Processing methods for composite materials

Abstract

This invention provides a method for processing composite materials that allows for the production of rubber fragments with good recyclability from composite materials using a limited number of steps. [Solution] The method for processing composite materials includes a crushing step in which a target object, which includes a composite material containing rubber members and metal members, and in which at least a portion of the rubber members and metal members are fixed, is crushed using a chain-type crusher equipped with a crushing chamber, a rotating body provided in the crushing chamber, and a chain attached to the rotating body, thereby obtaining crushed material containing rubber fragments.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for processing composite materials including rubber and metal components. [Background technology]

[0002] Research is underway on methods for recycling waste.

[0003] For example, in order to reuse composite materials made of multiple different types of materials such as rubber and metal, it is usually necessary to separate each material. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a separation method in which, from a composite member made by joining resin or rubber and metal, the metal portion of the composite member is heated by induction heating to partially gasify the gaseous resin or rubber on the metal surface, and the resin or rubber that has been partially gasified and peeled off from the metal surface is separated. Also, for example, Patent Document 2 describes a method for separating metal and rubber by immersing a composite of metal and rubber bonded with an adhesive or bonded by vulcanization of rubber in a solvent and peeling off the metal and rubber by the peeling action of the solvent, wherein the composite of stainless steel and rubber is formulated to include metacrene and formic acid to be suitable for peeling off, and the composite is immersed in the solvent at a temperature at which it does not vaporize, thereby separating the stainless steel and rubber.

[0004] Furthermore, although it is not a technology related to composite materials, Patent Document 3 describes a method for crushing waste batteries using a chain mill as a method for recovering valuable metals such as cobalt from waste batteries. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3663438 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-221150 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 7409165 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] The technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 require special operations such as heating metal components and immersion in solvents, which means that processing composite materials for recycling takes time, and depending on the form of the composite material, a large amount of solvent may be used. As a result, composite materials containing rubber and metal components are not adequately recycled. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of easily separating rubber components from metal components in composite materials, it is desirable for the rubber components to retain their shape, but if the shape of the rubber components is retained, it may be difficult to use them as recycled raw materials.

[0007] This invention was made in view of the above circumstances and provides a method for processing composite materials that allows for the production of rubber fragments with good recyclability from composite materials in fewer steps. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides the following [1] to

[11] . [1] A method for processing composite materials, comprising a crushing step of crushing an object to be processed, which includes a composite material containing rubber members and metal members, and in which at least a portion of the rubber members and metal members are fixed, using a chain-type crusher equipped with a crushing chamber, a rotating body provided in the crushing chamber, and a chain attached to the rotating body, thereby obtaining crushed material containing rubber fragments. [2] The method for processing a composite material as described in [1], wherein the size of the composite material is 20 mm square or more and 400 mm square or less. [3] The method for processing a composite material according to [1] or [2], wherein the ratio Wr / Wm of the weight of the rubber member to the weight Wm of the metal member of the composite material is 1 / 20 or more and 1 / 10 or less. [4] A method for processing a composite material according to any one of items [1] to [3], wherein the rubber component further contains carbon black. [5] A method for processing a composite material as described in any one of items [1] to [4], wherein the crushed material includes rubber fragments of 5 mm square or larger and 50 mm square or smaller. [6] A method for processing a composite material according to any one of items [1] to [5], wherein the object to be processed further comprises a single rubber material. [7] Volume of the crushing chamber of a chain-type crusher: 1 m³ 3 The weight of the material to be processed is 2.0 kg / m 3 More than 8.0kg / m 3 A method for processing composite materials as described in any one of the following items [1] to [6]. [8] A method for processing composite materials according to any one of items [1] to [7], wherein the frequency of the rotating body of the chain-type crusher is 10 Hz or more and 70 Hz or less. [9] A method for processing a composite material according to any one of items [1] to [8], comprising a separation step of separating rubber fragments from the crushed material obtained in the crushing step.

