Modular Threshing Bed Bars for Concave Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural combine concaves are difficult and costly to replace or repair, leading to extended downtimes during harvest, and there is a need for a design that reduces grain loss and damage during threshing.
Innovation Solution
A concave design featuring first and second frames that pivotally connect, allowing bars with integrated separating grates to be removably connected and disconnected without axial rotation, enabling non-destructive removal and installation, and reducing grain loss and damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the concave is designed as a permanent welded structure, then the structural strength and stability are improved, but the ease of repair and maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The concave is divided into multiple modular bars that can be independently removed and replaced. Each bar is a separate component that can be detached from the frame without affecting the entire structure, enabling selective repair of only the worn or damaged bars while maintaining the rest of the concave assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The concave bars are designed with movable connections to the frame, allowing them to be dynamically removed and reinstalled. The bars can be positioned in a first position for operation and a second position for removal, providing operational flexibility for maintenance while maintaining structural integrity during threshing operations.
2Reliability
If the concave bars are permanently connected to the frame, then the reliability of the structure is improved, but the ease of operation for maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The concave assembly is segmented into individually replaceable bars connected to the frame through separable engagement assemblies. Each bar can be independently accessed, removed, and replaced without disturbing other bars or requiring complete disassembly of the concave structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement assemblies are pre-configured with tongues and slots that align automatically during bar installation. The bars are designed with features that guide them into the correct position and secure them to the frame, simplifying the maintenance operation and reducing the skill level required for replacement.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the concave is designed as a single integrated unit, then the structural stability is improved, but the loss of time for replacement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The concave is segmented into multiple independent bars that can be serviced individually. When a bar becomes worn or damaged, only that specific bar needs to be removed and replaced, rather than replacing the entire concave assembly. This dramatically reduces the time lost during maintenance operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The bars are designed with dynamic removal and installation capabilities through the engagement assemblies. The bars can be quickly detached from the frame and repositioned without requiring complex tools or procedures, enabling rapid maintenance while the combine operates during harvest season.
4Ease of manufacture
If traditional concave designs are used, then the manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but the grain loss and damage during threshing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The separating grate is merged with each concave bar to form an integrated component. This combination provides both the structural function of the bar and the grain separation function of the grate in a single element, improving threshing efficiency and reducing grain loss while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The concave bars are equipped with separating grates that provide localized grain separation functionality at specific positions along the bar length. This local addition of separating capability enhances the overall threshing performance and reduces grain damage without requiring complete redesign of the entire concave structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A concave for an agricultural combine includes threshing beds carried by a base frame and forming openings therebetween for grain to pass through. Each threshing bed includes a first end, a second end, a length from the first end to the second end, an inner extremity, an outer extremity, and a separating grate extending across one of the openings for separating grain from threshed crop material. The separating grate extends along the length between the first end and the second end, is between the inner extremity and the outer extremity and includes grate openings and spaced-apart bars. The bars are between adjacent grate openings and include struts each connecting two adjacent parts of the separating grate between adjacent grate openings and severed bars each including bar segments extending inwardly toward one another to respective free ends on either side of a gap between adjacent grate openings.