Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies and other waste to usable scrap

Claim 2

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments for metallurgical use with a mill comprising: a. a shell of downwardly decreasing diameter with an internal liner, b. a single rotor substantially centered in the shell having a pair of diametrically opposed knocker arms thereon, one below the other, and means below the arms providing a plurality of rIng hammer units arranged around the rotor below the arms in a descending succession of levels, there being a downwardly decreasing clearance between the exterior of the rotor and the liner in the shell and at the bottom of the rotor there is a minimum clearance space for the discharge of fragments to a receiving means below the rotor, c. the rotor having a depending shaft extending below the shell and having drive means for rotating the rotor at the lower end of the shaft, d. an inclined chute of a width to receive an automobile endwise extending upwardly and outwardly from the shell and having a lower terminal portion passing through the shell and terminating therein in such position that the forward end of an automobile body upon reaching the lower end of the chute will be in the plane of rotation of said knocker arms, and e. feed means comprising cooperating upper and lower powerdriven rollers extending crosswise of the chute, said upper roller being movable vertically and being weighted to yieldably bias it downwardly toward the lower one.

Claim 3

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments as defined in claim 1 in which both of said rolls have a plurality of projections thereon spaced from each other lengthwise and peripherally of the rolls on which they are carried.

Claim 4

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments for metallurgical use with a mill comprising: a. a shell of downwardly decreasing diameter with an internal liner, b. a single rotor subtantially centered in the shell having a pair of diametrially opposed knocker arms thereon, one below the other, and means below the arms providing a plurality of ring hammer units arranged around the rotor below the arms in a descending succession of levels, there being a downwardly decreasing clearance between the exterior of the rotor and the liner in the shell and at the bottom of the rotor there is a minimum clearance space for the discharge of fragments to a receiving means below the rotor, c. the rotor having a depending shaft extending below the shell and having drive means for rotating the rotor at the lower end of the shaft, d. an inclined chute of a width to receive an automobile endwise extending upwardly and outwardly from the shell and having a lower terminal portion passing through the shell and terminating therein in such position that the forward end of an automobile body, upon reaching the lower end of the chute, will be in the plane of rotation of said knocker arms, e. means extending across the chute for moving an automobile body down the chute toward said knocker arms at a controlled constant rate, and f. each of said knocker arms having a cutter at its outer end, the cutters being of a vertical dimension greater than the thickness of the respective arms on which they are carried and which sweep complementary swaths with the rotation of the rotor.

Claim 5

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments for metallurgical use with a mill comprising: a. a shell of downwardly decreasing diameter with an internal liner, b. a single rotor subtantially centered in the shell having a pair of diametrially opposed knocker arms thereon, one below the other, and means below the arms providing a plurality of ring hammer units arranged around the rotor below the arms in a descending succession of levels, there being a downwardly decreasing clearance between the exterior of the rotor and the liner in the shell and at the bottom of the rotor there is a minimum clearance space for the discharge of fragments to a receiving means below the rotor, c. the rotor having a depending shaft extending below the shell and having drive means for rotating the rotor at the lower end of the shaft, d. an inclined chute of a width to receive an automobile endwise extending upwardly and outwardly from the shell and having a lower terminal portion passing through the shell and terminating therein in such position that the forward end of an automobile body, upon reaching the lower end of the chute, will be in the plane of rotation of said knocker arms, e. means extending across the chute for moving an automobile body down the chute toward said knocker arms at a controlled constant rate, and f. each of said knocker arms having a cutter at its outer end, the cutters being of a vertical dimension greater than the thickness of the respective arms on which they are carried and which sweep complementary swaths with the rotation of the rotor.

Claim 6

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments as defined in claim 3 wherein said cutters are removably mounted on the arms.

Claim 7

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments as defined in claim 4 in which the cutters have a vertical edge portion and a horizontal edge portion.

Claim 8

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments as defined in claim 3 wherein said shell is comprised of a plurality of segments removably joined together and radially adjustable, those segments under the chute being of less height than the others to provide a recess in the shell through which the chute extends.

Claim 9

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments as defined in claim 6 in which the shell sections have ribbed liner plates removably attached thereto over substantially the entire surface thereof.

Claim 10

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments as defined in claim 7 in which the liner plates have a plurality of conical holes therethrough of non-circular contour and of diminishing area outwardly toward the shell, said holes registering with bolt holes in the sHell section on which the plates are mounted, and bolts having non-circular heads that fit into said non-circular holes in the plates to restrain the bolts from turning, the bolts having shanks which pass through the holes in the shell and onto which nuts are screwed at the exterior of the shell for securing the plates immovably on the shell.

Claim 11

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments as defined in claim 7 in which the uppermost liner plates have ribs that are inclined from top to bottom in the direction of rotation of the rotor and the lower plates have ribs which increasingly approach the vertical.

Claim 12

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments as defined in claim 7 in which the uppermost liner plates have ribs that are inclined from top to bottom in the direction of rotation of the rotor and the lower plates have ribs which increasingly approach the vertical, the lower liner plates also having vertically extending ribs located along their edges and which are in addition to the inclined ribs.

Claim 13

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments as defined in claim 3 wherein said shell is comprised of a plurality of segments which are joined to one another by a vertical joint between each two segments, said joints being adjusted to receive spacing shims which may be placed and removed therefrom for adjusting the sections relatively to each other and radially with respect to the rotor, the sections under the chute being of less height than the other sections to provide a recess through which the chute enters the shell.

