Tire shredding machinery

Abstract

In rotary tire shredding machinery, cutter assemblies are built onto opposing rotary shafts timed together by meshed teeth of two gears, with spacer groups separating adjacent cutter assemblies, allowing two sets of cutter assemblies to intermesh, with cutter assemblies on one shaft interleaving with cutter assemblies on a parallel shaft in a shearing relationship. Each cutter assembly has a construction featuring a series of cutter sectors, with each sector having a separately demountable knife base, with a removable, radially outward knife top. Alternate spacers between cutter assemblies are segmented, with alignment rods running parallel to the axially rotating drive shafts, passing through both the knife bases of the cutter assemblies, spacers, retaining flanges and fixed registering spacer. The rods are secured at opposite ends and the center holding the cutter assemblies and spacers in place, but when pulled, allowing the cutter and spacer assemblies to be removed from the shaft. The knife tops, which experience the most wear may be easily removed for routine maintenance, since they are held in place by radially endwise bolts, but the knife bases if they are worn or damaged may also be removed and replaced by pulling the alignment rods. Some spacers are formed in halves which are offset from each other and welded for extra strength. Spacers and cutter sectors may be assembled and disassembled in-situ on a drive shaft without removing the drive shaft from its support bearings.