Abstract:
A vehicle has a housing mounting within it a rotor assembly comprising parallel shafts having intermeshing cutter discs in axially spaced relation thereon. The discs have radial projections with first cutting edges extending axially to face in a rotatively leading direction. Cutter segments carried on the discs project radially outwardly to provide second cutting edges of lesser axial extent facing in the leading direction. A toothed member mechanism carries teeth which project into the axial spaces between the discs and provides axial surfaces for coacting with the first and second cutting edge.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention claims the priority of provisional application Ser. No. 60/446,306, filed on Feb. 10, 2003, and relates to machines for comminuting primarily waste wood products, but also other refuse and disintagratable material. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Rotor assemblies for relatively high speed heavy machinery such as hammer mills and wood hogs for fragmenting waste wood such as demolition debris, stumps, pallets, large timbers, and the like into particulate or chips, which are useful, are known. The present assignee owns U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,525 issued Feb. 3, 1998 for a typical wood hog machine and U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,502 issued May 30, 1995 for a typical tub grinder hammer mill system. Machines of this character are well classified as heavy machinery which require considerable driving power. Such machinery includes typically a multiplicity of hammers with hammer heads, mounting hammer knives on their rotatable outer ends. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A slower speed rotor and cooperating element assembly for much of the same waste wood which is fragmented by the heavier machinery mentioned, and is also adaptable for handling smaller size waste material such as brush and the like, includes a pair of counter rotating shafts driving a series of axially spaced intermeshing rotary blades, which also mesh with comb teeth provided on side comb systems and an underneath breaker bar system. 
     While the invention has a number of objects, one of the prime objects of the invention is to provide a relatively slower speed, increased torque machine, operable at speeds less than, for example, 40 rpm, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and will operate for a prolonged time in heavy work conditions. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character described which has knife edges supported to withstand considerable compressive impact forces and resist fracture. 
     Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent with reference to the accompanying drawings and the accompanying descriptive matter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A presently preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the following description and in the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic side elevational view of the machine; 
         FIG. 2  is a fragmentary top plan view thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan perspective view illustrating the twin shaft rotor assembly only; 
         FIG. 4  is an end elevational view of the rotor assembly including the side comb members and the underneath breaker bar assembly illustrating anvil surfaces on the breaker bar assembly and the comb assemblies which coact with the blades of the rotor assembly; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective plan view of one of the side comb members only; 
         FIG. 6  is a side elevational view thereof; 
         FIG. 7  is an end elevational view thereof; 
         FIG. 8  is a top plan view thereof; 
         FIG. 9  is an end elevational view of the breaker bar assembly; 
         FIG. 10  is a side elevational view thereof; 
         FIG. 11  is a top plan view thereof; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective plan view of the breaker bar assembly; 
         FIG. 13  is a schematic fragmentary perspective plan view of one of the identically constructed counter-rotating rotor assemblies; 
         FIG. 14  is a fragmentary top plan view of one of the rotor blades; 
         FIG. 15  is an end elevational view of one of the rotor blades on an enlarged scale; 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective side elevational view of an identical rotor blade which is positioned to rotate in the opposite direction; 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective top plan view of the blade element shown in  FIG. 15 ; 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective top plan view of the rotor assembly illustrating comb assembly interaction; and 
         FIG. 19  is an inverse plan view of the rotor assembly further illustrating breaker bar assembly intermeshing. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now more particularly to  FIGS. 1 and 2  in the first instance, wherein the entire machine is schematically depicted. The letter F, generally depicts the frame of the machine, which includes a supporting frame system including longitudinally extending lower beams  10  and a wheel  11  mounted on each side of the frame F on an arm assembly  12 , which can be power swung downwardly about a pivot  13  to support the machine for trailered or other travel from its front end  14 . 
