AU2009208111B2

AU2009208111B2 - A feed roll for a harvester head and a method for manufacturing a feed roll

Info

Publication number: AU2009208111B2
Application number: AU2009208111A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Timo Neuvonen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-08-25
Filing date: 2009-08-11
Publication date: 2014-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 2029-08-11
Also published as: NZ579004A; FI20085792A0; FI121053B; FI20085792A; SE534030C2; AU2009208111A1; SE0901083L

Abstract

Abstract The invention relates to a feed roll for a harvester head, which includes a fastening hub (1; 11) and a roll part (2; 12) surrounding the same and having a primarily circular cross-section, said roll part comprising on its outer sur face holding elements (3; 14) for producing the neces sary holding between the outer surface of the roll part (2; 12) and the tree trunk touching the same. In the feed roll according to the invention, at least one rim of the roll part (2; 12) is provided with a cogging (4; 15) to couple two adjacent feed rolls mechanically to each other. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a feed roll for a harvester head according to the invention. Fig. 2 4 K u~ ~- ~-~7iii~ ~-4%~ z~r~ 4 - ~ -~ N rFi 3 ~ 2 *~ ~ Th~ \ " K *~~~~-2 \ ~ ~

Description

Australian Patents Act 1990- Regulation 3.2 ORIGINAL COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title A feed roll for a harvester head and a method for manufacturing a feed roll The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: P/00/011 5102 1 a The invention relates to a feed roll for a harvester head and a method 5 for manufacturing a feed roll. In harvester heads of prior art, a variety of arrangements are used for moving a tree trunk by means of feed rolls. Most conventionally, the harvester head comprises feed rolls which are driven by hydraulic 10 motors and turnable against the sides of the tree trunk only. Arrange ments that are more sophisticated than this conventional assembly comprise not only these turnable feed rolls but also feed rolls installed in the frame of the harvester head. They are normally placed next to each other in such positions that their points of contact follow the con 15 tour of the tree trunk as well as possible. The purpose of these adja cent feed rolls, normally two or more in number, is to support the tree trunk as evenly as possible from its all sides. Furthermore, to feed as evenly as possible and to prevent changes in the rotational speed of the feed rolls, such feed rolls are, in most cases, mechanically coupled 20 to each other. Thanks to the mechanical coupling of such feed rolls, all the feed rolls of the harvester head can be rotated at the same speed, when the hydraulic motors of the other adjacent feed rolls are coupled in series with these feed rolls mechanically coupled to each other. It is an advantage of such an arrangement, for example, to prevent partial 25 skid of the feed rolls caused by variation in the friction between the feed rolls and the tree trunk, and thereby surface damage caused to the tree trunk. Harvester heads of prior art, equipped with feed rolls operating in this way, are disclosed, for example, in WO 99/41972 and FI 97340 B. In some cases, the purpose of mechanical coupling 30 between the feed rolls may only be the possibility to use a single motor for rotating several feed rolls which are possibly in different positions. Sometimes, adjacent feed rolls coupled to each other have also been used in feeding devices turnable against the tree trunk. 35 In arrangements of prior art, the mechanical coupling between the feed rolls is implemented by providing, between the fastening hub and the H nizm\nielwovcn\NRPortbl\DCC\AZM\5896614_l.doc-17/12/2013 -2 outer surface of the feed roll, a gearwheel-type cogging equipped with cogs in the direction of the rotation axis of the feed roll, the cogs extending to the side of the outer surface of the feed roll touching the surface of the tree trunk. Feed rolls of this type can be installed adjacent to each other in the harvester head so that their cogs engage each other. Thus, the 5 feed rolls may only rotate simultaneously and at the same rotating speed and in the same direction, wherein the coupling of hydraulic fluid circuits between the hydraulic motors rotating these feed rolls and also other feed rolls belonging to the harvester head, implemented in the above-mentioned manner, provides the above-mentioned operation of the feed rolls, by which, among other things, partial skid of the feed rolls is prevented. 10 A disadvantage in the feed rolls of prior art, coupled mechanically to each other, is the need to provide them with a cogging separate from the other parts of the feeding roll, for the mechanical coupling of the feed rolls. This makes the feed rolls of prior art, coupled mechanically to each other, more complex and expensive to manufacture than 15 conventional feed rolls which are not coupled mechanically to each other. Furthermore, the feed rolls of prior art, coupled mechanically to each other, are heavy in weight, due to the separate cogging. In known feed rolls mechanically coupled to each other, the cogging is normally placed 20 between the roll part and the fastening hub. Thus, the cogs of the cogging are, disadvantageously in view of the forces to which they are subjected, closer to the central axis (axis of rotation) of the feed roll than the outer surface of the roll part. Moreover, a free space is formed between such adjacent feed rolls, in which branches and other pieces detached from the trunk may adhere and stick during the operation of the harvester head. 25 According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a feed roll for a harvester head, comprising: a fastening hub, a roll part having a primarily circular cross section and surrounding the 30 fastening hub, holding elements on the outer surface of the roll part to provide the necessary H:km\lmncwovcn\NRPortbI\DCC\AZM\5896614_ Ldoc-lI/l2I 2013 -3 hold between the outer surface of the roll part and a tree trunk touching the same; and a cogging formed on at the least one rim of the roll part to couple two adjacent feed rolls mechanically to each other, wherein the cogging is primarily at the level of the outer surface of the roll 5 part, and the distance of the outer surface of the cogging from the rotation axis of the feed roll is primarily equal to the distance of the outer surface of the roll part from the rotation axis of the feed roll. