Method and apparatus for comminuting materials

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THE REDUCTION OF MATERIAL TO FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES COMPRISING AN ENDLESS CURVED CHAMBER, MEANS TO INTRODUCED A STREAM OF GASEOUS FLUID ADJACENT THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CURVED CHAMBER, SAID STREAM BEING DIRECTED TO HAVE BOTH ROTATIONAL AND RADIAL COMPONENTS OF MOVEMENT, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING INTO SAID CHAMBER AND INTO SAID GASEOUS STREAM FEED MATERIAL TO BE DIVIDED, SAID GASEOUS STREAM HAVING SUFFICIENT ENERGY TO IMPOSE CENTRIFUGAL FORCE ON THE GAS AND MATERIAL FLOWING THEREIN, A GRINDING ZONE ABUTTING THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID CHAMBER, FIRST ROTATABLE VANES WITHIN SAID CASING POSITIONED TO FORCIBLY MIX FEED MATERIAL WITH MATERIAL CIRCULATING IN SAID STREAM, SECOND ROTATABLE VANES POSITIONED CLOSELY ADJACENT THE PERIPHERY OF SID CHAMBER TO CAUSE CIRCULATING MATERIAL AND A PORTION OF SAID GAS STREAM TO FLOW ALONG AND ADJACENT AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CURVED CHAMBER, THE PERIPHERY OF AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID SECOND VANES BEING IN THE OUTER PORTION OF THE GRINDING ZONE, AND MEANS DISPOSED RADIALLY INWARDLY OF SAID PERIPHERY FOR THE DISCHARGE OF SAID GAS AND DIVIDED MATERIAL.