Rock crusher

Claim 2

A rock crusher comprising a housing forming a chamber including chamber walls, a rotor member rotatably mounted in said chamber, and having means provided thereon for engaging and moving rocks, said chamber having an inlet portion including a feeder chute leading to said rotor member, impact means provided on one side of said chamber for receiving rocks moved by said rotor member, and an elongated member having a polygonal cross section rotatably mounted within said chamber opposite said impact surface and adjacent one end of said chute, such that said elongated member forms a continuation of said chute leading to said rotor member, said elongated member including electromechanical drive control means for controlling the rotation of said elongated member through a predetermined arc to jar loose any rock wedged between said elongated member and the walls of said chamber to permit the weDged rock to engage said rotor member.

Claim 3

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing includes walls surrounding said chamber, said elongated member having its opposite ends journaled in said walls so as to make its rotational axis stationary with respect to said rotor member.

Claim 4

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 1 wherein the length of said predetermined arc is governed by said drive control means.

Claim 5

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drive control means includes a stop member arranged to move with said elongated member and a locking member arranged to engage said stop member, said engagement preventing rotation of said stop member and said elongated member.

Claim 6

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rotational axis of said elongated member is stationary.

Claim 7

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drive control means is operable to terminate the rotation of said elongated member independently of the rotation of said rotor member.

Claim 8

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 1 wherein said chute is elongated and is disposed in an inclined position in said chamber, said chute having spaced upper and lower inclined walls, said elongated member being positioned adjacent the lower end of said lower inclined wall.

Claim 9

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 7 wherein said lower end of said lower inclined wall is spaced from the periphery of said rotor member, said rotor member being disposed in the space between said elongated member and said impact means.

Claim 10

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drive control means is operable to rotate said elongated member independently of the rotation of said rotor member.

Claim 11

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 1 wherein said elongated member is triangular in cross section and has three elongated flat outer surfaces, the rotational axis of said elongated member being positioned so that said elongated member can rotate to a predetermined position wherein at least one of said flat outer surfaces forms a continuation of said lower inclined surface.

Claim 12

An improvement in a rock crusher; said crusher having a housing forming a chamber with an opening therein, a rotor rotatably mounted in said chamber, hammers carried adjacent the outer radial edge of said rotor, and a feeder chute outside said housing having one end adjacent said opening; said chute being elongated and disposed in an inclined position; said chute having an upper inclined wall and a lower inclined wall; said hammers defining hammer tip circles during rotation of said rotor; said improvement comprising an elongated member rotatably mounted within said chamber adjacent said one end of said chute; said elongated member having a polygonal cross-sectional configuration and being positioned adjacent the lower end of said lower inclined wall and including at least one shoulder; the rotational axis of said elongated member being positioned so that rotation of said elongated member moves said shoulder from an inoperative position wherein it is spaced from a plane defined by said lower inclined surface to an operative position wherein it moves through said plane toward the interior of said chute.

Claim 13

An improvement in a rock crusher; said crusher having a housing forming a chamber with an opening therein, a rotor rotatably mounted in said chamber, hammers carried adjacent the outer radial edge of said rotor, and a feeder chute outside said housing having one end adjacent said opening; said chute being elongated and disposed in an inclined position; said chute having an upper inclined wall and a lower inclined wall; said hammers defining hammer tip circles during rotation of said rotor; said improvement comprising an elongated member rotatably mounted within said chamber adjacent said one end of said chute; said elongated member having a polygonal cross-sectional configuration and being positioned adjacent the lower end of said lower inclined wall and including at least one shoulder; the rotational axis of said elongated member being positioned so that rotation of said elongated member moves said shoulder from an inoperative position wherein it is spaced from a plane defined by said lower inclined surface to an operative position wherein it moves through said plane toward the interior of said chute.

Claim 14

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 4 wherein said locking member is movable to a position of disengagement from said stop member to permit rotation of said stop member and said elongated member.

