Rotary Parlour Drop Tube End Wall Flow Redirection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In rotary milking parlours, food and nutrients often bounce off the food manger due to the speed of falling items, resulting in loss for the animal and economic loss for farmers.
Innovation Solution
The drop tube is designed with a tubular end section featuring a centre axis and an opening in its wall, causing a radical change in flow direction and reducing speed, preventing bouncing by incorporating a flat end wall with a specific angle and cross-sectional area ratio, and allowing for flexible positioning without deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If food is dropped into the food manger at high speed, then delivery efficiency is improved, but food loss due to bouncing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The end wall is positioned inside the drop tube before the food exits, performing a preliminary action to redirect the food flow and reduce its speed before the food contacts the food manger, thereby preventing bouncing while maintaining efficient delivery
Solution Approach 2:
The end wall acts as an intermediary element within the drop tube that mediates between the high-speed food flow from above and the food manger below, redirecting and slowing the food through a radical change in flow direction
2Device complexity
If the drop tube opens vertically downwards, then结构简单 (structure is simple), but food bounces off the food manger
Solution Approach 1:
The drop tube is segmented into different sections: an upper vertical section for efficient food delivery and a lower end section with an end wall that redirects food flow, combining the benefits of simple vertical structure with the food-loss-preventing redirection
3Loss of substance
If the end wall redirects food flow radially, then food speed is reduced preventing bounce, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of redirecting food flow in the conventional downward direction, the end wall inverts the flow direction to radial, causing food to change direction by 90 degrees or more, which dramatically reduces speed and prevents bouncing
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 design effectively reduces food and nutrient loss by slowing down the falling items as they exit the drop tube, ensuring they fall into the food manger without bouncing, while maintaining efficient delivery rates.
Implementation Method 1
food and nutrients that travels through the drop tube and is supposed to be poured out through the drop tube is forced to a radical change of flow direction due to the provision of the end wall and the positioning of said opening in a tubular wall portion of the end section of the drop tube. This change of flow direction will also result in a speed reduction of the food and nutrients
Data Source
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AI summary
A drop tube (1) arranged to provide food to an animal in a milking stable, said drop tube (1) being configured to receive food from a food container arranged vertically above the drop tube (1) and to deliver the received food into a food manger, said drop tube (1) comprising a tubular connection section (2) configured to be connected to a food container, a tubular mid-section (3), which in a first end is connected to the connection section (2), and a tubular end section (4), which is connected to a second end of the tubular mid-section (3). The tubular end section (4) has a centre axis (x1), the tubular end section (4) presents an opening (13) in a tubular wall portion of the tubular end section (4), and the tubular end section (4) has an end wall (14) which is intersected by the centre axis (x1) of the tubular end section (4).