This application claims the benefit of
Embodiments relate to crushers and in particular to a type of crusher generally used to break concrete and rock into smaller size aggregate, including crushers used to comminute masses of reinforced concrete and asphalt taken from demolition sites and stone taken from quarries.
Crushing devices are known in the art for use to reduce large pieces of frangible material such as, but not limited to, concrete, rock, asphalt, etc., to smaller pieces. For the most part, jaw crushers now in use have proven to be satisfactory for most of their intended purposes including, feed size, hard rock capability, reduction ratio, product characteristics, throughput and economy. However, improvements in each of these areas are still possible. For example, many prior art jaw-type crushers have a fixed jaw and a large heavy movable jaw. In a majority of the prior art jaw-type crushers, eccentrically mounted rotatable jaws are driven by motors where the frangible material passes over at least one of the jaws. Since the frangible material is placed on at least one of the eccentrically mounted rotatable jaws, the motor driving the jaw would have to produce sufficient force to allow the jaw to produce its eccentric movement even with the additional weight from the frangible material. Because of the added weight upon such jaws, this type of prior art jaw-type crusher could typically experience more wear and tear than crushers that did not apply additional weight to an eccentrically mounted rotatable jaw.
Pieces of material may remain engaged with the jaw(s) creating fine material until the pieces are of a small enough size to fall away from the jaw(s). While the crushed material may be reused, the fine material does not have as many reusable purposes. Therefore entities wishing to break frangible material into smaller pieces would benefit from a system and method which provides for breaking of frangible material where a production of fine material is minimized.
The system comprises a jaw movable during operation of the system, the jaw comprising an upper part to make contact with frangible material and a lower part. A cover that is stationary during operation of the system is provided. The cover surrounds at least a segment of an upper part of the jaw to create an area between the jaw and the cover to reduce a size of frangible material during operation of the system. A tray located at the lower part of the jaw to capture frangible material that falls from the area between the jaw and the cover is also provided.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a system as recited in Claim 1. Optional features of the system are recited in the dependent claims.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method as recited in Claim 9.
A more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the embodiments of the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
Embodiments are described herein with reference to the attached figures wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the figures to designate similar or equivalent elements. The figures are not drawn to scale and they are provided merely to illustrate aspects disclosed herein. Several disclosed aspects are described below with reference to non-limiting example applications for illustration. It should be understood that numerous specific details, relationships, and methods are set forth to provide a full understanding of the embodiments disclosed herein. One having ordinary skill in the relevant art, however, will readily recognize that the disclosed embodiments can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or with other methods. In other instances, well-known structures or operations are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring aspects disclosed herein. The embodiments are not limited by the illustrated ordering of acts or events, as some acts may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other acts or events. Furthermore, not all illustrated acts or events are required to implement a methodology in accordance with the embodiments.
Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope are approximations, the numerical values set forth in specific non-limiting examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements. Moreover, all ranges disclosed herein are to be understood to encompass any and all sub-ranges subsumed therein. For example, a range of "less than 10" can include any and all sub-ranges between (and including) the minimum value of zero and the maximum value of 10, that is, any and all sub-ranges having a minimum value of equal to or greater than zero and a maximum value of equal to or less than 10, e.g., 1 to 4.
As further shown in
Being nearly horizontal, or horizontal, a lower feed height is realized when compared to prior art crushers. Also, the embodiments disclosed herein can accept longer pieces of frangible material when compared to prior art crushers. Furthermore, by being nearly horizontal, a smoother or more direct transition from the jaw 20 and cover 30 to the conveyor system 80 is realized as the conveyor is also positioned nearly horizontal or horizontal with respect to the surface upon which the system rests or sits.
The movement of the jaw 20 causes frangible material to pass along the length of the jaw 20 and to be removed from the jaw 20 through the opening 40 when the frangible material has achieved a size to pass through the opening 40. Thus, as configured, frangible material small enough to pass through the opening 40 may do so. Furthermore, since the broken frangible material may exit the jaw 20 and cover 30 sooner it helps to minimize an amount of fine material which prior art systems produce. In other words, the movement of the jaw 20 with respect to the cover 30 only maintains frangible material within these two components until they are of a size to pass beyond these components. By doing so, frangible material is not left within these components being grinded further, which would result in further reduction in size causing the creation of fine material. As the frangible material is moved along the length of the jaw 20, the pieces of frangible material, that are small enough to pass through the opening 40, pass through. Other remaining pieces will stay within the system 10, specifically between the cover 30 and jaw 20, until they are of a size capable of exiting through the opening 40. A tray, or base, 50 is provided and is attached to the jaw 20. The tray may catch the frangible material that is already no longer requiring further reduction in size by engaging the jaw 20 and cover 30, and is moved towards the opening 40 by movement of the jaw 20.
As further illustrated in
The cover 30 may also be adjustable, meaning that it may be located so as to adjust the area 35 between the jaw 20 and the cover 30. The adjustment may also adjust a size of the opening 40. As explained herein, the opening 40 on a first side of the jaw 20 may be the same or different than the opening 40 on the second side of the jaw 20. This may be possible as the cover may be positioned closer to one side of the jaw 20 than the second side of the jaw 20.
Once placed at a desired position, the cover 30 may then be secured so that it does not move during operation of the system 10. Thus, as explained above, the cover 30 may be angled at an angle different than the angle of the jaw 20. As a non-limiting example, the cover 30 may have a greater angle to allow a greater area near the base 50 of the jaw 20.
