Apparatus for comminuting articles

Claim 2

Apparatus for disintegrating articles into small particles comprising: a body having an intake opening for the introduction of articles into the apparatus and floor means defining a downwardly facing discharge opening for the particles disposed at a side of the body, stationary blade means secured to the body and disposed intermediate the openings, rotatable cutting blades disposed in proximity of the stationary blades, means driven by the cutting blades for continuously removing particles disposed on the floor means to the discharge opening, and means for rotating the cutting blades relative to the stationary blades whereby articles introduced through the intake opening are grasped by the cutting blades, impacted against the stationary blades and thereby disintegrated, and then discharged through the discharge opening.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the particle-removing means includes means depending from the cutting blades for moving particles disposed on the floor means towards the discharge opening and for biasing such particles through the discharge opening out of the body interior.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the stationary and the cutting blades includes a toothed edge against which articles are forced to increase the disintegration of such article.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the other one of the stationary blades and the cutting blades includes a sharp edge facing the toothed edge when the cutting blades rotate.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 1 including means for passing water from adjacent the intake opening past the stationary blade means and the cutting blades and through the discharge opening.

Claim 7

Apparatus for comminuting waste products into fine particles comprising: a frame; an upright hollow body defining a concentrically located intake opening at its upper end and having floor means extending partially across a lower end of the body to define a discharge opening; at least one set of cutting blades disposed above the floor means and including downwardly depending scrapers positioned immediately above the floor means for transporting particles from the floor means to the discharge opening; means rotatablY mounting the cutting blades concentrically within the body; means for rotating the cutting blades; and stationary impact blades axially spaced from the cutting blades and secured to the body concentrically with the cutting blades so that articles placed into the apparatus through the intake opening are contacted by the moving blade, moved against the stationary blades and are there cut, shredded and broken into particles which are discharged through the discharge opening.

Claim 8

Apparatus for comminuting waste products into fine particles comprising: a frame; an upright hollow body defining a concentrically located intake opening at its upper end and having floor means extending partially across a lower end of the body to define a discharge opening; at least one set of cutting blades disposed above the floor means and including downwardly depending scrapers positioned immediately above the floor means for transporting particles from the floor means to the discharge opening; means rotatablY mounting the cutting blades concentrically within the body; means for rotating the cutting blades; and stationary impact blades axially spaced from the cutting blades and secured to the body concentrically with the cutting blades so that articles placed into the apparatus through the intake opening are contacted by the moving blade, moved against the stationary blades and are there cut, shredded and broken into particles which are discharged through the discharge opening.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the body comprises a cylindrical housing, a generally circular top plate including a concentric cutout, means demountably securing the plate to the housing, and intake chute means removably positioned in the cutout whereby removal of the intake chute means enables inspection of the blades and removal of the top plate enables repair and replacement of the blades.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the floor means extends over more than one-half of the ground cross section of the body and wherein the scraper means comprise sloped plates extending over a portion of the length of the cutting blades and sloping downwardly and rearwardly, in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the cutting blades, the plates further having a lower end defined by a plurality of angularly inclined sharp edges.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the cutting blades comprise a plurality of cutting blade sets disposed above and below the stationary blades, and wherein the stationary blades comprise a plurality of at least three horizontally disposed plate members having outer ends secured to the body and inner end sections secured to end sections of at least two other stationary blade members.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the radial length of the leading edge of the cutting blades exceeds the radial length of the trailing edge of the cutting blades to thereby define a sharp outermost cutting-blade edge for the removal of particles caked to an inner wall of the body to reduce friction and power consumption of the apparatus. rotatable

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 6 including a spray pipe disposed adjacent the intake opening for mixing the particles with water to facilitate their discharge from the body, and means for connecting the spray pipe with a source of water.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 11 including valve means for throttling and blocking the water flow from the source to the spray pipe.

Claim 15

Apparatus for comminuting articles into small particles comprising: a frame, an upright cylindrical housing mounted to the frame, a cover including removable intake chute means secured to the housing permitting introduction of the articles into the housing via the chute means, a floor member defining the lower end of the housing, secured to the housing and defining with the lower housing end a downwardly facing discharge opening positioned on one side of the housing, a substantially horizontally positioned spider assembly defined by a plurality of substantially flat horizontally disposed bar members having first ends demountably secured to each other adjacent the center of the housing and second ends demountably secured to the housing intermediate the cover and the floor member, edges of the bar members facing in common directions including a plurality of relatively sharp teeth, a plurality of cutting blades rotatable in substantially horizontal planes and disposed on the underside of the spider assembly in a substantially horizontal orientation and having relatively sharp leading edges facing the teeth on the bar members, the cutting blades including means sweeping the floor member when the blades rotate for removal of particles from the floor member to the discharge opening, means rotatably mounting the cutting blades to the frame, and means for rotating the cutting blades so that the insertion of articles through the intake chute means causes the comminuting of the articles between the rotating cutting blades and tHe spider assembly and discharge of the particles through the discharge opening.

Claim 16

Apparatus for comminuting articles into small particles comprising: a frame, an upright cylindrical housing mounted to the frame, a cover including removable intake chute means secured to the housing permitting introduction of the articles into the housing via the chute means, a floor member defining the lower end of the housing, secured to the housing and defining with the lower housing end a downwardly facing discharge opening positioned on one side of the housing, a substantially horizontally positioned spider assembly defined by a plurality of substantially flat horizontally disposed bar members having first ends demountably secured to each other adjacent the center of the housing and second ends demountably secured to the housing intermediate the cover and the floor member, edges of the bar members facing in common directions including a plurality of relatively sharp teeth, a plurality of cutting blades rotatable in substantially horizontal planes and disposed on the underside of the spider assembly in a substantially horizontal orientation and having relatively sharp leading edges facing the teeth on the bar members, the cutting blades including means sweeping the floor member when the blades rotate for removal of particles from the floor member to the discharge opening, means rotatably mounting the cutting blades to the frame, and means for rotating the cutting blades so that the insertion of articles through the intake chute means causes the comminuting of the articles between the rotating cutting blades and tHe spider assembly and discharge of the particles through the discharge opening.

Claim 17

Apparatus according to claim 13 including means for introducing a water flow into the housing to facilitate the discharge of the particles.

Claim 18

Apparatus according to claim 13 including a second cutting-blade set disposed on the upper side of the spider assembly, and means rigidly connecting the cutting blade sets.

Claim 19

Apparatus according to claim 13 wherein the cutting blades are twisted about their longitudinal axes for defining an air foil inducing, upon rotation of the cutting blades, an airflow from the intake chute means, past the intake opening, the housing and out through the discharge opening to facilitate the flow-through of the articles and the particles.