Bulk material shredder and method

• US 5,601,239 A
• Filed: 07/05/1995
• Issued: 02/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tangent Rail Energy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Wood Waste Energy, Inc.
• Inventors: Harrawood, Thomas, Smith, Greg M.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUSAR, JOHN
• Application Number:
  US08/498,236
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 241/29, 241/79.1, 241/260.1, 241/294, 241/78
• US Class Current: 241/29
• CPC Class Codes: B02C 19/22 Crushing mills with screw-shaped crushing means

Abstract

A bulk material shredding method, a bulk material shredder which has a shredder housing having a trough, a discharge end having a discharge aperture for discharge of shredded material out of the trough, and an opposite end remote from the discharge end, an auger mounted for rotation within the shredder housing and retained by a bearing surface at the discharge end of the shredder housing and by a bearing surface at the opposite end of the shredder housing, the auger having a uniform diameter auger flight, and a shaft of uniform diameter through its length which carries the auger flight. A drive means is located at the discharge end of the shredder housing for rotating the auger and a plurality of teeth are mounted on the periphery of the auger and project radially therefrom. Apparatus for shredding railroad ties and separating non-fuel useable components therefrom to produce fuel.

Claims

1. A shredder for shredding solid fracturable material comprising:

a shredder housing having side walls, a trough, a discharge end having a discharge aperture for discharge of shredded material out of said trough, and an opposite end remote from said discharge end;

an auger mounted for rotation within the shredder housing;

drive means for rotating the auger; and

a plurality of teeth mounted on the periphery of the auger and projecting radially therefrom, at least some of said teeth having a leading shredding component and a trailing shredding component, the leading component leading the trailing component in the auger'"'"'s direction of rotation during normal operation, said at least some teeth having a void between the leading component and the trailing component sized and shaped for receiving material being shredded therein for pulling said material in the direction of rotation to facilitate shredding of the material;

each of said teeth being separately and removably attached by fasteners to a shank which is attached to the auger at its periphery.

2. The shredder of claim 1 wherein each tooth has a sharp forwardly pointing shredder point above said void on a leading edge of the trailing shredding component of said tooth.

3. The shredder of claim 2 wherein said void has a periphery defined by a bottom edge, the shredder point, a void leading edge and a void trailing edge as the auger is rotated during normal operation and wherein the void is between about 2 and 6 inches wide from the void leading edge to the void trailing edge as the auger is rotated during normal operation and between about 1 and 6 inches deep from the shredder point to the bottom edge of the void.

4. The shredder of claim 3 wherein the void is about 31/2 to 4 inches wide from the void leading edge to the void trailing edge and between about 11/2 to 21/2 inches deep from the shredder point to the bottom edge of the void.

5. The shredder of claim 1 wherein each of said shanks is welded to the auger at its periphery.

6. A shredder for shredding solid fracturable material comprising:

a shredder housing having a trough, a discharge end having a discharge aperture for discharge of shredded material out of said trough, and an opposite end remote from the discharge end;

an auger mounted for rotation within the shredder housing and retained by a bearing surface at the discharge end of the shredder housing and by a bearing surface at the opposite end of the shredder housing, said auger having an auger flight, a shaft of uniform diameter through its length which carries said flight, and a flight periphery of uniform diameter;

drive means located at the discharge end of the shredder housing for rotating the auger; and

a plurality of teeth mounted on the periphery of the auger and projecting radially therefrom.

7. A shredder for shredding solid fracturable material comprising:

a shredder housing having side walls, a trough, a discharge end having a discharge aperture for discharge of shredded material out of said trough, and an opposite end remote from said discharge end;

an auger mounted for rotation within the shredder housing and retained by at least two thrust bearings in spaced relation to each other at the discharge end of the shredder housing and by a bearing surface at the opposite end of the shredder housing;

drive means for rotating the auger; and

a plurality of teeth mounted on the periphery of the auger and projecting radially therefrom.

8. The shredder of claim 7 wherein there are exactly two of said thrust bearings which are spaced approximately 11 inches apart and disposed on opposite ends of an expanded section of the auger'"'"'s shaft.

