Cardboard Shredders
A cardboard shredder is a machine designed to turn cardboard boxes and sheets into small shards or strips. Specialty cardboard shredders are configured to convert cardboard into flexible perforated material for packaging...
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This article contains everything you need to know about tire shredders and their use.
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Tire shredders are a type of recycling equipment used to reduce the volume of tires to scrap using high torque shredding systems. The various types of tire shredders are capable of handling large loads of tires of different sizes. They are a form of size reduction technology that cuts, slices, and crushes end of life tires (ELTs) into rubber chips. Tire shredding is a very popular method for recycling, reprocessing, and transforming waste tires into usable products.
Although it is possible to apply new treads to tires, shredding them makes it easier to repurpose and recycle them. They are used for several recycling applications due to their resistance to the effects of the weather and slow degradation. Since most of the volume of a tire is empty space, placing them in a landfill is inefficient and costly while shredding them makes their disposal easier and less impactful.
In many instances, tires to be shredded have to go through a preparatory process prior to being shredded. These initial steps assist in increasing the efficiency of the shredding process and help avoid damage to the shredder. A key part of the process is the removal of the beading, a thick piece of rubber or steel that is on the inner edge of a tire. When a tire is sliced apart, it has a U shape. The tire beads are located at the tips of the U.
The process of tire shredding requires the use of equipment that is strong, sturdy, robust, and hard working. It necessitates the use of a great deal of torque due to the toughness and thickness of tires. This is especially true in regard to the shredding of large truck tires, earth mover tires, and mining equipment tires.
The first step in tire shredding is to get the tires to be shredded. The wisest way to dispose of tires is to take them to a tire shredding company, since it is illegal to dispose of them by throwing them in the trash. A very common place where tires are collected for shredding is tire dealers who collect a high volume of ELTs as a part of their business. They normally have an arrangement with a recycling company who picks up their tires.
Tire bead removal is a mechanized process that is performed on a specially designed machine. Bead removal is a necessity to decrease the amount of wear that is experienced by a tire shredder. The tire is set on the machine and rotated on a cutter that slices the beading out from both sides of the tire. The collected bead, as with the shredded tire chips or scrap, is recyclable material.
Although the process is referred to as tire shredding, the shredding aspect of the process is just the beginning of the recycling of tires. The main function of shredding is to cut the tires into strips that can be further processed into granules or a fine powder. The shredding process is completed by mechanical shredding or cryogenic shredding.
The constant crushing and tearing of the rubber produce a form of recycled rubber referred to as crumb rubber, which is rubber in a variety of shapes and sizes. The different forms of crumb rubber can take the form of a dust like material to particles that are 0.05 inch (0.127 cm) in size. Internationally, crumb rubber is referred to as 10:20 mesh or the size of sand particles, which is a reference to the number of holes per inch in the screens used for sizing materials.
Tires are made up of more than rubber. They have steel belts, fibers, and beading that have been used to reinforce and strengthen the tire. As with the rubber, these other components are saved for recycling. During the shredding process, tires are repeatedly ground to remove the fibers and steel, a process that is referred to as ambient grinding. The constant grinding in the shredding process increases the mesh size to produce smaller crumb rubber.
Cryogenic shredding has gained a great deal of tracking in recent years due to the limited amount of energy it requires and the lack of pollutants. The process makes it easier to remove the steel and fiber from the rubber, which are cleaner for recycling.
Some companies use the cryogenic process in conjunction with mechanical shredding to produce fine rubber powder. Cryogenic shredding is a devulcanization process where the mechanical properties of the vulcanized rubber are broken. The result of the process is the production of an extremely fine powder.
Cryogenic shredding separates the components of ELTs and transforms the rubber into a manageable form. The difficulty with the process is its cost, which is prohibitive due to the expense of the refrigerants such as the liquid nitrogen.
Sorting involves collecting the fibers and steel from the shredded rubber material and is completed using various processes. Magnets are used to pull the steel fibers out of the shredded mass while other methods are used to remove the fibers. Larger fibers are easier to separate and remove.
Since magnets cannot be used to separate fibers, they are removed using size differential or weight. When the processing equipment fluffs or enlarges the fibers, they can be removed using a scalping screen. The extremely small size of the crumb rubber makes it easy to separate it from the steel and fibers. The remaining fibers may be removed by a vacuum gravity separator.
