Recycling procedure for large tyres uses high-pressure water jets to cut off tyre walls before removing tread

摘要

The procedure uses high-pressure water jets operating from inside the tyre in a radial direction to cut off the two sides (2, 3) before the tread (1) is removed. The cutting is carried out in a container of a liquid medium such as water with the tyre rotating inside it and with the water jets provided by radial nozzles on a guide support held against the inner surface of the tyre, and before the sides of the tyre are cut off the two edges of the tread are cut away to form chamfered surfaces (30). The next step is to cut the tread transversely by the same method and then remove the tread with a cutter which detects the position of its inner reinforcement (9). Rubber removed from the tyre can be pulverised using high-pressure water jets (1500 - 2500 bars) containing abrasive particles and then separated by flotation.