Pre-crusher

Abstract

The invention relates to a pre-crusher comprising an upper mechanism (1) and a lower mechanism (2), the upper mechanism comprising an upper shaft (3) with at least one upper sprocket (5) and the lower mechanism comprising a lower shaft (4) with at least one lower sprocket (6) wherein the pre-crusher comprises at least one linear actuator (7) and at least one of the mechanisms (1, 2) is movable, the at least one mechanism is joined to the base of the pre-crusher by means of an articulated attachment (8) and to the linear actuator (7) by means of a floating joint (9) such that the distance between the shafts (3, 4) is variable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pre-crusher, which is responsible for crushing the material before feeding it into the crusher, so that the crushed material is more uniform and smaller in size. The particularity of the present invention is that the distance between the axes of the pre-crusher is variable, so that the pre-crusher can be selected to obtain crushed materials of a specific size. Background Art

[0002] The material shredding process is a process that requires a high level of installed capacity due to the large amount of transformation required to get the metal product from the scrap stage to shredded scrap for recycling. The machine that performs this process is called a shredder.

[0003] Document ES-2488040_B1 describes a pulverizer known in the prior art, which is characterized by being mobile, so that it is not necessary to set up the pulverizing equipment at the same place where the material is processed. This mobile pulverizer has particular application in industries such as scrap vehicle recycling, where the pulverization process is crucial, and at the same time, since this mobile pulverizer is mobile, it can be shared in other facilities.

[0004] By installing a pre-crusher, the power required for the comminution plant or mobile comminution machine is reduced, since the pre-crusher pre-processes the material to be fed to the comminution machine and more or less defines the size and type of material arriving at the comminution machine feed opening.

[0005] This fact also means that in both processes the machinery requires less maintenance, maintenance can be carried out in a more predictive way, there is less wear and tear and greater safety, since the various elements that would cause explosions in the high-speed process of the pulverizer can be processed by the pre-pulverizer at a lower speed, thus reducing the risk of explosions in the pulverizer.

[0006] The characteristics of the pre-shredder caliber are the spacing between the shafts used for shredding and the gap between the discs - this is called the gap. In order to minimize the above risks, different types of pre-shredders can be selected according to the gap and different material processing.

[0007] There are mainly two types of pre-shredders in the prior art.

[0008] On the one hand, the gaps between the different axes of the pre-shredder and the discs are very small and almost non-existent. In this case, material processing is carried out in a scissor-like manner (the process is comparable to a scissor cutting process).

[0009] On the other hand, the gaps between the different teeth and the shaft are larger and the material processing is carried out by crushing and tearing the material. In the latter case, there is a high risk that small dangerous elements can pass through without being processed.

[0010] As for the characteristics of each type of pre-shredder, if it is the first type of pre-shredder, i.e. the shearing type, which is fed with pressed packages, these packages can hardly be processed by this type of machine, or the machine must spend so long processing these pressed packages that the processing is unprofitable. With regard to the processing method of the material, this type of pre-shredder prioritizes the shearing effect of the material. In this machine, the material passes through the blades, the function of which is to cut the material, which is not always possible.

[0011] For the second type of machine, the machine prioritizes the material comminution effect, where the yield is preferred to the processing size. However, the number of small objects that pass through without processing is greater than in the previous case, which means that the risk of explosion during the subsequent comminution process increases. For safe processing, using this type of pulverizer for comminution, it is necessary to carry out additional visual inspection of the material intended to be fed to the pulverizer.

[0012] Thus, the pre-crusher is selected according to the type of material to be processed and the scale of the processing to be performed. This means that if the material to be processed or the processing to be performed changes, it will be necessary to obtain a new pre-crusher according to the necessary requirements, which leads to an increase in implementation costs.

[0013] The present invention solves this problem which has not been solved in the prior art by means of a pre-shredder having the ability to change the gap according to the material to be processed. Summary of the invention

[0014] The present specification relates to a pre-shredder having a configuration and design that provides greater material processing and production capabilities while improving the safety of hazardous element processing.

[0015] In order to solve the problems existing in the prior art, the pre-shredder of the present invention includes a system for adjusting the distance between the material processing axes, so that the pre-shredder can be transformed from a more open configuration to a more closed configuration, and vice versa, depending on the type of material to be processed or the source of the material to be processed or the final size of the processed product.

