Agricultural Mower Knife Back with Formed Fastening Section

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional knives used in agricultural mower machines are heavy due to thick materials, leading to high mass moments of inertia and increased drive forces during operation, which complicates manufacturing and reduces efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A knife design with a knife back and blades made from thinner materials, featuring a constant circumferential profile and complementary cross-sectional fastening surfaces, allowing for reduced mass and simplified production through forming processes, and enabling effective support without additional fasteners.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Weight of moving object

If conventional thick materials are used for knife blades and knife back, then structural strength and stability are ensured, but mass increases leading to high mass moments of inertia and increased drive forces

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovemassVSAvoidstructural strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Weight of moving objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The knife blade is designed with a formed structure where the material thickness in the thickness direction is less than the height of the blade in the vertical direction. This dimensional reconfiguration allows the blade to achieve sufficient structural strength through its formed geometry rather than relying on increased material thickness, thereby reducing mass while maintaining strength requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The knife back features a formed fastening section with a constant circumferential profile where the material thickness is less than the height of the fastening section. This localized formed structure provides the necessary fastening functionality and structural integrity without requiring the entire knife back to be made of thick material, thus reducing overall mass while maintaining local strength where needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of manufacture

If thick materials are used for knife blades, then structural stability is maintained, but manufacturing complexity and production difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidstructural stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the geometric parameters of the knife blade and knife back by forming them into three-dimensional structures with specific profiles. The knife blade has a formed cross-section where material thickness is less than blade height, and the knife back has a formed fastening section with constant circumferential profile. These parameter changes enable the structures to achieve stability through geometry rather than material quantity, simplifying manufacturing while maintaining structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If formed structures with constant circumferential profile are used, then mass is reduced and manufacturing is simplified, but fastening surface precision and blade alignment must be maintained

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing efficiencyVSAvoidfastening surface precision
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The formed fastening section of the knife back with constant circumferential profile serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, creates the fastening surface for mounting blades, and ensures proper blade alignment through its geometric consistency. This multi-functional design integrates several requirements into a single formed structure, improving manufacturing efficiency while maintaining the necessary precision through the consistency of the formed profile.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4094560A1Blade, in particular for a mower of an agricultural machine
Publication Date: 2022.11.30 SMF HLDG GMBH
  • EP4094560A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4094560A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4094560A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

Knife (1), in particular for a mower of an agricultural machine, comprising: a knife back (2) having at least along a longitudinal axis (L) a mounting section (4) with a constant circumferential profile, wherein the mounting section (4) has a mounting surface (20) for attaching a plurality of knife blades (3), and several knife blades (3) each having a mounting section (8) with a mounting surface (19) with which the knife blades (3) each bear against the mounting surface (20) of the knife back (2), wherein the knife blades (3) are each made of a material having a material thickness (DK) which, in a thickness direction (H) of the material, is less than the height (HK) of the knife blades (3) transverse to the mounting surface (19), wherein the mounting surface (20) of the knife back (2) and the mounting surfaces (19) of the knife blades (3) have complementary profiles in cross-section to each other,characterized in that at least the fastening section (4) of the knife back (2) is made of a material having a material thickness (DR) which, in a thickness direction (H) of the material, is less than the height (HR) of the fastening section (4) of the knife back (2) transverse to the fastening surface (20).