Floating Manure Agitator With Multi-Axis Nozzles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional floating manure agitators face challenges with limited directional control, manual transportation and connection issues, ice buildup during cold weather, and difficulty in determining effective agitation, leading to inefficiencies and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A remote-controlled floating aquatic manure agitator with multi-axis rotational high-pressure nozzles, a hydraulically adjustable undercarriage, a remotely controllable hitch, and folding pontoons for improved maneuverability and visibility, allowing for efficient agitation and directional control, easy transportation, and ice breaking capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional floating agitators use high pressure nozzles for both agitation and directional control, then the vessel can maintain directional control, but the operator has limited visibility and difficulty controlling the vessel remotely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions nozzles above the water surface rather than submerged, changing the spatial dimension of nozzle placement. This allows operators to see the nozzles while maintaining directional control capability, resolving the visibility issue without sacrificing control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs multiple nozzles that can independently be directed for either agitation or directional control purposes. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain directional control while providing visible nozzle positions for operator awareness.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional floating agitators have fixed non-adjustable wheels, then the structure is simpler, but the vessel can bottom out on steep ramps causing damage and time loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements hydraulically adjustable wheels that can change their position dynamically. The wheels can be raised to clear steep ramps during launching and lowering to contact the ground for stable transport, adapting to different operational conditions to prevent damage.
3Device complexity
If operators manually connect the vessel to transport vehicles, then the connection mechanism is simpler, but it requires increased manpower and adds time to operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a hydraulic hitch system that can automatically connect and disconnect the vessel from transport vehicles without requiring manual intervention. The hydraulic system performs the connection service itself, eliminating the need for operators to physically attach/disconnect the vessel.
4Device complexity
If conventional agitators lack ice-breaking capability, then the structure is simpler, but the vessel becomes inhibited during cold weather and cannot adequately agitate the full pond area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates ice-breaking capability into the existing nozzle system. The high-pressure nozzles can be directed to break ice chunks, adding ice-breaking functionality to the agitation system without requiring a separate dedicated ice-breaking mechanism.
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
Enhances directional control and agitation efficiency, simplifies transportation and connection processes, and addresses ice buildup issues, reducing operational time and potential damage while ensuring thorough pond agitation.
Implementation Method 1
these pumps generally include one or more high pressure nozzles that extend into the manure pond and agitate the liquid/solid mixture by using the force of moving water to dislodge and mix the bottom sludge
Implementation Method 2
a floating aquatic manure agitator vessel
Data Source
AI summary
An aquatic floating manure agitator vessel including a plurality of remotely controlled above-surface agitator nozzles which are visibly positioned on the vessel and hydraulically movable about multiple axes to facilitate effective pond agitation and directional control of the floating agitator. The floating agitator includes a vertically adjustable hydraulic undercarriage and hitch mechanism to facilitate ease of maneuverability during launching and removal of the floating agitator, and for probing the pond bottom for excess sludge build-up. The floating agitator also includes hydraulically folding side wings or pontoons mounted on each side of the vessel to further enhance ease of maneuverability and storage of the vessel.