Segmented Closing Tandem for Fertilizer Trench Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closing disc systems for fertilizer toolbars face challenges in varying soil conditions, leading to excessive soil disturbance, soil loss, and incomplete trench sealing, especially when traveling through softer soils and irregular terrain.
Innovation Solution
A row unit with a closing tandem that includes a closing disc and a press wheel with a treaded surface, where the press wheel is positioned to return projected soil back onto the trench, ensuring effective sealing and down pressure distribution across different soil types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the closing disc exerts more force on the ground to close trenches in harder soil, then the trench sealing effectiveness is improved, but excessive soil disturbance occurs in softer soil regions
Solution Approach 1:
The closing disc is segmented into multiple independently adjustable closing elements arranged in a row, allowing each element to be individually adjusted in terms of down pressure and lateral position. This segmentation enables the system to adapt to varying soil conditions across the field width, applying appropriate force to each section without causing excessive disturbance in softer areas while maintaining effective sealing in harder areas.
2Area of stationary object
If the closing disc travels through irregular terrain, then field coverage is maintained, but the closing disc lifts off the ground causing it to skip over areas that need sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The closing elements are mounted on laterally adjustable mechanisms that allow each element to independently respond to terrain variations. When the agricultural vehicle encounters irregular terrain, each closing element can dynamically adjust its position and down pressure to maintain contact with the ground, preventing the closing disc from lifting off and skipping over areas that need sealing.
3Device complexity
If a single closing disc is used, then the device complexity is low, but it cannot effectively handle varying soil conditions across the field
Solution Approach 1:
The closing disc is divided into multiple independently adjustable closing elements, transforming a simple single-disc design into a segmented system. Each element can be independently adjusted in down pressure and lateral position, enabling the system to adapt to varying soil conditions across different parts of the field while maintaining manageable complexity through modular construction.
Solution Approach 2:
Each closing element in the segmented disc can have different down pressure settings and lateral positions tailored to the specific soil conditions of its location in the field. This local quality adjustment allows the system to optimize performance for each section of the field, applying higher pressure to harder soils and lower pressure to softer soils where excessive disturbance would occur.
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural vehicle includes a chassis; a storage tank carried by the chassis; and a row unit carried by the chassis. The row unit includes: a row body; an opening blade carried by the row body and configured to open a trench as the row body is carried in a direction of travel; and a closing tandem carried by the row body behind the opening blade that is pivotally movable relative to the row body. The closing tandem includes a closing disc and a press wheel carried behind the closing disc, the closing disc and the press wheel being configured to rotate as the row body is carried in the direction of travel, the closing disc defining a projection path as it rotates, and the press wheel having a treaded surface in the projection path.