Reducing machine rotor assembly and methods of constructing and operating the same

1. A fragmenting rotor assembly for comminuting waste wood and other fragmentable material, the assembly comprising:

a drive shaft and mechanism for driving the drive shaft in a direction of rotation about a longitudinal drive shaft axis;

a hammer support carried by the drive shaft and projecting radially relative to the drive shaft axis and including a radially outer hammer head;

a fragmenting knife removably secured to the hammer head and having a reducing edge disposed in a radially outer cutting position; and

a deflecting member carried by the drive shaft and having a radially outer end disposed in a position and configured to deflect fragments away from at least a portion of the fragmenting knife, at least one of the hammer support and the deflecting member being carried by at least one rod of a plurality of circumferentially-spaced axially-extending rods that are carried on the drive shaft by axially-spaced rotor members,

the deflecting member being disposed adjacent a radial plane of rotation of the hammer head for motion in a circumferential deflecting path radially short of a circumferential cutting path of the reducing edge of the fragmenting knife carried by the hammer head and radially beyond a circumferential path of at least a radially inner portion of the fragmenting knife extending a radial distance short of the radial distance to the fragmenting knife reducing edge;

the fragmenting knife having a second reducing edge and is removably secured to the hammer head such that one of the reducing edges of the knife is positioned in a radially outer cutting position and the other reducing edge of the knife is positioned in a radially inner stowed position relative to the drive shaft axis of rotation;

the radially outer end of the deflecting member being positioned to move in a circumferential deflecting path radially beyond a circumferential path of the fragmenting knife reducing edge carried in the inner stowed position on the hammer head; and

the radially outer end of the deflecting member being positioned to move in a circumferential deflecting path radially beyond a circumferential path of one or more bolts holding the fragmenting knife to the hammer head.

2. A fragmenting rotor assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the deflecting member is disposed in the radial plane of rotation of the hammer head.

3. A fragmenting rotor assembly as defined in claim 1 in which:

a plurality of hammer supports and deflecting members are carried by the rods on the drive shaft and are driven in rotation by the drive shaft;

a plurality of fragmenting knives are removably secured to each hammer head of the plurality of hammer supports and have respective reducing edges disposed in respective radially outer cutting positions; and

the deflecting members have radially outer ends disposed in respective positions to deflect fragments away from at least portions of respective fragmenting knives.

4. A fragmenting rotor assembly as defined in claim 3 in which the deflecting members are supported in helically staggered positions with respect to the rotational axis of the drive shaft.

5. A fragmenting rotor assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the hammer support is side-for-side reversible.

6. A fragmenting rotor assembly as defined in claim 1 in which the hammer support and the deflecting member are each carried by at least one rod of the plurality of circumferentially-spaced axially-extending rods.

7. A fragmenting rotor assembly for comminuting waste wood and other fragmentable material, the assembly comprising:

a drive shaft and mechanism for driving the drive shaft in a direction of rotation about a longitudinal drive shaft axis;

a hammer support carried by the drive shaft and projecting radially relative to the drive shaft axis and including a radially outer hammer head;

a fragmenting knife removably secured to the hammer head and having a reducing edge disposed in a radially outer cutting position; and

a deflecting member carried by the drive shaft and having a radially outer end disposed in a position and configured to deflect fragments away from at least a portion of the fragmenting knife, at least one of the hammer support and the deflecting member being carried by at least one rod of a plurality of circumferentially-spaced axially-extending rods that are carried on the drive shaft by axially-spaced rotor members, the deflecting member having a generally oblong body with a lobular outer end.

8. A fragmenting rotor assembly for comminuting waste wood and other fragmentable material, the assembly comprising:

a drive shaft and mechanism for driving the drive shaft in a direction of rotation about a longitudinal drive shaft axis;

a hammer support carried by the drive shaft and projecting radially relative to the drive shaft axis and including a radially outer hammer head;

a fragmenting knife removably secured to the hammer head and having a reducing edge disposed in a radially outer cutting position; and

a deflecting member carried by the drive shaft and having a radially outer end disposed in a position and configured to deflect fragments away from at least a portion of the fragmenting knife, at least one of the hammer support and the deflecting member being carried by at least one rod of a plurality of circumferentially-spaced axially-extending rods that are carried on the drive shaft by axially-spaced rotor members;

the hammer support being carried by two rods of the plurality of rods;

the deflecting member being carried by two rods of the plurality of rods; and

at least one of the rods carrying the deflecting member being disposed circumferentially adjacent and rotatively preceding at least one of the two rods carrying the deflecting member.

9. A fragmenting rotor assembly as defined in claim 8 in which both rods carrying the deflecting member rotatively precede both rods carrying the hammer support.

10. A fragmenting rotor assembly as defined in claim 9 in which the hammer support includes two axial through-holes configured to receive two rods of the plurality of axially-extending rods.

11. A fragmenting rotor assembly as defined in claim 9 in which the deflector member includes two axial through-holes configured to receive two rods of the plurality of axially-extending rods.

12. A fragmenting rotor assembly as defined in claim 8 in which the hammer support is carried between two axially adjacent rotor members and the deflecting member is carried between the same two axially adjacent rotor members.

13. A fragmenting rotor assembly as defined in claim 12 in which the deflecting member is spaced radially between the hammer support and a second hammer support carried between the same two axially adjacent rotor members.

14. A fragmenting rotor assembly as defined in claim 13 in which the deflecting member is disposed adjacent a radial plane of rotation of at least one of the two hammer supports carried between the same two axially adjacent rotor members.

15. A fragmenting rotor assembly as defined in claim 14 in which at least a portion of the deflecting member is disposed in the radial plane of rotation of at least one of the two hammer supports.