Vacuum gravity separators remove the fibers based on their density, size, shape, and weight, which is different from that of the crumb rubber. Vacuum gravity separators have a porous deck that vibrates such that particles make contact with the deck. Air under low pressure causes lighter materials to be lifted off the deck. At the discharge, the particles are separated from the least to the most dense and smallest to largest.
The purpose of screening is to ensure that the crumb rubber does not have any residue of steel or fibers left. It is an essential process that has to be carefully and meticulously completed. Additionally, the screening process checks the crumb rubber for any contaminants that may affect the use of the rubber. During screening, the material is further separated by size or other characteristics.
An issue regarding the screening of crumb rubber is its tendency to move away from the screening surface, a difficulty caused by crumb rubber’s flowability. The nature and characteristics of crumb rubber has led to the development of different methods to screen it. Tumbler screening is a tumbler motion screening where the axial propagation is adjusted to meridional and tangential angles to change the trajectory of the processed material.
Another screening process is a vibratory removal screen that vibrates to remove the crumb rubber and leaves the fibers for further use. The crumb rubber falls through the screen leaving the fiber fluff. Additionally, vacuums are located along the vibratory lines designed to remove the fiber fluff.
After the screening process, the crumb rubber is cleaned with water and solvents to prepare it for shipping to manufacturers. Each of the various forms of crumb rubber are thoroughly cleaned to ensure they do not contaminate or interfere with the production of new rubber products.
Pyrolysis is a thermal decomposition method used to transform ELTs into useful materials. The process involves the decomposition of tires using high temperatures. It converts the material of the tires into gas and liquid fuel for use by chemical, energy, and transportation industries. Pyrolysis is a thermochemical process that can be applied to any carbon-based product. The key to the process is exposing crumb rubber to extreme temperatures in the absence of oxygen to force the crumb rubber to undergo chemical and physical separation into different molecules.
Decomposition in pyrolysis takes place due to the limited thermal stability of the chemical bonds of the crumb rubber. Thermal decomposition leads to the formation of new molecules. Since there is an absence of air, pyrolysis is an endothermic process that produces solid, liquid, and non-condensable gases such as hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), ethene (C2H4), propane (C3H8), propene (C3H6), butane (C4H10), and butene (C4H8). The types of gases depend on the type of crumb rubber and the temperature of the process.
Tire shredders come in several sizes, configurations, and shredding methods. The type of machine chosen for the shredding process is dependent on the needs of the manufacturer and the recycling operation. Additionally, the type of shredder is influenced by the volume of shredding where some operations have extremely high volume and require robust and large equipment.
Tire shredders are a critical element in the rubber and tire recycling business and play a vital role in the safe, efficient, and eco-friendly methods for processing and disposing of used tires.
A dual shaft tire shredder has two shafts that cut into each other. The size of the rubber after shredding is dependent on the thickness and number of teeth in the shredding blades. Thinner blades create smaller pieces while the number of teeth shortens the length of the shredded material.
As a low speed, high torque tire shredder, dual shaft tire shredders produce little heat and generate a small amount of dust. The two shafts prevent jams to ensure smooth continuous shredding.
Chipping tire shredders produce clean cut chips using multi-stack and double stack knife systems. The knives for the system can be sharpened, rotated, and reused. It is a whole tire to chip solution designed for the reduction of labor costs. The unique feature of the chipping tire shredders is the ability to easily replace the blades of the double or multi stack knives.
Secondary tire shredders are used to shred pre-processed shredded tire material and shred it into smaller chips. Rough shreds produced by primary shredding are sent to the secondary shredder or grater that transforms the larger shreds into one inch (2.54 cm) or smaller pieces. During secondary tire shredding, the wire from the ETLs is removed and collected for recycling.
A rubber granulator is the third step in the tire shredding process. The rubber material is wire free, which makes it possible to grind the remaining material to 0.039 in up to 0.2-inch (1mm up to 5 mm) pieces. The knives of the granulator reduce the material from secondary processing into crumb rubber. During granulating tire shredding, the remaining fibrous material is removed using cyclonic blowers, a screening system, and filter bags. The reduction by the granulating tire shredder prepares the recycled rubber for manufacturing processing.
