Conveyor Slat Chain Support via Back Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor slats in combines experience wear and breakage due to heavy crop loads, leading to inefficiencies and crop loss, as well as increased friction and premature chain failure from excessive pressure and heat.
Innovation Solution
A slat design featuring two U-shaped portions joined along their bases, with one longer than the other, allowing chains to ride on the slat's back rather than the feeder house floor, reducing friction and wear, and bolted connections for easier replacement, along with serrated edges for improved crop pickup and tapered ends to prevent wrapping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional slats are used with chains running on the feeder house floor, then the structure is simpler, but friction increases causing heat generation and lubrication loss
Solution Approach 1:
The chain support function is moved from the horizontal feeder house floor to the vertical back surface of the slat. By extending the slat backward to form a support surface, the chain runs on the slat itself rather than on the floor, changing the dimension of contact from horizontal to vertical and eliminating the friction problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The slat back surface acts as an intermediary between the chain and the feeder house floor. Instead of the chain contacting the floor directly, the slat back serves as a mediating surface that supports the chain while allowing it to run freely without friction against the floor.
2Productivity
If slats are made more rigid to handle heavy crop loads, then crop delivery efficiency improves, but wear and breakage of slats and chains increases
Solution Approach 1:
The slat is constructed as a composite structure combining a channel portion and a bar portion. The channel portion provides structural rigidity to handle heavy crop loads, while the bar portion extends backward to provide chain support. This composite design allows the slat to maintain strength for high productivity while reducing wear on both the slat and chain through proper load distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The slat is divided into distinct functional portions: a channel portion for structural strength and crop handling, and a bar portion for chain support. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized for its specific function, with the channel providing rigidity for productivity and the bar providing a wear-reducing support surface for the chain.
3Strength
If slats are riveted to chains for secure attachment, then connection strength is sufficient, but replacement of individual slats becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The slat is designed as a replaceable unit that can be easily removed and replaced without specialized tools. While individual slats may wear over time, the ease of replacement allows for quick maintenance without requiring complex disassembly procedures, making the system more maintainable despite the temporary nature of individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
The design facilitates the discarding of worn slats and their replacement with new ones. The simplified attachment method allows for quick removal of damaged slats and installation of replacements, enabling rapid recovery of system operation without extensive repair procedures.
4Productivity
If slats have sharp edges for better crop pickup, then crop material handling improves, but crop wrapping around edges increases causing clogs
Solution Approach 1:
The slat features localized quality variations: the leading edge has a pickup portion with teeth or projections for effective crop engagement, while the side edges are tapered or rounded to prevent wrapping. This local differentiation allows the slat to excel at crop pickup in one area while preventing harmful wrapping in other areas.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making all edges sharp for pickup, the design inverts the approach by making the pickup edge sharp while the side edges are blunt or tapered. This inversion prevents the side edges from catching and wrapping crop material, eliminating clogs while maintaining effective pickup at the leading edge.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention refers to a slat (60) for a chain and slat conveyor (50) for a feeder house (18) in a harvesting machine such as a combine (10), the slat (60) comprising: a first U-shaped portion (62) having open ends; a second U-shaped portion (64) having open ends, the second U-shaped portion (64) being shorter than the first U-shaped portion (62); the first and second U-shaped portions (62, 64) being joined together at the bases thereof such that the open top sides of the two U-shaped portions (62, 64) of a slat (60) are oppositely directed, the second U-shaped portion (64) being centered in length of the first U-shaped (62) portion; and the first U-shaped portion (62) having through-material holes at the outer ends of the base for securing the slats (60) to chains (56) using securing means.