Conveyor Drum Support Elements for Combine Harvester
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing combine harvester designs suffer from damage to the conveyor drum due to dynamically changing loads during crop conveyance, leading to cracks in weld seams and potential detachment of support elements, which compromises crop flow and damages downstream components.
Innovation Solution
The support elements extend radially over the entire lateral surface of the conveyor drum between guide plates, absorbing forces tangentially and reducing the risk of damage by distributing them in the circumferential direction, thereby avoiding acute angle stress and material wastage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If support elements are connected to guide plates by welded joints, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but cracks appear in the weld seams or support elements due to dynamically changing loads during crop conveyance
Solution Approach 1:
The support element is divided into two functional parts: a first end that connects to the guide plate and a second end that contacts the lateral surface. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently - the connection end for manufacturing ease and the support end for load distribution and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The support element extends in the radial direction from the guide plate to the lateral surface, adding a radial dimension to the force transmission path. This radial extension distributes forces over a larger area of the lateral surface, preventing stress concentration at the weld seam while maintaining simple welded connections.
2Strength
If the radial extent of support elements is increased to improve force distribution, then force absorption is improved, but the weight and material costs of the conveyor drum increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support element provides localized reinforcement only where needed - extending radially from the guide plate to the lateral surface at specific circumferential positions. This local quality approach strengthens the force transmission path without requiring increased thickness of the entire conveyor drum, thus avoiding unnecessary weight and material costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The support element acts as a composite structural component that combines the guide plate and lateral surface into a integrated force-bearing structure. This composite approach distributes forces through the support element rather than requiring the lateral surface alone to bear all loads, achieving strength without increasing overall material usage.
3Shape
If support elements have a wedge-shaped geometry with acute angle at the free end, then the structure is compact, but forces are introduced at an acute angle causing cracks and damage
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the support element taper to an acute angle at the free end (prior art), the invention inverts this geometry by having the support element extend radially with its full width at the free end that contacts the lateral surface. This inversion changes the force introduction angle from acute to essentially perpendicular, eliminating stress concentration and crack formation while maintaining compact geometry.
4Strength
If the jacket thickness of the base body of the conveyor drum is increased to prevent damage, then strength and damage resistance are improved, but the weight and material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The strength enhancement is segmented into discrete support elements positioned at specific locations where forces are applied, rather than uniformly increasing the jacket thickness throughout. This segmentation achieves the necessary strength at critical locations while minimizing overall material usage and costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The support elements provide localized strength enhancement only at the positions where guide plates transmit forces to the lateral surface. This local quality approach avoids the unnecessary material cost and weight increase that would result from uniformly thickening the entire conveyor drum jacket.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The harvester i.e. self-propelled combine harvester (1), has an axial separating device (3) i.e. tray-type shaker, extending along longitudinal direction of the harvester. A tangentially arranged feed drum (8) is installed in front of the device and configured with axially parallel guide plates on the circumference of the drum. The plates bear against a free jacket surface of the drum through support elements that extend between adjacent guide plates along circumferential direction. The support elements extend between the adjacent guide plates along radial direction over the jacket surface.