Metal separation system and method
AssigneeDonna Maria Roberts
InventorJohn Earl Minturn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A separator as described herein separates granular input material into component materials. Each component material has a hardness. The separator includes a rebound surface, a propulsion system, and a plurality of sorting zones. The propulsion system propels granular input material toward the rebound surface. The component materials that are rebounded off of the rebound surface and land in sorting zones based on the hardness of the component materials. A method for using the separator is also described.
Claims8
A separator for separating granular input material into component materials, each component material having a hardness, said separator comprising:
- (a) an annular rebound surface;
- (b) a centrifugal propulsion system for propelling granular input material toward said annular rebound surface;
- and
- (c) a plurality of concentric sorting zones arranged at increasing distances from said annular rebound surface, said component materials rebounded off of said annular rebound surface landing in said concentric sorting zones based on the hardness of said component materials.
A separator for separating granular input material into component materials, each component material having a hardness, said separator comprising:
- (a) an annular rebound surface;
- (b) a centrifugal propulsion system for propelling granular input material toward said annular rebound surface;
- (c) a plurality of concentric sorting zones arranged at increasing distances from said rebound surface, said component materials rebounded off of said annular rebound surface landing in said concentric sorting zones based on the hardness of said component materials;
- and
- (d) a plurality of sorting containers, each sorting container associated with at least one of said concentric sorting zones, each sorting container receiving component material that landed in the associated at least one of said concentric sorting zones;
- (e) wherein said component materials in said sorting containers are predominantly of a like hardness.
A method for using a separator for separating granular input material into component materials, each component material having a hardness, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) using a centrifugal propulsion system, propelling inputted granular input material toward an annular rebound surface;
- (b) rebounding propelled granular input material off of said annular rebound surface;
- and
- (c) said component materials rebounding off of said annular rebound surface and landing in respective ones of a plurality of concentric sorting zones based on the hardness of said component materials, said plurality of concentric sorting zones arranged at increasing distances from said annular rebound surface and landing in respective ones of a plurality of concentric sorting zones based on the hardness of said component materials.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.