DEVICE FOR SHREDDING FIBER COMPOSITE SHEETS

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for comminuting sheet-like bodies made of fiber composite material, comprising a rotatingly driven crushing roller with which the sheet-like bodies can be brought into contact and which is designed to crush the sheet-like bodies in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the crushing roller, and wherein a feed device is provided with a feed element on which a feed surface is formed and is designed to move the sheet-like bodies along the feed surface towards the crushing roller in order to interact with the outer circumferential surface of the crushing roller, wherein the feed surface is inclined at an angle to a tangential of the outer circumferential surface or is designed perpendicular to the tangential in the circumferential position of the feed. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] When recycling fiber composite materials, the task arises of shredding fiber composite components in order to either further separate the resulting output product or to repurpose it. Fiber composite materials often form flat bodies, for example for wind turbine rotors, boat hulls, sports equipment, machine housings, garden pond inserts, calf pens, and the like. To shred such components for recycling after they have been used for a long time, they are first sawn or cut into suitable transportable lengths to create flat bodies of a size that can be fed into a corresponding device for shredding the flat bodies, for example with transverse dimensions of 0.5 m to 3 m or with main dimensions of, for example, 0.5 m to 5 m.

[0003] The difficulty in shredding sheets made of fiber composite materials generally arises from the fact that the fiber content, such as glass fiber or carbon fiber, has an abrasive effect on the cutting tools of such a device for shredding sheets. The service life of cutting blades, the active tool components of a shredder, a punching device for shearing, and the like is often very short. Furthermore, the energy required to operate such devices is very high, as sheets made of fiber composite materials are generally very strong, so shredding such sheets generally requires considerable forces.

[0004] For example, EP 0 443 051 A1 describes the mechanical breaking up of a glass fiber-polyester composite structure by means of an impact mechanism.

[0005] WO 93 / 05883 A1 describes the comminution of fiber composite materials using a hammer mill, followed by further separation of the fibers from the matrix material, for example using a sieve and an air stream.

[0006] JP 2003 071 839 A describes that fiber composite materials are first shredded and then ground in a sieve mill, and the fibers and matrix material contained therein are separated using an air stream. In a sieve mill, the material is typically finely ground and pressed through a sieve, producing intermediate powders that are of limited value for further use, for example, as strength-enhancing fillers for materials in the construction industry.

[0007] Other devices for comminuting sheet materials made of fiber composite materials utilize the arrangement of rollers with teeth on the circumferential surface, as known from EP 1 454 673 B1. This results in significant wear on the teeth on the circumference of the rollers, and the problem can arise that sheet materials made of fiber composite material are pulled between the disc-shaped rollers, and the rollers can subsequently jam against each other. This results in frequent device downtimes and, disadvantageously, severely limited roller service life.

[0008] Furthermore, the use of cross-flow shredders for shredding fiber composite materials is known, as described, for example, in DE 20 2015 104 540 U1. Such cross-flow shredders, which are generally based on the principle of a rotating chain and shred the sheets in a closed space, are very energy-intensive in their operation, and the quality and size of the output products from the shredded fiber composite sheets cannot be selectively adjusted, or they cannot be selectively removed in a formed intermediate size.

[0009] EP 0 547 494 A1 discloses a method for shredding web-like material by means of rotating rollers, in which the web-like material is drawn between the rollers with intermeshing tooth profiles and shredded.

[0010] JP 2012-091 134 A discloses a device for comminuting sheet-like bodies from the field of electrical engineering materials, in particular silicon, with counter-rotating crushing rollers, between which a crushing gap is formed and into which the sheet-like bodies are introduced, whereby the sheet-like bodies break into independent individual fragments upon contact with the outer circumferential surfaces of the crushing rollers. However, complete separation of the fragments from one another is not sufficiently achieved between two counter-rotating crushing rollers if the fiber content in a fiber composite material still holds the fragments together, so that a subsequent process or at least a second stage involving two counter-rotating crushing rollers is necessary.

