Overlapping Auger Windrower for Poultry Litter Breaking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current windrowing machines in the poultry industry are inefficient, moving slowly due to load strain and often requiring multiple passes to break up poultry litter, increasing labor and time, while previous methods underestimated the distribution of ammonia and bacteria across litter layers.
Innovation Solution
A windrower machine with intermeshed rotating shafts and radial extensions, capable of breaking up poultry litter efficiently, including hardpan and cake layers, to form windrows that generate heat to kill bacteria and dry the litter, utilizing a prime mover for enhanced mobility and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If windrower machines move at higher speeds to reduce labor and time, then productivity improves, but the load strain increases causing the machines to move slowly
Solution Approach 1:
The windrower machine divides the litter breaking task into multiple stages: a primary auger breaks up large clumps, while a secondary auger with overlapping flighting handles smaller pieces. This segmentation allows each component to operate within optimal load limits while collectively achieving high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines two augers with overlapping flighting into a single integrated windrower assembly. The overlapping design allows the augers to work simultaneously on different portions of the litter, effectively doubling the breaking capacity without requiring a single oversized auger that would create excessive load strain.
2Loss of time
If windrower machines operate faster to reduce time, then productivity improves, but multiple passes are still required to break up litter
Solution Approach 1:
The primary auger performs preliminary breaking of large cake and hardpan clumps before the secondary auger processes the material. This preliminary action ensures that the litter is pre-fractured into manageable pieces, allowing the secondary auger to complete the breaking process in a single pass without requiring multiple passes.
Solution Approach 2:
The overlapping flighting design of the two augers creates a three-dimensional breaking action that processes litter from multiple angles and heights simultaneously. This multi-dimensional approach ensures complete litter breaking in a single pass, eliminating the need for multiple passes that would otherwise be required.
3Loss of time
If single-pass litter breaking is achieved to reduce time, then productivity improves, but the complexity of the windrower apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
The overlapping flighting design of the two augers serves multiple functions simultaneously: the primary auger breaks large clumps, the secondary auger breaks smaller pieces, and together they create windrows, all in a single pass. This multi-functionality is achieved through a unified mechanical design rather than separate devices, managing complexity while maximizing efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A windrower machine having a pair of forward rotating augers mounted in parallel with one another in overlapping relationship with one another to work in conjunction with a blade and a backstop to form windrows to disrupt and reduce caked material to particulate in windrows as said machine is moved forwardly through a work area.