Abstract: A new and useful apparatus has been devised for grinding paper into cellulose fiber insulation in which a hammermill or rotary beater has a paper feed inlet which establishes a low pressure zone at the entrance to the hammermill housing whereby to encourage reverse flow of partially ground materials from the outer perimeter of the hammermill into the low pressure zone, the partially ground material tending to collect in the form of a vortex and to recombine with the main stream of material being supplied into the feed inlet. In this way any of the partially ground or shredded material not small enough to pass through a classification grid or screen at the discharge of the hammermill will continuously intermix with the main stream of material for continuous grinding to the desired size.

Abstract: Reduction or loss of rotary hammermill grinding action for a tub grinder is prevented by effectively extending the surface of the floor of the tub grinder across the gravity feed opening for the hammermill chamber area. In one form, the floor extension includes a plurality of relatively narrow cross-bars which extend completely across the chamber opening in the floor so as to block relatively heavy or dense clumps of unground feed from resting on the hammermill discs or jamming between the hammermill and its chamber sidewalls. The pivoted hammers are permitted to rotate in an arc extending above the cross-bars. In another form, the tub floor extension is formed by a multiplicity of generally triangular shaped members which extend from the feed side of the opening across the opening with sufficient distance to prevent jamming against the hammermill discs while providing sufficient vertical support to allow initial grinding of such dense clumps by the pivoting hammermill hammers.

Abstract: Materials to be fed through an aperture in a container are urged towards the aperture by rotary motion of the sidewalls of the container. The feeding of the materials is augmented by selectably positionable blades attached to move with the sidewalls but extendible into or out of the container interior so as to break up bridging effects of the material around the aperture. The blades can likewise be completely withdrawn from the container interior.