Sickle Bar Drive Mount Pivot Reduces Wear
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible sickle bars in agricultural implements experience stress and slippage at the connection between the sickle bar drive and the drive mount due to vertical flexing and undulation, leading to wear and reduced efficiency during terrain changes.
Innovation Solution
A sickle bar drive mount design featuring a pivotally coupled arm and sickle bar drive eye with a trunnion connection, allowing the arm to pivot about a perpendicular axis, reducing stress on the connection and maintaining a secure fit during flexing and undulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid connection is used between the sickle bar drive and the sickle bar, then the connection is stable and secure, but stress and slippage occur during vertical flexing and undulation
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the sickle bar drive and the sickle bar is changed from rigid to dynamic through the introduction of a spherical bearing. This bearing allows the connection to adapt to vertical flexing and undulation while maintaining stability, eliminating stress and slippage by permitting controlled movement in all directions.
Solution Approach 2:
A spherical bearing is introduced as an intermediary element between the sickle bar drive and the sickle bar. This intermediary component absorbs the stress and movement caused by terrain variations, preventing direct transmission of harmful forces to the connection points while maintaining operational reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the sickle bar is made flexible to accommodate terrain changes, then adaptability to underlying terrain is improved, but stress and wear at the connection points increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical bearing creates a dynamic connection that moves with the flexible sickle bar during terrain adaptation. This dynamic joint maintains reliable coupling between the drive and the bar even when the bar flexes vertically, preventing wear and failure at the connection points.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection parameters are changed from fixed rigid constraints to variable constraints that allow movement. The spherical bearing enables the connection to change its orientation and position dynamically, maintaining both adaptability to terrain and reliability of the connection under varying operational conditions.
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
The design effectively reduces slippage and wear at the connection between the sickle bar drive and the mount, ensuring consistent operation and extended lifespan by accommodating vertical flexing and undulation without compromising the secure fit of the sickle drive.
Implementation Method 1
an arm supported on a spherical bearing of an eccentric drive, such that the arm can pivot around a horizontal axis extending in the forward direction during operation
Implementation Method 2
the pivotal connection between the arm and the sickle bar drive eye is provided by a trunnion extending from the arm which trunnion is pinned to a pair of opposite ears extending from the sickle bar drive eye
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
A sickle bar drive mount (20) may include an arm (24) and a sickle bar drive eye (28). The arm (24) is mountable to a horizontally extending sickle bar (56). The sickle bar drive eye (28) is to receive a sickle bar drive bearing (160) of a sickle bar drive (138). The arm (24) may extend along a first horizontal axis (26) parallel to the sickle bar (56). The sickle bar drive eye (28) is pivotally coupled to the arm (24) for pivotal movement about a second horizontal axis (44) perpendicular to the first axis (26).