG. 6 . 
         [0038]    Each stator tool  26  and each tool holder  27  is arranged radially toward the outside of the connecting resetting device  31 . Resetting device  31  is used for the setting and the resetting of stator tool  26  due to deterioration and to ensure the compliance of the predetermined width of working space  35  to the rotor side processing tools  24 . The precise construction and operation of resetting device  31  is more closely described below  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
         [0039]    The lower circumferential section of rotor  21  lying between stator tools  26  is masked by a half-cylinder screen component whose longitudinal edges provided with flanges to longitudinal bearings  33  and  34  are detachably fastened. The sufficiently processed feedstock leaves the processing area via the screen surface of the screen component  32 . 
         [0040]    In order to set the width of clearance  35 , it is necessary to radially displace the stator tools  26  fastened in knife holder  27 , which is carried out with resetting device illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . A corresponding cutout of front sides  3  and  4  can be seen in  FIG. 4 , between which a linear guide  36  running axially parallel to rotation axis  16  is rigidly attached. The side of linear guide bearing  36  turned toward rotor  21  has an encompassing slot  37 , producing a C-shaped cross-section profile of linear guide  36 . Linear guide bearing  35  forms a track for a slide  38 . 
         [0041]    Slide  38  is composed of a base plate  39 , which corresponds in the cross-section to the profile of slot  37 . Base plate  39  is clearly shorter than the opposite clearance of front sides  3  and  4 , which produces a sliding motion in the axial direction. Base plate  39  is otherwise held on all sides in longitudinal guide  36 , thus also against tilting or lifting. 
         [0042]    In addition, slide  38  comprises two wedges  40  and  41 , which in the free area between the encompassing longitudinal edges of linear guide  36  with axial clearance to each other, respectively flush with the end of base plate  39  and rigidly attached to it. Wedge surfaces  42  and  43  of wedges  40  and  41  running in the axial direction comprise a tilt angle α with a vertical plane  44  to a radial line  45  running out from rotation axis  16  through wedge surface  42 . Both wedge surfaces  42  and  43  run plane parallel to each other and jointly form the setup surface  46  for the resetting of stator tool  26 . For this purpose, wedge surfaces  42 ,  43  respectively have a longitudinal slot  47 ,  48 , that corresponds to base plate  39 &#39;s encompassing longitudinal edges for housing of the complementary formed knife holder  27 . At the lower end of longitudinal slots  47 ,  48  a stop  57  limits the sliding movement for knife holder  27 . 
         [0043]    A drive  49  provides the movement of slide  38  within linear guide  36 . Drive  49  comprises a push pull rod  50 , whose end is rigidly connected to the rear side of wedge  41  and which extends with its other end axially parallel through an opening  51  in an insert  52 , which is inserted in the respective area in a larger opening  53  of front side  4  where it forms front side  4 . 
         [0044]    A drive  54  is fastened to the outside of insert  52  in the area of opening  51  that is in contact with push pull rod  50 . By actuation of the handwheel  55 , the rotation movement in drive  54  is transformed into an axial movement of push pull rod  50  and thus slide  38  and setup  46  are transformed. 
         [0045]    In addition,  FIG. 4  shows the trough-shaped knife holder  27 , in which stator tools  26  are solidly housed that runs axially parallel to the rotation axis  16  between front sides  3  and  4 . Radially active edges  56  of stator tools  26  turned inwardly toward the interior of rotor  21  can be seen, which, by maintaining a narrow working clearance  35 , the simply indicated processing tools  24  of rotor  21  lie radially opposite. On the underside of the trough-shaped knife holder  27  of rotor  21 , supports  58  and  59  protrude, whose support area  60 ,  61  is formed with the tilting of wedge surfaces  42 ,  43  corresponding to the tilted setup surface and otherwise complementary to longitudinal slots  47 ,  48 . In this manner, a longitudinal slideability of the support areas  60 ,  61  into the longitudinal slots  47 ,  48  is provided. Although they are not illustrated, there are embodiments that are also within the scope of the invention, in which the processing tools are supported directly by resetting device  31  and reset without intermediate connection. 
