Delimb Knife With Pivotable Side Blades For Variable Tree Diameters

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Solution Overview

Problem

Timber-working heads with delimb knives face challenges in efficiently delimbing trees of varying diameters, as existing designs often lack adequate coverage and adaptability to handle trees with diameters between 150 millimeters and 300 millimeters, leading to incomplete delimbing and debris ingress.

Innovation Solution

A timber-working head with a delimb knife module featuring a central blade and pivotally mounted side blades, which provide a variable cutting edge profile. The module includes a platform with a debris shield and compression springs to bias the side blades, ensuring effective delimbing coverage and debris management.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a fixed delimb knife design is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot adapt to trees of varying diameters (150-300mm) leading to incomplete delimbing coverage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to tree diameter variationsVSAvoiddelimb knife structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The delimb knife employs side blades that are pivotally mounted rather than fixed, allowing them to dynamically adjust their position and orientation in response to trees of varying diameters. This dynamic configuration enables the cutting edge profile to adapt to different tree sizes while maintaining effective delimbing coverage across the 150-300mm diameter range.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the geometric parameters of the delimb knife by providing a variable cutting edge profile through pivotal movement of side blades. This parameter variation allows the same delimb knife structure to effectively process trees across a wide diameter range (150-300mm) by adjusting the relative positions and angles of the cutting blades.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Area of stationary object

If side blades are added to expand coverage, then delimbing coverage is improved, but the device complexity increases with additional components

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelimbing coverage areaVSAvoidnumber of blade components

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges multiple cutting functions into a single integrated delimb knife assembly where the central blade and side blades work cooperatively. This combination provides comprehensive delimbing coverage across the tree diameter while consolidating components into one modular unit that can be attached to the timber-working head, balancing enhanced coverage with controlled complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Adaptability or versatility

If pivotally mounted side blades are used, then adaptability to tree shape changes is enhanced, but the mechanism becomes more complex with carriers and springs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresponse to tree shape changesVSAvoidpivotal mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The side blades are equipped with compression springs that provide automatic self-adjustment capability. As the tree passes through the delimb knife, the springs allow the side blades to self-adjust their position in response to variations in tree shape and diameter, eliminating the need for complex external control mechanisms while maintaining high adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

4Productivity

If comprehensive coverage is achieved with multiple blades, then delimbing effectiveness is improved, but debris ingress between blades increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelimbing effectivenessVSAvoiddebris ingress between blades

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention introduces a debris shield as an intermediary component positioned between the cutting blades and the debris flow path. This shield effectively blocks debris from entering the spaces between the central blade and side blades, protecting the pivotal mechanisms and maintaining delimbing effectiveness without compromising the multi-blade coverage design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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

The solution provides comprehensive delimbing coverage for trees within a wide diameter range, inhibiting debris ingress and enhancing operational efficiency by adapting to tree shape changes, while maintaining module modularity for easy attachment to different heads.

Implementation Method 1

a compression first spring biasing yieldably the first carrier and the first side blade therewith, a compression second spring biasing yieldably the second carrier and the second side blade therewith

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentUS9554524B2Delimb knife with integrated side blades

Publication Date: 2017.01.31 WARATAH NZ

AI summary

A timber-working head is configured to hold a felled tree and to feed the felled tree. The timber-working head comprises a frame and a delimb knife module mounted to the frame and configured to delimb the felled tree when the felled tree is fed past the delimb knife module. The delimb knife module has a central blade, a pivotable first side blade, and a pivotable second side blade.