Agricultural Boom Coupling Elements for Lightweight Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural distribution machines face challenges in achieving high strength and rigidity for large working widths while maintaining a low weight, with complex and costly production methods, and limitations in using fiber-reinforced plastic materials due to issues like notch effects and weldability.
Innovation Solution
The use of dimensionally stable coupling elements that connect adjacent longitudinal struts in a force-fitting or material-locking manner, eliminating the need for holes in the struts and allowing for varied load capacity adjustments, and the use of fiber-reinforced plastic materials without compromising strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional metal booms with high strength and rigidity are used for large working widths, then the structural strength and rigidity are improved, but the weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining metal longitudinal struts with fiber-reinforced plastic connecting struts and coupling elements. This hybrid construction allows the boom to achieve high strength and rigidity through the synergistic combination of metal (for load-bearing longitudinal elements) and composite materials (for connecting elements), while significantly reducing the overall weight compared to traditional all-metal constructions.
2Weight of moving object
If fiber-reinforced plastic materials are used to reduce weight, then the weight is reduced, but the reliability decreases due to notch effects and weldability issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials in a hybrid construction where fiber-reinforced plastic connecting struts are joined to metal longitudinal struts via coupling elements. This approach leverages the weight advantages of composites while mitigating their reliability issues by using mechanical coupling rather than welding, and by designing the coupling elements to avoid stress concentration points that would cause notch effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling elements serve as intermediaries between the metal longitudinal struts and fiber-reinforced plastic connecting struts. These coupling elements facilitate the connection without requiring direct welding or bonding of the composite materials to each other, thereby avoiding weldability issues and reducing stress concentration that would compromise the reliability of the fiber-reinforced plastic materials.
3Strength
If complex production methods with many cuts and welded connections are used, then the strength and rigidity are improved, but the ease of manufacture decreases and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the boom structure into modular components: longitudinal struts, connecting struts, and coupling elements. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured separately using simpler processes, then assembled through mechanical connections rather than complex welding operations. The modular design reduces production complexity while maintaining structural integrity through the standardized coupling mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces welded connections with mechanical coupling elements that join the longitudinal and connecting struts. This substitution eliminates the need for complex welding operations on fiber-reinforced plastic materials, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining the necessary strength and rigidity through the mechanical interlocking mechanism of the coupling elements.
4Force
If the boom structure is designed for high load capacity, then the strength is improved, but the weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials in a hybrid construction where the metal longitudinal struts provide the primary load-bearing capacity, while the fiber-reinforced plastic connecting struts contribute to overall structural strength with minimal weight addition. This composite approach allows the boom to achieve high load capacity without the proportional weight increase that would occur with traditional all-metal construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different materials with optimized properties to different parts of the boom structure: metal is used for the longitudinal struts where high strength and rigidity are most critical for load-bearing, while fiber-reinforced plastic is used for the connecting struts where weight reduction is prioritized. This local differentiation of material quality allows the structure to achieve high load capacity with minimized overall weight.
Data Source
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AI summary
An agricultural spreading machine is proposed, comprising a storage container (1) supported by a frame, a metering unit (100) downstream of the storage container, booms (200) articulated to the frame or the storage container, each boom having at least three longitudinal struts (206, 207, 208, 209), several connecting struts (210), a plurality of distribution units (60) supported by the booms, and a plurality of conveying lines (37) which serve to transfer the material to be spread to the distribution units and are supported by the booms. The invention provides that at least some connecting struts are each fixed to two adjacent longitudinal struts of the boom by means of dimensionally stable coupling elements (211), wherein the coupling elements connect the two adjacent longitudinal struts to each other in pairs and are fixed to the two adjacent longitudinal struts by force and/or material interlock.The coupling elements also have fastening means (219) which serve to fasten the connecting struts to the coupling element, so that the coupling elements on the one hand connect two longitudinal struts together in pairs and on the other hand serve to mount the connecting struts in order to connect the pair of longitudinal struts with at least one further longitudinal strut.