9. A shredder for shredding solid fracturable material comprising:

a shredder housing having a trough, a discharge end having a discharge aperture for discharge of shredded material out of said trough and an opposite end remote from the discharge end;

an auger mounted for rotation within the shredder housing and retained by a bearing surface at the discharge end of the shredder housing and by a bearing surface at the opposite end of the shredder housing, said auger having an auger flight, a shaft of uniform diameter in a section of the auger which carries said flight, and an auger flight periphery of uniform diameter;

drive means located at the discharge end of the shredder housing for rotating the auger;

a plurality of teeth affixed to the periphery of the auger and projecting radially therefrom, at least some of said plurality of teeth having a leading shredding component at a leading edge of each tooth as the auger is rotated and a trailing shredding component at a trailing edge of each tooth as the auger is rotated, the leading component leading the trailing component in the auger'"'"'s direction of rotation during normal operation, there being a void between the leading component and the trailing component for receiving material being shredded therein for pulling said material in the auger'"'"'s direction of rotation, said each tooth further having a sharp forwardly pointing shredder point on a leading edge of the trailing shredding component of said tooth; and

a plurality of shredder members affixed to the trough, at least some of said members having adjacent side walls which define a corner, said members being arranged on the trough with said adjacent side walls in oblique relation relative to the auger'"'"'s direction of rotation such that the corner of each member is disposed for first contact with material moving in the direction of said rotation.

10. Apparatus for shredding railroad ties and separating non-fuel useable components therefrom to produce fuel comprising:

a primary shredder having a shredder housing having a trough, a discharge end having a discharge aperture for discharge of shredded material out of said trough, and an opposite end remote from the discharge end, and an auger mounted for rotation within the shredder housing;

a first conveyor for carrying shredded material discharged from said primary shredder away from said primary shredder;

a first magnetic separator for removing metal components from shredded material discharged from the primary shredder;

a secondary shredder for further shredding material discharged from the primary shredder; and

a second conveyor for carrying shredded material discharged from said secondary shredder away from said secondary shredder.

11. Apparatus of claim 10 comprising a second magnetic separator for removing metal components from material discharged from the secondary shredder.

12. Apparatus of claim 11 wherein the auger of the primary shredder is retained by a bearing surface at the discharge end of the shredder housing and by a bearing surface at the opposite end of the shredder housing, said auger having an auger flight, a shaft of uniform diameter through its length which carries said flight, and a flight periphery of uniform diameter, drive means located at the discharge end of the shredder housing for rotating the auger, and a plurality of teeth mounted on the periphery of the auger and projecting radially therefrom.

13. Apparatus of claim 11 wherein there are a plurality of teeth mounted on the periphery of the auger of the primary shredder and projecting radially therefrom, at least some of said teeth having a leading shredding component and a trailing shredding component, the leading component leading the trailing component in said auger'"'"'s direction of rotation during normal operation, said at least some teeth having a void between the leading component and the trailing component sized and shaped for receiving material being shredded therein for pulling said material in the direction of rotation to facilitate shredding of the material.

14. Apparatus of claim 11 comprising a plurality of shredder members affixed to the trough of the primary shredder, at least some of said members having adjacent side walls which define a corner, said members being arranged on the trough with said adjacent side walls in oblique relation relative to the auger'"'"'s direction of rotation such that the corner of each member is disposed for first contact with material moving in the direction of said rotation.

15. A method for shredding solid fracturable material comprising:

rotating an auger within shredder housing having a trough, a discharge end having a discharge aperture for discharge of shredded material out of said trough, and an opposite end remote from the discharge end;

placing the material within the housing and in contact with the auger so that teeth mounted on the periphery of the auger and projecting radially therefrom impact the material and cause it to be pulled against shredder members mounted on the trough, each tooth of at least some of the teeth having a leading shredding component at a leading edge of the tooth as the auger is rotated and a trailing shredding component at a trailing edge of the tooth as the auger is rotated, there being a void between the leading component and the trailing component for receiving material being shredded therein for pulling said material in the auger'"'"'s direction of rotation, said each tooth further having a sharp forwardly pointing shredder point on a leading edge of the rearward shredding component of said tooth, at least some of said shredder members having adjacent side walls which define a corner, said members being arranged on the trough with said adjacent side walls in oblique relation relative to the auger'"'"'s direction of rotation such that the corner of each member is disposed for first contact with material moving in the direction of said rotation.