[10] A method for processing a composite material according to any one of items [1] to [9], comprising a metal recovery step of recovering metal derived from the metal components of the composite material from the crushed material obtained in the crushing step.

[11] A method for processing composite materials described in any one of items [1] to

[10] , wherein the material to be processed is waste. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for processing composite materials that allows for the production of rubber fragments with good recyclability from composite materials in a small number of steps. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a chain-type shredder. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] [1. Overview of the processing method for composite materials] The method for treating a composite material includes a crushing step of obtaining a crushed material containing rubber fragments by crushing an object to be treated including a rubber member and a metal member, and including a composite material in which at least a part of the rubber member and the metal member is fixed, using a chain crusher including a crushing chamber, a rotating body provided in the crushing chamber, and a chain attached to the rotating body.

[0012] As a treatment method for obtaining rubber fragments with good recyclability from a composite material in a small number of steps, the inventor considered obtaining rubber fragments by crushing an object to be treated including the composite material. Conventionally, a method of crushing an automobile or the like with a large shredder has been used as a method for crushing an object to be treated including a composite material. However, in such a crushing method, since the scale is too large, the separation of the fixed parts of the rubber member and the metal member in the composite material tends to be insufficient. Also, depending on the size of the composite material, it may not be crushed and may be discharged as it is.

[0013] Further, since the composite material combines materials having opposite properties such as a hard metal and a soft rubber, it tends to be difficult to crush and separate. Specifically, when a hammer-type crusher conventionally used for crushing metal materials is used for crushing a composite material, the impact required for crushing is buffered by the rubber member of the composite material, so that the crushing of the composite material may be insufficient. Also, when a cutter-type crusher conventionally used for crushing rubber materials is used for crushing a composite material, the cutter blade may hit the metal member of the composite material and chip, making the crushing itself difficult.

[0014] [[ID=IS]]

[0015] ​A chain-type crusher is a crusher comprising a crushing chamber, a rotating body installed inside the crushing chamber, and a chain attached to the rotating body. Normally, crushing progresses as the chain attached to the rotating body and the material to be processed collide with the side walls of the crushing chamber, or as the material is thrown by contact with the chain, or as the material collides with each other. Therefore, the inventors surmise that since the material to be processed can be crushed by multiple types of impacting objects, it is possible to crush composite materials and obtain rubber fragments.

[0016] According to the present invention, composite materials can be crushed using a chain crusher, and rubber fragments with good recyclability can be obtained with a small number of steps.

[0017] Furthermore, chain-type crushers crush materials not only through the impact of the chain on the material being processed, but also through impacts with other materials, and between the materials and the walls of the crushing chamber. As a result, they can effectively crush even small composite materials that were previously difficult to crush.

[0018] [2. Crushing Process] The method for processing composite materials includes at least a crushing step.

[0019] (1) Items to be processed The materials to be processed include composite materials.

[0020] A composite material is a material that includes rubber components and metal components, with at least a portion of the rubber components and metal components fixed together. Here, "at least a portion of the rubber components and metal components fixed together" means that at least a portion of the rubber components and metal components are fixed together to the extent that they do not separate under external forces applied during normal use of the composite material, and usually means that the rubber components and metal components are fixed together by at least one of physical and chemical fastening. Physical fastening refers to structurally fixing the rubber components and metal components, and one example is to provide a grooved structure on the surfaces of the rubber components and metal components and fix them together by fitting them. Another example is to crimp the metal components to the rubber components. Chemical fastening typically refers to bonding and fixing the rubber components and metal components together using an adhesive.

[0021] Furthermore, materials (compounds) in which metal powder, metal flakes, etc., are dispersed in rubber, for example, are not included in the definition of composite materials.

[0022] The composite material may have a rubber component on its outermost surface, or a metal component on its outermost surface.

