Impellers for cutting machines and cutting machines equipped therewith

An impeller adapted to be coaxially mounted within a cutting head for rotation about an axis of the cutting head, the impeller comprising:

• a lower plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a perimeter;
• paddles configured with the lower plate to direct material placed on the lower plate in a radially outward direction of the impeller when the impeller is rotated, at least one of the paddles having an outer radial extent that is adjacent the perimeter of the lower plate;
• and
• at least a first exit hole located in the lower plate, the first exit hole having a wall section that completely closes the first exit hole along the perimeter at the upper surface of the lower plate, the first exit hole extending through the lower plate to define a passageway connected to the upper surface to enable foreign debris at the upper surface to exit the impeller through the passageway;
• wherein the first exit hole has a radially outermost wall that is not perpendicular to the upper surface of the plate;
• and
• wherein the radially outermost wall of the first exit hole is inclined to slope radially inward from the upper surface to the lower surface of the lower plate at an angle of not greater than 25 degrees to vertical.

An impeller adapted to be coaxially mounted within a cutting head for rotation about an axis of the cutting head, the impeller comprising:

• a lower plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a perimeter;
• paddles configured with the lower plate to direct material placed on the lower plate in a radially outward direction of the impeller when the impeller is rotated, at least one of the paddles having an outer radial extent that is adjacent the perimeter of the lower plate;
• and
• at least a first exit hole located in the lower plate, the first exit hole having a wall section that completely closes the first exit hole along the perimeter at the upper surface of the lower plate, the first exit hole extending through the lower plate to define a passageway connected to the upper surface to enable foreign debris at the upper surface to exit the impeller through the passageway;
• wherein the first exit hole has a radially outermost wall that is not perpendicular to the upper surface of the plate;
• and
• wherein the radially outermost wall of the first exit hole is inclined to slope radially outward from the upper surface to the lower surface of the lower plate.

A cutting machine comprising an annular-shaped cutting head and an impeller coaxially mounted within the cutting head for rotation about an axis of the cutting head in a rotational direction relative to the cutting head, the cutting head having multiple knives each extending radially inward toward the impeller in a direction opposite the rotational direction of the impeller, the impeller comprising:

• a lower plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a perimeter;
• paddles configured with the lower plate to direct material placed on the lower plate in a radially outward direction of the impeller when the impeller is rotated, at least one of the paddles having a face that contacts the material when the impeller is rotated and an outer radial extent that is adjacent the perimeter of the lower plate;
• and
• at least a first exit hole located in the lower plate adjacent the perimeter of the lower plate and touching the of the at least one of the paddles, the first exit hole having a wall section that completely closes the first exit hole along the perimeter at the upper surface of the lower plate, the first exit hole extending through the lower plate to define a passageway connected to the upper surface, wherein a foreign debris that is under influence of centrifugal forces generated by the rotation of the impeller and has a trajectory along the face of the at least one of the paddles and contacts the face encounters the first exit hole.

An impeller adapted to be coaxially mounted within a cutting head for rotation about an axis of the cutting head, the impeller comprising:

• a lower plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a perimeter;
• paddles configured with the lower plate to direct material placed on the lower plate in a radially outward direction of the impeller when the impeller is rotated, at least one of the paddles having an outer radial extent that is adjacent the perimeter of the lower plate;
• and
• at least a first exit hole located in the lower plate, the first exit hole having a wall section that completely closes the first exit hole along the perimeter at the upper surface of the lower plate, the first exit hole extending through the lower plate to define a passageway connected to the upper surface to enable foreign debris at the upper surface to exit the impeller through the passageway;
• wherein the first exit hole has a radially outermost wall that is not perpendicular to the upper surface of the plate;
• wherein the at least one of the paddles comprises posts extending in the radially outward direction of the impeller from the outer radial extent of the at least one of the paddles;
• wherein the posts are spaced apart along the outer radial extent of the at least one of the paddles to define first gaps therebetween, and a lowermost extent of the at least one of the paddles lacks a lower shear edge and lacks a post to create a second gap through which debris are able to pass and escape around the outer radial extent of the at least one of the paddles.

A cutting machine comprising an annular-shaped cutting head and an impeller coaxially mounted within the cutting head for rotation about an axis of the cutting head in a rotational direction relative to the cutting head, the cutting head having multiple knives each extending radially inward toward the impeller in a direction opposite the rotational direction of the impeller, the impeller comprising:

• a lower plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a perimeter;
• paddles configured with the lower plate to direct material placed on the lower plate in a radially outward direction of the impeller when the impeller is rotated, at least one of the paddles having an outer radial extent that is adjacent the perimeter of the lower plate;
• and
• at least a first exit hole located in the lower plate, the first exit hole having a wall section that completely closes the first exit hole along the perimeter at the upper surface of the lower plate, the first exit hole extending through the lower plate to define a passageway connected to the upper surface to enable foreign debris at the upper surface to exit the impeller through the passageway;
• wherein the first exit hole has a radially outermost wall that is not perpendicular to the upper surface of the plate;
• wherein the at least one of the paddles comprises posts extending in the radially outward direction of the impeller from the outer radial extent of the at least one of the paddles;
• wherein the posts are spaced apart along the outer radial extent of the at least one of the paddles to define first gaps therebetween, and a lowermost extent of the at least one of the paddles lacks a lower shear edge and lacks a post to create a second gap through which debris are able to pass and escape around the outer radial extent of the at least one of the paddles.