Convex Tooth Discs for Soil Crust Fracturing and Debris Ejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing farm implements, such as rotary hoes, often become entangled with debris, leading to inefficiencies as they attempt to fracture the soil crust, causing interruptions in the farming process.
Innovation Solution
A crust fracturing apparatus with discs having convex and concave surfaces that converge at the distal ends, supported by a system of arms and an axle, designed to effectively penetrate and break the soil crust while preventing debris entanglement by using an angled surface to eject debris away from the discs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rotary hoe with concave surfaces is used to fracture the crust, then the crust can be effectively penetrated and fractured, but the concave surfaces carry debris out of the soil and cause entanglement with the discs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional concave surface design by using convex surfaces on the teeth. This inversion changes the debris handling mechanism: instead of concave surfaces that trap and carry debris outward, the convex surfaces push debris back into the soil, preventing entanglement while maintaining crust fracturing effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of debris interaction with the teeth into a beneficial outcome. By designing teeth with convex surfaces that engage the crust, the teeth naturally push debris back into the soil during the fracturing process, transforming what would be entanglement into a self-cleaning mechanism that maintains continuous operation
2Productivity
If the rotary hoe operates continuously to fracture the crust, then field work efficiency is improved, but debris entanglement causes the discs to stop rotating and require manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service mechanism where the convex surfaces of the teeth automatically push debris back into the soil during normal operation. This self-cleaning action eliminates the need for manual intervention to remove entangled debris, allowing the discs to rotate continuously and maintain productivity without time losses
3Force
If the teeth have concave surfaces that penetrate the crust, then the crust can be fractured, but the concave surfaces tend to carry debris out of the soil into entanglement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the surface geometry from concave to convex while maintaining the same penetrating function. The convex surfaces provide the necessary force to penetrate and fracture the crust, while simultaneously directing debris backward into the soil, thus maintaining operational continuity without compromising penetration capability
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for fracturing a crust on an agricultural field includes a tool bar and a support attached to the tool bar. A plurality of discs are non-rotatably attached to an axle that is rotatably supported by the support. Each of the plurality of discs include a plurality of spaced apart teeth about the perimeter of each disc. The teeth comprise convex surfaces and concave surfaces that converge at distal ends where the plurality of discs rotate about the support such that the convex surfaces penetrate and fracture the crust and that any debris or trash picked up by the teeth is ejected by the angles of the teeth and angles of the support brackets preventing plugging and destruction of the rowed crop.