[0023] The composite material may be any material containing a rubber member and a metal member, and there are no particular restrictions on the ratio of the rubber member and the metal member. However, the ratio Wr / Wm of the weight of the rubber member to the weight Wm of the metal member of the composite material is preferably 1 / 20 or more, more preferably 1 / 10 or more, and even more preferably 1 / 5 or more. The lower limit may be preferably 10 / 1 or less, more preferably 8 / 1 or less, and even more preferably 5 / 1 or less. Therefore, the above ratio Wr / Wm is preferably 1 / 20 to 10 / 1, more preferably 1 / 10 to 8 / 1, and even more preferably 1 / 5 to 5 / 1. This is because the effects of the present invention can be fully realized when the composite material has the above ratio Wr / Wm.

[0024] The size of the composite material is not particularly limited, but a preferred example is 20 mm square or larger, more preferably 30 mm square or larger, even more preferably 40 mm square or larger, preferably 400 mm or smaller, more preferably 300 mm square or smaller, even more preferably 250 mm square or smaller, and particularly preferably 200 mm square or smaller. Therefore, the size of the composite material is preferably 20 to 400 mm square, more preferably 20 to 300 mm square, even more preferably 30 to 250 mm square, and particularly preferably 40 mm to 200 mm square. According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain rubber fragments by crushing small composite materials, which was previously difficult to produce by crushing. Therefore, by setting the size of the composite material within the above range, the effects of the present invention can be fully realized. The size of the composite material refers to the size observed when its longest part is viewed from the front.

[0025] Furthermore, when the composite material has a form such as a rod, string, or tube, there are no particular restrictions on the length of the composite material, but a preferred example is 150 mm or more, more preferably 200 mm or more, even more preferably 250 mm or more, preferably 1000 mm or less, more preferably 800 mm or less, and even more preferably 500 mm or less.

[0026] The size and length of composite materials can be determined by measuring the composite materials themselves, or they can be measured based on image data such as photographs. Furthermore, if there are multiple composite materials, the size and length mentioned above are obtained by measuring all of them and taking the arithmetic mean of the obtained measurements. The sample size for the above average is usually the number of composite materials contained in the object being processed, but if the object being processed contains more than 20 composite materials, it is set to 20 arbitrarily selected samples.

[0027] The size of the metal members included in the composite material is not particularly limited, but is preferably 10 mm square or larger, more preferably 20 mm square or larger, even more preferably 30 mm square or larger, preferably 400 mm square or smaller, more preferably 300 mm square or smaller, even more preferably 250 mm square or smaller, and particularly preferably 200 mm square or smaller. In a crushing method using a chain-type crusher, crushing also progresses due to collisions between the materials being processed, so by including metal members of the above-mentioned size in the composite material, the crushing of the materials being processed can be effectively advanced to obtain rubber fragments. The size of the metal member refers to the size observed when its longest part is viewed from the front. If there are multiple metal members, the size of the metal member is obtained by measuring the multiple metal members and taking the arithmetic mean of the obtained measurements. The sample size of the above mean is usually the number of metal members included in the composite material. The size of the metal member may also be determined by actual measurement, or it may be determined using image data such as photographs (image determination may also be used).

[0028] The rubber component includes at least rubber and may further include any other components as needed.

[0029] The rubber included in the rubber component may be natural rubber or synthetic rubber. Examples include polyisoprene, hydrogenated polyisoprene, polybutadiene, styrene-butadiene copolymer, isobutylene-isoprene copolymer, ethylene-propylene copolymer, ethylene-propylene-diene ternary copolymer, and silicone.

[0030] The rubber described above may be used as is, or it may be vulcanized and used as vulcanized rubber. The method for producing vulcanized rubber is not particularly limited, and one example is to start kneading by appropriately combining rubber raw materials (e.g., polyisoprene (natural rubber latex, synthetic polyisoprene)) with reinforcing materials, antioxidants, process oils, etc., kneading at high temperature, and then further kneading using an open roll after appropriately adding crosslinking agents such as sulfur, co-crosslinking agents, vulcanization accelerators, vulcanization aids such as stearic acid, etc.

