Tillage Disc Blade Angle Adjustment Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tillage implements experience non-uniform furrow conditions as the gang angle is adjusted, causing lateral movement of slots or furrows relative to the tires and other blades, which affects the implement's versatility and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An agricultural tillage implement with a disc adjustment mechanism that includes a pivot mount, crank arm, and shuttle system, allowing each disc blade to pivot about a pivot point, maintaining a vertical center line alignment and preventing lateral movement of furrows during angle adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the gang angle is adjusted to increase versatility, then the implement can perform multiple operations, but the furrows move laterally creating non-uniform conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The gang assembly is divided into multiple independent blade units, each with its own adjustable angle mechanism. This segmentation allows each blade to be individually positioned while maintaining overall gang coherence, enabling versatility without compromising furrow uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The gang angle is made dynamically adjustable during operation through the mechanism that allows changing the angle of the entire gang relative to the direction of travel. This dynamic adjustment capability provides versatility for different tillage operations while the uniformity is maintained through synchronized blade positioning.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the disc blade angle is adjusted for different operations, then operational flexibility increases, but the lateral movement of furrows creates non-uniform field conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism incorporates geometric relationships and linkages that automatically maintain the vertical center line alignment of each blade with its corresponding pivot point. This feedback-like geometric constraint ensures that when the gang angle changes, each blade's position relative to the ground remains consistent, preventing lateral furrow movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the angular parameter of the entire gang while maintaining the relative positional parameters of individual blades within the gang. By coordinating the angle change across all blades simultaneously and maintaining their vertical center line alignment, the system achieves operational flexibility without compromising furrow position consistency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a mechanism is added to adjust disc blade angle, then versatility improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism uses universal components such as pivot mounts, crank arms, and linkages that serve multiple functions: they enable angle adjustment, maintain blade alignment, and coordinate movement across all blades. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanism merges the angle adjustment function with the blade support and positioning functions into an integrated system. The pivot mounts and linkages that support the blades also serve as the adjustment mechanism, combining multiple functions into a unified structure rather than adding separate adjustment components.
Data Source
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AI summary
A gang assembly of a tillage implement has disc blades suspended from a support bar with a disc hanger assembly. A disc adjustment mechanism is configured to pivotably attach the disc hanger assembly for each of the plurality of disc blades to the support bar. The disc adjustment mechanism includes a pivot mount for each of the plurality of disc blades. Each pivot mount has a pivot configured to pivot the pivot mount, a first arm connected to the disc hanger assembly, and a crank arm. A shuttle is attached to the crank arms and causes each pivot mount to pivot and adjust the disc angle of the associated disc blade. The disc hanger assembly is configured to position the disc blade such that a vertical center line of the disc blade extends through the pivot point of the pivot.