Bale Shredder Rotor Braces and Movable Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bale shredders face issues such as the formation of annular grooves and ridges on bales due to bars on the shredding rotor, making complete shredding difficult, and struggle with removing bales with anomalies or defects, and twine accumulation on the rotor that damages bearings and interferes with shredding operations.
Innovation Solution
The bale shredder design includes a movable secondary side wall for easy bale removal, a bale lift assembly that pivots the rear wall and fork, a shredding rotor with braces to prevent twine migration and facilitate cutting, and a primary and secondary bale movement assembly that moves the bale in both primary and transverse directions to disrupt ridge formation and improve shredding efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a shredding rotor with bars is used to shred bales, then the bale can be shredded, but annular grooves and ridges form on the bale surface making complete shredding difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a movable secondary side wall that can be positioned in different locations around the bale chamber. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt to bales with varying anomaly positions, enabling complete shredding by accessing different entry points around the bale circumference, thereby resolving the issue of incomplete shredding caused by ridge formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The bale chamber perimeter is segmented into multiple walls (front wall, rear wall, primary side wall, and secondary side wall) that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows the system to approach the bale from different directions and access anomalies at various locations, preventing the formation of persistent ridges that would block complete shredding.
2Ease of operation
If the bale chamber has fixed walls, then the structure is simple, but bales with anomalies or defects are difficult to remove
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary side wall is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to be repositioned to access and remove bales with anomalies located at different positions within the chamber. This dynamic feature simplifies bale removal operations while adding only minimal structural complexity compared to a completely fixed design.
3Reliability
If twine is allowed to migrate along the rotor, then the rotor surface is clear, but the bearings become damaged and shredding operations are interfered with
Solution Approach 1:
String blocking members are introduced as intermediary elements positioned between the rotor surface and the bearings. These members intercept and block migrating twine before it can reach and damage the bearings, thereby protecting the critical components while maintaining rotor functionality. The blocking members add minimal complexity to the rotor structure.
4Productivity
If a single bale movement assembly is used, then the device is simple, but bales cannot be moved in multiple directions to disrupt ridge formation
Solution Approach 1:
The bale movement system is segmented into a primary bale movement assembly and a secondary bale movement assembly. The primary assembly moves bales in the main feeding direction, while the secondary assembly moves bales in a transverse direction to disrupt ridge formation. This segmentation enables multi-directional bale movement that prevents persistent ridges from forming, improving shredding completeness while adding manageable complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary bale movement assembly introduces motion in a transverse dimension perpendicular to the primary movement direction. This additional dimensional movement disrupts the formation of annular ridges by preventing continuous contact between the bale surface and fixed rotor elements, thereby improving shredding effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
A bale shredder apparatus may comprise a frame and a bale hopper mounted on the frame and defining an interior bale chamber for receiving a bale to be shredded with a bale feed opening. A bale shredding assembly may be in communication with the bale chamber through the opening to shred a bale in the bale chamber. A side wall of the hopper may be movable away from the primary side wall to permit removal of a bale from the bale chamber. A primary bale movement assembly may move a bale in a lateral direction toward the opening and a secondary bale movement assembly may move the bale in a direction substantially transverse to the lateral direction. A shredding rotor of the shredding assembly may include at least one brace including at least one leg extending outwardly from the outer surface of the rotor.