To reduce the size of huge rocks or gravel for construction purposes, a concrete crusher is needed. Concrete crushers, also known as rock crushers, are pieces of machinery used to change the composition of waste so that it is easier to dispose of or recycle. Crushers are also used to reduce the size of raw materials mixtures in order to separate and segregate them.

As concrete and rebar construction is highly powerful, it is utilized in many types of buildings and infrastructure, from residences to storefronts to factories and roadways. Instead of sending all of this valuable material to landfills, concrete demolition contractors and recyclers can turn this ‘waste’ product from demolition sites into a useful end product that can be used in a number of projects.

Here is a simple guide for demolition contractors and concrete recyclers on how to choose the right concrete crusher for the job. We’ll start with an overview of the four most common types of crushers available today.

Types of Concrete Crushers

Jaw Crushers

Jaw crushers, at their most basic, work in the same way as a nutcracker does. They smash garbage between two vertically oriented “jaws” that are designed to only let smaller material pass through. The jaws, which open and close like a mouth, are powered by a flywheel. Jaw crushers have the capacity to treat highly hard and abrasive materials as well as take a large infeed size and have lower running costs. However, they are a primary crusher, it can only crush down to a 3″ or 4″ minus size. It is commonly sold or used as a lower-value fill material, they are not appropriate for achieving a smaller, higher-value final product.

Impact Crushers

Impact crushers employ impact to break up concrete, whereas jaw crushers use compression (as their name implies). The material is fed into the crushing chamber, which is equipped with a large rotor spinning at a high RPM. The rotor has ‘blow bars’ or ‘hammers’ that smash the material, breaking it apart, and then send it at high speed against an impact curtain wall(s), crushing it even more.

Impact crushers are highly productive in recycling applications, and they can be configured in a ‘closed circuit’ format with an integrated screening deck, allowing users to reach a finished product as tiny as 3/4′” or even less if necessary. An impact crusher, in our opinion, is the ideal solution for most concrete or asphalt recycling applications.

Cone Crushers

In recycling applications, these are less common. The basic shape of its crushing chamber is a cone with an open top that receives rock. As the aggregate goes down toward the cone’s base, it is crushed between two internal liners, one of which is fixed and the other of which moves eccentrically. Cones are best suited for hard, abrasive rock and are not suitable for recycling applications due to their limited tolerance for tramp iron and other pollutants inherent in demolition debris. They are only suitable for secondary and tertiary crushing.

Excavator Concrete Crusher

Concrete combined with mud and scrap can be easily processed with an excavator concrete crusher. It is made of wear-resistant high-strength steel that may be immediately mounted or hooked to the excavator, considerably increasing the excavator’s adaptability. Concrete slabs, walls, and bridge decks are the most common materials removed with this method. This crusher’s jaws can be operated without the use of hydraulic pressure. The crushing process is based on the pressing forces generated by the moveable front jaw and fixed rear jaw, which can both separate the concrete from the steel bar and crush it.

With any equipment, it’s often only as good as the dealer that stands behind it. You should visit the dealer and ask for a tour of their offices and facility before making a large investment like a crusher. So, if you’re looking for the most trusted aggregate crusher specialist, contact JWBell at 319-365-3655 or visit our website at https://www.jwbell.com/ to learn more.