Autogenous impact mill that reduces size of friable material

An apparatus comprising:

• an autogenous impact mill operative to size reduce material particles processed by the mill, including:
• a housing, wherein the housing bounds an interior area, and includes a concave surface, a plurality of ricochet bars, and an exit opening,
• wherein each of the plurality of ricochet bars includes a ricochet surface that has a different angle relative to other ricochet surfaces,
• at least one rotatable fan blade, wherein the at least one fan blade causes air movement within the interior area of the housing,
• a manifold, wherein the manifold includes a valve controlled inlet, wherein the inlet enables air from outside the housing to enter the housing interior area adjacent the at least one fan blade,
• a rotatable shaft, wherein the shaft extends through the interior area and has a shaft diameter,
• a rotatable impeller, wherein the impeller is mounted in rotatable operatively supported connection with the shaft above the concave surface, wherein the impeller includes
• a plurality of separate, angularly disposed radially extending arms,
• wherein each arm extends radially outward beyond the shaft a distance greater than the shaft diameter,
• wherein each arm terminates radially outwardly in a respective outer peripheral impact head,
• wherein impeller and fan blade rotation are operative to cause air flow including at least one air flow jet in the interior area, wherein the at least one air flow jet
• extends away from the concave surface and toward the exit opening of the interior area,
• is operative to hold at least some material particles suspended within the interior area by movement of air around respective convex surfaces of the suspended particles adjacent to the at least one jet via a Coanda Effect, and propel other material particles to impact and bounce off the ricochet bars,
• wherein while such suspended material particles are held suspended, impeller rotation is operative to cause further material particles to be contacted by the impact heads and to move in the interior area responsive to such contact,
• wherein the suspended material particles in the interior area are impacted by the relatively moving other material particles and further material particles, and wherein the suspended material particles are broken into smaller particles responsive to such impacts.

An apparatus comprising:

• an autogenous impact mill operative to size reduce material particles processed by the mill, including:
• a housing,
• wherein the housing bounds an interior area and includes a concave lower bottom surface that bounds the interior area,
• a loading chute,
• an entrance opening to the interior area,
• a selectively rotatably movable valve plate,
• wherein the loading chute is configured to hold material pieces and guide such pieces toward the entrance opening,
• wherein the entrance opening is configured to accept material pieces into the interior area at an upper area thereof,
• wherein the valve plate is selectively movable between a closed position in which the valve plate prevents material pieces from passing from the loading chute into the interior area, and an open position in which at least a portion of the valve plate is disposed away from the entrance opening to enable material pieces to pass from the loading chute through the entrance opening,
• a guide plate,
• wherein the guide plate is positioned in the interior area and below the entrance opening, wherein the guide plate is configured to engage material pieces that enter the interior area through the entrance opening and to direct such pieces to a first lateral side of the interior area,
• at least one rotatable fan blade, wherein the at least one fan blade extends in the interior area and is operative to cause air movement within the interior area of the housing,
• a manifold, wherein the manifold includes a valve controlled inlet, wherein the manifold enables air from outside the housing to enter the interior area of the housing within an arc of rotation of the at least one fan blade,
• at least one rotatable impeller, wherein the at least one impeller
• extends above the lower concave surface,
• includes at least one radially outer peripheral head, wherein the at least one head is configured to engage and propel material pieces that have passed into the first side of the interior area,
• a plurality of fracture plates, wherein the plurality of fracture plates extend on the first side of the interior area, wherein material pieces that engage the at least one head on the first side of the interior area are propelled toward the fracture plates,
• wherein rotation of the at least one rotatable impeller is operative to cause
• at least one air flow jet in the interior area, wherein the at least one air flow jet extends away from the concave bottom surface of the housing,
• wherein the at least one air flow jet is operative to cause particles of material to be held suspended adjacent to the at least one air flow jet in the interior area by movement of air around respective convex surfaces of the material particles via a Coanda Effect,
• a plurality of ricochet bars,
• wherein the plurality of ricochet bars extend on a second lateral side of the interior area opposed of the first lateral side, wherein the at least one impeller extends between the first lateral side and the second lateral side,
• wherein at least some material particles engaged by the at least one peripheral head in the second lateral side are propelled by the at least one peripheral head to engage the ricochet bars, wherein the ricochet bars are configured such that material particles engage and bounce off the ricochet bars and impact the particles that are held suspended via the Coanda Effect,
• an exit opening from the housing, wherein the exit opening extends on the second lateral side and wherein the at least one jet is directed toward the exit opening,
• a screen, wherein the screen
• includes a plurality of screen openings each having a screen opening size,
• is positioned intermediate of the ricochet bars and the exit opening, and wherein material particles that are smaller than the screen opening size are enabled to pass through the screen and the exit opening,
• at least one circuit, wherein the at least one circuit is in operative connection with the screen and at least one electrode,
• wherein the at least one circuit is operative to cause electrostatic charge that is operative to repel particles from the screen and from a surface bounding the interior area of the housing associated with the at least one electrode.