         [0046]    For a guide in the radial direction, knife holder  27  is held between the interior of front sides  3  and  4 , to which they are loosely connected. In addition, both bars  29  and  30  that are axially parallel to the rotation axis  16  form further guide surfaces as part of clamping device  28 . In the open position of clamping device  28 , knife holder  27  thus lies loosely between clamping bars  29  and  30 , permitting a radial displacement of stator tools  26 . 
         [0047]    The radial displacement is produced by actuating handwheel  55 , initiating an axial displacement of the push pull rod  50  and thus wedges  40  and  41  and, furthermore, setup surface  46 . However, knife holder  27  is prevented from making an axial movement by front sides  3  and  4 . Instead, a relative movement takes place between setup surface  46  and knife holder  27 , in which supporting areas  60 ,  61  slide into the longitudinal slots. As a result of the tilting of support service  46 , this leads to a lifting or lowering of knife holder  27  with stator tools  26 . 
         [0048]    Due to the tilting of the support surface  46 , an axial movement of support surface  45  is transformed into a radial movement of knife holder  27  and thus stator tools  26 . The degree of the tilting as well as the degree of the gear reduction  54  ensure a precise and sensitive resetting possibility of stator tools  26 . 
         [0049]    During the processing of feedstock, stator tools  26  are fixed by clamping device  28 , whose closer construction is especially described in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . Clamping device  28  comprises the already mentioned clamping bars  29  and  30 , whereby clamping bar  29  is connected with the interior of front sides  3  and  4 . By contrast, clamping bar  30  extends through corresponding openings in front sides  3  and  4  to the area outside housing  1 . The end sections of clamping bar  30  lying outside front sides  3  and  4  are respectively beveled to form wedge surface  62 . Opposite this wedge surface  52 , a pillow block bearing  63  can be seen that is firmly fastened to the outside of front sides  3  and  4 . The pillow block bearing  63  likewise has a wedge surface  64 , which encloses a conically running interstice  65  with support surface  63  of clamping bar  30 . In interstice  54 , a spring-loaded clamping wedge  66  is extended with wedge surface  67  running in the opposite direction to wedge surfaces  62  and  63 . As a result of the spring loading, clamping wedge  66  is persistently pressed into interstice  65 , whereby a laterally acting compressive force produced by the clamping effect of clamping bar  31  is exerted on clamping bar  31 . The releasing of the clamping is produced by a force against the pre-loaded spring, which, for example, may be applied by a cylinder piston device  71 . 
         [0050]    In addition, the invention is characterized by the possibility of a simple and quick change of stator tool  26 . As is apparent in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  4 , a continuation of linear guide  36  has been found for this purpose, by arranging an aligned linear guide  68  of identical construction on the outside of housing  1 . Since the lower edge of opening  53  is flush with the floor of slot  37 , it is possible, after the release of the insert  52 , to pull slide  38 , including knife holder  27  with stator tools  26 , through the emptying hole  52 , axially outwards. 
         [0051]    As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , a cylinder piston device  69  is provided for this purpose, whose cylinder is fastened to front side  3  and/or  4 , while its moveable piston passes through an opening in front side  4  where it is connected rigidly to the connection plate  70  fastened to insert  52 . As an alternative to the cylinder piston device  69 , a rack and pinion drive is also possible, for example, whose resulting force parallel to guide  36  and  68  is applied as close as possible to slide  38 . For example, the rack and pinion can be constructed from the underside of base plate  39 . 
         [0052]    In order to change stator tools  26 , first clamping wedge  66  must be removed from both ends of clamping bar  30 . The resulting initial slight sideward movement of clamping bar releases knife holder  27 . Actuating handwheel  55  produces a lowering of stator tools  26  until their active edges  56  are no longer in contact with processing tools  24 . After the release of insert  52  and the deployment of the cylinder piston device  69 , the entire subassembly, consisting of base plate  39 , wedges  40  and  41  as well as knife holder  27  with supports  58  and  59  including stator tools  26  are slid through the emptying opening  53  outwards into the area of linear guide  68 . Stops  57  at the base of longitudinal slots  47  and  48  serve as actuators for knife holders  27 . In linear guides  68  outside housing  1 , stator tools  26  are easily accessible for their removal from knife holder  27 . After exchanging stator tools  26  for unused ones, the new stator tools are inserted in the reverse order in the processing position and are attached in this position by means of clamping bar  28  after the setting of the working clearance  35 . 