[0031] An example of an optional component included in rubber materials is carbon black.

[0032] Metal components include metals. The metals that metal components may include not only single metals but also alloys. Preferred metals include, for example, iron, aluminum, copper, tin, lead, and stainless steel.

[0033] The composite material includes at least a rubber member and a metal member. The composite material may further include, for example, a resin member in addition to the rubber member and the metal member.

[0034] One preferred example of a composite material is vibration-damping rubber. Examples of vibration-damping rubber include engine mounts, stabilizer bushings, suspension bushings, motor mounts, and subframe mounts used in vehicles such as automobiles (including electric vehicles (EVs), fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs), and hybrid vehicles (HVs)); vibration damping dampers for computer hard disks; vibration damping dampers for general household appliances such as washing machines; and vibration damping devices and seismic isolation devices such as seismic damping walls and dampers for buildings in the construction and housing sectors.

[0035] Furthermore, other preferred examples of composite materials include tires, wire harnesses, and automotive hoses.

[0036] The object to be processed may contain the above-mentioned composite material in any proportion, but it is preferable that the weight ratio of the composite material to the total weight of the object to be processed be 30% by weight or more, preferably 50% by weight or more, preferably 70% by weight or more, and preferably 80% by weight or more. Furthermore, the upper limit of the weight ratio of the composite material is 100% by weight. In addition, in the present invention, it is preferable that the weight ratio of the composite material to the total weight of the object to be processed be the highest.

[0037] The material to be processed may consist solely of composite materials, or it may contain other materials in addition to composite materials. Examples of other materials include single rubber materials, single metal materials, and resin materials. In particular, it is preferable that the material to be processed further contains single rubber materials. This is because rubber fragments can be obtained by crushing the single rubber material together with the rubber components of the composite material. Especially when the composite material contains a large amount of metal components, crushing them together with the single rubber material makes it easier to adjust the size of the resulting rubber fragments to a desired size.

[0038] The materials to be processed are typically waste. Furthermore, if the materials to be processed are waste, it is preferable that the composite material includes at least one of the aforementioned waste materials: vibration-damping rubber, tires, wire harnesses, and automotive hoses.

[0039] (2) Chain-type shredder Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a chain-type shredder. As shown in Figure 1, the chain-type shredder 100 typically comprises a shredding chamber 10, a rotating body 20 located inside the shredding chamber 10, and a chain 30 attached to the rotating body 20.

[0040] The crushing chamber 10 typically has a space enclosed by a top 10c, a bottom 10b, and side walls 10s. The crushing chamber 10 typically has an input port 11 for introducing the material to be processed and an output port 12 for discharging the crushed material. The input port 11 can be located at any position in the crushing chamber 10, but is preferably located at the top 10c of the crushing chamber 10. The output port 12 can also be located at any position in the crushing chamber 10, but is preferably located at the side wall 10s on the bottom 10b side of the crushing chamber 10. The crushing chamber 10 also typically includes an air intake port 13 for supplying air into the crushing chamber 10 and an exhaust port 14 for discharging the air from inside the crushing chamber 10.

[0041] The crushing chamber 10 is preferably sealed. This is because it allows for crushing while suppressing the scattering of the material to be processed and the crushed material. When the crushing chamber 10 is sealed, the input port 11 and the output port 12 are usually equipped with doors that can be opened and closed as needed (shown by dashed lines in Figure 1). In addition, the doors at the input port and the output port may be double doors as needed.

[0042] The volume of the crushing chamber 10 is adjusted as appropriate according to the size and quantity of the material to be processed.

