Chaff Pan Support Assembly Using Pliable Resilient Member
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional chaff pan support systems in agricultural combines wear prematurely due to their susceptibility to wear in non-clean environments, leading to operational issues, increased maintenance, and downtime, as they lack the ability to move freely in six degrees of freedom and are not effectively supported during oscillation and tilting of the cleaning apparatus.
Innovation Solution
A support assembly for a foldable chaff pan that includes a pliable resilient member made of reinforced polyester/nylon composite, allowing for oscillation, tilting, and rotational movement in six degrees of freedom, connected to a pivot joint and support member, which reduces wear and maintains operational reliability by distributing the load effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pipe and roller support systems are used for chaff pan oscillation, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the system suffers from premature wear and reduced reliability in non-clean environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical pipe and roller support system with a pneumatic suspension system using air springs. This substitution eliminates direct mechanical contact and friction between moving parts, thereby preventing premature wear while maintaining oscillation functionality. The air spring system provides reliable support in non-clean environments without requiring complex mechanical wear-resistant components.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the chaff pan is rigidly supported to maintain stability, then structural stability is improved, but the cleaning apparatus cannot effectively oscillate and tilt for self-leveling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamically adjustable air spring suspension systems that can adapt their stiffness and damping characteristics. This allows the chaff pan to maintain stability during operation while simultaneously enabling the cleaning apparatus to oscillate and tilt for self-leveling. The pneumatic system provides controlled flexibility, accommodating both stability requirements and adaptive movement needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The air spring suspension system allows for changing the physical parameters of support (pressure, volume, stiffness) to optimize performance. By adjusting the air pressure and volume in the springs, the system can provide rigid support when stability is needed and more flexible support when oscillation and tilting are required, thus resolving the contradiction between stability and adaptability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the chaff pan support system allows free movement in six degrees of freedom, then operational flexibility is improved, but the support structure becomes more complex and difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses air spring suspension elements that inherently provide multi-directional movement capabilities without requiring separate mechanical mechanisms for each degree of freedom. A single air spring can accommodate compression, extension, and angular movements, providing six degrees of freedom movement freedom while maintaining relatively simple system architecture. This universal pneumatic support element reduces overall system complexity compared to multiple specialized mechanical joints.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The support assembly significantly reduces wear, with the resilient member showing no catastrophic wear after 1,500 hours on a wear simulator, extending the predicted lifespan to over 13,500 hours, compared to conventional systems which fail within 540 hours, thus providing improved reliability and reduced maintenance needs.
Implementation Method 1
a pliable resilient member (26) allowing for oscillation, tilting, and rotational movement in six degrees of freedom
Implementation Method 2
conventional chaff pan support systems in agricultural combines wear prematurely due to their susceptibility to wear in non-clean environments
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A support assembly for supporting a moveable member of an agricultural combine (12) is provided. The support assembly includes a moveable member (14), such as a foldable chaff pan assembly (28) for spreading chaff and other crop residue from the rear of an agricultural combine (12), a support member (24) and a resilient member (26) connected to the support member for supporting the moveable member (14). The resilient member (26) can be configured as an arched shaped or cylindrically shaped member.