Abstract: A horizontal comminuting machine for reducing recyclable waste wood and other comminutable material which may have non-reducible foreign objects incorporated with it has a generally horizontal rotary drum mounting a plurality of peripherally spaced communinuting tools traveling in a continuous work contacting path. A feed works delivers material forwardly to the rotating drum in a longitudinal feed stream and to a lead anvil which, under undue operating pressure, withdraws from an operative position adjacent the path of the tools to a removed position. An anvil confining assembly on the machine frame controls the travel of the anvil. Rearwardly of the lead anvil, individual anvils are mounted to cooperate with the tools to further reduce the material.

Abstract: A comminuting machine for waste wood and other waste comminutable material has a vehicle frame and a conveyor in the form of a tub or bed for receiving material to be comminuted. A comminuting assembly has a shaft with a series of rotors with flat radially extending side walls fixed in an angularly offset continuous helical array from one end to the other on the shaft. Comminuting members presenting blunt material shattering beads are releasably secured on the arm mounting surfaces.

Abstract: A flail drum system has an upper rotary chain flail drum and a lower rotary chain flail drum longitudinally downstream from the upper drum. Wood product advancing mechanism on the machine frame moves the logs forwardly while spreading them and creates a downward pressure on the products at a first pinch point. The upper and lower flail drums are each driven in rotation about a generally horizontal axis transverse to the path of the log. There is a vertically fixed log support member longitudinally between the upper and lower flail drums and driven means for engaging and advancing the logs is provided on a vertically movable subframe which mounts the upper flail drum, longitudinally between the flail drums, for creating a downward pressure on the logs passing between the upper and lower flail drums and preventing raising and diving movement of the logs passing between the drums.

Abstract: An improved circular saw blade is rotatable in a guard casing having tree receiving vertically aligned openings in its upper and lower plates. The blade has a peripheral surface formed in part by a series of replaceable circumferentially spaced teeth with transverse cutting edges positioned to rotate about a predetermined first radius. The blade also has a series of circumferentially spaced, generally radially projecting backer tooth mounts for receiving the rear surfaces of the teeth. The mounts have sloped peripheral surfaces lying radially inside the first radius of rotation and have rear surfaces generally parallel to the mount front surfaces. The saw further has generally tangentially projecting finger-like guides in a guide region spaced circumferentially forwardly from each tooth to provide a radially extending chip passing slot between each tooth and guide and the guides have peripheral surfaces positioned to rotate radially inside the first arc of rotation about a second arc of rotation.

Abstract: A self-propelled compost windrow turning and aerating machine includes a longitudinally extending vehicle main frame supported on a pair of front wheels and a rear castered wheel. An upper longitudinally extending subframe is swingably supported from the rear end of the main frame to raise and lower the front end of the subframe relative to the main frame. A blower housing mounted on the subframe has a material admitting opening leading to a rotary fan provided in the housing, the blower housing having a discharge opening with a spout for directing material blown out of the housing. Material debridging and feeding mechanism supported on the subframe in advance of the blower housing removes material from a compost windrow and delivers it to the material admitting opening, and an engine drive system powers the front wheels, the fan, and the material debridging and feeding mechanism.

Abstract: A bottom-feed, biomass material gasification system feeds fuel such as green and wet woodchips from below up through a central opening in a stationary, perforate fire table which supports the mound-like fuel bed which is formed. A plurality of ring-like air manifolds contiguously below the fire table, and surrounding the fuel supply tube are separately provided with air in a controlled manner according to the demand for the combustible gas produced, and a greater volume of air is supplied to the centralmost manifold, than to the outer manifold, or manifolds. The system includes, in addition to a primary heating chamber, a secondary heating chamber which receives the hot gases generated in the primary chamber and, via a centrifugal cyclonic action, combusts fly ash particles which may remain entrained in the gas, before passing the hot gases to the boiler burner for cumbustion.

Abstract: A brush/wood chipper having a small diameter pressing feed cylinder adjacent and parallel to an anvil which is generally perpendicular to the feed disc, the cylinder also being adjacent the chipping disc. This feed cylinder is in an infeed chute, and presses the branches, twigs or other wood against the anvil while the wood is fed to and chipped by knives on the disc. The radially oriented knives are each canted relative to the chordal anvil so that, preferably assisted by a canted feed cylinder, the wood is forced toward the center of the chipping disc. The infeed chute has a wall generally at the center of the disc. The chips are propelled to a flow arrester for discharge into bags or bypassed to a discharge chute extension, using a control valve at the flow arrester.

