Abstract: A method and apparatus (10) for the controlled impact comminution of wood pieces (100) is described. The apparatus includes a housing (12) within which is located a comminuting chamber (14). The acceleration zone (14A) of the chamber has an impeller system (36) with flails (42). A fan (54) is also mounted adjacent the lower portion of the chamber. The comminution zone (14B) of the chamber includes first and second impact plates (26 and 30) and a funnel (34) having an outlet tube (34B) which is connected by a tube (56) to the inlet (54A) of the fan. The outlet (54B) of the fan is connected by an outlet chute (58) to a cyclone collector (60) positioned over a bin (62). To comminute the wood pieces, the pieces are fed into the impeller path (44). The flails of the impeller move the pieces around the path and accelerate the pieces into contact with the impact plates. As a result of the impact, the pieces are reduced into smaller pieces.

Abstract: A method and system (10) for producing a composite material (108) from particles (102) and binder (104), is described. The system includes a feed zone (12), a unilayering zone (14), a mat reforming zone (16) and a compaction zone (18) all closely coupled to reduce time and allow the use of fast setting binders. A preformed feed mat (100) is fed into the spike wheels (22 and 24) of the feed zone. The spike wheels extract particles from the premat and impinge the particles onto an oscillating shield (26) in the layering zone. The oscillating shield moves across the thickness of the mat-forming zone depositing the particles uniformly on the trailing edge of the reformed mat (106) at the top (48A) of the tunnel conveyor (48) of the mat reforming zone. As the particles move past the lower end (26B) of the shield a binder is added to the particles. Overlays or release films (50) are introduced at the top of both sides of the tunnel conveyor so as to engage the surfaces of the reformed mat.