Unitary Vane Element for Combine Harvester Feed Beater
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing costs of crop conveyance beaters used in agricultural machinery are high due to the need for separate and welded components, which also creates regions of weakness prone to failure.
Innovation Solution
A method of manufacturing crop conveyance beaters where flat-state vane elements are cut from sheet material, bent along predetermined lines, and secured to a rotor core, reducing the number of components and eliminating the need for welding, thereby reducing costs and potential weaknesses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If separate components are cut and welded together to form transverse vanes and directional vanes, then the structural strength is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases and manufacturing time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines transverse vanes and directional vanes into a single integrated vane element that is formed from one continuous piece of sheet material. This merging eliminates the need for separate components and welding operations, thereby reducing manufacturing cost and time while maintaining structural integrity through the continuous material structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The vane element is designed with predetermined bend lines that allow it to be folded into the required three-dimensional configuration with transverse and directional sections. This segmentation approach enables a single piece of material to form multiple functional sections that would traditionally require separate components, reducing both manufacturing complexity and cost.
2Strength
If separate components are welded together to form the beater, then the structural integrity is improved, but the manufacturing time is extended and regions of weakness are created
Solution Approach 1:
By forming transverse vanes and directional vanes as a single integrated vane element from continuous sheet material, the patent eliminates multiple welding operations. This merging of components significantly reduces manufacturing time and eliminates weld joints that would create regions of weakness, while the continuous material structure maintains structural integrity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate components are used to form transverse vanes and directional vanes, then the design flexibility is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple vane functions into a single vane element with predetermined bend lines that allow folding into complex three-dimensional configurations. This merging reduces the number of components and assembly steps while maintaining design flexibility through the ability to create various vane arrangements from the single integrated element.
Solution Approach 2:
The vane element is formed from flat sheet material with predetermined bend lines, then folded into three-dimensional configurations to create transverse and directional sections. This transition from two-dimensional sheet material to three-dimensional formed structure allows a single component to provide the complexity and adaptability previously requiring multiple separate parts.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of manufacturing a feed beater (10) for a twin axial-flow crop processor in a combine harvester is provided. The method comprises cutting a flat state vane element (18ʹ) from sheet material. The flat state vane element (18ʹ) is bent along predetermined bend lines (20) before being secured to a rotor core (12). The vane element (18) comprises a transverse vane section (21) aligned parallel to the rotation axis, and a directional vane section (22) having an effective edge that extends at a non-zero angle to the rotation axis.