阅读说明：本技术 碎裂装置 (Fragmentation device ) 是由 G.巴伯 于 2019-06-28 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种设计成使已用过的窗户的玻璃碎裂的装置,涉及一种相应的碎裂方法,以及涉及一种用这种方法获得的碎裂的玻璃。(The present invention relates to a device designed to shatter glass of a used window, to a corresponding shattering method, and to a shattered glass obtained with such a method.)

1. A fragmentation device (1) designed to fragment glass of a used window (2), the fragmentation device (1) comprising at least:

-a conveyor (3) designed to convey the windows (2) flat along a longitudinal axis (L),

-a breaking assembly (4) designed to break the glass of the window (2) when the window is conveyed on the conveyor (3),

the device (1) is characterized in that:

-the conveyor comprises a conveyor belt (3 a),

-the device (1) comprises selective sorting means (8) for selectively sorting the frame (2 a) of the windows (2), positioned at a given distance from the front end of the conveyor (3).

2. The fragmentation device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the selective sorting device (8) comprises at least one rotary drum (8 a) designed to receive the frame (2 a) and drive it forward.

3. The fragmentation device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the rotating drum (8 a) and/or the conveyor belt is at least partially covered by a grip enhancing coating.

4. The comminution device (1) according to one of the claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the conveyor (3) is inclined with respect to the horizontal by an inclination angle (α) comprised between 1 ° and 30 °, preferably comprised between 3 ° and 15 °, still more preferably comprised between 7 ° and 10 °.

5. The comminution device (1) according to one of the claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the height (H) of the rotating drum (8 a) is equal to or less than the height of the front end of the conveyor (3).

6. The comminution device (1) according to one of the claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the relative position of the rotary drum (8 a) relative to the conveyor (3) is adjustable.

7. The comminution device (1) according to one of the claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the surface of the rotating drum (8 a) and/or the surface of the conveyor belt is ribbed.

8. The fragmenting device (1) according to any one of the claims 2 to 7, characterized in that the maximum value (Dmax) of the spacing between the surface of the conveyor belt (3 a) and the surface of the rotating cylinder (8 a) is greater than or equal to 30 mm.

9. The fragmentation device (1) according to any of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the minimum value (Dmin) of the spacing between the surface of the conveyor belt (3 a) and the surface of the rotating cylinder (8 a) is less than or equal to 50mm, preferably less than or equal to 30 mm.

10. The fragmentation device (1) according to any of claims 2 to 9 characterized in that it comprises a negative gradient of inclined planes in front of the rotating drum (8 a).

11. The fragmentation device (1) according to any of claims 2 to 10, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of rotary drums (8 a) designed to receive the frame (2 a) and drive it forward.

12. The fragmenting device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that said fragmenting assembly (4) comprises a drum (5) arranged above said conveyor (3) along a rotation axis (R) transverse to said longitudinal axis (L), said drum (5) being connected by at least one chain (6 a) to a striker assembly (7) comprising at least one striker head (7 a) designed to strike the conveyor (3) at each rotation of said drum (5).

13. A fragmentation method for fragmenting glass of a window (2), characterized in that it implements a fragmentation device (1) adapted to fragment the glass (2 b) of a used window (2) in a flat condition, and in that said device (1) comprises at least:

-a conveyor (3) designed to convey the windows (2) flat along a longitudinal axis (L),

-a breaking assembly (4) designed to break the glass of the window (2) when conveyed on the conveyor (3), and wherein:

-the conveyor (3) comprises a conveyor belt (3 a),

-said device (1) comprises means (8) for selectively sorting the frame (2 a) of said windows (2), the means (8) being positioned at a given distance (Dmax) from the front end of the conveyor (3).

14. Fragmentation method according to claim 13, characterized in that the conveying speed of the frame (2 a) of the window at the front end of the conveyor (3) is less than or equal to the tangential rotation speed of the at least one rotating drum (8 a).

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device designed to shatter glass of a used window, to a corresponding shattering method and to the shattered glass obtained using such a method.

Background

Currently, the recycling of used windows is a crucial issue, in particular in terms of reducing the cost of the raw materials from which the glass can be made and reducing the environmental impact of new windows. Such recycling requires the separation of the glass of the used windows from their frame.

From the prior art, glass breaking devices designed for these purposes are known, including from document EP0618011, and comprise: a conveyor adapted to convey used windows flat; and a breaker assembly located above the conveyor and adapted to break the windows as they are conveyed on the conveyor. More specifically, and as shown in fig. 1, reference EP0618011, the portion of the conveyor above which the disintegrating assembly is located comprises a glass drop opening which allows disintegrated glass to be collected through the conveyor in a box arranged below the disintegrating assembly. The window frame itself continues its travel to be collected at the front end of the conveyor.

