Out of all the construction materials known to man, one in particular stands out as the most responsible for advances in architectural design and construction: Concrete driveway. Without concrete, we would not see any urban development, highways being built, dams created, military installations, and a whole host of other vital elements of modern society. Despite being valuable for its high durability, any concrete construction still has a limited life span. Because of this, the very thing that makes concrete so valuable, is also what makes it a challenge to either recycle, or dispose of. Due to this escalating need for concrete, we have developed a dependence on the concrete crusher.
The concrete crusher’s job is to break down large blocks of concrete waste into smaller pieces that can be disposed of, or recycled in a more efficient manner. What follows is a general explanation of different types of concrete crusher in the industry today.
Concrete crushing is achieved via a series of stages. The first stage breaks large concrete blocks into smaller, more manageable pieces. A jaw crusher is typically used at this stage of the demolition. With a reduction ratio of 3/1 to 5/1, these machines are capable of taking concrete blocks of all sizes. The operation of crushing the concrete looks very similar to the process of chewing, so jaw crushers employ a fairly straightforward design. A tapered chute is formed with two reinforced metal plates. One of the plates is fixed in position, while the other slides backwards and forwards. As the concrete moves through the chute, it is crushed into smaller and smaller rocks, until the pieces are finally small enough to fall through.
The concrete will either be reused in this form or it may be crushed down further, depending on what the planned use of the concrete is. Frequently, the use of a secondary concrete crusher is employed, the most common two being cone crushers and impact crushers. Each one is named after the mechanical method used to break the concrete down.