Silage Block Separator for Precise Dosing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for processing blocks or bales of silage are inefficient, causing them to break apart and decompose quickly, making precise dosing impossible and requiring frequent cleaning and refilling of feed kitchens.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a movable mixing bin, a store room with a fixed floor, and a separator that moves along a vertical cutting face to separate silage, allowing for precise dosing and reduced decomposition, eliminating the need for supply conveyors and supporting the blocks during cutting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a grabber is used to separate feed from blocks or bales, then feed can be removed from the block, but the blocks break apart and decompose quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The separator divides the block into segments by cutting along a vertical plane, removing only the required portion of feed while leaving the remaining block intact. This segmented approach prevents the entire block from breaking apart unlike the grabber method.
Solution Approach 2:
The separator extracts only the necessary feed portion from the block by cutting along a vertical cutting face, leaving the remaining block structure intact. This selective extraction prevents unnecessary damage to the block that occurs with grabber-based removal.
2Productivity
If a grabber is used to remove feed, then feed can be taken from the block, but precise dosing becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates a control unit that monitors and controls the separator's movement and cutting depth, providing feedback to ensure precise feed dosing according to predetermined recipes. This automated control enables accurate measurement and dosing that manual grabber operation cannot achieve.
3Ease of operation
If feed is separated using conventional methods, then feed can be accessed, but the feed kitchen requires frequent cleaning and refilling
Solution Approach 1:
The separator performs preliminary cutting action along a vertical face, creating a clean separation that prevents feed remnants from being left behind on the floor. By cutting from the top downwards and disposing of separated feed properly, the system prevents fermentation and spoiling that would require frequent cleaning.
4Productivity
If blocks are placed on a movable conveyor for processing, then feed can be separated, but the system becomes more complex and blocks may shift during cutting
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the block on a conveyor, the separator itself is made movable and moves towards the stationary block. This inversion simplifies the system by eliminating the need for complex conveyor mechanisms while maintaining effective feed separation capability.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for processing blocks or bales of feed includes a movable mixing bin and a store room with a fixed floor for one or more rows of the blocks or bales of feed. A separator is configured to feed the full length of a cutting face which extends downwards from the top of the block or the bale. A conveyor is configured to move the separator in the direction of the cutting face. A discharger moves separated feed to the mixing bin.