     The frame F of the machine at its upper end supports a bin, generally designated  15 , mounted for power operated upward swinging dumping movement about pivots having an axis AX into a fixed hopper, generally designated  16 , having enclosing walls  17 . Hopper  17  can be otherwise fed with the material to be comminuted, such as by a loader carried by the machine. Housed within the frame F at  18  below the open bottom hopper  16  is the dual rotor assembly, generally designated R, which is illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The twin rotor assembly R cooperates with side comb assemblies, generally designated C, which are stationarily supported by the frame F and a breaker bar assembly, generally designated B, also stationarily supported by the frame and shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     Returning now to  FIG. 3 , it will be seen that the support housing for the rotor assembly R includes front and rear plates  19  and  20  and side plates  21  and  22 , all stationarily supported by the frame F. A pair of reversible hydraulic motors M 1  and M 2 , connected with gear boxes  22  and  23  bolted to frame support wall  22   a , use oil supplied from a suitable reservoir system to normally drive the motors M 1  and M 2  in counter rotation. Gear boxes  22  and  23  have output shafts coupled as at  22   b  and  23   b  to drive shafts  24  and  25 , which extend through the walls  19  and  20  and are journaled at their opposite ends in bearings  26  and  27 . Front end bearings may be provided on the plates  19 . 
     Each of the plates  21  and  22  support identical side comb assemblies of the character generally disclosed in  FIGS. 5–8 , which incorporate a series of generally triangularly-shaped comb teeth  29  (see  FIG. 7 ) in axially spaced relationship, the teeth having centrally disposed flat tops  30 . Separating the teeth are the mound portions  31  having the centrally disposed flat surfaces  32 . It is to be understood that the comb members C are identical and both combs are stationarily supported at the sides of the rotor assembly R to cooperate therewith. 
     Beneath the rotor shaft assembly R, as shown particularly in  FIG. 4 , immediately adjacent to the path of the blades to be later described, is the breaker assembly B, which, as  FIG. 12  discloses, comprises end plates  33 , which can be supported by the walls  19  and  20  beneath the twin rotor assembly R or by other frame members to coact with the blades to be presently described. As  FIGS. 9–12  illustrate, the end plates  33  support side walls  34  and  35 , which converge downwardly as shown in  FIG. 9 , and which are configured at their upper ends to provide upstanding anvil teeth  36  separated by recesses  37 . The teeth  36  have flat upper edges  36   a  and recesses  37  have flat lower edges  37   a.    
       FIG. 9  indicates that the identically configured plates  34  and  35  are bridged by a bottom wall  38 , which supports gusset walls  39 , spaced apart as shown in  FIG. 11  to support the teeth  36  which are relatively axially staggered on the assembly B as shown in  FIG. 11  on the respective walls  34  and  35 . This relative staggering places a gusset plate  39  on a tooth wall  36  of plate  34  opposite a recess  37  on wall  35  over the length of the breaker assembly as shown. A gusset plate on a tooth wall  36  of plate  35  is then opposite a recess  37  on plate  34  over the length of the assembly. Both the walls  39  have downwardly curvilinear inner edges as shown at  39   a.    
     Shown in  FIG. 13 , is one of the rotors which are identical, but driven in intermeshing counter rotation. Each of the assemblies comprises a series of star-like blade structures or discs, which will now be described, fixed in axially spaced relation on each of the shafts  24  and  25 . As  FIG. 15  indicates, the blade elements, generally designated BE, comprise star shaped elements, generally designated S, with openings  41  for the respective shafts  24  or  25 . The blades BE on the shaft  24  rotate clockwisely as shown in  FIG. 15 , whereas the identical blades mounted on shaft  25  in opposite disposition rotate counterclockwisely, as shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17 . The star shaped blades segments S are comprised of a series of curvilinear combination cutting and support bases  42 , each of which comprises a leading tooth portion  43  which has a radially outer relief surface  43   a  and a more radially curvilinear relief surface  43   b . The surface  43   a  continues curvilinearly as at  43   c  radially inwardly to provide a backing surface  43   c.    
     Provided on each of the star shaped members  42  is a relatively narrower inversely L-shaped tooth member or segment, generally designated  44 , and this angle-shaped tooth has a radially inner surface which conforms to and is welded on the tooth surface  43 . Each tooth  44  includes a leading tooth edge surface  44   a  with a more extreme curvilinear surface  44   b  as a relief surface and an opposite more gentle relief surface  44   c . At the trailing end of surface  44   c  is a tooth  44   d  formed by the surface  44   c  and a relief surface  44   e . This tooth  44   d  is operable when the rotation of the blade is reversed or backed to relieve a jam or the like. Both the teeth  44  and segments S may be fashioned from a suitably hard material such as T-1 steel. 