As with other portions of the tire shredding process, granulators come in an assortment of sizes and designs with variations in loading hopper sizes. Granulating tire shredders can have an hourly capacity of two tons up to nine tons depending on their design.
Portable tire shredders take several forms from ones that are on four wheels and roll on their own to ones that are mounted on a semi-truck and are the size of shredders located in recycling plants. The purpose of portable or mobile tire shredders is to move a tire shredder to the location where ELTs are located instead of loading them on a truck and transporting them to a recycling plant.
The various types of portable tire shredders have all the features of in place permanent ones but in a mobile and accessible package. Each of the types has features that differentiates them from other types. The basic features of portable tire shredders, such as the blades and grinding shafts, are the same for all types with variations in blade design but perform just as efficiently as non-portable designs.
Ultrasonic tire shredding involves the use of high frequency vibrations that reduces the resistance of the material to make the cutting process easier. The cutting edge of an ultrasonic tire shredder vibrates at 20,000 times per second, a process that makes it efficient, cool, and reduces the amount of debris. The process devulcanizes by decrosslinking the chemical bonds of sulfur to sulfur and carbon to sulfur. The rubber melt produced by the process can be used to produce new tires.
The rapidly moving sound waves of ultrasonic tire shredding disintegrates tires by placing pressure on the rubber. It is a non-contact method of tire shredding that eliminates mechanical stress on equipment, lowers energy consumption, and is more ecofriendly than mechanical tire shredding.
Tire shredders are complex heavy-duty pieces of equipment capable of producing high torque in the shafts of the shredder. Although shredders have the single function of changing whole tires into tiny fragments, their engineering and design is carefully planned to ensure efficiency and protection for shredder operators.
The components of a tire shredder are the same as those for any other type of shredding equipment but with the added features of strength, durability, and toughness, which is required for shredding tires. A basic tire shredder includes a rotor, cutting blades, housing, motor, transmission system, power supply, and controls.
The main component of a shredder, and the part that is essential, are the cutting blades, which are attached to rotors. There are several types of shredders designed to shred paper, plastics, metals, and other forms of waste. Of the many types of shredder designs and materials being shredded, only tire shredders are capable of shredding tires. To achieve the best results, they require blades of the highest quality that are capable of tearing tires apart into small pieces.
Double shaft tire shredder blades are the most common, which have to be installed correctly for the most effective cutting. The proper installation of double shaft blades determines the effectiveness and life of the shredder. They are spiral mounted with a space sleeve to separate the middle of the blades. The thickness of the blades is such that they will not collide during the shredding process. Blades for the shredding of rubber are made of tool steel.
The motor provides the power to turn the shredder blades. Motors for tire shredders can be electrical or hydraulic and vary according to the size and capacity of the shredder. The types of motors for tire shredders have to be exceptionally powerful to supply the force to shred tires due to the fabric, rubber, and metal in the tires.
For high-capacity shredders, the motor operates at low speed and high torque and has the ability to shred 40 tons of tires per hour. Certain brands of shredders have two motors to increase efficiency and the amount of shredding force. Shredder motors come with a wide range of reduced drive gear ratios and can have single or dual electric motors. The essential aspect of the motor is its ability to keep up with the demands of the tire shredding process efficiently while being durable, sturdy, and long lasting.
Tires for a tire shredder are loaded into the shredder through the feed hopper. Since the majority of shredders are designed for high capacity and volume, the hopper is configured to meet the demand and can be connected to a conveyor belt or hydraulic ram to control and move the volume of tires. The need for high capacity requires that feed hoppers be exceptionally sturdy and strong.
The control system controls the operation of a tire shredder and monitors its performance. In many cases, the control system is part of automated tire shredding and used to control the feed rate based on the main drive motor and provides safety interlocks as a protective measure. PLC control systems have a power on, power off, and overload reverse control with input and output monitoring.
High performance shredder control systems have lighted buttons, keyed power switch, lockable disconnect, hour meter, and programmable controls including knife reversal for overloads. Control systems make the operation of a tire shredder easier and safer. In most cases, they are easy to operate and program and provide exceptional control of the process.
