Abstract: Separation apparatus and methods separate ferrous, glass, plastic and aluminum articles in kind from each other when all articles are presented in a commingled stream. Ferrous articles are first removed by magnetic apparatus. The remaining commingled stream of glass, plastic and aluminum articles are conveyed over a vibratory screen for removal or residue materials not first removed prior to ferrous article separation. Plastic and aluminum articles are lifted away from glass articles in a vertically moving air column of a closed loop air flow system. The glass is conveyed past the column for further separation and collection while the plastic and aluminum articles are discharged together from a centrifugal classifier portion of the closed air loop. Large plastic articles are first removed from the combined plastic and aluminum, then aluminum articles are separated from the remaining smaller plastic articles.

Abstract: This invention provides an improvement in a vibratory conveyor of the type including an elongate utilized container, which can be vibrated as a free mass at a selected frequency and stroke by drive means, such as a motor having weights eccentrically mounted on its output shaft, and which container is interconnected by yieldable means to elongate counterbalance means located opposite one long side of the container and with the stroke axis of the container being inclined with respect to the long central axis of the container. Basically, the improvement of the present invention is that the counterbalance means is comprised of plural counterbalance sections which are longitudinally arranged generally parallel to the long central axis of the container.