[0016] Likewise, in order to quickly obtain the desired opening configuration, the pre-shredder comprises a control system that allows the opening to be adjusted according to a series of predefined parameters, thereby obtaining different working configurations of the machine and thus being able to achieve: a greater material processing capacity or a greater output, or improved safety for low-speed processing of hazardous elements, etc.

[0017] In this way, the machine can be operated in a closed configuration, thus obtaining a greater processing capacity for materials that will require less energy in the subsequent processing in the pulverizer and will prevent potentially explosive materials from entering the subsequent high-speed pulverization process of the pulverizer. In this configuration, if the material arrives in the form of packages, it is possible to change to a slightly more open configuration, in which this type of material can also be processed, thus always maintaining a high level of safety when processing highly explosive materials during the high-speed pulverization process.

[0018] Another advantage of the system of the present invention is that the opening can be adjusted according to the needs of the motor. In this way, a motor with less power can be installed and the material can be processed by alternating between different openings.

[0019] Thus, using the pre-shredder of the present invention, all material processing configurations can be accomplished with a single piece of equipment, thereby achieving greater operational breadth and versatility.

[0020] To achieve the above objectives and avoid the above disadvantages, the present invention describes a pre-shredder comprising an upper mechanism including an upper shaft having at least one upper sprocket and a lower mechanism including a lower shaft having at least one lower sprocket.

[0021] The pre-shredder comprises at least one linear actuator and at least one of the mechanisms is attached to a base of the pre-shredder by an articulated attachment and to the linear actuator by a floating joint, wherein the other end of the linear actuator is attached to the base. Thus, the distance between the axes can be varied.

[0022] Thus, the linkage may be an upper mechanism, a lower mechanism, or both. In the latter case, the pre-shredder may incorporate a second linear actuator that is attached to the other mechanism in the same manner as the first linear actuator already described. However, the pre-shredder may incorporate a single linear actuator with each of its ends attached to one of the mechanisms, where for this machine the linear actuator may be unattached, or attached through an intermediate region to provide greater stability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to complete the description of the present invention and to help make the features of the present invention more easily understood, according to a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a set of drawings are included, in which the following drawings have been represented by way of illustration and not limitation:

[0024] - Figure 1 A side view of a pre-shredder is depicted in a closed position, ie, wherein the upper mechanism is adjacent to the lower mechanism.

[0025] - Figure 2 Depicted Figure 1 A front view of the pre-shredder depicted in FIG.

[0026] - Figure 3 Depicted Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a pre-shredder is depicted in order to show the sprockets used for crushing therein.

[0027] - Figure 4 A side view of the pre-shredder is depicted in an open position, ie, wherein the upper mechanism is away from the lower mechanism.

[0028] - Figure 5 Depicted Figure 4 A front view of the pre-shredder depicted in FIG.

[0029] - Figure 6 Depicted Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of a pre-shredder is depicted in order to show the sprockets used for crushing therein.

[0030] - Figure 7 Depicted is a schematic embodiment of an upper shaft and a lower shaft having a series of sprockets.

[0031] The following provides a list of reference numerals used in the drawings:

[0032] 1. Go to the institution.

[0033] 2. Lower organization.

[0034] 3. Upper axis.

[0035] 4. Lower shaft.

[0036] 5. Upper sprocket.

[0037] 6. Lower sprocket.

[0038] 7. Linear actuator.

[0039] 8. Articulated attachments.

[0040] 9. Floating joint. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The pre-crusher of the present invention comprises an upper mechanism (1) and a lower mechanism (2), wherein the upper mechanism (1) and the lower mechanism (2) respectively comprise an upper shaft (3) and a lower shaft (4), wherein the upper shaft (3) and the lower shaft (4) are respectively assembled with an upper sprocket (5) and a lower sprocket (6) for crushing.

[0042] At least one of the two mechanisms (1, 2) is articulated, allowing the relative position of the mechanism to be changed with respect to the other mechanism. In order to change the position of one of the mechanisms (1, 2) with respect to the other mechanism, the pre-shredder incorporates a linear actuator (7). The linear actuator (7) may be a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder or any other known actuator in the prior art.

[0043] In a first embodiment of the present invention, Figures 1 to 3 As depicted in , the upper mechanism (1) is articulated.

[0044] To this end, the upper mechanism (1) comprises an articulated attachment (8) coupled to the base of the pre-shredder and a floating joint (9) articulated to one end of a linear actuator (7) the other end of which is attached to the base of the pre-shredder.

