Process for low temperature comminution of scrap tires
AssigneeTDE, Inc.
InventorHarold Perkel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process and apparatus for the low temperature comminution of tires includes the separation of the tires into tire portions including tread portions, sidewall portions and bead portions. The tire portions are cooled and crushed to form rubber granules and scrap material. The rubber granules are sorted from the scrap material in a process that includes the step of suspending the granules in a moving stream of low temperature gas. The stream of gas and rubber granules is impacted on a solid surface to grind the granules. The low temperature gas is preferably recycled and cooled by heat exchange with another circulating low temperature gas such as nitrogen.
Claims22
A process for the low temperature comminution of tires, comprising the steps of:
- a) separating whole tires into portions;
- b) cooling said tire portions with low temperature cooling gas stream;
- c) particlizing said tire portions, whereby rubber granules separate from non-rubber portions of said tire;
- d) separating said rubber granules from said non-rubber portions of said tire;
- e) comminuting said rubber granules into fine particles, said comminuting comprising placing said rubber granules in a high velocity impacting gas stream, and impacting said high velocity granules with a solid surface, whereby said granules shatter into particles;
- and
- f) recycling said cooling gas stream of step b) and said impacting gas stream of step e) through a heat exchanger.
An apparatus for the low temperature comminution of tires having tread portions, sidewall portions, and bead portions, comprising:
- means for separating said tires into said tread portions, sidewall portions, and bead portions, said separation means comprising a rotatable spindle means adapted to engage said bead portions and to rotate said tire about the usual axis of rotation of the tire, and blade means on each lateral side of said spindle means, said blade means comprising bead removal blades adapted for insertion into said tire radially outward from said bead portion, and tread removal blades adapted for insertion into said tire radially inward from said tread portion;
- motor means for rotating said spindle means and motor means for operating said blades;
- means for cooling said tread portions, sidewall portions, and bead portions, said cooling means comprising a source of a moving stream of low temperature gas;
- means for forming particles from said tread portions, sidewall portions, and bead portions cooled by said cooling means, whereby the brittle, low temperature rubber portions will separate from non-rubber components of said tire;
- means for separating said rubber granules from said non-rubber portions of said tire;
- and,
- means for comminuting said rubber granules, said comminuting means comprising a source of a low temperature gas, means for accelerating said low temperature gas, said acceleration means comprising a converging-diverging nozzle, and an impact plate means positioned so as to impact with granules carried by said low temperature gas and accelerated by said converging-diverging nozzle, whereby said granules will be particlizes.
An apparatus for the low temperature comminution of tires having tread portions, sidewall portions, and bead portions, comprising:
- means for separating said tires into said tread portions, sidewall portions, and bead portions;
- means for cooling said tread portions, sidewall portions, and bead portions, said means for cooling said tread portions comprising an elongated, hollow tunnel having an elongated cylinder rotating therein, having means for circulating a low temperature cooling gas through said elongated tunnel, said elongated tunnel having a plurality of guide means extending from an interior surface thereof substantially to said rotating cylinder and positioned in a substantially helical pattern so as to direct said tread portions rotating on said cylinder in a helical path along the surface of said rotating cylinder;
- means for forming particles from said tread portions, sidewall portions, and bead portions cooled by said cooling means, whereby the brittle, low temperature rubber portions will separate from non-rubber components of said tire;
- means for separating said rubber granules from said non-rubber portions of said tire;
- and,
- means for comminuting said rubber granules, said comminuting means comprising a source of low temperature gas, means for accelerating said low temperature gas and said rubber granules, said acceleration means comprising a converging-diverging nozzle, and an impact plate means positioned so as to impact with granules carried by said low temperature gas and accelerated by said converging-diverging nozzle, whereby said granules will be particlized by impact.
An apparatus for the low temperature comminution of tires, comprising:
- a) means for separating whole tires into portions;
- b) means for cooling said tire portions with a cooling gas stream;
- c) means for particlizing said tire portions, whereby rubber granules separate from non-rubber portions of said tire;
- d) means for separating said rubber granules from said non-rubber portions of said tire;
- e) means for comminuting said rubber granules into fine particles, said comminuting means comprising a means for providing a high velocity impacting gas stream, and impact means impacting granules placed in said gas stream whereby said granules form into particles;
- and,
- f) heat exchanger means for cooling said gas stream of step b) and said impacting gas stream of step e).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.