Shallow Concave Disc Vertical Tillage System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tilling implements require multiple passes to effectively cultivate the soil, leading to increased costs and soil compaction, which inhibits plant germination and root growth, and are limited to speeds below 6 miles per hour due to disc failure and compaction layer formation.
Innovation Solution
A vertical tillage system utilizing fluted-concave disc blades with a shallow concavity and aggressive gang angles, combined with rolling basket assemblies for stabilization, allowing for one-pass soil cultivation and higher operational speeds without disc failure or compaction layer formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the gang angle is increased to improve tilling action, then soil cultivation effectiveness is improved, but large clods of soil are left that require multiple passes to pulverize
Solution Approach 1:
The tilling operation is divided into two distinct stages performed in sequence: first the shallow concave discs break up the soil surface and initial clods, then the subsoiling shanks penetrate deeper to fracture compacted layers and redistribute soil. This segmentation allows each tool to perform its specialized function optimally, achieving thorough tilling in one pass without leaving large clods that would require multiple passes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from horizontal tilling (parallel to ground surface) to vertical tilling (perpendicular to ground surface). The subsoiling shanks operate vertically to fracture compacted soil layers from below, while the shallow concave discs work horizontally at the surface. This dimensional change allows simultaneous achievement of surface preparation and deep soil structure improvement in a single pass.
2Strength
If disc concavity is increased to improve disc strength, then disc breaking resistance is improved, but an undesirable compaction layer is formed
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful function of deep soil displacement that causes compaction is extracted from the disc blade and assigned to a dedicated subsoiling tool. The shallow concave discs maintain only the concavity needed for structural strength while their tilling function is supplemented by the subsoiling shanks that perform the deep soil fracture work without creating compaction layers.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using deeply concave discs to perform both structural support and deep soil fracture functions, the invention uses shallow concave discs for surface tilling and adds separate subsoiling shanks to replicate the deep soil fracture function. This copying approach allows the discs to remain structurally strong with minimal concavity while avoiding the compaction problem associated with deep disc engagement.
3Productivity
If travel speed is increased to improve efficiency, then productivity is improved, but discs fail due to increased pressure or the implement vertically lifts resulting in ineffective tilling
Solution Approach 1:
The subsoiling shanks are designed to be freely movable and self-regulating rather than rigidly fixed. As travel speed increases and vertical lift forces increase, the shanks naturally rise slightly, reducing their penetration depth and the pressure on the discs. This dynamic adjustment maintains reliable disc operation at higher speeds without sacrificing tilling effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the subsoiling shanks by allowing their penetration depth to vary with travel speed. At higher speeds, the effective penetration depth decreases naturally due to the vertical lift, which reduces the pressure load on the discs and prevents disc failure while maintaining adequate tilling performance.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple passes are performed to properly cultivate soil, then soil cultivation quality is improved, but costs associated with time and fuel increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges two previously separate tilling operations (surface discing and subsoiling) into a single integrated implement that performs both functions simultaneously in one pass. The shallow concave discs handle surface soil breakdown while the subsoiling shanks concurrently fracture deep compacted layers, achieving the soil cultivation quality that previously required multiple passes in a single operation, thereby reducing time and fuel costs.
Data Source
AI summary
A tilling implement has a front row of shallow concave disc blades having a front right portion and a front left portion symmetrically disposed about a centerline of the implement. A rear row of shallow concave disc blades has a rear right portion and a rear left portion symmetrically disposed about the centerline of the implement. The rear right portion following behind the front right portion in a right path and the rear left portion following the front left portion in a left path when the implement is displaced through a field. The implement includes no ground engaging tool in the right path between the front right portion and the rear right portion, and no ground engaging tool in the left path between the front left portion and the rear left portion. The shallow concave disc blades have a concavity of between approximately 1.25 and 1.69 inches over an outer diameter of approximately 20 inches. The front left portion and the front right portion, and/or the rear left portion and the rear right portion, are positioned at an angle of about 18 degrees with respect to a line perpendicular to the centerline.