Abstract: A novel comminution apparatus and method for comminuting a granular feed into a product having a predetermined particle size. The comminution apparatus includes a high-speed cutter member operating inside a screen enclosure having adjustable openings in the screen enclosure. A lever arm is used to adjust the relative openings between an inner screen and an outer screen of the screen enclosure with the size of the openings in the screen enclosure predetermining the particle size range passing therethrough. Rotation of the cutter member creates an air flow outwardly through the screen enclosure while an air recycle system directs the airflow across the outlet to a feed hopper to carry the particulate feed into contact with the cutter assembly.

Abstract: A process for defibrilating or pulping used corrugated waste paper and all fibrous paper and pulp products. The process utilizes a soaking step wherein the corrugated waste paper is soaked. The soaked paper is conveyed to the interior of a perforated rotating drum where it is sprayed with high pressure water and broken down to fibers which may be reprocessed to make new paper and other materials.

Abstract: Apparatus for dispersing solid particles in a liquid vehicle utilizing a separator surrounding an agitating shaft and having a filter screen surrounding the separator and agitator structure disposed in close association with the separator said agitator structure comprising a pair of axially spaced radially extending slinger agitator members and further including agitator bars which extend between the slinger agitator members whereby to prevent dispersing media from clogging the filter screen which forms part of the rotor separator. The apparatus is also provided with a frusto conical construction on the inside of the mixing vessel which is adjacent the rotor separator so that dispersing media coming in contact therewith will be directed back toward the middle of the mixing vessel. In addition provision is made for adjusting the position of the rotor separator on the shaft to adjust the gap in the gap seal.

Abstract: There is disclosed a self-attritioning pulverizer incorporating a cylindrical shell having a reduced-in-diameter, cylindrical sizing screen assembly telescoped concentrically thereinto and separated therefrom by an annular collection chamber. Mounted on the interior of such screen assembly are a plurality of equally spaced, axially extending radial holding baffles terminating at their radially inner sides in blunt edges cooperating together to form the radial interior of an annular holding chamber. A four bladed cruciform impeller is rotatably mounted from one end wall of such cylinder in coaxial relationship with such cylindrical shell with the radially outer extremities of such blades terminating in blunt edges spaced, as such impeller is rotated past such baffles, a radial distance from the edges of such baffles at least as great as the minimum cross-sectional dimension of unreduced chunks to be pulverized thereby.

Abstract: A rotary sieve comprises, in an elongated housing, a body which is rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis and has, at one end, a frustopyramidal drum widening in the direction of the other end and a zigzag tube communicating eccentrically with the drum. The planar walls of the drum and the tube are perforated sieves and the material is introduced by a worm centrally into the drum and is progressively advanced through the body to be discharged generally centrally from the tube through a discharge drum of the body which is peripherally open so that the material can be collected by a pipe underlying the discharge drum.

Abstract: A deboning apparatus of the sort which operates an auger means to separate bone and similar hard material from the meat of chickens, fish or other animals. The present machine is vertically oriented whereby the ground meat and bone product is ingested or introduced above and flows by the auger to a meat exit therebelow and then a bone exit below the meat exit. The electric drive motor is supported beneath the bottom support plate and there is a bottom radial bearing and a top combination radial and thrust bearing. Other components include a particular arrangement and a compression for adjusting internal pressure as well as a screen for separation of the bone and meat.

Abstract: A culinary mixer and disintegrator for receiving material to be blended, comminuted, or liquefied, having a container body defining a lobular cavity for accommodating the material to be blended, comminuted, or liquefied, the cross section of the cavity being of generally Figure-8 configuration with plural distinct lobes, each provided with a comminutor/blender blade rotatably disposed therein.

Abstract: An apparatus for the pulping of waste material is disclosed including a tank, an impeller, a slurry chamber, and a discharge pipe for removal of slurry from the chamber. A flow directing device is provided within the chamber for increasing the flow into the discharge pipe. The device is appropriately positioned and shaped so that it will deflect the slurry from its rotational flow in the chamber to the discharge pipe. If the impeller is positioned horizontally at the bottom of the tank, it is preferably positioned off-center so waste material will not directly impinge upon the cutting surfaces when added to the tank. If the impeller is vertically oriented, the tank may be mounted on shock absorbers or resilient legs to minimize vibration.

Abstract: Disclosed is apparatus for applying forces to a waste paper mixture to procure progressive fragmentation of the respective components thereof and harvesting of the resulting paper fragments at intervals when fragmentation of one component is virtually completed and fragmentation of the next commences.

Abstract: A rotary screen device for sorting refuse material particularly adapted for sorting a mixture of glass and plastics material. The device is generally cylindrical in shape, inclined at a preferred angle to the horizontal, and having three sections, an intake end, a central portion, and an output end. Transverse vanes are arranged in the input end to direct the incoming refuse material towards the central section. The central section includes plural longitudinal vanes which are connected at one end with the transverse vanes in the inlet end and is provided with a uniform distribution of perforations in the regions between the vanes. The outlet end includes no vanes but is provided with peripheral evacuating holes having their largest dimension in a direction perpendicular to the generatrices so that there is no risk of rotating a plastic bottle which could have the effect of an impeller which would drive pieces of glass out of a collection hopper provided below the central section and outlet end.