Such fragmentation devices have a number of disadvantages. First of all, its implementation requires the use of a conveyor whose structure is specially designed to allow the broken glass to pass through the conveyor and be collected in a dedicated box located below. This technical solution therefore excludes any use of a continuous conveyor belt, but rather employs two parallel endless chains separated by a drive and engaged by a clip intended to hold the frame of the used window. This adaptation makes the manufacture, maintenance and replacement of the conveyor particularly complex. The use of such a device additionally requires the glass collection bin to be arranged below the fragmentation device, introducing additional constraints as to the sizing and positioning of the collection bin. Tilting the conveyor to an upward tilt angle allows more space to be created under the fragmentation device to place a larger glass collection bin there.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention seeks to address the above mentioned disadvantages. More specifically, in at least one embodiment, the proposed technology relates to a fragmentation device designed to fragment used glass, the fragmentation device comprising at least:

-a conveyor designed to convey the windows flat along a longitudinal axis,

-a breaking assembly designed to break the glass of a window when the window is conveyed on the conveyor,

the device is characterized in that:

-the conveyor comprises a conveyor belt,

the device comprises selective sorting means for the frame of the windows, positioned at a given distance from the front end of the conveyor.

Throughout the description, the fragmentation device according to the invention is designed to fragment the glass of a used window, allowing the separation of the glass of the used window from its frame, so that each can be recovered separately. Fragmentation of glass refers to the act of breaking, breaking into pieces, crushing, smashing the glass of a window in order to separate it from its frame, or in other words, disconnecting, separating, "mechanically" the separation or breaking down. Throughout, the front and rear of the device are defined along the longitudinal axis of the conveyor. The conveyor is thus defined as a mechanical device adapted to convey used windows flat from the rear end to the front end of the device. Such a conveyor is preferably belted or has a drive belt.

The novel and inventive principle on which the present invention is based consists in: the selective sorting device of the frame is used at a predetermined distance in front of the conveyor, and in particular from the front end of the conveyor. According to an alternative form of embodiment, the selective sorting device may or may not be mechanically connected to the conveyor. "selective sorting" means any action that allows the collection, recovery or extraction of the frame so that it can be "spatially" extracted or separated from the broken glass fragments accumulated on the belt portion of the conveyor.

In practice, the used windows to be broken are laid flat on a conveyor belt, for example by an operator, and conveyed towards the breaking assembly, where the glass of the window is separated from its frame. After this fragmentation step, the broken glass and frame remain on the conveyor belt and are conveyed toward the front end of the conveyor. It is the separation of the broken glass from the frame at this front end. In one aspect, the glass sheet is ejected (project) at the leading end of the belt at an angle that is dependent on at least the inclination of the conveyor and its conveying speed. These glass sheets can then be collected in a dedicated box. Unlike glass fragments, the "head" end of the window frame (i.e., the portion thereof furthest forward on the conveyor belt) may pass beyond the conveyor belt and continue its travel in the direction of travel as long as a sufficient portion of the frame is in contact with the belt to allow the frame to remain on the belt. Without any obstacle, the frame then starts to fall along a path that depends at least on the inclination of the conveyor, the conveying speed, the geometry of the frame and its rigidity. Since these various parameters are generally known to the operator, the operator can estimate the path that the falling frame will follow.

According to the invention, a frame recovery device is arranged at a given distance in front of the front end of the conveyor. The given distance is preferably evaluated empirically predetermined and/or with respect to an estimate of the path to be followed by the falling frame, so that the frame, upon falling, enters the radius of action of the device and is selectively recovered and thus "spatially" separated from the broken glass.

Such a selective sorting device of a frame offers the advantage that it can be adapted to any type of device for transporting used windows flat. In particular, the use of such sorting devices makes it possible to eliminate the need for the conveyor to be adapted to allow the broken glass to pass through the conveyor and be collected in a dedicated box located below. The selective sorting device can thus be arranged on a conveyor equipped with a continuous conveyor belt and its structure is not constrained by a specific choice as regards the size or position of the collection boxes. Thus, the sorting device and the conveyor can be exchanged independently of each other.

The fragmentation device according to the invention thus allows to selectively sort the frames of used windows, while using a conveyor that is not excessively complex, robust and easy to produce and/or replace.

According to a particular embodiment, the selective sorting device comprises at least one rotary drum designed to receive the frame and drive it forward.