[0045] The position of the linear actuator (7) is controlled by means of a sensor.

[0046] As in Figures 4 to 6 As depicted in , in this configuration, when the linear actuator (7) is enabled, the linear actuator (7) moves the upper mechanism (1) relative to the lower mechanism (2) through the floating joint (9), rotates around the articulated attachment (8), thereby changing the gap between the upper shaft (3) and the lower shaft (4), and thereby changing the opening, because the distance between the upper sprocket (5) and the lower sprocket (6) is larger.

[0047] The upper shaft (3) is called the slow shaft because the rotation speed of the upper shaft (3) is lower than the rotation speed of the lower shaft (4). This difference in the speed of the shafts (3, 4) is configured to tear the material passing between them. The slow shaft rotates at a speed of 2rpm to 3rpm, while the fast shaft rotates at a speed of 10rpm to 12rpm.

[0048] In this way, the position of the linear actuator (7) can change the configuration of the pre-shredder by means of the separation between the shafts (3, 4) to an open position, a closed position or at an intermediate point, depending on the needs of the process or material in a given case.

[0049] In addition, there is also the option of regulating the opening of the machine based on the power consumed in the process. This means that the pre-shredder will be in the closed position as long as a certain motor load value is not exceeded, and when the motor exceeds this certain value, the opening is adjusted proportionally, making better use of the motor. In any case, this option means a necessary situation, because for example, if the input material has a high content of explosive elements, the pre-shredder must work in the closed position.

[0050] In a second embodiment, the lower mechanism (2) is an articulated mechanism. The configuration of the pre-shredder will be similar to Figure 1 The configuration is the same as shown in , except that the linear actuator (7) is rotated to position the floating joint (9) in the lower mechanism (2), and the upper mechanism (1) is attached to the base of the pre-shredder and the other end of the linear actuator (7), with no other changes.

[0051] In a third embodiment, both the upper mechanism (1) and the lower mechanism (2) are articulated. This double articulation can be achieved by using two linear actuators (7), one for each axis, or by using a single linear actuator (7) and being joined to each mechanism (1, 2) at each of its ends. In the latter case, the linear actuator (7) can be joined to the base of the pre-shredder via an intermediate region.

[0052] Only the first embodiment is depicted in the drawings, since the other embodiments are readily apparent in view of these drawings.

[0053] On the other hand, in order to make better use of the pre-shredder, each of the shafts (3, 4) can be combined with a sprocket (5, 6) of different diameter, as depicted in the accompanying drawings, and Figure 7 As shown schematically in more detail in . Thus, it is possible to tear the material in two directions. The first is caused by the interaction of the sprockets (5, 6) of the two shafts (3, 4) when facing each other. The second is caused by the shear forces generated by the movement between two non-facing, laterally contacting sprockets (5, 6). This configuration consists in staggering sprockets (5, 6) of different diameters on the two shafts (3, 4) of the pre-shredder.

[0054] Finally, it must be considered that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Other configurations may be performed by those skilled in the art based on this description. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A pre-shredder, comprising an upper mechanism (1) and a lower mechanism (2), wherein the upper mechanism (1) comprises an upper shaft (3) having at least one upper sprocket (5), and the lower mechanism (2) comprises a lower shaft (4) having at least one lower sprocket (6), wherein the pre-shredder is characterized in that: - the pre-shredder comprises at least one linear actuator (7), - at least one of the mechanisms (1, 2) is movable, the at least one mechanism being coupled to the base of the pre-shredder by an articulated attachment (8) and to the linear actuator (7) by a floating joint (9), The distance between the axes (3, 4) is made variable.

2. The pre-shredder according to claim 1, wherein: The upper mechanism (1) is articulated.

3. The pre-shredder according to claim 1, wherein: The lower mechanism (2) is articulated.

4. The pre-shredder according to claim 1, wherein: Both the upper mechanism (1) and the lower mechanism (2) are articulated.

5. The pre-shredder according to claim 4, wherein: The pre-shredder comprises two linear actuators (7), wherein each linear actuator (7) is coupled to a mechanism (1, 2).

6. The pre-shredder according to claim 4, wherein: The linear actuator (7) is connected to the two mechanisms (1, 2) via two ends.

7. The pre-shredder according to claim 5, wherein: The linear actuator (7) is attached to the base of the pre-shredder.

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