[0011] DE 89 10 075 U1 discloses a device for comminuting sheet-like bodies made of fiber composite material, comprising a rotatingly driven crushing roller with which the sheet-like bodies can be brought into contact and which is designed to crush the sheet-like bodies in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the crushing roller, and wherein a feed device is provided with a feed element on which a feed surface is formed and is designed to move the sheet-like bodies along the feed surface towards the crushing roller in order to interact with the outer circumferential surface of the crushing roller, wherein the feed surface is inclined at an angle to a tangential of the outer circumferential surface or is designed perpendicular to the tangential in the circumferential position of the feed.

[0012] Disadvantageously, fragments of fiber composite material resulting from breakage can remain attached and bonded to one another via the fiber content, making further handling of the fragments difficult. A loose bed consisting of independent fragments is desirable.

[0013] The aim of the comminution of large-area fiber composite materials, such as decomposed wind turbine rotors, is to provide the shredded material in the form of fragments that are no longer connected, without the need for a subsequent process. The fragments should be a few millimeters or centimeters in size to be suitable for further use. Conventional processes use cutting elements that act on the fiber composite materials in a known manner and that wear out quickly due to contact with the fiber content, particularly glass fiber or carbon fiber. Alternatively, a crushing principle between two rollers is used; however, this does not allow for complete separation of the fragments, which are no longer connected by their fiber content, in a single, closed process, and subsequent processes with separate process setups are necessary. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The object of the invention is to further develop a device for comminuting sheet-like bodies made of fiber composite material and to create a corresponding method for operating such a device. The device should have the longest possible service life of the active tools and the fracture result should consist, if possible, of isolated fragments. Furthermore, it is desirable that the device can be operated with low energy consumption. Furthermore, the device should be designed such that the shape, size, and properties of the output product can be selected from the comminuted sheet-like bodies made of fiber composite material, in particular in order to supply the output products for further use.

[0015] This object is achieved on the basis of a device according to the preamble of claim 1 and on the basis of a method according to claim 13 with the respective characterizing features.

[0016] Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0017] According to the invention, a counter roll is arranged adjacent to and / or parallel to the crushing roll, forming an intermediate gap.

[0018] The device according to the invention thus enables the comminution of sheet-like bodies made of fiber composite material through a process similar to rasping the sheet. Crushing processes are initiated at the leading edge of the sheet, which are based on tension between the outer peripheral surface of the crushing roller and the feed surface of the feed device. The feed surface is preferably, but not restrictively, designed as a flat surface and forms a type of chute over which the sheet-like bodies are fed to the crushing roller.

[0019] The counter roll can, for example, be identical in design to the crushing roll and feature an identical or similar outer circumferential surface with crushing elements. This creates a pair of crushing rolls, with the counter roll optionally also being driven. However, the sheet body is not inserted into the gap between the crushing roll and the counter roll in its one-piece assembly, but rather is crushed in a first circumferential position as described above.

[0020] The drive of the counter roller can be implemented jointly with the drive of the crushing roller, in particular via connecting and transmission means. The resulting pair of rollers can ultimately either crush the fragments broken out of the sheet or pull the fragments apart, provided they are still connected to one another via their fiber content. The result of the process is a pile of broken fiber composite material from the sheet, and the individual fragments are no longer connected. The achieved advantage lies in the fact that the crushing roller both breaks the sheet via the feed device with the feed element, and in a downstream angular segment on the crushing roller the further crushing and separation of the fragments takes place using the counter roller.