Such a rotary drum is designed to receive the frame because it is located below the path of the frame so that as the frame advances, it is received on the drum and driven forward by the rotation of the drum. The glass fragments resulting from the fragmentation of the used windows fall themselves into the space formed between the front end of the conveyor and the rotating drum.

According to a particular embodiment, the rotating drum and/or the conveyor belt are at least partially covered by a grip enhancing coating.

The use of such a coating makes it possible to improve the grip on the frame and thus to drive it forward more easily.

According to a particular embodiment, said conveyor is inclined with respect to the horizontal by an inclination angle comprised between 1 ° and 30 °, preferably comprised between 3 ° and 15 °, still more preferably comprised between 7 ° and 10 °.

Tilting the conveyor makes it possible to change the path of the frame. The selection sorting device can thus be raised higher and/or further away with respect to the front end of the conveyor. Note that the use of a tilt angle of more than 30 ° increases the risk of the broken glass falling back under the influence of gravity.

According to a particular embodiment, the height of the rotating cylinder is equal to or less than the height of the front end of the conveyor.

This relative arrangement of the rotary cylinders makes it possible to limit the risk of the head end of the frame striking it when it falls down.

According to a particular embodiment, the relative position of the rotary drum with respect to the conveyor is adjustable.

The relative position of the rotary drum can thus be adjusted according to the used window being processed, and in particular according to the size of the pieces of broken glass sheets and/or frames to be ejected at the front of the conveyor.

According to a particular embodiment, the surface of the rotary cylinder and/or the surface of the conveyor belt is ribbed.

The use of ribs on the surface of the conveyor belt makes it possible to limit the contact areas between the conveyor belt and the used windows, so that the reaction forces of the belt generated on impact are concentrated only in these areas.

After fragmentation, the fragmented glass sags into the bottom of the ribs, while the frame itself remains supported by the top of the ribs. Thus, the use of a conveyor belt with ribs helps to initially sort the frame from the glass fragments after the glass has been broken.

According to a particular embodiment, the maximum value of the spacing between the surface of the conveyor belt and the surface of the rotating cylinder is greater than or equal to 30 mm.

Throughout the description, the value of the spacing between the two surfaces takes into account any relief that may be present at the surface of each of them. For example, in the case where each of the two surfaces has ribs, the minimum value of the spacing corresponds to the distance separating each of the rib tops when the rib tops are aligned. On the other hand, the maximum value of the spacing corresponds to the distance separating the respective notches of each of the surfaces when the notches are aligned.

Maintaining a maximum separation value greater than 30mm between the surface of the conveyor belt and the surface of the rotating drum makes it possible to limit the risk of the rotating drum collecting glass fragments. Thus, the maximum separation value is determined to be greater than the estimated maximum size of a piece of glass shard. In this way, all the cullet accumulated in the bottom of the ribs is collected between the front end of the conveyor and the rotating drum.

According to a particular embodiment, the minimum value of the spacing between the surface of the conveyor belt and the surface of the rotating cylinder is less than or equal to 50mm, preferably less than or equal to 30 mm.

Maintaining a minimum spacing value of less than 30mm between the surface of the conveyor belt and the surface of the rotary drum limits the risk of portions of the frame falling between the front end of the conveyor and the rotary drum. Thus, the minimum spacing value is determined to be less than the estimated minimum dimension of the portion of the frame that is fragmented. In this way, the frame supported on top of the ribs is actually collected by the rotating drum.

According to a particular embodiment, the fragmentation device comprises a negative gradient of inclined planes in front of the rotating cylinder.

In practice, the broken window frame is thus conveyed along this inclined plane via the rotary drum and subsequently collected in a dedicated bin. The use of this inclined plane makes it possible to limit the risk of the frame accidentally returning to the collection box dedicated to the broken glass.

According to a particular embodiment, the fragmentation device comprises a plurality of rotary drums designed to receive said frame and drive it forward.

Thus, the window frame can be conveyed forward while leaving the possibility of any broken glass falling into the space formed between successive rotary cylinders.

According to a particular embodiment, the disintegrating assembly comprises a drum arranged above said conveyor along an axis of rotation transverse to said longitudinal axis, said drum being connected to a striker assembly by at least one chain, said striker assembly comprising at least one striker head designed to strike said conveyor upon each rotation of the drum.

Throughout this specification, a chain is a series of metal rings that engage one another. Roller refers to a wooden or iron cylinder around which the chain is wound. The drum is designed to rotate, i.e. to perform a circular motion around an axis of rotation. Finally, the verb "to connect" is to be interpreted in its mechanical sense and may, instead, refer to a direct or indirect connection.

