Adjustable Stubble Shredding Unit for Forage Harvesters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural attachments for harvesting stalky crops like corn do not effectively shred plant stubble close to the ground, allowing corn borers to overwinter and cause economic losses, and require costly and labor-intensive adjustments to avoid uneven terrain.
Innovation Solution
An attachment with cutting and conveying devices featuring rotatable cutting elements and coaxially arranged shredding devices that are reversibly adjustable, allowing for optimized shredding of plant stubble regardless of cutting unit height settings and terrain, with modular and cost-effective design to minimize wear and downtime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a single large-scale shredding device is used to cover the entire working width, then the shredding coverage is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The shredding device is divided into multiple independent shredding units, each responsible for a specific section of the working width. Each unit includes its own shredding tools and adjustment mechanism, allowing independent operation and simplifying the overall system complexity while maintaining full-width coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The shredding units are arranged in the axial direction below the cutting elements, creating a vertical dimension for shredding operation. This dimensional arrangement allows each unit to work independently on stubble in its designated zone without interfering with adjacent units.
2Device complexity
If the shredding device is fixed in position, then the structural simplicity is improved, but the ability to compensate for uneven ground and obstacles is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Each shredding unit is made dynamically adjustable in the axial direction relative to its associated cutting element. This dynamic capability allows the shredding unit to independently compensate for uneven ground and obstacles while maintaining its association with the specific cutting element, balancing structural simplicity with terrain adaptability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the shredding unit is made adjustable in the axial direction, then the terrain compensation capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism is segmented and integrated into each individual shredding unit rather than being a centralized system. This segmentation limits the complexity increase to local levels while distributing the adaptability benefit across all units, making the overall system more manageable despite the added adjustment capability.
4Productivity
If cutting elements are positioned higher for optimal crop cutting, then the cutting performance is improved, but the ability to shred stubble close to the ground is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The shredding unit's axial adjustability enables it to dynamically position itself optimally for shredding operations regardless of the cutting element's height setting. This dynamic positioning ensures that stubble is always shredded close to the ground even when cutting elements operate at higher positions for optimal crop harvesting.
Solution Approach 2:
The independent association of each shredding unit with its specific cutting element allows the shredding function to be optimized separately from the cutting function. This segmentation enables the cutting elements to maintain optimal height for crop cutting while the shredding units independently adjust to shred stubble close to the ground.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a front attachment with cutting and/or conveying devices for cutting stalky crops, in particular maize, sorghum or green fodder, and for feeding the crops into a self-propelled harvesting machine, in particular a forage harvester, wherein the front attachment is guided in a ground-following manner, and the cutting and/or conveying devices have cutting elements which are rotatable about a drive axis extending in an axial direction and are configured for cutting the crops close to the ground, wherein the front attachment has a shredding device for shredding the plant stubble remaining on the ground, wherein each cutting element is associated with a shredding device which is arranged coaxially below it, and wherein the shredding device is reversibly adjustable in the axial direction relative to the cutting element associated with it.The invention further relates to an agricultural machine with such an attachment device and a shredding device for such an attachment device.