[0021] The feed surface is formed on a feed element, and the feed element is a central component of the feed device. The sheet is preferably, but not restrictively, designed as a flat body and can therefore also lie flat against the feed surface of the feed element. If the sheet is advanced with the front edge first in the direction of the crushing roller, the rasping process can be initiated with appropriate equipment on the outer circumferential surface of the crushing roller, wherein the tangent to the outer circumferential surface at the position at which the sheet is fed to the outer circumferential surface encloses an angle to the extension of the sheet that is greater than 20°, preferably greater than 50°, preferably greater than 60°, and particularly preferably greater than 70°.In this respect, the sheet is preferably guided approximately perpendicularly to the outer circumferential surface of the crushing roller, and components of the sheet are broken away by the rasping process approximately perpendicular to the plane of extension of the sheet. However, a slightly dragging feed against the crushing roller is preferable to a piercing feed.

[0022] The device for comminuting sheet-like bodies made of fiber composite material, further developed according to the invention, achieves the advantage that the sheet-like bodies are no longer fed between two crushing rollers and thus tangentially to their outer circumferential surfaces. Tangential feeding often results in the problem that, in pure crushing processes, the fiber component of the fiber composite material is not completely severed, thus leaving the individual fragments still held together. This problem is significantly reduced by directing the movement of the sheet-like body toward the tangential point, by feeding the sheet-like body approximately perpendicularly to the outer circumferential surface of the crushing roller.

[0023] An advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention comprises a crushing roller with crushing elements protruding from its outer circumferential surface. Upon contact with a leading edge of the fed sheet material, the crushing elements can cause the sheet material to fracture in the region of the leading edge. The crushing elements do not have cutting edges that would trigger a cutting process in the sheet material. Rather, the crushing elements are blunt elements protruding from the surface of the crushing roller which, upon engagement with the leading edge of the sheet material, cause a fracture in the sheet material based on the maximum breaking stress being exceeded. In this respect, no shear cut occurs; instead, only fragments are removed from the leading edge of the sheet material, which are broken off laterally to the plane of extension of the feed element and the feed surface with the sheet material resting thereon.In particular, the freely created fracture surfaces mean that no shear cut occurs, so that the crushing elements only produce a crushing process in the surface body, and thus minimal or even no wear of the crushing elements can be used as an advantage.

[0024] The crushing roller is set in rotation in a direction oriented such that, when the crushing elements engage the leading edge of the sheet, they press the sheet against the front, roller-side end of the feed surface of the feed element. Only in this way is the required fracture created in the leading edge of the sheet, which is based on the mechanical stress generated between the crushing elements on the one hand and the feed surface of the feed element of the feed device on the other. The sheet is thus clamped between the crushing element and the feed surface of the feed element until the desired fracture finally occurs in the sheet.

[0025] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention, a feed drive is provided which is designed and configured to drive the sheet material against the outer circumferential surface of the crushing roller and act on it. The feed drive can be operated by a control system such that the sheet material is guided against the crushing roller at an optimal feed speed. Due to the resulting crushing forces, which act on the sheet material from the crushing roller, including in the direction of its extension, a forced feed of the sheet material against the crushing roller, which is achieved by the feed drive, is advantageous. With this advantage, the control system can control the feed drive such that the sheet material is guided against the crushing roller at an optimal speed, thus achieving the desired crushing result.

[0026] The feed drive is preferably designed with a drive motor that can be operated independently of the drive motor of the crushing roller. Advantageously, the feed drive has a conveyor roller for contact with the sheet, and the conveyor roller is driven by the drive motor. In particular, a pair of conveyor rollers can also be provided, wherein one conveyor roller of the pair of conveyor rollers can be arranged integrally in the feed element, and a section of the conveyor roller protrudes, for example, from the feed surface of the feed device. It is also conceivable for the feed roller to have a structured surface such that, with a contact force against the sheet, it can generate a movement of the sheet in its direction of extension, in particular against the outer circumferential surface of the crushing roller.It is particularly advantageous in that the conveyor roller is arranged at a distance above the feed surface, forming a conveyor gap, so that the sheet materials to be shredded can be fed into the gap.