Abstract: A device for extracting cellulosic and similar materials such as rags, plastics, light metals and wood, which includes a drum which is driven in a first direction at a first speed and a rotor inside of the drum which is driven in a direction opposite to the first direction at a speed higher than the first speed. A plurality of teeth are located on the periphery of the drum along a part of its length for shredding the material placed into the drum input. A fixed plate and a plate of adjustable height are placed at the output of the drum against which the other materials accumulate.

Abstract: The jacket material of welding rods is removed and processed for reuse, and the rods are cleaned and processed for reuse by delivering the jacketed rods to a ball mill, grinding the jackets from the rods within the ball mill by oscillating the jacketed rods in the environment of equally long cylindrical grinding bodies while holding the rods and the grinding bodies against axial movement and in generally parallel disposition with respect to one another. The detached jacket material is conveyed continuously from the grinding chamber and further comminuted, the transport of the ground material being supported by flowing a fluid through the grinding chamber. The fluid may be a gas or a liquid and may contain a chemical reacting agent for an after treatment. The fluid may advantageously be circulated, freed from the solid material transported thereby, regenerated and/or heated. Both neutral and chemically reacting fluids may be alternately employed, depending on the particular materials involved.

Abstract: The liquid processing vessel in a sandmill is provided with a perforated annular member near the liquid inlet for evenly distributing the liquid to be processed around the rotor. The upper portion of the vessel from which the processed liquid is discharged is provided with a split filter screen and a split filter screen cover which may be quickly and easily detached and removed from the vessel without the need for removing the entire vessel from its support structure.

Abstract: Apparatus for dispersing solid particles in a liquid vehicle utilizing a combination spring check valve and dump valve disposed in the base of the mixing vessel of the apparatus, the check valve being disposed in the inlet to the mixing vessel to open in response to the feed pressure of the material being fed through the valve into the mixing vessel, the valve further including means for opening same to allow drainage therethrough of liquid material in the vessel.

Abstract: This invention is concerned with a resin material reclaiming machine consisting of a feeding means, dehydrating means and an assorting means thereby to reclaim raw materials of synthetic resin by shredding and cleaning dirty resin or resinated articles used in agricultural pursuits.

Abstract: Soft and moist vegetables are kneaded, severed and partially homogenized by a feed screw which rotates in a barrel and are admitted into a mincing unit wherein the partially homogenized material is severed by knives of a rotor which is surrounded by an apertured cylindrical stator. The comminuted material is thereupon caused to pass through the holes of an extruder and is severed behind the extruder to yield discrete crumbs which can be used as animal fodder or dried and ground to yield flour or farina, particularly flour or farina which can be used for the baking of tortillas. Vegetables which are admitted into the barrel are freshly harvested (such vegetables may include banana peels) or cooked. For example, dried grains of maize can be cooked in the presence of water and rinsed prior to admission into the barrel.

Abstract: A beater mill comprising a cylindrical housing which accomodates a rotor carrying at least two arcuately spaced groups of beaters, the beaters from group to group being axially offset, the cylindrical jacket of the housing being formed as a peripheral sectional screen, an axial inlet for material to be milled being provided adjacent the rotor axis, the rotor arms being formed as fan blades and the said inlet including a distributor means for the air and material taken in through the inlet.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for (1) reducing agglomerated masses of tar sand and (2) recovering as a bituminous product the bituminous matrix material therefrom. The apparatus includes a vessel which is divided into an attrition zone enclosed by a screen member, a sand separation zone and a product recovery zone. The vessel accommodates liquid which is, advantageously, a solvent into which the agglomerated masses of tar sands are introduced. The liquid is impelled vigorously upwardly into the attrition zone to create a high shear environment by which the tar sand masses are reduced by attrition into sand particles coated with the bituminous matrix material of the tar sand. The separated grains of sand are also stripped of the bituminous product by the high shear environment. The cleansed sand passes through the screen member surrounding the attrition zone into the sand separation zone. The liquid and the bituminous product removed from the sand passes to the product recovery zone.

Abstract: In known processes and known apparatus for mechanical separation of a combination of meat and bone into useful fractions, the combination is conveyed as by a screw through a screen, which constitutes a portion of an elongated cylindrical conduit, and softer components are expressed through the screen, while harder components are contained by the screen.

Abstract: A comminuting and shredding arrangement having a cutting and/or tearing mechanism for comminuting paper cardboard and synthetic materials. A housing is rotatably mounted and has inwardly projecting paddles which feed the material to be comminuted towards a cutting and tearing mechanism operatively mounted in said housing, thereby recycling the material to be comminuted therethrough.

Abstract: Apparatus for processing cremated remains. A hollow drum is mounted for rotation within a housing with an open end of the drum positioned in register with the discharge opening of a detachable loading funnel. A plurality of elongate rods carried within the drum are constrained at their opposite ends by channels so as to undergo relative movement with the inner periphery of the drum. The rod diameters are sized so that they tumble one over the other as the drum rotates for reducing fragments of the cremated remains which are charged into the drum through the loading funnel. The reduced remains drop through apertures in the drum into a discharge funnel and ash pan where they are collected for subsequent removal.

