DESCRIPTION Technical field

The present invention relates to a crusher bucket for inert material, particularly for crushing manufacturing waste and demolition material, according to the preamble of the main claim. Technological background

In the technical field of reference and in particular from the current production of the Applicant, buckets are known which comprise an outer casing, configured for the collection of material and inside which are mounted crushing means for crushing the collected material.

It is stated that, in this context, the term "bucket" is intended to indicate as a whole any device arranged and intended to be hooked onto the free end of an arm of an operating machine. The crushing means arranged in the casing typically comprise a pair of jaws facing each other, one movable with respect to the other for compressing and crushing the material present between same.

The present invention finds a preferred, but not exclusive, application in the crushing of inert material derived from the demolition of building structures made of reinforced concrete. Obviously relevant in this material is the presence of a metallic material component which, however, once treated, normally requires to be separated out from the remainder of the crushed material.

This operation is normally carried out manually by the operators, thus proving to be extremely costly both in terms of time and in economic

terms, as well as potentially dangerous also for the operators who must handle the material. Description of the invention

The problem underlying the present invention is that of providing a crusher bucket for inert material, structurally and functionally configured so as to remedy the drawbacks mentioned above with reference to the prior art cited.

The problem is solved by the present invention by means of a crusher bucket produced in accordance with the claims which follow, Brief description of the drawings

The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the detailed description of a preferred exemplary embodiment thereof, described by way of non-limiting example with reference to the appended drawing, in which the single figure 1 represents a perspective view from below of a bucket produced according to the present invention. Preferred way of implementing the invention

In the single appended drawing, a crusher bucket produced in accordance with the present invention is indicated as a whole by 1. The bucket 1 comprises an outer casing 2, on which are provided attachment means for hooking the bucket 1 onto the -free end of an arm of an operating machine (not shown).

Defined in the casing 2 are an inlet for the loading of inert material, and an opposed outlet 3 for the discharge of the treated material, following the crushing operation. Mounted in the casing 2 for this purpose are crushing means for

crushing the aggregate, comprising a movable jaw 4 and an opposed fixed jaw 5, integral with the casing 2.

Removably fixed on the jaws 4 and 5 are suitably grooved plates 6, capable of facilitating the crushing action. The bucket 1 also comprises moving means, known βer se and not shown in the drawing, and which act on the movable jaw 4 in order to move it away from and towards the fixed jaw 5 according to a suitable trajectory, so as to crush the aggregate present between the jaws.

According to the present invention, mounted on the casing 2 are magnetic means capable of attracting to themselves any metallic material, provided that it has ferromagnetic properties.

The magnetic means comprise, for example, a first and a second electromagnetic element, respectively indicated in the drawing by 7 and 8.

The first electromagnetic element 7 is mounted on the outside of the casing 2 at the discharge opening 3, while the second element 8 is mounted on the lower base 2a of the casing, on the opposite side from the positioning of the attachment means for attaching the bucket 1 to the arm of the operating machine onto which the bucket is intended to be hooked.

In the first case, owing to the provision of the first element 7, it is possible to separate out the metallic material leaving the bucket 1, at the end of the crushing stage that has taken place within the casing 2 between the jaws 4 and 5.

In the second case, owing to the provision of the second electromagnetic element 8, it is possible to effect the desired separation of the metallic material from the remaining inert material, directly from the

heaps of material present on the ground. It should be noted that this operation is independent of the crushing stage, so that it may be carried out both on the inert material not yet admitted into the bucket, and on the material which has already been treated by same. Conveniently associated with each of said electromagnetic elements are control means for energizing and de-energizing the electromagnetic elements independently of each other, such that the action of magnetic separation of the metallic material may be carried out only when required by the operator. The control means may be of any type suitable for the purpose proposed, and may, for example, comprise an alternator connected by a suitable circuit to the electromagnetic element. The circuit will be equipped with a switch for opening/closing the electrical connection, such that the electromagnetic element may be de-energized/energized and rendered operationally capable of attracting to itself the metallic material present within the magnetic field thus generated.

Each electromagnetic element will, of course, be of such dimensions that the magnetic field generated may have sufficient force to attract metallic material of the desired mass within a region of predetermined dimensions.

The alternator for supplying the individual electromagnetic elements may be that of the self-propelled operating machine onto which the bucket 1 is intended to be hooked, in which case the bucket will be equipped with suitable electrical connection means, or the alternator may be arranged directly on the bucket 1 and connected mechanically to a hydraulic motor,

also dedicated.

In the preferred exemplary embodiment described and illustrated herein, the bucket 1 comprises two electromagnetic elements; however it is to be understood that the bucket may also provide only one of such elements, or may provide a greater number thereof, depending on the specific requirements of use.

Similarly, the electromagnetic elements may be mounted on the casing 2 in positions different from the preferred ones described herein.

The operational functioning of the bucket according to the invention is immediate.

The operator needs in fact only energize the first electromagnetic element 7 whenever he wishes to separate the metallic material out directly at the discharge of the crushing stage, or the second electromagnetic element 8 whenever separation needs to be carried out on inert material on the ground.

It will be noted that in this way it is possible to treat, in a very efficient manner, building demolition residues of reinforced concrete, in which the reinforcement typically consists of loosely linked iron bars, by separating the metallic material from the stone-like material. The invention thus achieves the aims proposed, further obtaining numerous advantages with respect to the prior art of reference.