[0027] The conveyor roller rotates at an outer peripheral speed that should correspond to the target speed of the sheet against the crushing roller. The conveyor roller can be preloaded, for example with a spring arrangement, to drive the sheet against it. The drive of the conveyor roller causes it to rotate continuously and can drive the sheet along with it through appropriate surface structuring. Consequently, the sheet slides along the feed surface of the feed element of the feed device against the crushing roller. To minimize friction during sliding, a non-driven conveyor roller, for example, can be integrated into the feed surface opposite the first, driven conveyor roller, thus creating a pair of conveyor rollers that can generate the lower-friction movement of the sheet against the outer peripheral surface of the crushing roller.

[0028] In particular, the feed device is brought up to the outer circumferential surface at a first circumferential position, forming a crushing gap between a roller-side end of the feed surface and the outer circumferential surface of the crushing roller. Furthermore, it is provided that the counter-roller is arranged at a second circumferential position downstream of the first circumferential position in the direction of rotation of the crushing roller, forming the intermediate gap. The angle between the first circumferential position and the second circumferential position is, for example, between 20° and 135°. The angle can be measured between the plane of the feed surface of the feed device and the connecting line between the axis of the crushing roller and the axis of the counter-roller.The axis of the crushing roller and the axis of the counter roller are designed to run parallel to each other, and an intermediate gap is formed between the crushing roller and the counter roller which is small enough to further break up the fragments from the sheet and pull them apart.

[0029] The fragments are released from the sheet material in particular because the peripheral speed of the driven conveyor roller of the feed device is lower than the peripheral speed of the crushing roller. This means that the feed speed of the sheet material against the crushing roller is also lower than the speed at which the still connected fragments are drawn into the intermediate gap. Because the fragments are carried along with the crushing elements on the outer peripheral surface of the crushing roller, not only does the sheet material bend over, forming fragments, but the fragments are also pulled out of the sheet material by the following pair of rollers and thus permanently separated.To further separate the fragments, a pair of rollers, consisting of a crushing roller and a counter-roller, is provided. Between these rollers, an intermediate gap is formed, in which the fragments are drawn into the crushing gap at a rate faster than the feed speed of the sheet material. The gap is formed between a roller-side end of the feed element and the outer peripheral surface of the crushing roller. This ultimately results in the fragments being separated, and they can be further reduced in size by passing through the intermediate gap.

[0030] To regulate the conveying gap, the conveyor roller of the feed drive can be preloaded against the sheet and thus against the feed surface of the feed element by means of a mechanical or hydraulic spring tensioning device. The spring tensioning device applies force to the contact between the conveyor roller and the sheet, allowing the sheet to be advanced towards the crushing roller by rotating the conveyor roller and moving the sheet along with it. The spring tensioning device can also compensate for different sheet thicknesses; thicker sheets cause the conveyor roller to be pushed back, allowing the conveying gap to widen, and thinner sheets cause the conveyor roller to be guided towards the feed element by the spring tensioning device.

[0031] The crushing elements protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the crushing roller are advantageously inserted into the outer circumferential surface and / or integrally connected to the crushing roller and / or screwed into it. Similarly, crushing elements of identical design can be incorporated into the outer circumferential surface of the counter-roller. The crushing elements, in particular, have a head-side effective section in the form of a spherical cap, a cone, or a crowned section.

[0032] Another advantage is that the counter roll is pre-tensioned toward the crushing roll by a spring tensioning device, and a stop allows the gap to be kept to a minimum. However, if very large fragments from the sheet material enter the gap, the counter roll can, in a sense, spring back, increasing the distance from the crushing roll, as the spring tensioning device creates the necessary flexibility.

[0033] The invention further relates to a method for comminuting sheet-like bodies made of a fiber composite material using a device as described above, wherein the method is characterized by at least the following features: feeding the sheet-like bodies into the device by moving the sheet-like bodies against the feed surface of the feed device in the direction of the crushing roller, wherein the feed surface is inclined at an angle to a tangential line of the outer circumferential line or arranged perpendicular to the tangential line, and breaking off fragments from a front edge of the sheet-like body by contact of the front edge with the outer circumferential line of the rotating crushing roller, and arranging a counter roller adjacent to and / or parallel to the crushing roller to form an intermediate gap,so that the fragments released from the solid bond of the sheet bodies are introduced into the gap between the crushing roller and the counter roller, so that fiber components of the sheet body that still hold the fragments together are severed.

