Abstract: A hammermill having a housing, a rotor assembly, a plurality of hammers, and an attrition plate assembly is provided to reduce oversized particulate material to a desired size. The housing defines an enclosed work space. The rotor assembly is disposed within the housing for rotation about a longitudinal axis of the housing. The plurality of hammers is coupled to the rotor assembly and is disposed within the enclosed work space. Each hammer having an impact end, a connection portion adapted to couple to a portion of the rotor assembly, and a shank portion extending between the impact end and the connection portion.

Abstract: A hammermill having a housing, a rotor assembly, a first plurality of hammers, and a first attrition plate assembly is provided to reduce oversized particulate material to a desired size. The housing has a sidewall that extends between an inlet end and an discharge end which defines an enclosed work space. The rotor assembly is disposed within the housing for rotation about a longitudinal axis of the housing. The first plurality of hammers is coupled to the rotor assembly and is disposed within the enclosed work space. The first attrition plate assembly has a generally circular configuration and is removably secured to the sidewall within the enclosed work space of the housing.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating particulate or lump material by size having a passage for the material, downwardly defined by a plurality of rotationally drivable discs which are arranged in several rows. The discs in one row mesh with clearance between the discs in the nearest adjacent rows on either side, such that together the discs form a screen extending along the passage from an inlet for the material to be screened to an outlet for lumps of the material which are too large to fall through the screen. The principle axes of the disc rows are oriented in the flow direction of the material through the passage and locate the discs in a flat-sided trough-like configuration. The discs are adapted to be driven in such a direction that they impart to the material on the screen a transverse arching movement upwards and towards both sides of the passage, while the material simultaneously moves towards said outlet.

Abstract: Disk screens having various interface opening dimensions are combined with air classifiers and other refuse separating components to separate municipal and industrial refuse into a fuel fraction and other recyclable resource fractions, each having a low percentage of unwanted materials therein.

Abstract: A wood chip rechipping method and apparatus are provided wherein a slotted, cylindrical drum rotates about a concentrically mounted rotatable anvil rotor having a plurality of arms, each of which has a blade at its outer extremity. The drum and anvil rotor arms rotate in the same direction, but at different speeds. The rotating apparatus induces centrifugal force on the wood chips to position them against the inner periphery of the drum where the blades on the relatively faster rotating anvil arms shear off a chip slice having a predetermined thickness. This shearing action continues until each chip has been rechipped into slices capable of passing through one of the drum knife slots and into the discharge outlet.

Abstract: A rotary air-lock feeder for a pneumatic conveying line includes the cylindrical housing with a straight bladed rotor mounted therein to propel materials from an upper inlet to a bottom discharge. The edges of the blades are positioned in close association with housing wall to prevent escape of air from the conveying line through feeder. A shear knife is mounted in housing with inner surface conforming to curvature of housing and a flat top surface intersecting inner surface to form a sharp cutting edge so as to shear material projecting beyond outer edge of rotor blades to prevent binding thereof between such outer edge and the housing wall.

Abstract: A pneumatic material separator having adjacent generally vertical sorting ducts and a generally vertical discharge duct communicating with the tops of the sorting ducts is disclosed. Particulate material introduced into a first sorting duct is separated by an upwardly moving column of gas into an upwardly moving lighter fraction and a downwardly moving heavy fraction. The lighter fraction is carried to a position over a second sorting duct where the gas velocity is reduced. The heaviest particles of the lighter fraction fall into the second sorting duct while the remainder of the lighter fraction is discharged through the discharge duct.

Abstract: A pneumatic material separator having adjacent generally vertical sorting ducts and a generally vertical discharge duct communicating with the tops of the sorting ducts is disclosed. Particulate material introduced into a first sorting duct is separated by an upwardly moving column of gas into an upwardly moving lighter fraction and a downwardly moving heavy fraction. The light fraction is carried to a position over a second sorting duct where the gas velocity is reduced. The heaviest particles of the lighter fraction fall into the second sorting duct while the remainder of the lighter fraction is discharged through the discharge duct.

Abstract: A metering surge bin airlock feed device having a conveyor which extends from a surge bin to the interior of a pneumatic materials separator is disclosed. Airlock inlet and outlet means are provided at the points where the conveyor passes through a wall of the separator so that gas cannot pass through the wall at those points.

Abstract: A trench containing a pipeline is backfilled by temporarily supporting the pipeline at grade in the trench on deflatable airbags spaced along the bottom of the trench. The trench is then backfilled below and around the pipe by pneumatically blowing a granular fill material into the trench first beneath the pipe and then progressively upwardly about its opposite sides to about its spring line so as simultaneously to backfill the trench and uniformly compact the fill material about the pipe without leaving any voids. The fill material is blown into the trench through a pair of opposed air ducts with upturned lower outlet ends extending into the trench on opposite sides of the pipe so that backfilling progresses upwardly on opposite sides of the pipe simultaneously. As backfilling operation progresses along the trench and approaches each support pad, the pad is deflated and removed so that the operation can proceed uninterruptedly.

Abstract: A separator of the type having interleaved rotating discs is constructed with a first shaft having a locating ring welded to the longitudinal midpoint thereof and a second shaft parallel to the first shaft having a feed disc welded to its longitudinal midpoint. Feed discs and intermediate spacers are removably mounted on the shafts with the feed discs on one shaft overlapping and centered between the feed discs on the other shaft. Each feed disc is cut from steel plate, is placed on a splining shaft of a lathe head with one face of the disc in abutment with the ends of three posts defining a plane and a first groove is skin cut in the other face of the disc. The disc is then reversed on the lathe head, and a second groove is skin cut in the opposite face to a depth leaving a predetermined thickness between the groove bottoms whereby the feed discs can be accurately positioned and rotate without interference with one another.

Abstract: A stack sampler for collecting particulate samplings in gaseous emissions includes means for automatically matching the volume rate of flow through the sampler to the flow in the stack. Pressure drops and temperatures in the stack and in the sampler are continuously detected and applied to calculating circuitry which controls a valve in the sampler for maintaining isokinetic flow conditions. Filter means removably disposed in the sampler collects particulate material from the gaseous emission during the isokinetic flow which is obtained. Also, flow and flow rate are detected and displayed.

Abstract: A valve shifting system is described for connecting a first conveying line selectively between two or more additional conveying lines. The system includes a conveying line connector mounted on a frame and connected to the first conveying line. A switching plate, also mounted on the frame, has ports therethrough for connection in communication with these additional conveying lines. An arm is slidably engaged to the switching plate and connected to the conveying line connector in a manner permitting rotation and longitudinal motion of the arm as it slides upon the switching plate. The system also includes a pivot tube which is coupled at one end to the arm which at the opposite end is coupled to the conveying line connector. A continuous passageway for the flow of material therethrough is formed from the first conveying line through the pivot tube and switching plate to the selected additional conveying line.