GB2459737A

GB2459737A - Baling press for tyres

Info

Publication number: GB2459737A
Application number: GB0808216A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Brian Murphy
Original assignee: GRADEALL INTERNAT Ltd
Current assignee: GRADEALL INTERNAT Ltd
Priority date: 2008-05-07
Filing date: 2008-05-07
Publication date: 2009-11-11
Anticipated expiration: 2028-05-07
Also published as: IES20090358A2; GB0808216D0; GB2459737B

Abstract

The baling press for compressing and baling waste tyres comprises a press chamber 2 comprising a base 4, first and second end walls 5, 6, first and second door members 7, 8, for closing the openings between the first and second end walls and allowing the bales to be removed, and a press platen 9 moveably mounted above said base to be moveable towards and away from said base by means of an actuator. The doors are closed by means of a latch 15, 16 which engages the edge of a door at 17. The latches are maintained in the locked position each by means of a rigging screw (19, 20, Fig.2) or a hydraulic or pneumatic ram, and they are provided with an elongate arm 18 arranged to permit a gradual controlled opening of the door. The doors are also provided with pivoted retaining fingers or teeth 11 which are "L" shaped with first engaging part (12, Fig.5) and a second part having a counterweight (13, 14, Fig. 5) for biasing each tooth towards its engaging position under the action of gravity. The base, platen, side walls or doors may be provided with grooves, slots or channels in order to facilitate the insertion of baling straps. Loading openings 21, 22 are provided above the press chamber which can be closed by means of a vertical sliding doors 23, 24 comprising a mesh panel.

Description

Baling Press for Tyres This invention relates to a baling press and in particular to a baling press for compressing and baling waste tyres.

Waste material baling presses are known for compressing and baling waste material for disposal or transportation whereby the waste material is compressed to take up less volume.

Such presses typically comprise a press box delimited by a base, upstanding side walls and a press platen defining an upper wall of the press box and being arranged to be moveable into the press box under the action of an actuator means, typically one or more hydraulic rams, to compress material placed into the press box.

Slots are typically provided in the boundary walls of the press box to allow the compressed material to be wrapped with straps to retain the material in its compressed configuration.

Inwardly projecting retaining fingers or teeth are typically provided in the side walls of the press box for retaining the material in its compression state during said wrapping operation.

Such retaining fingers are pivotally mounted to permit passage of the press platen there past and are typically spring biased to their extended position. Typically one side wall of the press box is openable in the manner of a hinged door to permit removal of the baled waste therefrom.

Such known balers are typically used for baling fibrous and cardboard waste, for example waste cardboard boxes.

It is particularly desirable to compress waste tyres for transportation and/or disposal, since uncompressed tyres take up a lot of space due to their shape, construction and the resilient nature of the materials used. Furthermore, the resilience of such materials makes the materials resistance to compression. The resilient nature of such materials causes problems where convention baling presses are used to compress and bale waste tyres. In particular, the compressed tyres tends to rebound when the press platen is withdrawn, jamming the bale against the walls of the press box and against the underside of the retaining fingers, preventing removal of the bale from the press box.

According to the present invention there is provided a baling press for compressing and baling waste tyres comprising a press chamber for receiving waste tyres, said press chamber being define by a base, first and second end walls extending upwardly from opposed first and second sides of the base, first and second door members for closing front and rear openings between said first and second end walls, and a press platen moveably mounted above said base to be moveable towards and away from said base by means of an actuator, wherein both of said first and second door members are openable to permit removal of a bale from the press chamber. The press platen may be arranged substantially parallel to said base to be moveable in a vertical direction.

Preferably said first and second door members are provided with a plurality of inwardly extending retaining members arranged to project into the press chamber for preventing compressed material within the press chamber from springing back upon upward movement of the press platen following pressing of the material therein. Preferably the retaining members are pivotally mounted within vertical respective slots in the first and second door members to be pivotally moveable between a raised operative positions, wherein a projecting portion of each retaining member projects into the press chamber, and a lowered retracted position, wherein said projecting portion is outside of the press chamber whereby the press platen can move past said retaining members. Preferably said projecting portion of each retaining member comprises a first part extending from a pivot point to be extendable into the press chamber and a second part extending away from said pivot point to be positioned outside of said press chamber, said second part being provided with or defining a counterweight for biasing the retaining member towards its operative position under the action of gravity. Preferably said first and second parts of each retaining member extend substantially at right angles to each other.

In one embodiment, both said first and second door members are pivotally mounted to said first end wall by respective hinge means.

Preferably locking means are provided for locking said door members in a closed position.

Preferably said locking means comprises respective latch members pivotally mounted on or adjacent a respective side of one of said first and second end wall be moveable between a first position, wherein said latch member engages an edge of a respective door member to hold said door member in its closed position, and a second position, wherein said latch member is spaced from said edge of the respective door member to allow the door member to open.

