Pivotable Upper Conveyor Section for Grain Cart Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Internal auger configurations in grain carts can hinder downward grain flow, making it desirable to locate the auger entirely outside the hopper, and existing carts lack adjustable elevation features that could improve unloading efficiency and adaptability to different trailer heights.
Innovation Solution
A grain cart with a conveyor assembly featuring a lower and upper conveyor section, where the upper section is pivotable about a second tilt axis, allowing adjustable elevation and forward/rearward movement, connected via a universal joint and controlled by a tilting assembly, enabling the discharge outlet to maintain side reach and adjust height for various trailers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the auger is located entirely outside the hopper, then grain flow is improved, but unloading adaptability to different trailer heights deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge outlet is made movable through a tilting mechanism that allows it to pivot about a horizontal axis, enabling adjustment of the outlet elevation angle. This dynamic positioning capability allows the system to adapt to different trailer heights while maintaining the external auger configuration that improves grain flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The tilting mechanism introduces an angular dimension to the discharge outlet positioning, allowing elevation adjustment in addition to the horizontal positioning. This adds a degree of freedom that enables adaptation to varying trailer heights without compromising the grain flow improvements from the external auger location.
2Device complexity
If the discharge outlet is fixed, then device complexity is reduced, but unloading efficiency for various trailer heights deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A tilting mechanism with pivot axis and positioning actuator is implemented to make the discharge outlet dynamically adjustable in elevation angle. This allows the system to optimize unloading efficiency for different trailer heights while adding only moderate complexity through standardized mechanical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The elevation angle parameter of the discharge outlet is made variable through the tilting mechanism, allowing optimization of the discharge trajectory for different trailer heights. This parameter adjustment capability significantly improves unloading efficiency across various operating conditions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the upper conveyor section is made pivotable, then adaptability to different trailers is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The upper conveyor section is made pivotable about a tilt axis through a tilting mechanism driven by positioning actuators. This dynamic capability allows the conveyor to adapt its elevation angle to match different trailer heights, significantly improving trailer compatibility while using standardized mechanical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotable upper conveyor section provides multi-functionality by enabling the same conveyor assembly to work efficiently with various trailer types and heights. This universal adaptability is achieved through the tilting mechanism that adjusts the discharge outlet angle to optimize unloading for each specific trailer configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A cart for transporting and conveying agricultural materials is provided. The cart includes a frame; a set of wheels or tracks coupled with said frame; and a hitch assembly coupled with said frame to allow the cart to be towed on the wheels or tracks behind a tow vehicle. The cart further includes a hopper defined by a plurality of walls supported by the frame and having a hopper opening to receive agricultural material and a discharge opening for discharging agricultural material. The cart further includes a conveyor assembly coupled to the hopper, the conveyor assembly including an inlet in communication with the discharge opening to receive agricultural material therefrom and an outlet to discharge agricultural material. The conveyor assembly includes a lower conveyor section and an upper conveyor section. The lower conveyor section includes a lower conveyor housing and a lower conveyor extending within the lower conveyor housing and the upper conveyor section including an upper conveyor housing and an upper conveyor extending within the upper conveyor housing. The upper conveyor section is pivotable about a second tilt axis located between said lower and upper conveyor sections and positioned at an acute angle from vertical.