Claim 15

A rock crusher comprising a housing forming a chamber including chamber walls, a rotor member rotatably mounted in said chamber and having hammer means provided thereon for engaging, moving and crushing rocks, said chamber having an inlet portion including a feeder chute leading to said rotor member, impact means provided on one wall of said chamber for receiving rocks moved by said rotor member, and an elongated member having a polygonal cross section rotatably mounted within said chamber adjacent a wall opposite said impact surface and adjacent one end of said chute such that a portion of the peripheral surfAce of said elongated member forms a continuation of said chute leading to said rotor member, said elongated member including driving means for bidirectionally rotating said elongated member through a predetermined arc to jar loose any rock wedged between said portion of the peripheral surface of said elongated member and the walls of said chamber to permit the wedged rock to engage the hammers of said rotor member.

Claim 16

A rock crusher comprising a housing forming a chamber including chamber walls, a rotor member rotatably mounted in said chamber and having hammer means provided thereon for engaging, moving and crushing rocks, said chamber having an inlet portion including a feeder chute leading to said rotor member, impact means provided on one wall of said chamber for receiving rocks moved by said rotor member, and an elongated member having a polygonal cross section rotatably mounted within said chamber adjacent a wall opposite said impact surface and adjacent one end of said chute such that a portion of the peripheral surfAce of said elongated member forms a continuation of said chute leading to said rotor member, said elongated member including driving means for bidirectionally rotating said elongated member through a predetermined arc to jar loose any rock wedged between said portion of the peripheral surface of said elongated member and the walls of said chamber to permit the wedged rock to engage the hammers of said rotor member.

Claim 17

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 4 wherein said lock member includes solenoid means movable from a position of locking engagement with said stop member wherein said stop member and said elongated member are non-rotatable to an unlocked position wherein said stop member and said elongated member are rotatable.

Claim 18

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 4 wherein said drive control means include driving means for moving said elongated member, said driving means being operable when said lock member is disengaged from said stop member.

Claim 19

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 4 wherein said stop member includes means for stopping said elongated member at at least one predetermined position.

Claim 20

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drive control means includes a rotatable stop member keyed to said elongated member to rotate with said elongated member, said stop member including indexing means corresponding to a predetermined position of said elongated member, said drive control means further including actuating means movable to a position of locking engagement with said stop member at one of said indexing means to lock said stop member and said elongated member in a predetermined position, said actuating means being further movable to an unlocked position wherein said stop member and said elongated member are rotatable.

Claim 21

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 1 wherein said chute includes spaced upper and lower inclined walls, said elongated member including at least one shoulder, the rotational axis of said elongated member being positioned so that rotation of said elongated member moves said shoulder from an inoperative position wherein it is disposed away from the space defined by said upper and lower inclined walls to an operative position wherein it moves into said space toward the interior of said chute.

Claim 22

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 1 wherein said elongated member is substantially triangular in cross section.

Claim 23

A rock crusher as claimed in claim 19 wherein the sides of said triangular cross section are substantially equilateral, each pair of said sides being intersected by a planar surface substantially perpendicular to one side of said pair.

Claim 24

The improvement of claim 11 wherein said housing includes walls, said elongated member having its opposite ends journaled in said walls so as to make its rotational axis stationary with respect to said rotor member.

Claim 25

The improvement of claim 11 wherein the rotational axis of said elongated member is stationary.

Claim 26

The improvement of claim 11 wherein said rock crusher includes impact means opposite to said elongated member, said rotor member being disposed in the space between said elongated member and said impact means.

Claim 27

The improvement of claim 11 wherein said elongated member is triangular in cross section and has three elongated flat outer surfaces, the rotational axis of said elongated member being positioned so that said elongated member can rotate to a predetermined position wherein at least one of said flat outer surfaces forms a continuation of said lower inclined surfaces.

Claim 28

The improvement of claim 11 wherein said elongated member is substantially triangular in cross section.

Claim 29

The improvement of claim 25 wherein the sides of said triangular cross section are substantially equilateral, each pair of said sides being intersected by a planar surface substantially perpendicular to one side of said pair.