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US 3,941,684 AGranted
Scrap salvage system
AssigneeLeesona Corporation
InventorsChristopher Grover Bradbury, Stanley Thomas Gotham, Joseph Paul Wudyka
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AssigneeLeesona Corporation
InventorsChristopher Grover Bradbury, Stanley Thomas Gotham, Joseph Paul Wudyka
Estimating the term…
A system for size reduction and separation of plastic-metal assemblies for the purpose of reclaiming the plastic and/or metal for reuse. The system includes a granulator followed by a fiber/dust separator with these components preferably being repeated, followed by a screening separator, and finally a hightension separator for separating plastic and metal. The system particularly incorporates an impact-counterflow separator for removing fiber/dust from heavier plastic and metallic particles.
An impact-counterflow separator for removing fiber/dust from heavier particles comprising, a housing, an inlet duct leading into said housing and operable to receive pressurized air and entrained fiber/dust and heavier particles, said housing having an upright wall, means for effecting pressurized air flow into said housing through said inlet duct to thereby convey said fiber/dust and particles to said housing, said inlet duct having a discharge opening directed towards and substantially normal to said upright wall, said upright wall being spaced from said discharge opening, means for controlling the air flow pattern as the air is emitted from said discharge opening to effect impaction of the particles against said upright wall and at least momentarily reduce the velocity of the particles to substantially zero with the fiber/dust being substantially precluded from impaction with said upright wall to thereby gravitationally substantially separate the particles from said fiber/dust, baffle means below said upright wall for receiving descending particles and fiber/dust, said baffle means cooperating with said means for controlling the air flow pattern to effect removal of fiber/dust from descending particles, and said means for controlling the air flow pattern being operable to remove the separated fiber/dust from said housing.
A method of salvaging granulated materials of the type including fiber/dust and heavier particles comprising the steps of, entraining the fiber/dust and heavier particles in an air stream, moving said fiber/dust in a selected path in said air stream, impinging said fiber/dust and particles against a surface generally normal to said selected path to change the direction of movement and initiate separation of the fiber/dust and particles, thereafter flowing the same into an enclosure while controlling the air flow pattern under a suction induced air current as the fiber/dust and heavier particles enter the enclosure to effect impingement of the particles against an upright wall substantially normal thereto thereby reducing the momentum of the particles with the particles falling from the upright wall under the influence of gravity while the fiber/dust is substantially precluded from impingement against the upright wall, and removing the air and fiber/dust in said suction induced air current.
A process for salvaging the materials of composite metallic and plastic members to yield fiber/dust and heavier particles of metal, and plastic comprising the steps of granulating the members, entraining the fiber/dust and particles in a stream of air to flow the same into an enclosure while controlling the air flow pattern under a suction induced air current as the fiber/dust and particles enter the enclosure to effect impingement of the particles against an upright wall substantially normal thereto thereby reducing the momentum of the particles with the particles falling downwardly under the influence of gravity while the fiber/dust is substantially precluded from impingement against the upright wall, removing the fiber/dust in said air stream, and finally separating the plastic from the metallic particles.
An impact-counterflow separator for removing fiber/dust from heavier particles comprising, a housing, an inlet duct leading into said housing, said housing having an upright wall, means for effecting flow of pressurized air in a path through said duct to convey the fiber/dust and particles to said housing, said inlet duct having an abrupt turn defining a duct wall disposed substantially normal to said path, said inlet duct having a discharge opening directed toward and substantially normal to said upright wall, said upright wall being spaced from said discharge opening, said fiber/dust and said particles moving in said path impacting against said duct wall to reduce the velocity and direct said fiber/dust and particles toward said discharge opening, means for controlling the air flow pattern as the air is emitted from said discharge opening to effect impaction of the particles against said upright wall and reduce the velocity thereof with the fiber/dust being substantially precluded from impaction against said upright wall to thereby gravitationally substantially separate the particles from the fiber/dust, and said means for contolling the air flow pattern being operable to remove the fiber/dust from said housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
Recovery of plastics or other constituents of waste material containing plastics: separating plastics from other materials
Specially adapted for refuse: the refuse being industrial
Selective separation of solid materials carried by, or dispersed in, gas currents: by reversal of direction of flow
Using electrical caracteristics: electrostatic separation
Term ended 2 Mar 1993 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
This invention relates in general to new and useful systems for size reduction and separation of plastic-metal assemblies for the purpose of reclaiming the plastic and/or metal for reuse.
It is known to reclaim composite metal and plastic elements by first granulating the same and then, by means of suitable separators, to separate the metallic and plastic particles for reuse. However, prior systems lacked in purity of the separated components, which is extremely important for reuse, as well as efficiency.
In accordance with this invention, the elements which are to be reclaimed are first passed through a granulator and thereafter through a separator wherein fiber/dust is removed from the granulated particles. Thereafter, depending upon the construction of the materials or the elements to be reclaimed, the particles may be passed through one or more granulators and, when necessary, through at least one further fiber/dust separator.
With the above and other objects in view which will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims, and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through a typical impact-counterflow separator formed in accordance with this invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic of a system utilizing the separator of FIG. 1;
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates the impact-counterflow separator of this invention, generally identified by the numeral 10. The separator 10 includes an upright housing 11, which may be cylindrical, square or otherwise shaped. The housing 11 has a tapered lower chamber 12 which terminates in a discharge 13 which is preferably in the form of a rotary air lock.
The housing 11 also includes a top wall 14 through which there passes a portion of inlet duct which is generally identified by the numeral 15. The inlet duct 15 has coupled to an inlet thereof a blower 16 which, in turn, will be coupled to a granulator (not shown) or other source of granulated or comminuted material which is to be salvaged.
The inlet duct 15 includes a straight-run 17 which is preferably generally horizontally disposed and which is in abrupt intersection with a further straight-run 18 which is preferably vertically disposed. The straight-run 18 is fitted into the housing 11 through the top wall 14 thereof and is coupled to an internal duct 20 having a discharge opening 21 facing an external wall of the housing 11 in direct, opposed, spaced relation.