Grinder With Fan Disc For Composite Material Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current recycling processes for composite materials like carpet and plastic bottles are inefficient, recovering less than 50% of carpet fibers and leaving behind unprocessed backing and fibers that require further disposal, necessitating a more effective method for separating rigid from non-rigid materials.
Innovation Solution
A grinder with cutter discs and a fan disc, combined with ginning equipment, processes composite materials to efficiently separate non-rigid fibers from rigid components, utilizing adjustable cutter discs and a fan assembly to optimize material separation and airflow, allowing for thorough processing of materials like carpet and plastic bottles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If shears are used to cut the fibers from the backing, then the process is simple to operate, but the recovery rate of carpet fibers is less than fifty percent
Solution Approach 1:
The grinding mechanism divides the carpet into multiple small segments or particles through rotational cutting action. The grinder uses multiple cutter discs with cutting edges that sequentially chop and grind the carpet material into fine particles, enabling complete separation of fibers from backing and maximizing fiber recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the simple shear cutting mechanism with a more complex grinding mechanism involving rotational cutter discs. This substitution transforms the cutting action from a single-pass shear operation to a multi-stage grinding process, significantly improving fiber recovery while maintaining operational simplicity through automated rotation.
2Device complexity
If shears are used to cut the fibers from the backing, then the device complexity is low, but the separation efficiency of rigid from non-rigid material is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The grinding mechanism divides the carpet into multiple small segments or particles through rotational cutting action. The grinder uses multiple cutter discs with cutting edges that sequentially chop and grind the carpet material into fine particles, enabling complete separation of fibers from backing and maximizing fiber recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutter discs rotate at high speed to dynamically chop and grind the carpet material. The rotational motion creates dynamic cutting action with multiple cutting edges passing through the material sequentially, enabling efficient separation of rigid backing from non-rigid fibers while maintaining a relatively simple device structure.
3Productivity
If a grinder with multiple cutter discs is used, then the separation efficiency of rigid from non-rigid material is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple cutter discs are merged into a single rotational assembly, with all cutting edges driven by one motor. This combining of multiple cutting functions into a single rotating mechanism improves separation efficiency while limiting the increase in device complexity through shared drive and compact arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating cutter disc assembly performs multiple functions simultaneously: cutting, grinding, and separating the carpet material. The same rotational mechanism handles both the division of fibers from backing and the size reduction of particles, providing multi-functionality that improves productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity.
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
The solution enables the efficient separation of non-rigid fibers from rigid materials, increasing recovery rates and reducing waste, with the ability to process a variety of materials including carpet and plastic bottles, resulting in a more thorough recycling process.
Implementation Method 1
a fan disc mounted below the lower cutter disc... Material is introduced through the top of the housing and flows down past and is ground by the rotating cutter discs and is then discharged from the housing by the fan disc
Data Source
AI summary
A process for separating carpet fibers from carpet backing uses a grinder of the type having a rotor with a plurality of vertically spaced cutter discs and a fan disc below the cutter discs. Sections of carpet are fed into the grinder which grinds the carpet, separating the fibers from the backing and breaking the backing into relatively small particles. The grinder is connected with a series of ginning equipment for removing the ground backing from the fibers.