Reversible Shredding Blade With Sloped Ends For Brush Cutter

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing brush cutter and mower blades with limited cutting points are inefficient in clearing dense vegetation and require additional tools like chainsaws, leading to increased physical effort and time, and are prone to vegetation sticking and imbalance due to 90° blade angles.

Innovation Solution

A reversible shredding blade with a four-bladed propeller design featuring sloped ends at +/-65° angles, providing sixteen cutting points, which reduces physical effort and effectively cuts and shreds vegetation with minimal upward movement, while allowing for easy reuse by flipping the blade when one side wears out.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a traditional blade with four cutting points is used, then the device complexity is low, but the productivity is insufficient for clearing dense vegetation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveclearing efficiencyVSAvoidblade structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The blade is segmented into four distinct cutting elements, each with multiple cutting points (totaling 16 cutting points across all elements). This segmentation allows each element to independently engage vegetation at different positions, significantly increasing clearing capacity while maintaining a manageable structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cutting elements are arranged in a three-dimensional propeller configuration with vertical and horizontal spacing, rather than being coplanar. This spatial arrangement allows the blade to engage vegetation at multiple heights and angles simultaneously, dramatically improving productivity for dense vegetation while the modular propeller design keeps structural complexity reasonable.

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

2Reliability

If a blade with 90° slope is used, then the manufacturing is simple, but the reliability is poor due to vegetation sticking and imbalance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecutting performance consistencyVSAvoidblade angle precision
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The blade angle parameter is changed from the conventional 90° slope to a 65° slope. This parameter modification prevents vegetation from adhering to the blade surface by reducing the contact area and angle, thereby eliminating imbalance issues and ensuring consistent cutting performance. The 65° angle is optimized to balance reliability with manufacturability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If a blade requiring top-down movement is used, then the cutting action is simple, but the loss of energy is high due to operator physical effort

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvework efficiencyVSAvoidoperator physical effort
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The blade design enables dynamic cutting action where the propeller rotation itself generates the necessary upward and downward movements of cutting elements. This dynamic mechanism converts the operator's simple translational motion into effective multi-directional cutting action, dramatically improving work efficiency while minimizing physical effort and energy loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Loss of time

If a single-sided blade is used, then the ease of manufacture is high, but the loss of time is high due to frequent blade replacement

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveblade replacement timeVSAvoidreversible blade complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The blade design extracts and utilizes both sides of the blade for cutting functions. Each side features complete cutting elements with cutting points, allowing the blade to be flipped and reused when one side becomes worn. This effectively doubles the blade's service life and eliminates replacement time, while the symmetrical design keeps manufacturing complexity minimal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4272534A1Reversible shredding blade for brush cutter or mower
Publication Date: 2023.11.08 SIMÕES MARQUES, ANTÓNIO JOSÉ
  • EP4272534A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4272534A1 patent drawingFigure 3~5
  • EP4272534A1 patent drawing

AI summary

This invention relates to a reversible shredding blade (1) for brush cutter, which is comprised of four blades (2) laterally laminated to their ends, those blades (2) comprising sloped ends (4) (5); it is further provided with a central hole (3), located in its axis of rotation, for insertion in any brush cutter. It should be noted that the ends of the blades are sloped relatively to the plane of the blades (2) and alternate from end to end, implying either a positive or a negative slope, which means that when the blade is in operation two ends are facing the operator and the other two are facing the working area. This results in 90% wear of the shredding blade in the cutting points facing the working area, and 10% wear on the part of the blade facing the operator, so the shredding blade can be reused on the other side that has undergone only 10% wear.