Tool Blade With Grating Teeth For Soil Penetration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hand-operated excavation tools, such as shovels and posthole diggers, are ineffective at penetrating or breaking up hard, rocky, or vegetative soil due to their single primary cutting edge, limiting their ability to extract and move soil efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A tool blade with multiple cutting edges featuring a plurality of grater-like teeth and cutouts, where each tooth has a scoop projecting outwardly from the pan surface, allowing soil to pass through, enhancing the tool's ability to penetrate and break up soil.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single primary cutting edge is used on the blade, then the tool can cut into soil, but it is ineffective at penetrating or breaking up hard, rocky, or vegetative soil
Solution Approach 1:
The single cutting edge is segmented into multiple cutting elements including a primary cutting edge and multiple secondary cutting edges (teeth) arranged in rows. This segmentation allows different parts of the blade to handle different soil conditions - the primary edge for general cutting and the multiple teeth for breaking up hard, rocky, or vegetative soil, thereby resolving the contradiction between penetration capability and soil type adaptability
2Reliability
If tooth-like protrusions are added to the cutting edge, then penetration of hard soil is improved, but the tool's ability to sift soil is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The blade surface is divided into different zones with different properties: the primary cutting edge for cutting, multiple rows of teeth for breaking up hard soil, and open spaces between teeth for soil sifting. This local differentiation allows each zone to perform its specific function optimally, resolving the contradiction between penetration capability and soil sifting capability
3Productivity
If multiple rows of teeth are added to the blade, then the ability to break up soil is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is segmented into multiple identical or similar tooth units arranged in rows. This modular segmentation allows the complex function of breaking up various soil types to be achieved through repetition of simple, standardized tooth elements, thereby improving soil breakdown efficiency while keeping the complexity manageable through standardization
Data Source
AI summary
A tool blade for use with a handle includes a pan having a top surface and bottom surface opposite the top surface, the pan having a top edge and a cutting edge opposite the top edge and having a pair of opposed side edges extending between the top edge and the cutting edge. The top edge of the pan includes a handle sleeve defining a channel configured to receive an end of the handle. The bottom edge is integrally connected to the pan and is sharpened so as to penetrate a ground surface. A plurality of grating teeth is formed on the pan, each grating tooth having a scoop projecting outwardly from the pan and a cutout. A cutout traverses through the pan and defines an opening connecting the top and bottom surfaces. A respective scoop includes a portion partially covering the cutout and having an arcuate cutting edge.