The cover 30 may be stationary during operation of the system 10. At least one connector 75 is provided to secure the cover to a part of the system 10 so that the cover is stationary during operation. Thus, receivers 72, 79 are provided on the cover 30 and the system and the connector 75 secures respective receivers together. In another embodiment, hydraulic cylinders may be used to hold the cover 30 in place.
As mentioned above, in operation, the jaw 20 not only crushes the frangible material, but based on its movement, also pushes or moves the material forward along the elongated length of the jaw 20. Thus, the jaw acts as a feeder. Doing so provides for less wear and tear on the drive mechanism 70 since frangible material is not concentrated at a signal region of the jaw during the breaking process. Less wear and tear is also realized as the jaw 20 and tray 50 are moving during operation which causes self-relieving of frangible material from being wedged, stuck, or packed between the jaw 20 and the cover 30. Furthermore, less horsepower from the drive mechanism 70 is required. This is also due to the frangible material remaining loose, or not bunching up at a specific location along the jaw 20. By the time frangible material approaches the end of the jaw 20 proximate the opening 40, much of the frangible material has already been broken down to a size that it has already passed from within the area 35 between the jaw 20 and the cover 30 and has fallen onto the conveyor 80 and transported away from the system 10. This further results in fewer or less fines or fine material being produced, when compared to prior art system, since the fines are not as usable as the crushed frangible material. Furthermore, because of the shape of the jaw 20, the system 10 is self-relieving as the movement of the jaw 20 in combination with the openings 40 provides for frangible material to exit the system immediately once of a size to pass through the opening 40. The properly sized material can pass through the opening 40 either where the length of the elongated jaw 20 terminates at the opening 40. This is further realized as the tray captures early crushed frangible material and moves it towards the opening 40 by movement of the jaw 20 which also results in the moving of the base 50.
Thus, as disclosed above, the system 10 may comprise a jaw 20 that is movable during operation of the system 10. The jaw 20 may comprise an upper part to make contact with frangible material and a lower part. The cover 30 may be stationary during operation of the system 10. The cover 30 surrounds at least a segment of an upper part of the jaw 20 to create an area 35 between the jaw 20 and the cover 30 to reduce a size of frangible material during operation of the system 10. The tray 50 may be located at the lower part of the jaw 20 to capture frangible material that falls from the area between the jaw 20 and the cover 30. The jaw and the cover define an entrance 65 into which frangible material reduced in size is fed. The jaw 20 and the cover 30 may define an exit 40 from which frangible material that has been reduced in size is removed from at least one of between the jaw 20 and the cover and the tray by movement of the jaw 20 during operation of the system 10.
An outer surface of the upper part of the jaw 20 may comprise a smooth surface or a plurality of segments where at least two of the segments of the plurality of segments are of different height, dimension, size, etc. A receiving device 80 to collect frangible material that passes from the jaw and cover is disclosed. The receiving device may be a conveyor system. The jaw 20 is approximately six degrees to approximately eighty degrees from a surface upon which the system is placed. The cover 30 may also be placed at approximately the same degrees as the jaw 20. The cover 30 may be adjustable to define the area 35 between the cover and the jaw prior to operation of the system. Furthermore, the area 35 between the cover 30 and the jaw 20 may decrease from where frangible material is placed between the cover and the jaw and where the reduced sized frangible material exits from between the cover and the jaw 20. The jaw 20 may comprise a generally triangular shape with a rounded vertex or the jaw 20 may comprise a tapered shape along its length with a base of the jaw 20 being larger at a first end and smaller at a second end.
In another embodiment, the system 10 comprises a nearly horizontal jaw 20 that is movable to reduce a size of frangible material, a stationary cover 30 around a top side of the jaw 20, an area 35 is defined between an outer surface of the jaw 20 and an inner surface of the cover 30, and a drive mechanism 70 to cause the jaw 20 to move to vary the area between the cover 30 and the jaw 20 to reduce the size of frangible material within the area 35.
A tray 50 is provided to capture frangible material that has been reduced in size, but is still within the area between the jaw 20 and the cover 30. The tray 50 is movable by the drive mechanism 70 to cause the material within the tray 50 to move from the area between the jaw 20 and the cover 30 to an exit location 40. The conveyor 80 captures frangible material that has been reduced in size to escape from within the area between the jaw 20 and the cover 30 during operation of the drive mechanism 70. As discussed above, the cover 30 may be adjustable to define the area 35 between the cover 20 and the jaw 30. The area 35 between the cover 30 and the jaw 20 may decrease from where frangible material is placed between the cover 30 and the jaw 20, the entrance 65 and where the reduced sized frangible material exits 40 from between the cover 30 and the jaw 20. The nearly horizontal jaw 20 is approximately six degrees to approximately eighty degrees from a surface upon which the system 10 is placed.
Thus, in addition to producing less fine material, the embodiments disclosed above also provide for non-packing of the frangible material during the crushing process. This is due to the system 10 being nearly horizontal so that the movement of the jaw 20 is not negatively impacted by gravitational forces as the frangible material is moved primarily in a forward and backward direction during the crushing process and not primarily in a vertical direction during the crushing process. When compared to prior art crushers, gravity usually prohibits frangible material to move backwards or toward where the frangible material initially engages a jaw. Thus, the embodiments disclosed herein provides for a self-relieving system and method. The driving mechanism 70 is causing sufficient movement of the jaw 20 and tray 50 to where any packed material is forcibly dislodged.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "including," "includes," "having," "has," "with," or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description and/or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising." Moreover, unless specifically stated, any use of the terms first, second, etc., does not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc., are used to distinguish one element from another.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which embodiments of the invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
While various disclosed embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation.
Therefore, the breadth and scope of the subject matter provided herein should not be limited by any of the above explicitly described embodiments. Rather, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.