| 摘要 |
<p>A machine, a method, and an air-cooled cutting brush for removing tread material for recycling from used motor vehicle tires prior to scrapping or retreading without damaging the tire cords and beads. The tread material is removed as fine particles, or buffings, ready for recycling without subsequent sorting out of cloth or metal. A tire is mounted in an upright position on a tire receiving assembly which expands to grip the tire beads. The tire receiving assembly is mounted on a supporting structure which pivots. An elongate, powered, rotating, cutting brush is mounted on a rolling mounting structure which moves the cutting brush into and out of engagement with the tread on the outer, ground-contacting portion and on the sidewalls of a tire. In operation, the tire is rotated as the cutting brush engages the tread material of the ground-contacting portion, the supporting structure is then pivoted to remove the tread material of one sidewall, and repeated on the opposite sidewall. The cutting brush is maintained at a temperature below the melting point of the tread material by radially-extending bristles that are twisted and crimped along their length to allow bristles to abut or engage other bristles and allow air circulation between the bristles and to provide even cutting. The machine can be mountedon a tractor-trailer rig for mobile operation, the cutting brush being powered by an internal combustion engine with the tractor having retractable stabilizer arms and a crane to lift tires. A retractable screw auger deposits removed tread material into a container beside the trailer.</p> |
