Abstract: Apparatus including a disintegrating head and a mixing head each having a stator and a co-operating rotor. The rotors are mounted at axially spaced locations on a common shaft and the stators are supported with the inlet to each stator facing axially of the shaft, away from the other stator. The disintegrating head has a stator formed of a plurality of stator elements arranged at angulary spaced locations on a base member. Each stator element has a cutting edge which is inclined outwardly of the element in a direction away from the base member. Associated with the disintegrating head is a shroud which serves to retain large lumps of material in the vicinity of the head.

Abstract: A mixing device comprising cooperating rotor and stator elements wherein a stator blade is arranged at the inlet to the stator element for cooperation with an axially outer end of at least one rotor blade. In use, fibrous material which is drawn into the stator element by rotation of the rotor element is shredded by the action of the cooperating rotor and stator blades. The material is then expelled radially outwardly from the stator element and is subjected to high shearing forces, which effect further mixing and disintegration, as it passes between a radially center edge of a rotor blade and the stator elements.