1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and to a method for the comminution of plant matter, particularly of moist plant matter, for example for producing corn cob mix.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Corn cob mix is a product which is tough and tends toward clump formation in its comminuted state which, as a result of its high moisture and protein content, forms a sticky mass which presents great difficulties in machine comminution.
Corn cob mix contains ground and/or shredded corn harvested before it is actually ripe whose cob and plant matter is comminuted as a whole and which is processed into a high-grade animal feed by the addition of grain, protein concentrate and, under given conditions, mineral substances during or, respectively, after the comminution, as the case may be.
It is of significance for the mix that complete homogeneity be achieved, since some feed recipients would otherwise receive specific substances in a too low of a concentration and others in a too high of a concentration. The plant matter must be very finely comminuted for this reason.
It is known in the art to employ high-speed hammer mills with or, respectively, without bottom grates for the comminution of plant matter for corn cob mix. Considerable difficulties occur due to the properties of the plant matter to tend toward caking and conglutation. Relatively heavy and complicated machine units having extremely high drive powers in comparison to the comminution work must be employed in order to overcome these difficulties. Since the plant matter is most difficult to process in the state of its highest protein content before it is ripe, riper plant matter has frequently been processed in order to overcome the mechanical difficulties at the expense of the protein content.
A particular disadvantage of the mills heretofore employed occurs due to luting or loading of the strainers or bottom grates. As a result thereof, the already high power consumption of the hammer mills is further increased with a deteriorating comminution performance.
The power consumption also continues to increase progressively when, as a consequence of unavoidable wear, the beater edges of the beater blades or, respectively, of the flails and/or of the grate bars become blunted.