[0034] The process is further characterized by a counter-roller, whereby the fragments separated from the solid composite of the sheet are introduced into an intermediate gap between the crushing roller and the counter-roller, so that the fiber components of the sheet that still hold the fragments together can be severed. The severing occurs, in particular, by rotating the crushing roller and the counter-roller at a peripheral speed that is greater than the feed speed of the sheet against the crushing roller. PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0035] Further measures improving the invention are described in more detail below, together with the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the figures. It shows: Figure 1 shows a schematically illustrated example of a device. Figure 2 shows a detailed embodiment of a device according to the invention in a side view. Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the exemplary device according to Figure 2 , Figure 4 the embodiment of the invention according to Figure 3 in a partial view without the feed device and Figure 5 a perspective view of the crushing roller with crushing elements arranged on the outer circumferential surface.

[0036] Fig. 11 schematically depicts a first, simple, and abstractly constructed example of a device 1. The device 1 serves to shred sheet-like bodies 10, which may, for example, consist of the rotors of decomposed wind turbines and comprise a fiber composite material such as GRP or CFRP. For this purpose, the large rotors are cut into medium-sized pieces so that the sheet-like bodies 10 can be fed to the device 1.

[0037] At its core, the device 1 comprises a crushing roller 11, which is driven in rotation as indicated by an arrow. The crushing roller 11 has an outer peripheral surface 14 with crushing elements 15 applied thereto, which are not designed as cutting elements. The sheet 10 to be crushed is driven linearly by a feed device 12 and brought to the outer peripheral surface 14 of the rotating crushing roller 11 in order to crush the sheet 10 in the region of its front edge, which comes into contact with the crushing roller 11, analogous to a rasping process.

[0038] In order to guide the sheet 10 to be crushed in a targeted manner at a circumferential position to the outer circumferential surface 14 of the crushing roller 11, the feed device 12 has a feed surface 13 formed on a feed element 21, shown as flat by way of example. The sheet 10, which is also essentially flat and to be crushed, can be guided to the crushing roller 11 by flat contact with the feed surface 13 at the defined circumferential position, wherein the exemplary embodiment represents a feed element 21 with a front-side pressure roller 22, which further facilitates the breaking out of fragments from the sheet 10, since no friction of the sheet 10 against the feed surface 13 occurs at the pressure roller 22.

[0039] The direction of rotation of the crushing roller 11 is determined such that it presses the front edge of the sheet 10 against the pressure roller 22 of the feed element 21 in order to break off fragments from the front edge of the sheet 10 in a defined manner. These fragments then fall into a collecting means 23 arranged underside of the crushing roller 11.

[0040] To achieve a defined feeding of the sheet 10 against the crushing roller 11, a conveyor roller 17 serves as part of a feed drive 16 (not shown in detail), wherein the conveyor roller 17 is motor-driven in the direction of the arrow shown. The conveyor roller 17 is pressed against the surface of the sheet 10, so that the sheet 10 is clamped between the feed surface 13 and the conveyor roller 17. Due to the rotary drive of the conveyor roller 17, the sheet 10 is finally conveyed against the crushing roller 11 at a defined feed rate.

[0041] The feed element 21 is arranged, for example, on a substructure 24, and the substructure 24 can be pivoted about a pivot point 25, for example, by a lifting unit 26 adjusting the height of a rear part of the substructure 24. The inclination of the feed element 21 can then also change, so that the sheet 10 can be guided against the crushing roller 11 at an adjustable angle.

