Harvester Reel End Shield Plate Scalloped Edge Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crop harvesting headers face issues with crop flow and wrapping at the end of the reel, leading to reduced efficiency and material collection between the reel and the header end panel.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates endmost fingers that extend beyond the radial plane of the end shield plate, with a bent shape and a scalloped peripheral edge on the end shield plate to improve crop flow and prevent wrapping, featuring a combination of metal and plastic materials for the fingers and a recessed edge to facilitate rotation and rearward movement of the crop.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the end shield plate has a conventional circular or polygonal perimeter edge, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but crop wrapping and stalling occur at the reel end
Solution Approach 1:
The end shield plate peripheral edge is designed with a scalloped configuration featuring curved recesses and protrusions rather than straight lines or simple circular/polygonal shapes. This curved geometry guides crop flow smoothly around the reel end, preventing wrapping and stalling by maintaining continuous crop contact with the shield plate surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The peripheral edge of the end shield plate is segmented into multiple recesses and protrusions rather than being a continuous smooth curve or simple geometric shape. This segmentation creates multiple crop flow pathways and contact points, improving crop guidance reliability while the overall structure remains a single integrated plate component.
2Productivity
If the endmost fingers are positioned inside the end shield plate, then the structure is compact, but crop flow is disrupted and material collects between the reel and header end panel
Solution Approach 1:
The endmost fingers are extended axially beyond the radial plane of the end shield plate, utilizing the axial dimension to improve crop flow. This extension allows the fingers to guide crop material past the reel end and onto the header end panel, preventing material accumulation in the gap between the reel and panel while maintaining a compact radial footprint.
3Ease of manufacture
If the peripheral edge of the end shield plate is straight or circular, then manufacturing is simple, but crop wrapping occurs at the reel end
Solution Approach 1:
The peripheral edge incorporates curved scalloped recesses and protrusions that guide crop flow around the reel end. These curved features prevent crop wrapping by maintaining smooth crop contact paths, while the overall scalloped pattern can be manufactured using standard sheet metal forming processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The peripheral edge geometry is changed from simple circular or polygonal shapes to a scalloped configuration with specific recess depths and protrusion heights. These geometric parameter changes improve crop flow control and prevent wrapping, while the parameters are designed to be achievable through conventional manufacturing methods.
Data Source
AI summary
A reel of a harvester including a cutter bar includes a plurality of reel bats which are pivotal so as to vary the angle of the fingers about the bat axis as the reel rotates and an end shield plate mounted on the reel at the end of the reel. The end plate has a peripheral edge located radially inward of an outer tip of the fingers with an apex at each of the bats and portions which are recessed from a straight line joining the apexes to allow rotation of the finger around the bat axis without contacting the peripheral edge. Each of the endmost fingers of the bats has a base which is axially inside the end plate and is bent longitudinally of the reel to define an outer tip which is axially spaced from the base to a position beyond the radial plane of the end plate.