Pump Stack Mounting Arrangement for Agricultural Applicator Servicing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing self-propelled agricultural product applicators require the entire pump stack and supporting cross members to be removed for servicing or repair, which is inefficient and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A pump stack mounting arrangement that includes a crossmember with an opening for axial movement and a removable mounting plate, allowing individual pumps to be detached and serviced without removing the entire pump stack or cross member, enabling maintenance without disassembling the entire system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the pump stack is mounted directly to the engine or crossmembers in a fixed arrangement, then the pump stack is compact and structurally simple, but the entire pump stack and crossmembers must be removed for servicing any individual pump
Solution Approach 1:
The pump stack is divided into individually removable pump units that can be separated from the stack. Each pump can be detached independently by removing fastening members, allowing servicing of individual pumps without removing the entire pump stack or crossmembers from the applicator frame.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting structure transitions from a fixed, permanent installation to a dynamic, reconfigurable system. Fastening members allow the pump stack and individual pumps to be easily assembled and disassembled, enabling maintenance operations while keeping the overall mounting structure relatively simple.
2Productivity
If the pump stack is mounted as a single integrated unit, then the number of connecting and support members is minimized, but the entire pump stack must be disconnected and removed as a unit for any pump maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The pump stack is segmented into individually serviceable units with standardized fastening interfaces. This allows mechanics to quickly detach and service only the specific pump that requires maintenance, rather than disconnecting and removing the entire pump stack assembly, significantly reducing service time and downtime.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows for quick disconnection and removal of individual pump units from the stack for servicing, while the remaining pumps stay installed and operational. After servicing, the individual pump is recovered and reinstalled, minimizing the overall downtime of the hydraulic system.
3Ease of repair
If frame crossmembers are made removable to access pumps, then individual pumps can be serviced without removing the entire pump stack, but the structural integrity and complexity of the frame increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making crossmembers removable, the segmentation is applied to the pump stack itself. The pump stack is divided into individually detachable units that can be accessed and removed from the intact crossmember structure, maintaining frame strength while enabling pump servicing.
Solution Approach 2:
The individual pumps are extracted from the pump stack assembly through removable fastening members, allowing them to be taken out for servicing while leaving the pump stack housing and crossmember structure intact and permanently installed on the frame.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for mounting a pump stack in a self-propelled agricultural product applicator utilize a pump stack mounting arrangement including a pump stack, a crossmember with a web having an opening providing clearance for passage through the opening of at least one successive pump of the pump stack, and a removable mounting plate adapted for attachment to the crossmember and the at least one successive pump on an opposite side of the crossmember from a proximal end of the pump to provide support for a distal end of the pump stack. By removing the mounting plate, detaching any successive pump in the stack from its immediately preceding pump in the pump stack, and moving the detached part of the pump stack axially through the opening, clearance is provided for servicing a pump in the stack without removal of the whole pump stack or the crossmember.