[0043] The rotating body 20 is provided within the crushing chamber 10 to which the chain 30 is attached, and is usually located in the center of the bottom 10b of the crushing chamber 10. The rotating body 20 is also usually positioned so that its axis of rotation 20A is perpendicular to the bottom 10c of the crushing chamber 10. Here, "perpendicular" means not only strictly perpendicular but may include an error that does not hinder the rotation of the chain. Specifically, it may include an error in the range of ±5°. The shape of the rotating body 20 is not particularly limited, but is usually cylindrical. The rotating body 20 is usually provided with mounting parts (not shown) on its side for attaching the chain 30. Although not shown, the rotating body may also have a motor and a spindle unit connected to the motor, with the spindle unit having a chain mounting part on its side.

[0044] The chain 30 is attached to the rotating body 20. Typically, the chain 30 is a general-purpose industrial chain made of metal or a chain made of special alloy steel.

[0045] Special alloy steel refers to steel that contains special elements in addition to the five major elements (iron (Fe)), carbon (C), silicon (Si), manganese (Mn), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S)). Examples of special elements include manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), vanadium (V), titanium (Ti), bismuth (Bi), and tungsten (W). In special alloy steel, the proportions of the five major elements and special elements contained in the iron can be adjusted as appropriate.

[0046] There is no limit to the number of chains that can be attached to a rotating body; typically there are two, but three or more are also acceptable.

[0047] Furthermore, the chain diameter (wire diameter of the loop) can be appropriately selected depending on the type of material to be processed, but is preferably 15 mm or more, more preferably 20 mm or more, even more preferably 25 mm or more, preferably 50 mm or less, more preferably 45 mm or less, and even more preferably 40 mm or less. This is because having a chain diameter within the above range makes it easier to obtain rubber fragments even from relatively small composite materials.

[0048] The length of the chain is selected appropriately according to the size of the crushing chamber.

[0049] A chain-type shredder comprises at least the shredding chamber, rotating body, and chain described above, and may further include any optional components as needed. An optional component is, for example, a dust collector. The dust collector is typically provided to be connected to the exhaust port.

[0050] Specific examples of chain-type shredders include the cross-flow shredder manufactured by Sato Iron Works, the vertical chain-type crusher manufactured by JUM, and the chain-type shredder manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Techno. The models of these chain-type shredders are not particularly limited. Furthermore, the chain-type shredder is not limited to the specific examples mentioned above; for example, known devices such as chain mills and chain-type crushers can be used.

[0051] (3) Crushing method This section describes a crushing method that uses a chain-type crusher to crush the material to be processed.

[0052] In the above crushing method, the material to be processed is first fed into the crushing chamber from the inlet of the chain-type crusher. The amount of material to be processed fed into the crushing chamber of the chain-type crusher is adjusted as appropriate according to the size and type of the material, and there are no particular restrictions. The volume of the crushing chamber of the chain-type crusher is 1 m³.3 The input amount represented by the weight of the object to be processed with respect to 3 is usually 2.0 kg / m 3 or more, preferably 2.8 kg / m 3 or more, more preferably 3.0 kg / m 3 or more, even more preferably 3.2 kg / m 3 or more, and usually 8.0 kg / m 3 or less, preferably 7.0 kg / m 3 or less, more preferably 6.8 kg / m 3 or less, even more preferably 6.5 kg / m 3 or less. Therefore, the above input amount is preferably 2.0 to 8.0 kg / m 3 , more preferably 2.8 to 7.0 kg / m 3 , even more preferably 3.0 to 6.8 kg / m 3 , particularly preferably 3.2 to 6.5 kg / m 3 This is because it is easy to obtain rubber fragments by crushing the composite material. Also, this is because the average current value of the chain crusher during crushing can be lowered.

