Based on extensive market research, a branch pulverizer designed for urban waste branch processing was developed. The branch feeding mechanism is driven by a hydraulic system and uses a "floating" working principle to accommodate branches of various diameters. The pulverization function is achieved by straight blades arranged radially on the knife disc. The pulverized wood chips are expelled through a discharge pipe by high-speed airflow generated by a scraper mounted on the high-speed rotating knife disc. Experimental results show that the machine operates smoothly and reliably; it can pulverize branches with diameters up to 200 mm; and has a high production rate, generating wood chips at a rate of 218 m³·h⁻¹. However, issues include high noise levels and high fuel consumption. Future research should focus on enhancing the theoretical and experimental study of cutting forces during branch pulverization, further optimizing the pulverization device, reducing noise, and decreasing fuel consumption.

Performance testing of the prototype machine was conducted under actual conditions. The branches used in the experiment were common urban sycamore branches. The performance indicators evaluated included the operational status of the branch pulverizer, the degree of branch pulverization, production rate, fuel consumption, vibration, and noise. During the experiment, the branch pulverizer operated reliably and smoothly without significant vibrations. When testing sycamore branches with a moisture content of 48%–52% and diameters not exceeding 200 mm, the branch pulverizer achieved a production rate of 218 m³·h⁻¹. The quality of branch pulverization was good, with the majority of wood chips (79%) being less than 12 mm in size. However, the machine produced significant noise, particularly during branch pulverization, with indoor noise levels reaching up to 101 dB. Additionally, the machine's fuel consumption was high, averaging 216 L·m⁻³.