Centrifugal impactor for crushing rocks

A centrifugal impactor for crushing rocks, comprising:

• (a) a hollow housing defining a peripheral annular crushing chamber for receiving and holding rocks and a central cavity encompassed by said crushing chamber, said housing having an upper inlet opening above said crushing chamber and said central cavity for entry of rocks into said housing and a lower outlet opening below said crushing chamber and said central cavity for discharge of rocks from said housing;
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• (b) a rotor mounted within said central cavity for rotation relative to said housing about a generally vertical axis and being spaced radially inwardly from said crushing chamber relative to said vertical axis so as to define an annular passage between said rotor and said crushing chamber for communicating flow of rocks from said upper housing inlet opening and said crushing chamber to said lower housing outlet opening, said rotor having a horizontal platform and a pair of outer and inner annular vertical barrier members attached to and extending upwardly from said horizontal platform, said outer vertical barrier member being disposed about a peripheral edge of said horizontal platform, said inner vertical barrier member being disposed in concentric relation with said outer vertical barrier member about said rotational axis of said rotor and spaced radially inwardly from said outer vertical barrier member and outwardly from said rotational axis, said inner vertical barrier member extending a shorter distance above said horizontal platform than said outer vertical barrier member such that said inner and outer vertical barrier members cooperate to trap and accumulate rocks and form a pair of separate concentric annular beds of accumulated rocks in a substantially symmetrical distribution on said horizontal platform of said rotor which rotate with said rotor and produce an improved internal balance of said rotor and a substantially uniform centrifugal discharge of rocks from said rotor over said inner and outer barrier members thereof over said annular passage toward said crushing chamber.

A centrifugal impactor for crushing rocks, comprising:

• (a) a hollow housing defining a peripheral annular crushing chamber for receiving and holding rocks and a central cavity encompassed by said crushing chamber, said housing having an upper inlet opening above said crushing chamber and said central cavity for entry of rocks into said housing and a lower outlet opening below said crushing chamber and said central cavity for discharge of rocks from said housing;
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• (b) a rotor mounted within said central cavity for rotation relative to said housing about a generally vertical axis and being spaced radially inwardly from said crushing chamber relative to said vertical axis so as to define an annular passage between said rotor and said crushing chamber for communicating flow of rocks from said upper housing inlet opening and said crushing chamber to said lower housing outlet opening, said rotor having means for cooperating to trap and accumulate rocks and form a pair of separate annular beds of accumulated rocks on said rotor which rotate with said rotor and produce a centrifugal discharge of rocks from said rotor over said passage toward said crushing chamber;
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• (c) a separation and bypass arrangement including a separator adapted to receive an incoming flow of rocks and separate the rocks into a first stream of rocks larger than a grade-size defined by said separator and a second stream of rocks smaller than grade-size, said arrangement also including a hopper extending above said housing and encompassing said upper inlet opening thereof, said hopper also extending downwardly through said upper inlet opening of said housing and being adapted to guide said the first stream of larger than grade-size rocks through said housing inlet opening toward said outer annular crushing chamber of said housing and to guide said second stream of smaller than grade-size rocks through said housing inlet opening toward said rotor.