[0053] Next, after the object to be processed is input into the crushing chamber, the crusher is rotated by rotating the rotating body of the chain crusher to crush the object to be processed. At this time, the frequency of the rotating body is not particularly limited and is appropriately adjusted according to the type and amount of the object to be processed, etc. The frequency of the rotating body is usually 10 Hz or more, preferably 20 Hz or more, more preferably 30 Hz or more, even more preferably 40 Hz or more, particularly preferably 45 Hz or more, and usually 70 Hz or less, preferably 65 Hz or less, more preferably 60 Hz or less, even more preferably 55 Hz or less, particularly preferably 50 Hz or less. When the frequency of the rotating body is within the above range, it is easy to obtain rubber fragments by crushing the composite material. The frequency of the rotating body can usually be obtained as the set value of the frequency of the motor of the rotating body in the chain crusher.

[0054] Furthermore, the rotational speed of the chain is adjusted as appropriate according to the type and quantity of material to be processed, the frequency of the rotating body, and the form of the attachment part to the rotating body, and there are no particular restrictions. As an example, the rotational speed (rpm) of the chain is preferably 200 rpm or more, more preferably 300 rpm or more, even more preferably 400 rpm or more, preferably 1500 rpm or less, more preferably 1400 rpm or less, and even more preferably 1300 rpm or less.

[0055] For example, if the rotating body has a motor and a spindle unit connected to the motor by a V-pulley and a V-belt, and the spindle unit has a chain attachment part on its side, then the frequency of the rotating body and the rotation speed of the chain can be adjusted to a preferred range by adjusting the diameter of each pulley.

[0056] Furthermore, in chain-type shredders, it is preferable that the average current value from the start to the end of shredding of the material to be processed is low. Specifically, the average current value is usually 230A or less, preferably 225A or less, more preferably 200A or less, and even more preferably 150A or less. Also, while a lower average current value is preferable, it is usually 80A or more, and may be 90A or more, or even 100A or more. This is because it reduces the load on the chain shredder and allows for safe shredding of the material to be processed.

[0057] A preferred size for the rubber fragments contained in the crushed material obtained in the crushing process is, for example, 5 mm square or larger, preferably 7 mm square or larger, more preferably 10 mm square or larger, and 50 mm square or smaller, preferably 40 mm square or smaller, and more preferably 30 mm square or smaller. Therefore, the size of the rubber fragments is preferably 5 to 50 mm square, more preferably 7 to 40 mm square, and even more preferably 10 to 30 mm square. This is because it allows for good recyclability and makes it easy to recover the rubber fragments.

[0058] The size of the rubber fragments is determined by selecting 20 rubber fragments at random from the crushed material, measuring the size of each fragment, and calculating the arithmetic mean of these measurements. While the size of the rubber fragments can be determined by directly measuring them, it can also be determined from image data such as photographs.

[0059] [3. Optional steps] The processing method for composite materials includes at least the crushing step described above, and any additional steps may be selected as needed.

[0060] (1) Separation process The processing method for composite materials typically includes a separation step to separate rubber fragments from the crushed material obtained in the crushing step. While there are no particular limitations on the method for separating rubber fragments from the crushed material, one example is to remove the metal components from the crushed material using a magnetic separator. With this method, the removed metal components of the crushed material can also be used as raw materials for recycling. Here, the metal components of the crushed material include not only the crushed metal components of the composite material, but also the metal components themselves from which the rubber components have been removed.

[0061] The rubber material and metal components of the crushed material separated in the separation process may be washed with water or other treatments as needed.

[0062] (2) Metal recovery process The processing method for composite materials may include a metal recovery step in which metals derived from the metal components of the composite material are recovered from the crushed material obtained in the crushing step.

[0063] One method for recovering metals derived from the metal components of composite materials is to heat-treat and melt the metal components of the crushed material obtained by the separation process described above. By heat-treating, residual rubber and resins remaining in the metal components of the crushed material can be removed. Furthermore, if the metal components of the crushed material contain multiple types of metals, separation and recovery of each type of metal may be performed, for example, by adjusting the melting temperature.