[0042] In the illustration, double arrows indicate the mobility of additional elements. For example, the crushing roller 11 can be adjusted in height relative to the sheet 10, and the conveyor roller 17 is adjustable in height, particularly to compensate for sheet 10s of varying thicknesses. The conveyor roller 17 can also be adjusted in distance from the crushing roller 11. Furthermore, the arrangement of the feed element 21 of the feed device 12 can be changed in position, insofar as the distance from the crushing roller 11 is also adjustable.

[0043] Fig. 2shows another, somewhat more detailed embodiment of the device 1 according to the invention for comminuting sheet-like bodies 10, wherein a sheet-like body 10 is fed to the device 1 by way of example. This lies flat against the feed surface 13 of the feed element 21 of the feed device 12. The feed device 12 comprises a feed drive 16 with a drive motor 27 and a gear unit 28, and a transmission means 29, for example a belt or a chain, is used to drive the conveyor roller 17.

[0044] The conveyor roller 17 is equipped with an outer circumferential surface structured such that, upon rotation of the conveyor roller 17 and application of a pressing force of the conveyor roller 17 against the sheet 10, the sheet 10 can be moved toward the crushing roller 11. A tensioning device 19, for example comprising two helical compression springs, is used to pretension the conveyor roller 17 against the sheet 10. The entire feed device 12 can be accommodated on a carriage 30, so that the feed device 12 is movably guided relative to a base frame 31 of the device 1.

[0045] If the sheet body 10 is moved against the crushing roller 11 with the crushing elements 15 applied to the outer circumferential surface 14, and if the crushing roller 11 is set in rotation, the front edge of the sheet body 10 is rasped off with constant breakout of fragments from the front edge with which the sheet body 10 is moved against the crushing roller 11.

[0046] The feed element 21 and thus the feed surface 13 and, to that extent, also the sheet 10 are inclined relative to a tangent T, which is located on the outer circumferential surface 14 of the crushing roller 11 at the point where the sheet 10 is fed onto the crushing roller 11. In the illustrated embodiment, the inclination is slightly less than 90°. Thus, the sheet 10 is fed approximately perpendicularly to the outer circumferential surface 14 of the crushing roller 11.

[0047] Adjacent to the crushing roller 11 is a counter roller 18, on which crushing elements 15 are also arranged on the outer circumferential surface. These are, for example, designed identically to the crushing elements 15 of the crushing roller 11. The surface elements 21 are fed to a first circumferential position I of the crushing roller 11, with the counter roller 18 being positioned at a second circumferential position II next to the crushing roller 11. The second circumferential position II of the counter roller 18 is arranged downstream of the first circumferential position I with respect to the first circumferential position I in the direction of rotation of the crushing roller 11.

[0048] When the fragments are released from the sheet 10, they enter a gap between the crushing roller 11 and the counter-roller 18, and fragments that are still attached to one another via the fiber portion of the fiber composite material can be separated from one another. The arrangement of the counter-roller 18 relative to the arrangement of the sheet 10 for feeding against the crushing roller 11 takes place in a subsequent position with respect to the direction of rotation of the crushing roller 11, with the angle β extending between the two circumferential positions and being, for example, 50° to 90°. In this way, the released fragments of the sheet 10 can enter the gap between the crushing roller 11 and the counter-roller 18, and the fragments can be finally separated from one another. This is because they are torn off from the remaining composite of the fiber composite of the sheet bodies.For this purpose, it is advantageous to set the feed speed of the sheet body 10 lower than the circumferential speed of the outer circumferential surface 14 of the rotating sheet metal roller 11. Only then can the fragments be effectively pulled apart from one another, so that they finally fall out completely individually from the intermediate gap between the crushing roller 11 and the counter-roller 18, for example into a container (not shown) within the base frame 31 below the crushing roller 11 or the counter-roller 18.