Abstract: Apparatus for dispersing solid particles in a liquid vehicle utilizing a separator surrounding an agitating shaft and having a filter screen surrounding the separator said filter screen being of a thin deformable screen material which can be pressed into place around the separator body and held in place thereon by a coiled spring surrounding the screen and separator body and detachably secured in place around the screen and body.

Abstract: A deboning apparatus of the type for effecting a separation of boney material from the meat portion of fish, fowl, or other animals, and includes an auger means that is arranged through an adjoining pressure housing and perforated housing, with the auger means being coupled to for direct drive by a motor, for effecting its rotation within the said housings to achieve this meat-bone separation; the auger means includes a motor coupling section that connects directly to the motor, and which section incorporates a thrust bearing for absorbing axial thrust generated during functioning of the apparatus, a pressure auger section that is disposed within the pressure housing, and which includes an infeed section for deposition of the bone laden material therein, and wherein significant pressure is developed upon said boney material prior to its being conducted to a conveying auger section located within the perforated housing of the apparatus, and wherein the bone and meat material are substantially separated, with s

Abstract: In a process and apparatus for the mechanical separation of a combination of meats and bone the material is conveyed by a feed screw through a conduit having at least a part of its wall formed as a separator screen. The screw moves the material between its lands in a manner such that it is pressed radially outwards against the screen with a minimization of shear along the screen. The screen is constituted by a plurality of closely spaced plates which flex under the effect of the outwardly operative pressure to facilitate passage of the meat fraction therethrough while retaining the boney fraction on the inner wall.

Abstract: Properly tempered sorghum or other cereal grain is continuously metered by an auger in an axial direction into the center of the interior of a rotor where it is acted on by a flared textured cone to cause discharge into an independently rotating spreader having vanes which assure uniform distribution of the grain along the entire length of the interior of the rotor. The interior of the peripheral wall of the rotor has circumferentially-spaced axially-extending elements which guide the grain toward axial slots in the peripheral wall and which lead to a peripheral space between the rotor and a perforated stator wall where the grain is acted on by axial bars to promote cleavage of the grain and perform concomitant decortication and degermination, converting the endosperm tissues into particles of a desirable size and shape, free from attached seedcoat and germ tissues so that said particles are thereafter readily separable by known milling methods.

Abstract: A method of operating a rotor-equipped breaker/crusher for coal and other material in which the drum is rotated at close to critical speed, and in which lifter shelves in the drum are adjusted for dropping material into the path of the rotor at a point where the rotor not only fragments the material, but also emphasizes the flinging of the material against the downwardly moving perforated wall of the drum. Methods of this character enable a relatively small breaker/crusher to effectively duplicate the performance of much larger existing units, while successfully controlling the production of fines.

Abstract: A substantially horizontally disposed drum is supported for rotation. One end of the drum is adapted to receive lumps of material which are granulated within the drum by abrasive particles which are projected from an abrasive throwing wheel. The drum includes a plurality of apertures through which the granulated material and abrasive particles are removed and subsequently conveyed to a separator for separating the granulated material from the abrasive particles. The apparatus may include a conditioner which scours the granulated material.

Abstract: A method for cutting vehicle tires and the like is disclosed together with apparatus for practicing the method comprising a first plurality of cutting discs axially spaced from each other along a first shaft and a second plurality of cutting discs axially spaced from each other along a second shaft parallel to the first. The thickness and spacing of the cutting discs along their respective shafts and the spacing of the shafts with respect to each other is such that the cutting discs of each plurality intermesh with those of the other plurality with the overlapping side surfaces of the discs substantially in contact to provide a scissor like cutting action and the free peripheral surfaces of the discs of each plurality are spaced from the shaft of the other plurality a distance sufficient to allow passage of the cut slices of the vehicle tires or the like. Various embodiments including means for enhancing feeding action and for recycling the cut slices are described.

Abstract: A rotor-equipped breaker/crusher drum for coal and other material in which means are provided for rotating the drum at close to critical speed, and in which lifter shelves in the drum are adjusted for dropping material into the path of the rotor at a point where the rotor not only fragments the material, but also emphasizes the flinging of the material against the downwardly moving perforated wall of the drum. Apparatus of this character enable a relatively small breaker/crusher to effectively duplicate the performance of much larger existing units, while successfully controlling the production of fines.

Abstract: Material obtained from animals, poultry, or fish and containing edible flesh along with normally inedible relatively hard or tough components, such as bone, gristle, tendons, etc., is fed in ground condition into one end of a perforated conduit that has a conveyor srew therein which progressively decreases in conveying capacity from the feed end of the conduit to an imperforate discharge end thereof. Such inedible components are compacted within the imperforate discharge end of the conduit by an extension of the conveyor screw prior to discharge following build-up and conveyance along the interior surface of the perforate portion of the conduit as a filter mat through which edible flesh is forced toward and through the perforations of the conduit to provide a substantially bone-free edible product. The discharge passage surrounding the .[.exeension.]. .Iadd.extension .Iaddend.