Pick-up Tine Bracket Flange Lateral Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural pickup assemblies face challenges in maintaining tine stiffness against lateral loads without increasing spring stiffness in the longitudinal direction, which can lead to reduced tine deflection cycle life and require significant modifications to the pick-up assembly.
Innovation Solution
A tine mounting bracket with a flange that extends in contact with the coiled spring section to inhibit lateral deflection, maintaining existing tine and tine bar configurations without altering the spring coil configuration or diameter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the spring wire size is increased to stiffen the springs against lateral loads, then lateral tine stiffness is improved, but tine fore-aft deflection cycle life decreases and lateral space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flange extends laterally from the mounting bracket to contact the spring coil, adding a lateral constraint dimension. This allows the spring to maintain its original wire size and fore-aft flexibility while gaining lateral stiffness through the flange's physical barrier that prevents excessive lateral coil expansion.
2Strength
If the spring wire size is increased to withstand lateral loads, then lateral load resistance is improved, but the lateral space required for tines increases requiring significant alteration of the pick-up assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket is segmented to include a flange that extends laterally to contact and constrain the spring coil. This segmentation allows the spring to maintain its original lateral dimensions while the flange provides the necessary lateral constraint, avoiding the need to increase spring wire size and the associated space requirements.
3Strength
If the spring stiffness is increased to withstand lateral loads, then lateral tine stiffness is improved, but longitudinal (fore-aft) tine deflection capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The flange acts as an intermediary element between the mounting bracket and the spring coil. It provides lateral constraint to the spring without affecting the spring's intrinsic fore-aft stiffness characteristics, thereby decoupling lateral support requirements from fore-aft deflection 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
The solution effectively increases lateral tine stiffness while preserving longitudinal stiffness, reducing tine finger deflection and enabling easy installation, durability, and cost-effective manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
The improved mounting bracket includes a flange that extends in adjacent contact with a portion of the coiled spring section and inhibits lateral deflection of the tine spring
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
AI summary
An agricultural pick-up reel (10) having a tine mounting bracket (25) for connecting tines (22) to the tine bars (20) of the agricultural pick-up reel. The tines include a coiled spring section (23) at the base of the tine and adjacent to the tine bar connection. The improved mounting bracket (25) includes a flange (33) that extends in adjacent contact with a portion (21) of the coiled spring section (23) and inhibits lateral deflection of the tine spring.