Spring Tine Relief Notch for Crop Pickup Interference
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Increasing the number of tine bars in windrow pickup assemblies beyond four can lead to space issues and tine breakage due to interference during the retracting motion, as tine legs may strike the trailing bar or snap back and hit the support bar edge.
Innovation Solution
The tine legs are designed with a relief notch adjacent to their base, allowing them to clear the support bar edge during the spring-back motion, enabling more tine bars without interference and reducing noise, wear, and breakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of support bars is increased from four to five or six, then the pickup quality and thoroughness are improved, but the tine legs may strike the trailing bar during the strip out action
Solution Approach 1:
The tine leg is segmented by introducing a relief notch that divides the leg into two sections: an outer section that engages crop material and an inner section that clears the support bar. This segmentation allows the tine to perform its lifting function while avoiding interference with adjacent support bars, enabling increased bar density without sacrificing pickup quality.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the tine leg is reconfigured to avoid striking the trailing bar, then interference is reduced, but the tine leg may strike the top edge of its own support bar and break
Solution Approach 1:
The relief notch acts as an intermediary feature between the tine leg and the support bar. It provides a clearance path that allows the inner section of the tine leg to pass by the support bar edge without direct contact, while the outer section maintains its lifting function. This intermediary structure prevents both trailing bar interference and self-support bar strikes, improving reliability.
3Productivity
If the support bars are arranged closer together, then more tines can engage the crop per revolution, but the tine legs have less space to oscillate without striking adjacent bars
Solution Approach 1:
The relief notch introduces a new dimensional aspect to the tine leg geometry by creating a relief feature that provides clearance in the radial direction. This allows the tine to oscillate effectively in its primary plane while the notch provides the necessary clearance dimension to prevent interference with closely-spaced support bars, enabling higher bar density without compromising oscillation capability.
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
This configuration allows for a greater number of tines to engage crop material per revolution, enhancing pickup quality and extending tine life by distributing the workload more evenly.
Implementation Method 1
as the tine lifts crop materials off the ground, its leg flexes downwardly to some extent under the load of the crop materials. When such loading is suddenly removed at the top of the reel when the tine releases the crop, the tine leg snaps back forwardly well beyond its original unloaded position.
Data Source
AI summary
A spring tine for use on the pickup assemblies of crop baling machines and the like comprises a single, continuous strand of resilient material formed into a base of multiple, side-by-side, helical coils and an elongated leg projecting outwardly from the base. The leg is formed to present a relief notch in an inner section of the leg adjacent the base for avoiding interference with a support member for the tine when the tine springs back and forth during operation.