Rotating Coulter Slurry Applicator for Subsurface Injection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Surface application of livestock waste slurry leads to odor issues, nitrogen runoff into water bodies, and inefficient fuel usage due to the need to drag a knife through the soil, limiting speed and increasing fuel consumption.
Innovation Solution
A rotating coulter blade creates a trough in the ground to deposit slurry, with a power cylinder maintaining consistent depth and containment wheels redirecting ejected soil to cover the slurry, allowing for faster and more efficient subsoil application with minimal runoff.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a knife is dragged through the soil to open a trough for slurry deposition, then the slurry can be deposited into the ground, but the tractor speed is limited and fuel consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the static dragged knife with a rotating member that dynamically cuts the trough. The rotation creates a moving cutting action that reduces resistance and allows higher travel speeds while maintaining effective trough formation for slurry deposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical dragging action with a rotational cutting mechanism. The rotating member with cutting edges engages the soil through rotation rather than being dragged, fundamentally changing the mechanical interaction to reduce energy consumption and increase speed capability.
2Ease of manufacture
If slurry is spread on the surface of the soil, then application is simple, but odor issues arise and nitrogen runoff into water bodies occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by creating the trough in the ground before depositing the slurry. This pre-prepared subsurface receptacle ensures the slurry is immediately contained below the surface, preventing odor emission and nitrogen runoff while maintaining a systematic application process.
Solution Approach 2:
The trough acts as an intermediary structure between the slurry application system and the soil. It provides a controlled subsurface pathway that directs slurry away from the surface environment, thereby eliminating odor and runoff problems while preserving application effectiveness.
3Productivity
If a rotating member is used to cut the trough, then tractor speed can increase to 3-15 miles per hour, but the device complexity increases with power cylinder, spool, and spring mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating member is designed to be self-regulating in its depth control. The rotation itself, combined with the cutting action and soil resistance, naturally limits penetration depth without requiring complex active control systems, thereby maintaining high speed capability while reducing mechanical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls trough depth by adjusting operational parameters such as rotation speed, rotational force, and angle of attack rather than through complex mechanical depth control systems. This parameter-based control simplifies the device while maintaining consistent performance at high travel speeds.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables consistent slurry coverage at speeds of 3-15 miles per hour with reduced runoff and odor, improving fertilizer absorption by crops while minimizing environmental contamination.
Implementation Method 1
The rotating member acts by displacing soil upward with respect to the ground surface and rearwardly with respect to a direction of travel of the rotating member
Implementation Method 2
A power cylinder applies downward vertical force on an axis of rotation for the coulter blade to keep the coulter blade at a substantially consistent depth with respect to the ground surface
Implementation Method 3
A spring is provided to allow for upward movement of the coulter blade in the event coulter blade engages an object in the ground
Data Source
AI summary
A trough is cut in the ground surface by a rotating member. The rotating member displaces soil upward with respect to the ground surface and rearwardly with respect to a direction of travel of the rotating member. While the soil is in the air, slurry is deposited into the trough. The soil is then redirected downward to the trough to cover the slurry with the soil.