Screening apparatus

A screening apparatus for screening a particulate material composed of particles of different size, said apparatus comprising:

• a screen frame having an open bottom through which screened particles can pass;
• a plurality of banks of blades supported on the screen frame;
• each bank having a plurality of evenly spaced blades arranged in a row and rotatable about a respective axis, the axes being parallel to each other, and the blades in every row lying in respective planes that are perpendicular to the axes, with adjacent banks of blades axially offset relative to each other so that the blades of one bank alternate with the blades of an adjacent bank, and wherein at least one bank of blades is linearly slidable along its axis of rotation to provide a predetermined amount of axial freeplay and where a sizing gap is formed between mutually adjacent blades of adjacent banks;
• wherein, when the blades are rotated and a particulate material is placed on the blades, the rotating blades agitate and/or crush the material to allow particles of a size equal to or smaller than the sizing gap to pass between the blades and through the open bottom.

A screening apparatus for screening a particulate material composed of particles of different size, said apparatus comprising:

• a screen frame having an open bottom through which screened particles can pass;
• a plurality of banks of blades supported on the screen frame;
• each bank having a plurality of evenly spaced blades arranged in a row and rotatable about a respective axis, the axes being parallel to each other, with adjacent banks of blades axially offset relative to each other so that the blades of one bank alternate with the blades of an adjacent bank, and wherein at least one bank of blades comprises a sleeve mounted on an axle having a longitudinal axis coincident with the axis of rotation of a corresponding bank of blades, the sleeve rotationally fixed to the axle and slideable linearly along the axle to provide a predetermined amount of axial freeplay and where a sizing gap is formed between mutually adjacent blades of adjacent banks;
• wherein when the blades are rotated and a particulate material is placed on the blades, the rotating blades agitate and/or crush the material to allow particles of a size equal to or smaller than the sizing gap to pass between the blades and through the open bottom.