The rotor drives the tires into the cutting zone located between the cutting knives. The knives for the shredding process are mounted on discs that are mounted on the rotor. Although there are single rotor versions of shredders, tire shredders normally have two to four rotors with blades. As with the cutting knives or blades, the rotor is a key component to the success of the tire shredding process. The rotor operates at 750 revolutions per minute and is protected by coifs at the middle with end disks that are protected by protective caps or hard facings.
Although there are standard tire shredders that can be installed as a whole unit, there are features that can be added to a tire shredder to enhance its efficiency and improve the output. Each tire shredder manufacturer has a list of addons that help with the performance of a tire shredder.
Tires are made of several materials to improve their strength and durability. Although the original tires for vehicles were made of rubber, over the years the composition of tires has gradually changed to include other materials to increase the longevity of the tires and make them stronger and tougher.
The basic materials of tires include synthetic rubber, natural rubber, steel, various fibers, and chemicals.
Rubber, steel, fibers, and chemicals have a significant influence on the tire shredding process. The steel and fibers have to be separated from the rubber to extract the crumb rubber for use in rubber product manufacturing.
The term tire is a generic term that covers a wide range of tires from ones for family vehicles to ones for construction equipment, loaders, fork lifts, and many other types of heavy equipment including different sizes of trucks.
Farm equipment tires offer a challenge to tire shredding. Tires for use on a farm are classified by their width and diameter ratio. The width of the tire is measured from sidewall to sidewall while the diameter is the rim diameter. The two forms of farm tires are bias and radial, which are terms used to differentiate the construction of the tires. Farm tires may include lugs to increase their traction and are interwoven into the tread design.
The three groups of common passenger tires include summer tires, winter tires, and all-season tires. Summer tires are designed to endure warm weather and perform well on dry or wet pavement. Winter tires are able to withstand the cold temperatures of winter and have good traction on ice or snow. All-season tires perform well in all types of weather conditions.
Additional forms of passenger tires are for recreational vehicles such as off-road all-terrain vehicles and sport cars. Off-road tires are rugged and tough tires used on rugged terrain such as dirt roads, sand, and rocks. They are not as sturdy as farm tires but have some of the characteristics of farm tires. Sport car tires are designed for use on pavement, provide an exceptional grip, and high performance.
Truck tires take several different forms depending on the size and capacity of a truck. Tires for pickup trucks, vans, and mobile homes are very similar to passenger tires. Ones for semis, mining trucks, and excavation trucks are far more durable and include several extra features to enhance their strength and increase their longevity.
The challenge to shredding truck tires is their inner liner which is far thicker and has a high halobutyl content to prevent pressurized air from entering the inner chamber of the tire and causing degradation. Additionally, truck tires have far more tread than passenger tires, which are thicker and add to the strength of the tire. To save on purchasing new tires, heavy duty truck tires may have their original worn tread cut off and replaced with new tread, a process referred to as retreading. This increases the life of the tires but increases the difficulty of the shredding process.
Truck tires have more steel in them for reinforcement and added protection. Their steel cord is 8% more dense than the cord in passenger tires. Steel ply is also added to increase loading capacity and provide puncture protection.
Unlike passenger tires and truck tires that can be measured in inches, earthmover tires are measured in feet or meters and are as tall or taller than a person. They come in several sizes to meet the need of the equipment they carry and have rugged casings made with cut resistant compounds and deep treads.
The main challenge in shredding earthmover tires is their size, which requires long rotors, heavy duty blades, and a hopper capable of receiving the tires. Prior to placing the tires in the very large tire shredder, the tires must be debeaded to remove the steel beading. Earthmover tires are fed using a fork lift or other form of equipment capable of lifting the tires.
Mining tires are designed for extreme working conditions and fall into the classification of off the road tire or OTR. Since they are designed to spend their working time away from paved surfaces, they are made of more robust grades of rubber using different techniques and methods. A common characteristic of OTR or mining tires is the extra amount of steel used in their manufacture combined with tougher rubber compounds, factors that make shredding them extremely difficult.
The extra steel in OTRs quickly dulls or seizes up shredding equipment. These factors require that OTRs be sent to recycling companies that specialize in recycling very large and rugged tires. Mining tires can be several meters or feet in diameter and weigh several kg or tons. Prior to being shredded, they are put through a process that significantly reduces their size. The pieces are sent on to shredding plants.