In practice, the drum of the shredding assembly according to the invention is preferably rotated by a motor about an axis of rotation transverse to the longitudinal axis of the conveyor (or in other words transverse to the direction of forward travel thereof). At each rotation of the drum, at least one impact head is first placed in a position vertically above the conveyor so that it can then impact the conveyor belt under the influence of gravity.

The breaker assembly is therefore specifically designed to break flat used windows arranged on the conveying surface.

The flexible nature of the chain makes it possible to reduce the mechanical stresses exerted at the points where the chain is anchored to the drum on the one hand and to the striker assembly on the other hand. In addition, such a chain does not in any way hinder the vertical acceleration of each impact head as it falls, so that the impact force of the impact head on the glass can be maximized and satisfactory glass breakage is thus obtained. It is also noted that the ram is easier to arm in view of the advantageous distribution of the weight of the striker assembly and the chain over its area of contact with the drum.

According to a particular embodiment, the fragmentation assembly comprises a plurality of impact heads aligned in the transverse direction.

The simultaneous impact of multiple heads with the glass allows the instantaneous power of the impact to be maximized while spreading it over a large area of the glass. Thus, the target used window can be effectively broken into many broken glass fragments. Consequently, subsequent sorting between the broken glass and the frame becomes easy.

The invention also relates to a method for breaking glass of a window, characterized in that it implements a breaking device suitable for breaking glass of a used window in a flat condition, said device comprising at least:

-a conveyor designed to convey the windows flat along a longitudinal axis,

-a breaking assembly designed to break glass of a window when the window is conveyed on the conveyor, and wherein:

-the conveyor comprises a conveyor belt,

the device comprises selective sorting means for the frame of the windows, positioned at a given distance from the front end of the conveyor.

According to a particular embodiment, the conveying speed of the frame of the window at the front end of the conveyor is less than or equal to the tangential rotation speed of the at least one rotary drum.

In this context, "tangential rotational speed" corresponds to the rotational speed of the rotating cylinder at its maximum radius point. Maintaining a direct ratio between the tangential velocity of the rotating drum and the transport velocity makes it easier for the rotating drum to drive the frame forward.

According to a particular embodiment, the gear for driving the rotary drum is connected via a drive belt to a gear arranged on the side of the drive roller of the conveyor. The gears of the conveyor therefore drive the gears of the rotating drums, the ratio between their two speeds varying according to their respective diameters and the number of teeth each of these gears has.

The invention also relates to a disintegrated glass obtained via such a disintegration method.

Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description of a particular embodiment, given by way of simple illustrative and non-limiting example, and from a study of the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fragmentation device known in the prior art,

figures 2 and 3 are schematic cross-sectional views of a fragmentation device according to a first embodiment of the invention,

figures 4 and 5 are schematic cross-sectional views of a fragmentation device according to a second embodiment of the invention,

the various elements shown in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the overall operation of the invention.

In the various figures, like reference numerals refer to similar or identical elements unless otherwise indicated.

Detailed Description

Fig. 2 and 3 are schematic cross-sectional views of a fragmentation device according to a first embodiment of the invention. This fragmentation device 1 is designed to fragment the glass 2b of a used window 2 and comprises:

a conveyor 3 equipped with a conveyor belt designed to convey the windows 2 flat along the longitudinal axis L, an

A breaking assembly 4, which is located above the conveyor 3 and is designed to break the glass of the window 2 when the window 2 is conveyed on the conveyor 3.

The conveyor 3 is inclined at an inclination angle α of 8 ° to the horizontal.

The fragmenting device 1 comprises a rotary drum 8a which is arranged at the same height H as the front end of the conveyor 3 and at a distance Dmax of 45mm from the front end of the conveyor 3. This rotary drum 8a is designed to receive the frame 2a and drive the frame 2a forward, and therefore has the function of selectively sorting the frame 2a to separate it from the broken glass 2 b.

Advantageously, the rotating drum 8a and the conveyor belt 3a are covered with a grip enhancing coating which increases the grip on the frame and thus makes it easier to drive the frame forward.

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 2 and 4, the disintegrating assembly 4 comprises a drum 5, which drum 5 is arranged above the conveyor 3 along a rotation axis R transverse to the longitudinal axis L. The drum 5 is connected to two striker assemblies (7) by two sets of chains 6ay¹、7²) Each striker assembly 7¹Comprising a plurality of impact heads (7 a1, 7a2, …, 7 az) designed to impact conveyor 3 at each rotation of drum 5. For each striker assembly 7, the striker head (7 a1, 7a2, …, 7 az) is aligned in the transverse direction Rz. Therefore, for the sake of clarity and recognizing that fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view on a plane perpendicular to the lateral direction, each striker assembly 7 shows only one chain 6ay and one striker head 7 az.

