Agricultural Roller Ring Y-Shaped Spoke Stone Impact Strength

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional agricultural roller rings have a short lifespan due to cracking at spoke attachment points from frequent stone impacts, leading to increased weight and manufacturing costs when reinforced.

Innovation Solution

The use of Y-shaped spokes with optimized arm angles and attachment points distributes stone impact forces, resulting in a stronger, lighter roller ring with minimized manufacturing complexity and cost.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If reinforcements are applied at the attachment points of conventional roller rings, then the durability and strength are improved, but the weight and manufacturing cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovestrengthVSAvoidweight
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The spoke is divided into multiple arms (typically 3-5 arms) radiating from the body, with each arm independently attached to the ring. This segmentation distributes the impact forces across multiple attachment points rather than concentrating them at a single point, thereby improving strength and durability without requiring additional reinforcement materials that would increase weight.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Duration of action of stationary object

If reinforcements are applied at the attachment points of conventional roller rings, then the durability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovelifetimeVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of stationary objectVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The spoke structure with multiple arms distributes impact forces across multiple attachment points, reducing stress concentration and extending the roller ring's service life. This design achieves enhanced durability through geometric optimization rather than material reinforcement, avoiding increased manufacturing costs associated with additional materials or complex reinforcement processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The spoke body and arms can be formed as an integrated composite structure or using optimized material distribution, achieving high strength-to-cost ratio without requiring expensive reinforcement additions at attachment points.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Ease of manufacture

If conventional spoke designs are used, then the manufacturing is simpler, but the roller ring strength is insufficient due to cracking at attachment points

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidstrength
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The spoke is segmented into a body and multiple arms, where the body connects to the ring's central axis and the arms extend radially to attach to the ring. This segmentation creates multiple load paths that distribute impact forces, preventing the stress concentration that causes cracking in conventional single-attachment spoke designs, while remaining manufacturable through standard forging or casting processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The attachment points at the ends of each arm are specifically optimized for load distribution, with the arms positioned to create favorable stress patterns. This local optimization at critical attachment zones enhances overall strength without requiring complex manufacturing throughout the entire spoke structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3113596B1An agricultural roller ring and a land packer comprising a set of such agricultural roller rings
Publication Date: 2021.05.19 DAL BO
  • EP3113596B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3113596B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3113596B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to agricultural roller ring (1) for packing the soil while pressing encountered stones in the soil, which ring (1) comprises a hub part (12) with a central hole (15) for receiving a shaft (9), a rim part (13) with an outer surface (14) for packing the soil, a plurality of spokes (2), each spoke (2) having a body (3) connecting the hub part (12) and the rim part (13), wherein the body (3), in a direction towards the rim part (13), is branched into in a plurality of arms (4) connecting the body (3) to an inner surface (5) of the rim part (13). Also, the invention relates to a land packer (7) comprising a set (8) of agricultural roller rings (1) as described above, wherein the agricultural roller rings (1) are mounted rotatably about a common central shaft (9) mounted on a frame (11) of the land packer (7).