Claim 14

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments as defined in claim 3 wherein said shell is comprised of at least three segments, the first one of which has a recess in which said chute is received, said shell resting on a fixed base ring at the bottom with lateral flanges on the said two shell segments bolted to the base ring, the tops of said other two segments having outwardly turned lateral flanges thereon and a cover over the shell rested on and bolted to said last-named flanges, the flanges on the bottom segments and the cover over the top flanges being diagonally slotted to receive the respective bolts and secure the bottoms of the shell segments to the ring and the cover having correspondingly arranged diagonal slots for the bolts that pass through the top flanges of the segments and the cover, the slots on one segment being on an oppositely directed diagonal with respect to those on the other.

Claim 15

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments for metallurgical use with a mill comprising: a. a shell of downwardly decreasing diameter with an internal liner, b. a single rotor substantially centered in the shell having a pair of diametrically opposed knocker arms thereon one below the other and means below the arms providing a plurality of ring hammer units arranged around the rotor below the arms in a descending succession of levels, there being a downwardly decreasing clearance between the exterior of the rotor and the liner in the shell and at the bottom of the rotor there is a minimum clearance space for the discharge of fragments to a receiving means below the rotor, c. the rotor having a depending shaft extending below the shell and having drive means for rotating the rotor at the lower end of the shaft, d. an inclined chute of a width to receive an automobile endwise extending upwardly and outwardly from the shell and having a lower terminal portion passing through the shell and terminating therein in such position that the forward end of an automobile body upon reaching the lower end of the chute will be in the plane of rotation of said knocker arms, e. means extending across the chute for moving an automobile body down the chute toward said knocker arms at a controlled constant rate, f. said shell being mounted on a circular box beam section which defines the outer wall of a trough below the shell and rotor into which fragments discharged from the space bEtween the shell and rotor fall, there being another vertical wall spaced inwardly from said box section forming the inner wall of the trough, the rotor having vanes attached to the under surface thereof extending into the trough for moving the fragments around said trough, the trough having an outlet located at one point thereabout into which the vanes discharge the fragments, and g. said circular box section hving a supporting plate at the bottom, a rigid structural frame under said supporting plate and attached thereto the structural frame having opposed end portions, spaced foundation piers on which said end portions of the supporting frame set and to which they are secured, the drive means for the rotor being below the tops of said piers.

Claim 16

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments for metallurgical use with a mill comprising: a. a shell of downwardly decreasing diameter with an internal liner, b. a single rotor substantially centered in the shell having a pair of diametrically opposed knocker arms thereon one below the other and means below the arms providing a plurality of ring hammer units arranged around the rotor below the arms in a descending succession of levels, there being a downwardly decreasing clearance between the exterior of the rotor and the liner in the shell and at the bottom of the rotor there is a minimum clearance space for the discharge of fragments to a receiving means below the rotor, c. the rotor having a depending shaft extending below the shell and having drive means for rotating the rotor at the lower end of the shaft, d. an inclined chute of a width to receive an automobile endwise extending upwardly and outwardly from the shell and having a lower terminal portion passing through the shell and terminating therein in such position that the forward end of an automobile body upon reaching the lower end of the chute will be in the plane of rotation of said knocker arms, e. means extending across the chute for moving an automobile body down the chute toward said knocker arms at a controlled constant rate, f. said shell being mounted on a circular box beam section which defines the outer wall of a trough below the shell and rotor into which fragments discharged from the space bEtween the shell and rotor fall, there being another vertical wall spaced inwardly from said box section forming the inner wall of the trough, the rotor having vanes attached to the under surface thereof extending into the trough for moving the fragments around said trough, the trough having an outlet located at one point thereabout into which the vanes discharge the fragments, and g. said circular box section hving a supporting plate at the bottom, a rigid structural frame under said supporting plate and attached thereto the structural frame having opposed end portions, spaced foundation piers on which said end portions of the supporting frame set and to which they are secured, the drive means for the rotor being below the tops of said piers.

Claim 17

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments as defined in claim 13 in which there is a cover over the top of the shell, a structural frame extending over the cover in vertical alignment with said first-named structural frame and to which the cover is attached, diametrically opposite structural members rigidly connecting the structural frame on the top with the one on the bottom to integrate them into a common rigid supporting frame, a foundation to which said rigid supporting frame is fixed, the rotor having a shaft portion at the top and a bearing unit for said shaft portion centered in the cover and integrated with structural frame to which the cover is attached, the rotor having a lower shaft portion extending below the supporting plate at the bottom, and a bearing for the shaft at the lower end of the rotor integrated with said bottom plate and the structural frame under said plate whereby there are top and bottom shaft bearings for the rotor rigidly connected and through said common rigid supporting frame.

Claim 18

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments as defined in claim 14 in which an extension is flexibly coupled to the lower rotor shaft portion, said extension having a gear wheel thereon, a second structural frame having a bearing for said extension surrounding the gear wheel and bolted to the foundation independently of the first-named supporting frame, a plurality of motors with vertical shafts on said second frame, each of which drives a pinion that meshes with said gear wheel, said motors and pinions being spaced from each other around the gear wheel.

Claim 19

Apparatus for reducing automobile bodies to fragments as defined in claim 15 in which said foundation has spaced piers on which the first-named structural frame is set and to which it is secured, the second structural frame being positioned on the foundation between said piers, the motors having their respective pinions at their lower ends with the bodies of the motors extending upward but positioned below said first-named structural frame.