Preferably each latch member comprises an elongate arm pivotally mounted to a respective side of one of said first and second end walls, each arm having a first engagement portion, adapted to engage said edge of a respective door member when the latch member is in its first position, and a second portion, extending outwardly from said first engagement portion, said second portion being adapted to be engaged said edge of said the respective door member as the door member begins to open during movement of the latch member from its first towards its second position to prevent the door member from springing open under the action of the pressure applied to the inner sides of the door due to the resilience of material contained within the press chamber when the door is released from the first engagement portion. Further movement of the latch member towards its second position moves said second portion out of the path of the respective door member to allow the door member to fully open.

Preferably each latch member includes a further portion extending from the pivot axis of the latch member in a direction substantially opposite to said arm portion, a variable length member extending between said further portion and a region of an adjacent end wall of said press chamber to control the movement of the latch member between its first and second positions.

In one embodiment, said variable length member may comprise a threaded rod, such as a rigging screw. Alternatively said variable length member may comprise a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator. However, a rigging screw is preferred since this will retain the door members in their closed positions in a fail safe manner even if there is a loss of electrical power or hydraulic pressure to the press.

Preferably at least one of said door members defines a lower part of one side of said baling press, a loading opening being provided above said door member through which the press chamber may be loaded. Preferably a guard panel, preferably comprising a mesh panel, is mounted to be moveable to an operative position to close said loading opening. Preferably said guard panel is slideably mounted to be movable between a raised position to provided access to said loading opening and a lowered position to close said loading opening.

Preferably at least said base and said press platen are provided with slots or guide channels to permit insertion of baling straps. Said door members and/or said end walls may also be provided with slots or guide channels for insertion of baling straps.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: -Fig. 1 is a front view of a baling press according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an end view of the baling press of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the baling press of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plane view of the baling press of Fig. 1 with the doors open; Fig. 5 is a sectional view through a door of the baling press of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a detailed view of one of the retaining teeth of the baling press of Fig. 1 in its operative position; and Fig. 7 is a detailed view of one of the retaining teeth moving towards its inoperative position.

As illustrated in the drawings, a baling press 1 for compressing and baling waste tyres in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprises a press chamber 2 for receiving waste tyres, said press chamber 2 being define by a base 4, first and second end walls 5,6 extending upwardly from opposed first and second sides of the base 4, first and second doors 7,8 for closing front and rear openings of the press chamber 2 between the first and second end walls 5,6, and a press platen 9 moveably mounted above said base to be moveable towards and away from said base by means of a pair of hydraulic rams 10, wherein both of said first and second doors 7,8 are hingedly mounted on the first end wall 5 to be independently openable to permit removal of a bale from the press chamber 2.

The first and second doors 7,8 are provided with a plurality of inwardly extending retaining teeth 11 arranged to project into the press chamber 2 for preventing compressed material within the press chamber 2 from springing back upon upward movement of the press platen 9 following pressing of the material therein. The retaining teeth 1 lare pivotally mounted within vertical slots in the doors 7,8 be pivotally moveable between a raised operative positions, wherein each retaining tooth 11 projects into the press chamber 2, and a lowered retracted position, wherein the retaining tooth 11 is outside of the press chamber 2 whereby the press platen 9 can move past the retaining teeth 11. Each retaining tooth 11 is substantially L shaped comprises a first part 12 extending from a pivot point to be extendable into the press chamber 2 and a second part 12 extending away from said pivot point extending at right angles to the first part 11 to be positioned outside of said press chamber 2, said second part 12 being provided with a counterweight 14 for biasing the retaining tooth 11 towards its operative position under the action of gravity.

Latchs 15,16 are provided for holding the doors in a closed position, each latch 15,16 being pivotally mounted on or adjacent a respective side the second end wall 6 to be moveable between a first position, wherein the latch 15,16 engages an edge of a respective door 7,8 to hold the door 7,8 in its closed position, and a second position, wherein the latch 15,16 is moved out of the path of the edge of the respective door 7,8 to allow the door to open.

To avoid sudden release of the doors due to the pressure of the compressed tyres acting thereon, each latch 15,16 comprises an elongate arm pivotally mounted to a respective side of the second end wall 6, each arm having a first engagement portion 17, adapted to engage said edge of a respective door 7,8 when the latch 15,16 is in its first position, and a second portion 18, extending outwardly from said first engagement portion 17, said second portion 18 being adapted to be engaged said edge of said the respective door 7,8 as the door 7,8 begins to open during movement of the latch 15,16 from its first towards its second position to prevent the door 7,8 from springing open under the action of the pressure applied to the inner sides of the door 7,8 due to the resilience of material contained within the press chamber 2 when the door 7,8 is released from the first engagement portion 17. Further movement of the latch 15,16 towards its second position moves the second portion 18 of the latch 15,16 out of the path of the respective door 7,8 to allow the door to fully open.

