Agricultural Sprayer Boom Clamp Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional truss-style agricultural sprayer booms face structural failure due to peak stresses at joints, limiting the length of the boom as increased length exacerbates stress from vibrations and oscillations, and welded joints are prone to cracking under high loads.
Innovation Solution
The use of unitary bent tubular members secured by clamps instead of welding, reducing peak stresses at truss nodes, allowing for longer boom sections, with aluminum being a preferred material for its strength-to-weight ratio and ease of shaping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the boom length is increased to improve productivity, then the operating width increases, but the risk of structural failure increases due to higher stresses from vibrations and oscillations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the connection method parameter from welded joints to clamp-based mechanical connections. This parameter change allows the boom to accommodate higher dynamic stresses from increased length without joint failure, as the clamp connection permits controlled movement and stress distribution along the tubular member.
Solution Approach 2:
The boom is divided into modular sections that can be connected and disconnected. Each section uses the same clamp-based connection system, allowing the overall boom length to be increased by adding sections while maintaining structural reliability through the stress-distributing clamp joints.
2Strength
If conventional welded joints are used to secure brace members, then the structural strength is maintained, but the joints are prone to cracking and complete failure under high load conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the welded joint mechanical system with a clamp-based mechanical connection system. The clamp applies radial pressure to grip the tubular member, creating a friction-based connection that accommodates dynamic loads without the stress concentration and crack propagation issues inherent in welded joints.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp acts as an intermediary element between the brace member and the boom structure. This intermediary component distributes the connection forces around the tubular member rather than concentrating them at a single weld point, preventing localized stress failures.
3Reliability
If the boom sections are made longer to reduce the number of joints, then the structural integrity improves, but the stress from vibrations and oscillations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the stress distribution parameter by introducing clamp connections that allow controlled movement and rotation of the tubular members. This parameter change enables longer boom sections to withstand vibration-induced stresses by distributing them along the length of the clamped tubular member rather than concentrating them at rigid joints.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
An agricultural sprayer boom comprises vertically spaced upper and lower beams (22,24) extending along the boom and connected by a plurality of brace members (26) formed from a unitary bent tubular member (28F,28R) that is secured to the upper and lower beams, and gripped, by a plurality of clamps (30).