Adjustable Chipper Rotor Knife Blade Positioning

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing chipping rotors in shredding machines struggle to produce larger wood chips efficiently due to insufficient strength and time-consuming adjustments, leading to high ash content in wood chips during combustion.

Innovation Solution

A chipping rotor design with adjustable knife blades in the tangential direction, allowing for easy adjustment of the cutting gap and secure fastening using screws, along with a shear bolt for overload protection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If the cutting gap is increased to produce larger wood chips, then the wood chip size increases, but the chipping rotor's strength becomes insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewood chip sizeVSAvoidchipping rotor strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The chipping rotor is divided into modular components: the rotor body, interchangeable tool holders, and individually replaceable knife blades. This segmentation allows the rotor to maintain structural integrity at larger cutting gaps while enabling easy replacement of worn cutting elements, resolving the strength issue by distributing mechanical loads across modular components rather than requiring the entire rotor to be oversized.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The tool holders are designed with adjustable positioning mechanisms that allow dynamic adjustment of the cutting gap size during operation. This enables the rotor to adapt between producing larger or smaller wood chips without requiring structural changes to the rotor body, maintaining optimal strength-to-function ratio across different operating conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Volume of moving object

If the cutting gap is increased to produce larger wood chips, then the wood chip size increases, but the adjustment process becomes time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewood chip sizeVSAvoidadjustment time
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting system is segmented into independently adjustable tool holders with pre-configured positioning features. This allows rapid adjustment of cutting gap by simply repositioning or replacing tool holders rather than making complex adjustments to the entire rotor assembly, significantly reducing adjustment time while maintaining the ability to produce various wood chip sizes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Tool holders are pre-manufactured with specific positioning features and mounting configurations that enable quick installation at predetermined cutting gap positions. This preliminary preparation of adjustment positions eliminates time-consuming on-site adjustments and allows operators to quickly switch between different wood chip size configurations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Force

If the knife blade protrudes further from clamping to increase pre-grip, then the pre-grip increases, but the bending stress on the knife body increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepre-grip forceVSAvoidbending stress on knife body
Core Design Contradiction:
ForceVSStress or pressure

Solution Approach 1:

The knife blade clamping system incorporates adjustable positioning that allows optimization of the blade's protrusion distance based on material conditions. This dynamic adjustment capability enables operators to reduce blade protrusion when handling materials that generate high bending stresses, thereby maintaining adequate pre-grip while minimizing bending stress on the knife body to prevent premature failure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables the production of larger wood chips with minimal adjustment effort, reduces ash content, and allows for easy replacement and maintenance of knife blades.

Implementation Method 1

a shear bolt (8) is provided for securing against foreign matter

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFracture Mechanics: Fracture Mechanics

Implementation Method 2

The knife blade (2) can be secured between a lower and an upper tool holder (3, 3') by means of at least one fastening screw (4)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMechanical Fastener: Mechanical Fastener

Data Source

PatentEP3315201B2Chipper rotor for a shredding machine
Publication Date: 2025.05.28 KOMPTECH
  • EP3315201B2 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3315201B2 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3315201B2 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a chopping rotor (1) for a shredding machine, wherein the chopping rotor (1) comprises tool holders and wherein each of the tool holders can accommodate an overload-protected tool (10) comprising at least one knife blade (2) and wherein the knife blade (2) of the tool (10) is adjustable in a particularly tangential direction of the chopping rotor (1) for adjusting the forward reach of the tool (10).