         [0053]      FIGS. 7 ,  8 ,  9  and  10  show further embodiments of the invention for the radial positioning of stator tools  26 . The same reference numbers used in the previously described embodiments are used for the same characteristics below. 
         [0054]    In  FIG. 7 , base plate  39  can initially be seen, which is housed in a device of linear guide  36  ( FIG. 4 ) according to the invention. The topside  65  of base plate  39  is provided with transversal profiles that may be rounded or pointed ( FIG. 10 ). A wedge  67  sits on base plate  39  with its basic surface loose. The basic surface  68  likewise has profiles  69  that are formed complementary to the profiles  66  of base plate  39 . The topside of wedge  67  opposite to the basic surface  68  forms setup surface  46 . 
         [0055]    Support surface  46  carries a knife holder  27  with a trough-shaped housing for stator tools  26 . A wedge-shaped boss  70  is moulded on the underside of knife holder  27  over the entire length in one piece. The tilted underside  71  of the wedge-shaped boss  70  forms a contact joint with support surface  46 , whereby it is also possible to provide this contact joint with complementary profiles. 
         [0056]    The components described form a stator package or a subassembly that is held together with a radial tensioning screw  72 . The radial tensioning screw  72  extends from base plate  39  through wedge  67 , which has an axially oriented slot hole  73  in a tap hole  74  in the wedge-shaped boss  70  of knife holder  27 . 
         [0057]    The insertion of stator tools  27  is carried out by presetting the installation height H of the stator package, for which purpose tensioning screw  72  is released and wedge  67  is axially displaced within the framework of the play relative to the wedge-shaped boss  70  provided by slot hole  73  and base plate  39 , whereby the installation height H is changed as a function of the direction and mass of the sliding movement. 
         [0058]    After the presetting of the desired installation height H, the tensioning screw  72  is energized, whereby profiles  66  and  70  and if necessary, the profiles in the contact joint between wedge  67  and boss  70  are solidly interlocked. A stator package thus preset can then be inserted in linear guide bearing  36 , whereby the stator tools  26  can immediately reach its required position. 
         [0059]    The embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 8  corresponds as far possible to that already described in  FIG. 7 , so that what was said at that point applies analogously. The difference consists simply that, instead of the wedge-shaped boss  70 , which is connected in one piece with stator tool  27 , a counter blade  75  is welded or screwed to the underside of stator tool  27 . The wedge surface  76  interacting with support surface  46  of wedge  67  corresponds to the tilted underside  71  of boss  70 . The embodiment in  FIG. 8  is otherwise identical to the embodiment described in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0060]    The embodiment of a resetting device described in  FIG. 9  comprises two wedges  80  and  80 ′, whose construction is similar to the wedge  67  described in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , only that the wedges  80  and  80 ′ are substantially shorter in the axial direction. Each  80 ,  80 ′ wedge sits loose on base plate  39 , whereby the contract surface can be formed in turn with complementary profiles  66 ,  69  ( FIG. 10 ). Support surface  46  is formed from the two topsides of wedge  80 ,  80 ′, on which the counter wedges  81  and  81 ′ in turn rest with their tilted undersides  83 ,  83 ′. The counter wedges  81  and  81 ′ are again connected with the underside of stator tool  27 , in which stator tools  26  are finally housed. The stator package is simply held together with the tensioning screws indicated in line  85 ,  85 ′, which run within slot holes  86 ,  86 ′. 
         [0061]    The embodiments of the invention illustrated in  FIGS. 7 to 10  are particularly suitable for the manual removal of the stator packages for replacement out of the housing  1  or for a radial resetting. With these embodiments, the setting of the installation height of the stator packages to a predetermined size can be carried out outside the device, which appears advantageous with respect to the changing of the stator tools  26 . These embodiments are especially distinguished in an economic aspect due to their lower construction expense. 
         [0062]    The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.