The PD1000 provides high torque shear shredding using solid state electronics. The shredder is easily transportable and can be moved using a one-ton pickup. Used shredder heads can be switched with new shredder heads safely and easily. The companion feeder to the PD1000 is the PD1000IO that quickly feeds tires into the shredder. The PD1000 is capable of shredding automotive tires, light duty truck tires, and semi treads that have had the sidewalls removed.
The STQ-100 has a throughput of up to 5055 lbs. (2293 kg) per hour with an infeed of 41 inches by 59 inches (1 m by 1.5 m). The cutting chamber of the STQ-100 is triple sealed with abrasion resistant components and high knife cutting force. The tightly sealed construction lowers noise and reduces vibrations. The design of the STQ-100 allows for easy maintenance and repair. Its sturdy bulkhead walls and labyrinth barriers provide bearing and seal protection. The cutting power of the STQ-100 is due to its heavy-duty shredding knives, which allows the STQ-100 to operate at high capacity.
The Green Giant is a two-shaft shredder designed for rubber shredding with low operating and maintenance costs. It is capable of processing up to 30 tons (27 t) per hour with an output of 2 inches to 6 inches (5 cm to 15 cm). The Green Giant has two electric motors that power blade and knife filled rotors. It comes with easily replaceable knife inserts with six cutting edges per insert with an estimated wear life of 2500 tons per knife edge. The Green Giant can process whole tires of 48 inches (1220 mm), debeaded chopped up mining tires, and debeaded OTR rough shreds.
The HT 250 Hybrid Primary Shredder is the largest shredder made by CM Shredders and is capable of processing 30 tons per hour. It has high throughput, high torque, and replaceable, resharpenable knives. The HT 250 Hybrid Primary Shredder is a primary shredder capable of processing high volumes of tires at a rapid rate. The knives of the HT 250 Hybrid Primary Shredder bolt directly to the hardened steel rotor, which can be easily removed or replaced. It operates using a 480 V, 3 phase, 60 hertz power source with twin 125 hp drives. The HT 250 Hybrid Primary Shredder has cameras and sensors that are programmed to communicate with the shredder and conveyance system and can be viewed by shredder operators.
The Grizzly is an efficient medium speed grinder that separates steel and rubber during the grinding process. It includes a single rotor used for size reduction and an adjustable screen for flexibility in determining final product size. The smaller product sizes produced by the Grizzly improves the performance of downstream equipment. The consistent size of the ground rubber from the Grizzly makes it possible to use the rubber material for extruding or molding. The Grizzly is capable of processing all forms of tires including car, truck, agricultural, OTR, and mining tires.
Shredded tire rubber has become a valuable asset that has found multiple uses in construction, road maintenance, and playground surfaces. Concern for the environment, sustainability initiatives, and eco-friendly programs have led to the development of several plans for the use of shredded rubber.
Shredded rubber is used as a substitute for gravel in drainage ditches and highway embankments. The small tire chips limit frost penetration and are three times lighter than gravel, which reduces the cost of labor, equipment, and time.
Crumb rubber is used to produce asphalt, playground surfaces, mats, and vehicle mud guards. It is sold as feedstock for chemical devulcanization and for the production of rubber containing products. In the auto industry, crumb rubber is used to manufacture bumpers, floor mats, and fender guards.
The pyrolysis process transforms shredded rubber into energy in the form of oil and gas for heating and electricity generation. It is a thermal decomposition process that uses extreme temperatures to break the long chain molecules of the shredded rubber material.
Shredded tires are used as a liner and cover for landfills. The material serves as thermal insulation between primary and secondary landfill liners to lower the temperature of waste material. Additionally, shredded tire material is a cost-effective landscaping tool for landfills.
Shredded tire chips can be uniformly cut to be used as filters in wastewater treatment and wetlands. Since shredded tire chips can be easily shaped and are less porous than organic compounds, they perform as a better filtering medium.
The use of shredded tires as garden mulch is due to its durability and longevity. Shredded tire chips retain their appearance over time and do not float away in rain storms or rot like wood. They are not susceptible to the effects of pests and insects.
The main goal of tire shredders is to reduce the amount of waste included in landfills and extend the useful life of valuable rubber. They are a critical part of the ever-growing desire to save the planet from pollution. Regardless of their value as an ecological tool, the selection of a tire shredder has to be carefully considered such that the chosen tire shredder meets the needs of its use.
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