Abstract: An impactor for breaking large, boulder size, ferrous metal pieces comprises a massive, horizontally axised, cylindrically shaped rotor having spaced apart, outwardly extending, impact heads. The rotor is formed of a number of axially aligned, thick, large diameters disks that are secured together face to face. Deep notches formed in the circumferential edges of the disks provide head mounting pockets within which inner portions of the heads are received. Each of the heads has an outer portion which projects radially outwardly of the rotor and has a small impact area. Large metal pieces are gravity fed, down a chute, into the paths of rotation of the heads impact areas, below the horizontal axis of the rotor. The pieces are struck by the downwardly moving head impact areas to momentarily receive an enormous concentrated force resulting from the rotation of the rotor mass.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for simultaneously separating volatile metals, including zinc and lead, and non-volatile metals, including copper, from mixtures of metallic and metallic oxide. Finely pulverized metal containing material, is continuously fed into the reactor chamber along with pulverized carbonaceous material, such as coke, and also oxygen or air. The reactor chamber is intensely heated by a transferred arc plasma generator to provide sufficient heat energy which together with the reducing gases cause a reducing reaction and melt the non-volatile copper and other metals which form a puddle upon the floor of the reaction chamber and to form a layer of slag covering the puddle, and simultaneously to vaporize the volatile zinc, lead and the like metals.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for simultaneously separating volatile metals, including zinc and lead, and non-volatile metals, including copper, from mixtures of metallic and metallic oxide and the like materials, includes a reactor having a lower, reactor, chamber, an upper, reflux, chamber and a vertically arranged, hollow shaft interconnecting the two chambers. The shaft is substantially filled with a mixture of pieces of metallic material, having minimal oxide content, and carbonaceous material, such as coke. The reactor chamber is intensely heated by a transferred arc plasma generator to provide sufficient heat energy which together with reducing gases cause a reducing reaction and melt the non-volatile copper and other metals which form a puddle upon the floor of the reaction chamber and to form a layer of slag covering the puddle, and simultaneously to vaporize the volatile zinc, lead and the like metals.