[0049] Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of the device 1 according to Fig. 2The illustration shows a roller axis 32 of the crushing roller and a roller axis 33 of the counter-roller. The roller axis 33 is pre-tensioned in the direction of the roller axis 32 by a spring tensioning arrangement 34, so that the intermediate gap between the crushing roller and the counter-roller can be set in a defined manner. If sheet-like bodies 10 are fed in that produce fragments that are larger than the intermediate gap, the spring tensioning arrangement 34 can yield such that the distance between the two roller axes 32 and 33 temporarily increases. This prevents, in particular, damage to the crushing roller and / or the counter-roller and the crushing elements attached thereto.

[0050] The illustration shows repeatedly Fig. 2the feed device 12 with the drive motor 27, the gear unit 28 and the transmission means 29, as well as with the carriage 30. The conveyor roller 17 is shown in contact with the flat body 10, which lies flat against the feed surface 13 of the feed element 21. The base frame 31 is shown on the underside, which is constructed, for example, from profile elements, comprising a base plate for receiving the other elements of the device 1.

[0051] Fig. 4 shows a reduced view of the embodiment of the device 1 according to the invention according to the Figure 2 and 3with an open gear box in which the crushing roller 11 and the counter-roller 18 are accommodated. A main drive motor 35 drives the rollers 11 and 18, which drives the crushing roller 11 via a main gear 36 and a clutch 37. A transmission means 38, which, for example, in the form of a belt or a chain with a drive element 39 on the roller axis 32 of the crushing roller 11, serves to further drive the counter-roller 18 by means of the main drive motor 35. A tensioning device 40, over which the transmission means 38 is also guided, is used to introduce a defined tension into the transmission means 38. The tensioning device can also compensate for short-term changes in the distance between the roller axes 32 and 33.

[0052] By guiding the transmission means 38 and the operative connection to the drive element 39, the crushing roller 11 and the counter-roller 18 are set into counter-rotation, so that the fragments from the sheet can be drawn into the intermediate gap between the crushing roller 11 and the counter-roller 18. The roller unit with the crushing roller 11 and the counter-roller 18 as well as the gear 36 with the main drive motor 35 are mounted together on the base frame 31 of the device 1.

[0053] Fig. 5shows a perspective view of the crushing roller 11, wherein the counter roller 18 can also have a similar configuration. The crushing roller 11 has an outer circumferential surface 14 on which a plurality of crushing elements 15 are arranged at regular intervals. The crushing roller 11 is received in the roller housing of the device 1 via the roller axis 32. The crushing elements 15 have spherical caps 20 on their heads, which come into contact with the front edge of the sheet 10 and break off fragments from the front edge. These crushing elements 15 will again act on the fragments in the further circumferential position described above in the intermediate gap to the counter roller 18. The crushing elements 15 therefore have no cutting edges, and the spherical caps 20 serve only to apply crushing forces to the sheet 10 and the fragments broken off from it.The exemplary embodiment shows crushing elements 15 screwed into the outer circumferential surface 14 of the crushing roller 11, for which purpose they have a hexagonal section. Thus, worn crushing elements 15 can also be easily replaced from the outer circumferential surface 14.

[0054] The invention is not limited in its implementation to the preferred embodiment described above. Rather, a number of variants are conceivable, which utilize the presented solution even in fundamentally different embodiments. All features and / or advantages apparent from the claims, the description, or the drawings, including structural details and spatial arrangements, may be essential to the invention both individually and in a wide variety of combinations. List of reference symbols:

[0055] 1Device 10 Surface body 11 Crushing roller 12 Feed device 13 Feed surface 14 Outer peripheral surface 15 Crushing element 16 Feed drive 17 Conveyor roller 18 Counter roller 19 Clamping device 20 Spherical cap 21 Feed element 22 Pressure roller 23 Collecting device 24 Substructure 25 Pivot point 26 Lifting unit 27 Drive motor 28 Gear unit 29 Transmission means 30 Carriage 31 Base frame 32 Roller axis 33 Roller axis 34 Spring clamping device 35 Main drive motor 36 Main gear 37 Coupling 38 Transmission means 39 Drive element 40 Clamping device First circumferential position II Second circumferential position TTangential α angle β angle