[0064] (3) Selection process for the object to be processed The method for processing composite materials may include a step for selecting the material to be processed before the crushing step. In the present invention, since rubber fragments can be obtained even from small composite materials, which conventionally tend to be crushed insufficiently, the processing of small composite materials can be improved by selecting small composite materials as the composite material that can be contained in the material to be processed.

[0065] [4. Uses of rubber fragments] Rubber fragments obtained through composite material processing methods are typically used as raw materials for recycling. Specifically, rubber fragments can be used as raw materials in recycling methods such as material recycling, chemical recycling, and thermal recycling.

[0066] Furthermore, the rubber fragments can be used in processing methods, for example, by gasifying them to obtain useful product gases such as H2 gas, CO2 gas, or CO gas. The product gases obtained by the above processing methods can be used for culturing specific anaerobic bacteria, or in other words, for synthesizing useful substances by culturing anaerobic bacteria.

[0067] Rubber fragments can be used, for example, in a processing method (oil conversion) that involves thermal decomposition of rubber fragments to obtain decomposition oil. If the rubber fragments contain carbon black, the carbon black can be extracted from the rubber fragments in addition to the decomposition oil through oil conversion.

[0068] Rubber fragments can be used, for example, as a raw material for recycled rubber. [Examples]

[0069] The present invention will be described below with reference to examples. The following examples are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0070] Evaluation method (Size, length, and Wr / Wm of composite material) Samples for crushing were photographed, and based on the photographs, the size of 20 randomly selected composite materials was measured from the front, with the longest portion facing forward. The arithmetic mean of these measurements was calculated as the size of the composite material. The length of the composite material was also determined using the same procedure as for size measurement. Furthermore, based on the sample shape in the photographs, the ratio of the weight Wr of the rubber component to the weight Wm of the metal component (Wr / Wm) was estimated. The vibration-damping rubber used as a sample for crushing in this study allowed for the estimation of its weight ratio based on its shape.

[0071] (Visual evaluation) The crushed samples obtained in Examples 1-8 were evaluated according to the following indicators A-C. A: Crushed material containing rubber fragments was obtained. Neither the sample used for crushing nor fragments of the sample (fragments in which the rubber component was not crushed but integrated with the metal component) were observed. B: Although crushed material containing rubber fragments was obtained, it also contained some of the sample used for crushing or fragments of the sample used for crushing. C: Either no crushed material containing rubber fragments was obtained, or the crushing of the material itself was difficult.

[0072] (Size of rubber fragment) After the crushing process, the resulting crushed material was photographed. Twenty rubber fragments were randomly selected from the photographs, and the distance of the longest part (maximum length) of each fragment was measured. The arithmetic mean of these measured values ​​was calculated as the size of the rubber fragment. If the size of the rubber cross-section determined by the above measurement method was 50 mm or less, it was classified as "A," and if the size of the rubber fragment exceeded 50 mm, it was classified as "B."

[0073] (Average current value) In a chain-type shredder, the current value was measured every second from the start of sample shredding until the discharge gate was opened, and the arithmetic mean of the obtained results was calculated as the average current value.

[0074] Example 1 Several circular vibration-damping rubbers were prepared as samples for crushing. These vibration-damping rubbers had diameters and heights ranging from 50 mm to 200 mm, with an average size of 100 mm square. Furthermore, the ratio of the weight of the rubber component Wr to the weight of the metal component Wm (Wr / Wm) of these vibration-damping rubbers was between 1 / 10 and 5 / 10.

[0075] A chain-type shredder (Sato Iron Works Co., Ltd. "Cross Flow Shredder CFS S-1250") was used as the shredder. The specifications of this chain-type shredder are as follows: • Equipment capacity (space volume to be crushed): Approximately 1.53 m³ 3 • Crushing chamber dimensions (outer dimensions x height): Approximately 1.25m x 1.25m • Motor capacity: 37kW ·Approximate weight: 4000kg • Crushing chain: Chain diameter φ26mm • Number of crushing chains: 2

[0076] A 10 kg sample for crushing was introduced into a chain-type crusher, which was operated at a frequency of 60 Hz and a chain rotation speed of 1276 rpm. The crushing process was carried out for 60 seconds in a sealed state, and the processed sample was discharged from the bottom of the device.

