BLOW-IN INSULATION MATERIAL MADE OF STRAW

Abstract

Process for manufacturing a blow-in insulation material made of straw, including a processing step in which the straw is crushed between rolls in a crushing apparatus, a crushing nip in the crushing apparatus being selected in such a way that the straw nodes are crushed during the crushing operation.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A method for producing an insulation material made of straw, comprising: crushing the straw, wherein the straw is crushed between at least two opposite rollers rotating in opposite directions, wherein the opposite rollers each rotate at substantially the same circumferential speed, and wherein the straw nodes are crushed during the crushing operation.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the stalks of the straw are separated prior to the crushing operation.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the gap width of a crushing gap during the crushing operation of the straw is between 0.8 and 1.6 mm.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the gap width of a crushing gap during the crushing operation of the straw is between 1.0 and 1.4 mm.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the gap width of a crushing gap during the crushing operation of the straw is approximately 1.2 mm.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein the rollers have axis-parallel or oblique grooves.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein the straw stalks are comminuted prior to the crushing operation and the comminuted stalks are crushed.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein the straw is comminuted after the crushing operation.

24. A device for producing an insulation material made of straw, comprising: a crushing apparatus for crushing the straw, wherein the crushing apparatus has at least two opposite rollers mounted rotatably about parallel rotation axes, wherein the crushing apparatus is designed to crush the straw nodes, wherein the crushing apparatus is designed to drive the rollers in opposite directions at substantially the same circumferential speed and to guide the straw between the rollers, and wherein a downstream comminution apparatus is connected to the crushing apparatus in such a way that during operation the straw crushed in the crushing apparatus is fed to the downstream comminution apparatus.

25. The device according to claim 24, wherein a feed of the straw to the crushing apparatus which is designed to separate the stalks of the straw prior to the crushing.

26. The device according to claim 24, wherein the crushing apparatus has a gap width of a crushing gap of the crushing apparatus is between 0.8 and 1.6 mm.

27. The device according to claim 24, wherein the crushing apparatus has a gap width of a crushing gap of the crushing apparatus is between 1.0 and 1.4 mm.

28. The device according to claim 24, wherein the crushing apparatus has a gap width of a crushing gap of the crushing apparatus is approximately 1.2 mm.

29. The device according to claim 24, wherein the rollers have axis-parallel or oblique grooves.

30. The device according to claim 24, wherein the rollers mesh with one another in the manner of a spur gearing.

31. The device according to claim 24, wherein at least one roller is spring-mounted.

32. The device according to claim 24, wherein an upstream comminution apparatus, which is connected to the crushing apparatus in such a way that during operation the straw comminuted in the upstream comminution apparatus is fed to the crushing apparatus.

33. An insulation material comprising comminuted straw, wherein the straw nodes are crushed.

34. The insulation material according to claim 33, wherein the insulation material consists substantially of comminuted straw, wherein the straw nodes are crushed.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The invention will be explained in greater detail hereinafter on the basis of particularly preferred exemplary embodiments, to which the invention is not limited, however, and with reference to the drawings, in which specifically:

[0038] FIG. 1 schematically shows an overview of a device according to the invention for producing an insulation material made of straw with a crushing apparatus;

[0039] FIG. 2 schematically shows a section of the crushing apparatus according to FIG. 1 with three rollers;

[0040] FIG. 3 schematically shows the basic outline of the crushing apparatus according to FIGS. 1 and 2; and

[0041] FIG. 4 schematically shows a detailed view of the section according to FIG. 2, wherein the sections of the rollers are shown true to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a device 1 for producing an insulation material 2 made of straw 3. The arrows indicate the direction of movement of the processed material. The straw 3, which is present for example in the form of balls, is firstly introduced into a preprocessing unit 4. In the preprocessing unit 4 the straw 3 is loosened and comminuted. The loosened and comminuted straw is then transferred to (for example poured into) an upstream first comminution apparatus 5, which is arranged downstream of the preprocessing unit 4. In the first comminution apparatus 5 the straw stalks are comminuted to a length of approximately 4 cm. The first comminution apparatus 5 can be, for example, a straw mill from the manufacturer voran Maschinen GmbH, Austria.

[0043] The straw comminuted in the first comminution apparatus 5 is fed with the aid of a feed 6 to a crushing apparatus 7 of the device 1. Starting with the first comminution apparatus 5, the straw is guided in a substantially airtight air channel system 8 of the device 1. The lines and connections of the air channel system 8 are designed such that they withstand a static negative pressure of approximately 2200 Pascal.

[0044] The feed 6 is designed in the manner of a nozzle with a flat opening 9 (see FIG. 2). The feed 6 is designed to separate the stalks of the straw prior to the crushing so that preferably individual straw stalks are fed the crushing apparatus 7.

