Crop Conveying Slinger for Rotary Header Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wide cut rotary harvesters face challenges in ensuring smooth flow of outboard severed crop materials into the conditioner rolls, leading to non-uniform flow, slugs, over-conditioning, and poor quality windrows due to increased volume and speed, which exacerbates cutoff and feeding issues.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a crop conveying system with an outer impeller and a slinger attached to the outboard cutter, along with an intermediate impeller, to direct cut crop materials laterally inward and maintain a clear flow path, ensuring uniform distribution into the conditioner rolls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If outboard cutters are positioned outboard of the conditioning structure to increase cutting width, then the cutting width is increased, but the crop materials experience hesitation and non-uniform flow when turning corner toward the conditioner rolls
Solution Approach 1:
A crop conveying slinger is introduced as an intermediary device between the outboard cutters and the conditioner rolls. The slinger receives cut crop materials from the outboard cutters and actively conveys them inward and rearward toward the conditioner rolls, mediating the transition and preventing hesitation and non-uniform flow that would otherwise occur at the corner turn.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces reliance on passive gravitational flow with an active mechanical conveying system. The slinger, rotating with the outboard cutters, uses its slinger elements to mechanically propel crop materials along a controlled path, substituting the inadequate natural flow mechanism with a positive mechanical conveying action.
2Productivity
If rotary cutters operate at increased speeds to improve productivity, then the harvesting speed is increased, but the volume of cut material flowing through the machine increases dramatically, exacerbating cutoff and feeding problems
Solution Approach 1:
The slinger performs preliminary action by actively conveying and distributing crop materials before they reach the conditioner rolls. By pre-positioning and pre-distributing the crop flow, the slinger prevents downstream problems such as slugs, over-conditioning, and non-uniform windrows that would result from the increased material volume caused by higher harvesting speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The slinger system is dynamically coupled to the rotating outboard cutters, rotating at the same speed. This dynamic configuration allows the conveying elements to continuously interact with the incoming crop stream, adapting to the high-volume flow conditions created by high-speed operation and maintaining effective crop distribution throughout the conditioning process.
3Quantity of substance
If crop volume increases as it approaches the conditioning rolls, then more crop is processed, but the crop compresses horizontally and expands vertically, causing hesitation at the upper support structure
Solution Approach 1:
The slinger redirects crop flow by adding a lateral inward component to the motion, moving crop materials from the outboard regions toward the center before they reach the conditioner rolls. This dimensional change in flow path prevents the horizontal compression and vertical expansion that would otherwise occur, eliminating hesitation at the upper support structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances the uniformity of crop flow into the conditioner rolls, reducing slugs and over-conditioning, resulting in improved quality of windrows and hay bales by maintaining a consistent flow and preventing hesitation at the upper support structure.
Implementation Method 1
An outer impeller is fixed to the outermost outboard cutter for rotation therewith to convey cut crop material laterally inwardly toward the center of the header
Implementation Method 2
a crop conveying element is fixed to the second outboard cutter for rotation therewith. The crop conveying element includes at least one slinger attached to an upstanding spacer
Implementation Method 3
An intermediate impeller is located between the axes of rotation of the two outboard cutters, wherein the intermediate cage-like impeller is suspended on the harvesting header above the cutting plane and not fixed to any of the cutters and rotates in the same direction as the outboard impeller
Data Source
AI summary
A harvesting header has a crop conveying element fixed to an outboard cutter of a cutter bed. The crop conveying element includes at least one slinger attached to an upstanding spacer to space the slinger apart from a top wall of the cutter. The slinger includes a flat disc with a plurality of lobes extending outwardly from a central portion thereof and the spacer is shorter than an outer impeller such that a top extremity of the slinger is spaced below an upper level of an outer impeller. The spacer is also smaller in diameter than the outer impeller so as to provide a space below the slinger to allow flow of the crop material over the second outboard cutter, the space between the top wall of the cutter and the slinger being at least half of the height between a lower disc member and upper stationary grass ring of the outer impeller.