[0077] Examples 2-5, 7 and 8 Except for changing the amount of sample fed into the chain-type shredder for shredding, the frequency of the rotating body to which the chain was attached, and the shredding time as shown in Table 1, the same procedure as in Example 1 was performed to obtain the processed sample and evaluate it. The chain rotation speed was set to 959 rpm when the frequency of the rotating body was 45 Hz, and to 1276 rpm when the frequency of the rotating body was 60 Hz.

[0078] Example 6 For the crushing process, a composite material containing rod-shaped vibration-damping rubber was used instead of circular vibration-damping rubber (average diameter of rod-shaped vibration-damping rubber: 30 mm, average length of rod-shaped vibration-damping rubber: 170 mm, average size of composite material: 150 mm, ratio of weight Wr of rubber member to weight Wm of metal member: Wr / Wm: 1 / 10 to 2 / 10). The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed to obtain and evaluate the processed sample, except that the amount of sample fed into the chain-type crusher for crushing, the chain rotation speed, and the crushing time were changed as shown in Table 1.

[0079] Comparative Example 1 Using a sample for crushing in the same form as in Example 1, a hammer-type crusher (continuous type) was used, with a sample input of 1000 kg and a crushing time of 20 minutes.

[0080] The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

[0081] [Table 1]

[0082] [Table 2]

[0083] As shown in Examples 1 to 8, crushed material containing rubber fragments was obtained by crushing a composite material including rubber and metal components using a chain-type crusher. In particular, in Examples 4, 6, 7, and 8, good quality rubber fragments were obtained, and the average current value was reduced. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 10 Crushing Chamber 10b Bottom (of the crushing chamber) 10c (Top of the crushing chamber) 10s Side wall (of the crushing chamber) 11 Inlet 12 Outlet 13 Air supply port 14 Exhaust vents 20. Solids of revolution 20A Rotating shaft 30 chain 100 Chain-type shredder

Claims

1. A method for processing composite materials, comprising a crushing step of crushing an object to be processed, which includes a composite material containing rubber members and metal members, with at least a portion of the rubber members and metal members fixed, using a chain-type crusher equipped with a crushing chamber, a rotating body provided in the crushing chamber, and a chain attached to the rotating body, thereby obtaining crushed material containing rubber fragments.

2. The method for processing a composite material according to claim 1, wherein the size of the composite material is 20 mm square or more and 400 mm square or less.

3. The method for processing a composite material according to claim 1, wherein the ratio Wr / Wm of the weight of the rubber member to the weight Wm of the metal member of the composite material is 1 / 20 or more and 10 / 1 or less.

4. A method for processing a composite material according to claim 1, wherein the rubber member further contains carbon black.

5. The method for processing a composite material according to claim 1, wherein the crushed material includes rubber fragments of 5 mm square or larger and 50 mm square or smaller.

6. A method for processing a composite material according to claim 1, wherein the object to be processed further comprises a single rubber material.

7. The volume of the crushing chamber of a chain-type crusher is 1 m³. ３ The weight of the material to be processed is 2.0 kg / m ３ 8.0kg / m or more ３ The following is a method for processing a composite material according to claim 1.

8. The method for processing composite materials according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the rotating body of the chain-type crusher is 10 Hz or more and 70 Hz or less.

9. A method for processing a composite material according to claim 1, comprising a separation step of separating rubber fragments from the crushed material obtained in the crushing step.

10. A method for processing a composite material according to claim 1, further comprising a metal recovery step of recovering metal derived from the metal components of the composite material from the crushed material obtained in the crushing step.

11. A method for processing a composite material according to claim 1, wherein the material to be processed is waste.

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