US 4,976,178 A · Annular scrap segments in tire reduction

Abstract

An apparatus for dividing scrap tires having a compression transport in a rotary shear station. The compression transport centers the tire and provides forces onto the treaded periphery to buckle the scrap tire. The compression transport then feeds the tire to the rotary shear station in a straight-line manner. The rotary shear station has overlapping and counter-rotating circular shears that make at least one cut along the length of the collapsed tire to produce annular tire segments. The movement of the collapsed tire relative to the rotary shear station remains a linear movement during the shearing process. Preferably, the rotary shearing station includes a pair of coaxial circular shears that are spaced apart by a third shear supported on a shaft parallel to a shaft supporting the spaced pair of shears. In this manner, the scrap tire is reduced to three segments as a pair of shearing cuts are made parallel to the flattened tread of the scrap tire. Adjacent shears are spaced apart from each other by a distance not exceeding 0.003 inches.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An apparatus for shearing tires of the type having tread about a circumferential periphery, comprising,

collapsing means for exerting compression force on a circumferential periphery of a tire, thereby bringing opposed tread regions of the tire into proximity,
advancement means in communication with said collapsing means for providing relative motion of said collapsed tire and a shear station, said relative motion being a linear motion, and
a shear station having a plurality of rotary shears disposed to receive said linearly advancing collapsed tire and aligned relative to the circumferential periphery of the collapsed tire to shear across the circumferential periphery, thereby forming at least two annular segments.

An apparatus for shearing tires of the type having a crown portion, opposed side walls and a center defining a tire axis, said apparatus comprising,

a transport having a collapsing means for exerting a force on a crown portion of a tire perpendicular to the tire axis so as to flatten said tire, said transport further having means for linearly advancing said flattened tire, and
a rotary shear station stationed to accept said linearly advancing flattened tire from said transport, said rotary shear station having two circular shears including a first shear and a second shear separately supported upon a pair of parallelly disposed counter rotating shafts spaced apart by a distance less than the sum of the radii of said first and second shears so that the radially outward portions of said shears are in side-by-side relation, said first shear and said second shear disposed to linearly cut across said crown portion of the flattened tire to form at least two annular tire segments.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Annular scrap segments in tire reduction

Life of this patent

Annular scrap segments in tire reduction

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15