Abstract: An improved machine for cutting material into at least narrow strips includes parallel, rotating cutting shafts having a plurality of cutting wheels thereon. The cutting wheels are separated by spacer-comber elements which provide a comber surface in alignment with a cutting wheel on the other shaft. A cutting wheel comber is mounted between adjacent spacer-comber elements and includes a concave surface to partially encircle the cutting wheel therebetween. The cutting wheel comber has a discharge end toward the discharge side of the machine with a rounded portion. The regions along the concave surface is separated by different distances from the cutting wheel to prevent the retention and collections of the narrow strips of material at the backsides of the cutting wheels.

Abstract: A machine for cutting tires into a plurality of elongated strips includes parallel cutting shafts having a plurality of cutting wheels mounted for rotation therewith. The cutting wheels are separated by annular spacers on the cutting shafts. A spacer comber partially encircles each annular spacer and has a lower portion having a rounded surface to minimize surface contact between the elongated strips and the spacer comber. After the side cutting edges of each cutting wheel becomes worn, the cutting wheels can be sharpened by surface grinding which narrows the cutting wheel. Each annular spacer and spacer comber are also narrowed by respective corresponding surface grinding of the side surfaces thereof. The machine is overhauled, after the surface grinding and the corresponding surface grinding, by the addition of at least one of each cutting wheel, annular spacer and spacer comber on each cutting shaft.

Abstract: An improved glass breaking apparatus is of the type which includes a plurality of rotating breaking bars which are capable of breaking a glass bottle into small glass pieces and at least some larger glass pieces having a longest dimension exceeding a predetermined length. The improvement includes a pair of cylindrical rollers disposed below the plurality of rotating breaking bars and mounted for rotation in opposite directions about parallel, horizontal axes. The cylindrical rollers are spaced apart to provide a predetermined separation distance between the cylindrical outer surfaces thereof. The cylindrical rollers include an array of extensions about the cylindrical outer surface and are relatively disposed to cause the extensions of one cylindrical roller to be aligned with the cylindrical outer surface of the other cylindrical roller.

Abstract: A feeding mechanism is for feeding cylindrical containers having a diameter and a major length dimension to a cutting machine and includes a pair of parallel feed shafts centrally disposed above the cutting machine. The feed shafts have parallel axes of rotation for rotation in opposite directions. The feed shafts have a predetermined distance therebetween to provide a predetermined gap between the feed shafts which is greater than the diameter of the cylindrical container. Each of the feed shafts includes a pair of feed discs mounted for rotation therewith. The pair of feed discs on each shaft include corresponding curved sectors which cooperate with corresponding curved sectors of the pair of feed discs on the other shaft for gripping the sides of the container therebetween. Rotation of the shafts toward the cutting machine causes the container entrapped by the corresponding curved sectors to be fed in an end first direction toward the cutting machine.