Claims

1. A device (1) for comminuting flat bodies (10) made of fiber-composite material, comprising a rotatably driven crushing roller (11), with which the flat bodies (10) can be brought into contact and which is designed to break up the flat bodies (10) in contact with the outer circumferential surface (14) of the crushing roller (11), and a feed apparatus (12) comprising a feed element (21) being provided, on which a feed surface (13) is formed and which is configured to bring the flat bodies (10) to the crushing roller (11) by moving along the feed surface (13), in order to enter into interaction with the outer circumferential surface (14) of the crushing roller (11), the feed surface (13) being configured, in a first circumferential position (I), for feeding with an inclination at an angle (α) to a tangent (T) of the outer circumferential surface (14) or perpendicularly to the tangent (T), characterized in that a mating roller (18) is configured to be arranged adjacently to and / or in parallel with the crushing roller (11) with formation of an intermediate gap.

2. The device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the crushing roller (11) comprises crushing elements (15) that protrude from its outer circumferential surface (14) and produce a rupture in the flat bodies (10) in the region of the front edge when in contact with a front edge of the fed flat bodies (10).

3. The device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a feed drive (16) is provided which is designed and configured to act on the crushing roller (11) to advance the flat bodies (10) against the outer circumferential surface (14) of said crushing roller.

4. The device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the feed drive (16) comprises at least one driven conveying roller (17), which can be brought into contact with the flat bodies (10).

5. The device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the conveying roller (17) is arranged at a distance above the feed surface (13) with formation of a conveying gap, such that the flat bodies (10) to be comminuted can be input into the gap and can be braced in this gap between the feed surface (13) and the conveying roller (17).

6. The device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the feed apparatus (12) is brought up to the outer circumferential surface (14) in the first circumferential position (I) with formation of a crushing gap between a roller-side end of the feed surface (13) and the outer circumferential surface (14) of the crushing roller (11), and in that the mating roller (18) is arranged with formation of the intermediate gap in a second circumferential position (II) downstream of the first circumferential position (I) in the rotational direction of the crushing roller (11).

7. The device (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the first circumferential position (I) and the second circumferential position (II) enclose an angle (ß) of 20° to 135° relative to one another.

8. The device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the angle (α) between the feed surface (13) and the tangent (T) of the outer circumferential surface (14) of the crushing roller (11) is adjustable by the inclination of the feed apparatus (12) being able to be changed relative to the tangent (T).

9. The device (1) according to any of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that the conveying roller (17) of the feed drive (16) can be preloaded against the flat body (10) by means of a mechanical or hydraulic tensioning apparatus (19) in order to regulate the conveying gap.

10. The device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the crushing elements (15) that protrude from the outer circumferential surface (14) of the crushing roller (11) are inserted into the outer circumferential surface (14) and / or are materially bonded to the crushing roller (11) and / or are screwed into said crushing roller.

11. The device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the crushing elements (15) comprise a head-side operating portion in the form of a spherical cap (20), a cone, or a spherical portion.

12. The device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the circumferential speed of the driven conveying roller (17) is less than the circumferential speed of the crushing roller (11).

13. A method for comminuting flat bodies (10) made of fiber-composite material using a device (1) according to any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the method comprises at least the following features: - inputting the flat bodies (10) into the device (1) by the flat bodies (10) being moved toward the crushing roller (11) so as to lie on the feed surface (13) of the feed apparatus (12), the feed surface (13) being configured with an inclination at an angle (α) to a tangent (T) of the outer circumferential surface (14) or perpendicularly to the tangent (T), - breaking off fragments from a front edge of the flat body (10) by the front edge contacting the outer circumferential surface (14) of the rotating crushing roller (11) and - wherein the fragments detached from the solid composite of the flat bodies (10) are introduced into the intermediate gap between the crushing roller (11) and the mating roller (18) such that fiber constituents of the flat bodies (10) that still hold the fragments together are severed.