Each latch 15,16 is maintained in its first or locked position by means of a rigging screw 19,20 extending between the respective latch 15,16 and the second end wall 6. Alternatively each latch 15,16 may be held closed by a hydraulic or pneumatic ram. However, a rigging screw is preferred since this will retain the doors 7,8 in their closed positions in a fail safe manner even if there is a loss of electrical power or hydraulic pressure to the press.

A loading openings 2 1,22 being provided above each door 7,8, through which the press chamber 2 may be loaded. A guard panel 23,24 comprising a mesh panel, is slideably mounted to be vertical moveable between a lowered position to close each loading opening 2 1,22 and a raised position to provided access to the respective loading opening 2 1,22.

As is known in the art, at least the base and the press platen are provided with slots or guide channels to permit insertion of haling straps. Such slots or guide channels may also he provided in the doors 7,8 and/or said end walls 5,6.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

Claims 1. A baling press for compressing and baling waste tyres comprising a press chamber for receiving waste tyres, said press chamber being define by a base, first and second end walls extending upwardly from opposed first and second sides of the base, first and second door members for closing front and rear openings between said first and second end walls, and a press platen moveably mounted above said base to be moveable towards and away from said base by means of an actuator, wherein both of said first and second door members are openable to permit removal of a bale from the press chamber.
2. A baling press as claimed in claim 1, wherein the press platen is arranged substantially parallel to said base to be moveable in a vertical direction.
3. A baling press as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said first and second door members are provided with a plurality of inwardly extending retaining members arranged to Q project into the press chamber for preventing compressed material within the press chamber L.() from springing back upon upward movement of the press platen following pressing of the Q material therein. L()

Q 20
4. A baling press as claimed in claim 3, wherein the retaining members are pivotally mounted within vertical respective slots in the first and second door members to be pivotally moveable between a raised operative positions, wherein a projecting portion of each retaining member projects into the press chamber, and a lowered retracted position, wherein said projecting portion is outside of the press chamber whereby the press platen can move past said retaining members.
5. A baling press as claimed in claim 4, wherein said projecting portion of each retaining member comprises a first part extending from a pivot point to be extendable into the press chamber and a second part extending away from said pivot point to be positioned outside of said press chamber, said second part being provided with or defining a counterweight for biasing the retaining member towards its operative position under the action of gravity.
6. A baling press as claimed in claim 5, wherein said first and second parts of each retaining member extend substantially at right angles to each other.
7. A baling press as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein both said first and second door members are pivotally mounted to said first end wall by respective hinge means.
8. A baling press as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein locking means are provided for locking said door members in a closed position.
9. A baling press as claimed in claim 8, wherein said locking means comprises respective latch members pivotally mounted on or adjacent a respective side of one of said first and second end wall be moveable between a first position, wherein said latch member engages an edge of a respective door member to hold said door member in its closed position, and a second position, wherein said latch member is spaced from said edge of the respective door member to allow the door member to open.

Lf)
10. A baling press as claimed in claim 9, wherein each latch member comprises an Q elongate arm pivotally mounted to a respective side of one of said first and second end If) walls, each arm having a first engagement portion, adapted to engage said edge of a 0 20 respective door member when the latch member is in its first position, and a second portion, extending outwardly from said first engagement portion, said second portion being adapted to be engaged said edge of said the respective door member as the door member begins to open during movement of the latch member from its first towards its second position to prevent the door member from springing open under the action of the pressure applied to the inner sides of the door due to the resilience of material contained within the press chamber when the door is released from the first engagement portion.
11. A baling press as claimed in claim 10, wherein further movement of the latch member towards its second position moves said second portion out of the path of the respective door member to allow the door member to fully open.
12. A baling press as claimed in any of claims 9 to 11, wherein each latch member includes a further portion extending from the pivot axis of the latch member in a direction substantially opposite to said arm portion, a variable length member extending between said further portion and a region of an adjacent end wall of said press chamber to control the movement of the latch member between its first and second positions.
13. A baling press as claimed in claim 12, wherein said variable length member may comprise a threaded rod, such as a rigging screw.
14. A baling press as claimed in claim 12, wherein said variable length member comprises a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator.
15. A baling press as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one of said door members defines a lower part of one side of said baling press, a loading opening being provided above said door member through which the press chamber may be loaded.
16. A baling press as claimed in claim 15, wherein a guard panel, preferably comprising a mesh panel, is mounted to be moveable to an operative position to close said loading Q opening. L()

Q
17. A baling press as claimed in claim 16, wherein said guard panel is slideably mounted If) to be movable between a raised position to provided access to said loading opening and a Q 20 lowered position to close said loading opening.
18. A baling press as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least said base and said press platen are provided with slots or guide channels to permit insertion of baling straps.
19. A baling press as claimed in claim 18, wherein said door members and/or said end walls are provided with slots or guide channels for insertion of baling straps.
20. A baling press substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.