Material Reducing Machine Rotor With Mixed Cutter Lengths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing material reducing machines are not suitable for processing dense metal components or railroad ties with metal tie plates and spikes, as they can damage the machines or require operator intervention, and struggle with efficiently reducing fibrous materials like roofing shingles, often producing elongated shapes that contaminate the product and are difficult to handle.
Innovation Solution
A material reducing machine with a rotor assembly featuring a combination of long and short cutting tools and a breaker assembly with adjustable shear blocks and breaker blocks, allowing for efficient reduction of various materials into uniformly sized pieces without damaging the machine, and enabling operation at different speeds and with different types of materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a material reducing machine uses a standard rotor assembly with uniform cutting tools and anvil bar, then it can effectively reduce common materials like wood and siding, but it cannot process dense metal components or railroad ties with metal tie plates and spikes without damaging the machine
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor assembly is designed with adjustable cutting tool configurations that can be changed based on the material being processed. The cutting tools can be positioned at different radii from the rotation axis, allowing the machine to adapt to various material densities and hardness levels including metal components, while maintaining reliable operation through optimized impact dynamics for each material type
Solution Approach 2:
The machine allows changing operational parameters such as rotation speed, cutting tool radius position, and anvil bar configuration to match the specific material being processed. This enables effective reduction of diverse materials from soft wood to dense metal-containing railroad ties by optimizing the impact parameters for each material type
2Productivity
If the machine operates at high speed to maintain productivity, then it can process materials efficiently, but it increases fuel consumption, wear, and noise levels
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor assembly can dynamically adjust its rotation speed based on the material being processed and the desired output. By optimizing the rotation speed for each specific material type and processing condition, the machine maintains high productivity when needed while reducing fuel consumption, wear, and noise during less demanding operations
Solution Approach 2:
The machine allows variation of operational parameters including rotation speed, feed rate, and cutting tool configuration to optimize the balance between productivity and energy consumption. This enables efficient processing at lower speeds for certain materials, reducing overall fuel consumption and wear while maintaining acceptable productivity levels
3Manufacturing precision
If the machine uses multiple screen sections to achieve uniform particle size, then it can produce consistently sized reduced material, but it allows elongated shapes to pass through and contaminate the product
Solution Approach 1:
The screen sections are divided into multiple stages with different aperture sizes and configurations. This segmentation allows the machine to first reduce material to a coarse size, then progressively refine it through subsequent screen sections, achieving uniform particle size while preventing elongated shapes from passing through to contaminate the final product
4Reliability
If the machine uses shear pins that break when non-reducible objects are introduced, then it can protect the machine housing from damage, but it requires operator intervention to restore operation
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor assembly is designed with automatic ejection mechanisms that can self-clear non-reducible objects such as metal components and railroad ties without requiring operator intervention. The system automatically detects and ejects these objects, maintaining continuous operation and protecting the machine housing while eliminating the need for manual shear pin replacement
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 machine efficiently breaks materials into uniformly sized pieces, operates without stopping due to non-reducible objects, and can be adapted for different materials, reducing fuel consumption, wear, and noise levels, while maintaining effective operation at slower speeds.
Implementation Method 1
The tools of the rotating drum carry material into contact with the anvil bar where it is broken into smaller pieces
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of cutting tools, each of which includes a cutting bit thereon... the cutting tools and the shear blocks and breaker blocks are arranged so that the long cutting tools are aligned with the breaker blocks and the short cutting tools are aligned with the shear blocks
Implementation Method 3
a breaker assembly that is located adjacent to the rotor assembly and includes a back plate and a plurality of shear blocks... the cutting tools on the rotor assembly and the shear blocks and breaker blocks are arranged so that the long cutting tools are aligned with the breaker blocks and the short cutting tools are aligned with the shear blocks
Data Source
AI summary
A material reducing machine includes a rotor assembly having a plurality of short cutting tools and a plurality of long cutting tools. The short cutting tools are arranged in rows which extend across the length of the rotor assembly, which rows are spaced around the periphery of the rotor assembly. Each of the short cutting tools has a cutting bit with a leading edge that is spaced outwardly from the periphery of the rotor assembly by a short cutter distance. The long cutting tools are also arranged in rows which extend across the length of the rotor assembly, which rows are spaced around the periphery of the rotor assembly. Each of the long cutting tools has a cutting bit with a leading edge that is spaced outwardly from the periphery of the rotor assembly by a long cutter distance that is greater than the short cutter distance of each of the short cutting tools. A breaker assembly includes a plurality of shear blocks, each of which is spaced so as to be aligned with a short cutting tool.