摘要 |
Apparatus and a method for its use for reducing discarded pneumatic tires and other large articles of tough, resilient, material into pieces of greatly reduced size, including a series of machines which successively shear and granulate tough, resilient articles into smaller and smaller pieces. In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention two successive rotary shear machines are followed by a granulator. Pieces are sorted before being sent to the granulator, and oversize pieces are sent a second time through the two shears. In another embodiment of the invention a single rotary shear apparatus is followed by a pair of granulators which successively reduce the size of pieces of material to smaller and smaller sizes. Materials are fed to the rotary shears and granulators by conveyors whose speeds are controlled by varying the frequency of alternating current electric power supplied to electric motors driving the conveyors, with the frequency being controlled in response to sensing the load imposed on the shears and granulators, so that the shears and granulators are operated at or near their maximum capacity. |