Agricultural Combine Concave With Removable Bars
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural combine concaves are difficult and costly to replace or repair during harvest, leading to extended downtimes due to the need for removal and reinstallation, and they do not effectively minimize grain loss or damage during threshing.
Innovation Solution
A concave design with pivotally connected frames and removable bars using a tongue-and-slot engagement assembly, allowing for non-destructive installation and removal of bars without disassembling the frame, which reduces grain loss and damage by allowing for easy maintenance and repair without removing the concave from the combine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the concave is designed with permanently welded bars to curved end members, then the structural strength and stability are improved, but the ease of repair and replacement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The concave is divided into modular components: curved end members, bars, and engagement assemblies that can be independently removed and replaced. This segmentation allows damaged parts to be replaced without replacing the entire concave structure, resolving the contradiction between structural strength and ease of repair.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement assembly provides a dynamic connection system where bars can be securely attached during operation but easily detached when needed. The tongue-and-slot mechanism with retaining clips creates a connection that is strong during threshing operations yet allows for quick removal and replacement of bars, addressing both structural strength and repairability requirements.
2Reliability
If the concave bars are permanently fixed to the frame, then the reliability during threshing operations is improved, but the loss of time for replacement and reinstallation worsens
Solution Approach 1:
Replacement bars are prepared in advance and can be quickly installed by simply engaging them with the tongue-and-slot assembly. The preliminary preparation of replacement bars and the pre-configured engagement mechanism significantly reduce the time required for concave maintenance while maintaining operational reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic engagement assembly allows for quick attachment and detachment of bars during harvest operations. The retaining clips can be rapidly released and re-engaged, enabling fast replacement of damaged bars without time-consuming disassembly of the entire concave structure, thus reducing downtime while maintaining reliability.
3Ease of repair
If the concave is removed from the combine for maintenance, then the ease of repair is improved, but the productivity during harvest deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Only the specific damaged bar or component is extracted and replaced, not the entire concave assembly. This selective extraction approach allows maintenance to be performed quickly while the concave remains installed on the combine, preserving productivity while achieving the necessary repair.
Solution Approach 2:
The concave maintenance system is designed to be self-service capable during harvest operations. Operators can quickly replace bars using the engagement assembly mechanism without needing to remove the concave from the combine or require specialized service equipment, thus maintaining productivity while enabling easy repair.
4Ease of manufacture
If the bars are made removable from the frame, then the ease of manufacture and assembly is improved, but the device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The concave is segmented into standardized modular components with consistent engagement interfaces. This segmentation simplifies manufacturing of individual parts while the standardized tongue-and-slot assembly reduces overall system complexity by providing a universal connection mechanism for all bars.
Data Source
AI summary
A concave for an agricultural combine includes threshing bars carried by a base frame and forming openings therebetween for grain to pass through. Each threshing bar includes an inner extremity, a deflecting extremity including a deflecting surface, a separating grate between the inner extremity and the deflecting extremity, the separating grate extends across an adjacent one of the openings between the inner extremity and the deflecting extremity for separating grain from threshed crop material, the deflecting surface projects angularly upward relative to the separating grate, and the deflecting surface and the separating grate are arranged at an obtuse angle therebetween forming a grain-collecting trough between the deflecting surface and the separating grate.