[0045] The crushing apparatus 7 is designed to crush the straw. The crushing apparatus 7 includes three rollers 10, 11, 12, which are mounted in the housing 13 so as to be rotatable about parallel rotation axes 10, 11, 12 (see FIG. 2-4). The rollers 10, 11, 12 are arranged oppositely in pairs and form a first roller pair 10, 11 and a second roller pair 11, 12. The opposite rollers 10, 11, 12 of a roller pair are driven in opposite directions during operation, or the device 1 is designed to drive the rollers in opposite directions. The circumferential speed of the rollers 10, 11; 11, 12 of a pair are substantially the same. During operation of the shown arrangement the circumferential speeds of all rollers 10, 11, 12 of the crushing apparatus 7 are the same because the second, middle roller 11 belongs to both roller pairs 10, 11; 11, 12. The straw stalks coming from the feed 6 are firstly sucked in between the rollers 10, 11 of the first roller pair on account of the negative pressure. The circumferential speed of the rollers 10, 11, 12 is slightly greater here than the airspeed of the straw stalks, and so the straw stalks are discouraged from collecting in front of the first roller pair 10, 11. A portion of the straw nodes is crushed between the rollers 10, 11 of the first roller pair, whilst the straw is conveyed to the second roller pair 11, 12 on account of the rotation of the rollers 10, 11. A further portion of the nodes of the straw is crushed between the rollers 11, 12 of the second roller pair.

[0046] Downstream of the crushing apparatus 7, the device 1 has a downstream second comminution apparatus 14. The second comminution apparatus 14 is connected to the crushing apparatus 7 in such a way that during operation the straw crushed in the crushing apparatus 7 is fed to the second comminution apparatus 7. In the second comminution apparatus 14 the crushed straw stalks are comminuted to a length between 10 and 20 mm. The second comminution apparatus 14 can be, for example, a straw mill from the manufacturer voran Maschinen GmbH, Austria.

[0047] The device 1 also includes a suction apparatus 15. For example, a suction apparatus 15 from the manufacturer Holzprofi Pichlmann GmbH, Austria can be used. The suction apparatus 15 supports the conveying of the straw stalks through the two comminution apparatuses 5, 14 and through the crushing apparatus 7 by generating a negative pressure in the air channel system 8. In accordance with the shown production line at least one second production line (with separate crushing apparatus and comminution apparatuses) can be connected to the same suction apparatus 15, so that the suction apparatus 15 collects straw stalks from a plurality of production lines. The schematically shown suction apparatus 15 discharges the filtered waste air 16 upwardly and guides the produced insulation material downwardly into a funnel-shaped straw trap 17 by way of overpressure. The insulation material is compacted in the straw trap 17 and is dispensed into a conveying screw 18. The conveying screw 18 compresses the insulation material to a desired packaging density of approximately 130-170 kg/m3 for filling a packaging 19, for example a bag. The filled packagings 19 are then stacked for delivery on pallets 20 and are transported to the site of use, where the insulation can be produced by filling the packaging content into a conventional blow-in machine.

[0048] FIGS. 2 to 4 show the crushing apparatus 7 according to FIG. 1 in greater detail. The direction of rotation of the rollers 10, 11, 12 is shown by direction arrows 21. As is discernible on the basis of the shown roller profiles, the rollers 10, 11, 12 have axis-parallel grooves 22. The regions between the grooves 22 are formed as teeth 23. The rollers 10, 11; 11, 12 of a roller pair, in particular the teeth 23 and grooves 22 thereof, mesh with one another in the manner of a spur gearing, as can be seen in particular in FIG. 4. The diameter of the rollers in this exemplary embodiment is 120 mm in each case. The rollers each have 68 teeth with a tooth depth of approximately 6 mm.

[0049] Between the rollers 10, 11; 11, 12 of a roller pair the crushing apparatus 7 has a crushing gap 24, 25. The crushing gap 24, 25 is the smallest gap between the rollers 10, 11; 11, 12 of a roller pair in the radial direction. In the present example the crushing gap 24, 25 corresponds in each case to the distance between the radial outer surface of a tooth 23 of a roller and the radial inner surface of a groove 22 of the opposite roller. The gap width of the crushing gap 24, 25 is adjustable, for example with a displaceable bearing (see below), and in the shown position is approximately 1.2 mm. In this position the crushing apparatus 7 is designed to crush the nodes of wheat straw.

[0050] The two upper rollers 10, 12, which are associated with different roller pairs 10, 11; 11, 12, are spring-mounted. In other words the bearings of these rollers 10, 12 are not rigidly connected to the bearing of the middle roller 11, but instead are displaceable from the bearing of the middle roller 11 against the return force of a spring normal to the rotation axis of the middle roller 11. The return force of the spring is approximately 10-25 kN.