Abstract: A wood and stump chipper having a rotational chipper disc with protruding blade means for chipping wood advanced thereto; a support trough for wood; a ram for advancing wood along the support trough to the disc; power means for shifting said ram from a position spaced from said disc to a position adjacent said disc and return; and an anvil positionable adjacent the disc for cooperation therewith in chipping wood; the anvil being shiftable in a support between an extended position adjacent the disc and a retracted position away from the disc in a dimension transverse to the dimension of ram movement so as to move out of the path of the ram; and power means for shifting the anvil adjacent the disc when the ram is spaced from the disc and for shifting the anvil away from the disc and out of the path of the ram when the ram approaches the disc.

Abstract: The specification describes a stump chipping disintegrator wherein stumps are received in a trough having a rotatable chipping disc at one end and a powered ram plate at the other, the ram plate having diagonally extending penetrators. A stump stabilizer anvil adjacent the disc projects radially inwardly of the trough. The disc has steel, wood slicing blades at the radially inner portion thereof, mounted at a small acute angle to the face of the disc toward the direction of rotation, and carbide chopping blades at the radially outer portion thereof, mounted at a large acute angle to the face of the disc toward the direction of rotation. At least the carbide blades are mounted in special holders removable from the disc. The carbide blades have backup wedge elements that extend substantially the width of the blade at its outer end and extend substantilly to the radial outer edge of the blade.

Abstract: A whole tree feeding and chipping assembly for longitudinally feeding whole trees with attached limbs and branches to a chipper wherein the chipper disc is arranged crosswisely at an acute angle to the longitudinal pathway of feed, and a feed works is provided for feeding the tree butt first to the chipper knives. The feed works includes a generally vertically disposed, fixed axis side feed roll on one side of the pathway, a generally vertically disposed swing side feed roll on the opposite side of the pathway; and a bottom feed roll disposed crosswisely to the pathway and defining the lower boundary of the pathway. A partly conical convergent chute minimizes frictional impedance and a plow is provided for moving debris from the vicinity of the feed works. The rolls are driven at coordinated speeds of rotation in a direction to feed the tree into the chipper mouth.

Abstract: A system for separating and classifying whole tree wood chip material comprising essentially wood and bark overs, chips and bark fines which is supplied to a bin or receptacle. The chip material is augered in a forward direction in a monitored flow longitudinally away from the bin while passing it across a first stationary screen trough system having openings of a size to pass everything, while rejecting the overs. The acceptable chips and fines passed through the first screen trough system are then augered across a second stationary screen trough system having openings of a size to pass the fines to a fines trough, while retaining the acceptable chips. Finally, the acceptable chips are moved forwardly toward a chip discharge location while the fines passed through the second screen trough system are separately collected. The system includes mechanism for diverting chipped material unsuited to use in a paper mill, such as chipped tree tops, directly to the fines trough.

Abstract: A system for separating and classifying whole tree wood chip material comprising essentially wood and bark overs, chips and bark fines which is supplied to a large capacity surge bin. The chip material is augering in a forward direction in a monitored flow longitudinally away from the bin while passing it across a first stationary screen trough system having openings of a size to pass everything, while rejecting the overs. The acceptable chips and fines passed through the first screen trough system are then augered across a second stationary screen trough system having openings of a size to pass the fines while retaining the acceptable chips. Finally, the acceptable chips are moved forwardly toward a chip discharge location while the fines passed through the second screen trough system are separately collected.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for burning green wood chips in which the hot combustion gases generated by the burning of the chips in a furnace are passed through chips in a storage silo from which the chips are subsequently fed to the furnace. A column of chips of substantial height is maintained in a top vented silo. Chips are fed from the lower portion of the column to the furnace and usually mixed with other fuel such as particulate coal or coal dust, and the hot combustion gases from this combustion are fed into the silo at a location substantially below the top of the column of chips so that the gases permeate and pass upwardly through the column of chips to dry them. The chips also act as a filter to remove environmental contaminants from the gases.

Abstract: Apparatus for handling particulate material, such as wood chips or the like in which a pneumatic conveying tube is manipulated to discharge a stream of wood chips or other particulate material toward a specific location as in the bulk loading of trucks or railway cars. An elongate rigid material conveying tube is coupled at one end to a receiving unit which includes a material receiving hopper and a penumatic blower for propelling material from the hopper into and through the tube. The opposite end of the tube is suspended from a mast assembly mounted upon a power-driven carriage which moves independently of the material receiving unit to position the discharge end of the tube at the desired location. A curved discharge section at the end of the tube may be rotated relative to the tube to direct the stream of discharged material to one side or the other of the tube.