In practice, the used windows 2 are first loaded onto the conveyor belt 3a at the rear of the device 1. The used window 2 is then transported by the conveyor 3 to the breaker assembly 4, which means approximately below the drum 5. The drum 5 is preferably rotated by a motor about an axis of rotation R transverse to the longitudinal axis L of the conveyor 3 (or in other words transverse to the direction of forward travel thereof). This forward travel direction L is indicated in fig. 2 by the directional arrow drawn with a dashed line.

According to the particular embodiment shown in fig. 2 to 5, the drum 5 and the means for driving the conveyor 3 rotate in opposite directions, each of these directions being indicated by a directional arrow drawn with a dashed line. Thus, for each rotation of the drum 5, at least one impact head 7az is first placed in a position vertically above the conveyor 3, so that it can then impact the conveyor belt 3a under the effect of gravity. During the fragmentation process, the glass 2a of the used window 2 is thus separated from its frame 2 b.

After the fragmentation step, the frame 2b and the broken glass sheet 2a remain on the conveyor 3a and are conveyed toward the front end of the conveyor 3a, as shown in fig. 2.

It is at this front end that the broken glass 2b is "spatially" separated from the frame 2 a. On the one hand, the broken glass 2b is ejected at the front end of the belt at an angle that depends at least on the inclination of the conveyor 3 and its conveying speed. These glass sheets 2b can then be collected in a dedicated box (not shown).

Unlike the glass fragments 2b, the "head" of the frame 2a will exceed the conveyor belt 3a and continue its travel in the direction of travel as long as a sufficient portion of the frame 2a is in contact with the belt 3a to allow the frame to remain on the belt. The frame 2a then starts to fall along a path at least related to the inclination of the conveyor 3, the conveying speed, the geometry of the frame 2a and its rigidity. Since these various parameters are generally known to the operator, the operator can estimate the path that the falling frame 2a will follow.

As shown in fig. 3, the rotary drum 8 is located below the path of the frame 2a, so that as the frame 2a advances, it is received on this drum 8 and driven forward by the rotation of the rotary drum 8, as indicated by the directional arrow drawn in dotted lines in fig. 3, with the aim of collecting it in a box (not shown) dedicated to the frame. The glass fragments 2b produced by the fragmentation of the used window 2 fall themselves into the space formed between the front end of the conveyor 3 and the rotating drum 8.

Advantageously, the conveying speed of the window frame 2a at the front end of the conveyor 3 is less than or equal to the tangential rotation speed of one rotary drum 8 a.

As a result, the fragmenting device allows to selectively sort the frames 2a of used windows 2, while using a conveyor 3 that is not excessively complex, robust and easy to produce and/or replace, so that the frames 2a can be more easily driven forward by the rotary drum 8.

Fig. 4 and 5 are schematic cross-sectional views of a fragmenting device 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which differs from the first embodiment in that the conveyor 3a is equipped with ribs having a peak height of 25 mm.

Since the maximum value Dmax of the spacing between the surface of the conveyor belt 3a and the surface of the rotating cylinder 8a remains the same, i.e. 45mm, it can be concluded therefrom that the minimum value Dmin of the spacing between these two surfaces (i.e. the distance separating the top of the rib from the surface of the rotating cylinder 8) is 20 mm.

After the fragmentation step, the fragmented glass 2b collects in the bottom of the rib, while the frame 2a is still supported on top of the rib, as shown in fig. 4 and 5.

Once the frame 2a reaches the front end of the conveyor 3, the frame 2a continues on its path supported by these ribs, while the broken glass 2b, which has accumulated at the bottom of the ribs, falls between the conveyor 3 and the rotary cylinder 8. Due to the use of these ribs, the frame 2a and the broken glass 2b do not encounter the same size gap between the conveyor 3 and the rotary cylinder 8. Therefore, the gap encountered by the broken glass 2b is 45mm, making it possible to limit the risk of the glass fragments 2b being collected by the rotating cylinder 8. In contrast, the frame 2a encounters a clearance of 20mm, so that the risk of portions of the frame 2a falling between the front end of the conveyor 3 and the rotary cylinder 8 can be limited. In this way the frame 2a is in fact collected by the rotary cylinder 8 and separated "spatially" from the broken glass 2 b.