Material Processing Rotor With Segmented Housing Gap

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing material recycling processes, particularly those using impact mills, face challenges in fully separating and shredding composite materials as fractions often stick together or have residues, hindering complete separation.

Innovation Solution

A device where the material is flexed between a rotor and an inner wall with changing gap dimensions and pressure formations, constantly shearing and breaking connections between different material components, allowing for effective separation through continuous flexing and shearing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If impact mills are used to shred and separate material fractions, then material processing capability is improved, but complete separation is not achieved as fractions still stick together or have residues

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial processing capabilityVSAvoidseparation completeness
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The housing interior surface is segmented into multiple zones with different gap dimensions to the rotor. This creates multiple shear zones that progressively break down material bonds, enabling complete separation of fractions while maintaining high processing capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the housing have locally optimized gap dimensions to the rotor, creating varying shear forces in different zones. This local quality variation ensures thorough breakdown of bonds in all areas, achieving complete separation without compromising overall productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Manufacturing precision

If the gap between rotor and housing is reduced to increase shear force, then separation effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveseparation effectivenessVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The housing structure is merged with the rotor assembly, integrating the gap control function into the existing device architecture. This merging achieves effective shear forces without adding separate complex gap adjustment mechanisms, maintaining device simplicity while improving separation effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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

This approach enables thorough separation and shredding of composite materials into pure fractions, such as metal pellets and shredded rubber, by intensively breaking down structures between rubber and metal, facilitating subsequent separation processes like swim-sink separation.

Implementation Method 1

The kneading of the material takes place in this gap, so that the material particles, or even materials of different fractions, are continuously sheared against each other, thus breaking the bond between these substances.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectShear stress: Shear Stress

Implementation Method 2

the material is flung against baffles, causing them to burst open

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 3

the material is flung against baffles

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCentrifugal force: Centrifugal Force

Data Source

PatentEP3551333B1Apparatus for treatment of materials
Publication Date: 2020.10.14 RITTER JAN
  • EP3551333B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for preparing materials in a housing (1), which is fixed, by means of a rotor (4) that rotates in the housing (1) with a distance (a) to an inner wall (2) of the housing (1) and in the process moves the materials. According to the invention, the rotor (4) presses the material with pressure against the inner wall (2) and thereby flexes the material.