     As  FIGS. 16 and 17  indicate the successively mounted angle shaped teeth  44  are narrower than the segments  42  and are circumferentially laterally or axially successively staggered thereon. For example, the tooth  44  shown at “x” is positioned on one side of the segment  42  on which it is mounted and the next L-shaped tooth  44  on the circumferentially adjacent star shaped member  42  is mounted at substantially the middle of the blade BE as shown at “y”. The next successive L-shaped tooth  44  is disposed on the star shaped segment  42  near its opposite side as at “z” and the next one is near the first side as at X- 1 ; to provide a helical formation with teeth at positions “x” and “y”. The staggering progression of these laterally staggered teeth  44  continues around the circumference of each blade element BE. Whereas five blade elements are illustrated, it is to be understood that several fewer or several more star shaped elements  44  may be provided. Thus, each angle shaped cutter  44  includes a leading cutting edge  44   a  and a rear cutting edge  44   f . Since the cutting edges  44   f  will only be used when the shafts are reversed in rotation to assist in untangling material which may be impeding the grinding operation, the edges  44   f  take a much less aggressive bite better suited to clearing as opposed to grinding than do the leading cutting edges  44   a . The cutting edges  42   a  provided on the star shaped segments  42  also take an aggressive cut, but not as aggressive a cut as do the edges  44   a . A typical width of the narrow teeth  44  when the width of segment S is 3½ inches is 1¼ inches. Other dimensions may be utilized dependant on the material to be fragmented. 
     The Operation 
     In operation with the respective blades on shafts  24  and  25  counter rotating in meshed relation, it will be clear that the edges  44   a  in particular and also the edges  42   a  exert a considerable hooking and ripping action on the material which they engage. This ripping action is assisted by the surfaces  43   b  and  43   c  and the ripping action exerted by cutting edges  42   a  is also aggressive. 
     The comb teeth  29 , on either side of the respective blade elements BE, provides debris clearing surfaces which cooperate with the cutting teeth. As  FIGS. 4 and 19  indicate, the respective shafts  24  and  25  are substantially wiped by the comb surfaces  30 . The surfaces  32  wipe the surfaces  44   c  of teeth  44  and when the shafts  24  and  25  are reversed in rotation the surfaces  32  serve as anvils for the tooth edges  44   f . The side surfaces of the comb teeth  29  also serve as anvils to break up debris. 
     Considering now the breaker assembly and  FIG. 11 , the cutting teeth of each blade element on one side of breaker assembly B passes on one side of a gusset  39  through a recessed portion  37   a  on that side of breaker assembly B and each counter rotating blade passes through a recessed portion  37   a  on the opposite side of breaker assembly B. The piercing leading edge surfaces  44   a  utilize the surfaces  37   a  as anvils and the function of the piercing teeth  42   a  is to also function with the surfaces  37   a , but not as directly. Material ground or fragmented during this cutting action is discharged to opposite sides of the breaker assembly B to opposite of plates  34  and  35  where it drops to a suitable conveyor (not shown), or in some instances may drop to the ground. As  FIG. 4  shows, the opposite shaft  24  or  25  also cooperates as an anvil at “d” for the tooth edges  44   a  and the surfaces  44   c  tend to crush material against the opposing shaft. 
     Typically, the shafts of the machine need run only at a speed less than 40 rpm but may run at higher speeds. Because of the star shape of the segments  42 , the L-shaped teeth  44  are well able to withstand extreme compressive forces because they are backed by the segments  42 . Because of the staggering of the teeth  44  at various locations “x”, “y” and “z”, ripping bites of the teeth are accomplished to achieve a rapid disintegration of the wood or other waste material being fed to the machine. The opposite shaft tends to act as an anvil for the leading edges  42   a  of the segments  42  in assisting shearing material which would otherwise tend to wrap around the shaft. The conforming shape of the angle shaped teeth and the teeth  43  provides a solid backup surface for the more aggressively cutting teeth  44 . 
     It is understood that the disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred form of the invention and that others that accomplish the same function are incorporated herein within the scope of the patent claims.