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for 10 manufacturing a feed roll for a harvester head, comprising: providing the feed roll with a fastening hub, providing the feed roll with a roll part having a primarily circular cross section and surrounding the fastening hub; providing the outer surface of the roll part with holding elements to produce 15 friction between the outer surface of the roll part and a tree trunk touching the same; and providing a cogging on at the least one rim of the roll part to couple two adjacent feed rolls mechanically to each other, the cogging being primarily at the level of the outer surface of the roll part, and the distance of the outer surface of the cogging from the rotation axis of the feed roll being primarily equal to the distance of the outer surface of 20 the roll part from the rotation axis of the feed roll. Preferred embodiments of the invention eliminate above-mentioned drawbacks relating to feed rolls of prior art and present a novel structure for feed rolls to be coupled mechanically to each other. 25 Preferred embodiments of the invention present a feed roll that may be mechanically coupled to other rolls, which is simpler and less expensive to manufacture than before and which, in use, does not form a free space between adjacent feed rolls where branches and other pieces detached from a tree trunk could stick. Preferred embodiments of the 30 invention present a feed roll for use in a mechanical coupling between feed rolls, whereby the forces on the cogs, caused by transmission between the feed rolls, are smaller than in H I\zn n vn ,\NRPoblh\DCC\AZM\5896614_1doc- 17/12/2013 -4 arrangements of prior art. In the feed roll according to preferred embodiments of the invention, the cogging is provided to couple two adjacent feed rolls mechanically to each other in the manner of 5 gearwheels. The feed roll according to preferred embodiments of the invention has the advantage that it does not need to be provided with a separate gearwheel-type cogging between the fastening hub and the roll part. Thanks to this, such a feed roll is simpler, lighter in weight 10 and less expensive in its manufacturing costs than the arrangements of prior art. Furthermore, the feed roll according to preferred embodiments of the invention has the advantage that no free spaces are formed between the feed rolls to be mechanically coupled to each other, whereby it is less probable that branches and possibly other pieces 15 detached from the trunk are stuck between the feed rolls than in arrangements of prior art. Also, since the cogging is provided at the rim of the roll part, primarily at the level of the outer surface of the roll part, may be placed as far away as possible from the rotation axis of the feed roll. Thus, the distance between the outer surface and the cogging of the roll 20 part, i.e. the difference corresponding to the length difference between the torque arm of the cogging and the torque arm of the outer surface of the roll part, can be left as short as possible. Consequently, the tangential forces on the cogs of the cogging are approximately equal to the tangential forces caused by the tree trunk on the roll part; in other words, the forces on the cogs of the cogging become smaller than in feed rolls of prior art, in which 25 the length difference between the above-mentioned torque arms is significantly greater, due to the cogging placed between the fastening hub and the roll part. Thanks to this, the cogs of the feed roll can, if desired, be dimensioned lighter in structure than before, reducing the friction and the wear caused by it. This will further reduce the manufacturing and operating costs of the feed roll with respect to the feed rolls of prior art. 30 In the feed roll according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cogging is placed H~n\nIm rwoven\NRPorlbI\DCC\AZM\5X9661 doc-17/12/2013 -5 at the rim of a surface piece with a circular cross-section belonging to the roll part. Such a cogging is very advantageous in view of the manufacture, since the cogging can be provided at the rim of the surface piece very easily and inexpensively, for example by manufacturing the surface piece of a tube with a circular cross section, the cogging being 5 milled at its rim, or a sheet piece, whose rim is milled e.g. by cutting or machining in the shape of a cogging before the surface sheet is bent or moulded to a circular shape. Furthermore, in such a feed roll, holding elements on the surface of the roll part can also be placed on the outer surfaces of the cogs, wherein the holding elements can be provided in a larger area than in feed rolls of prior art. 10 In of the feed roll according to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the cogging is formed of a separate gear ring attached to the rim of the roll part. Such an application has the advantage that the structure of the roll part does not limit the structure of the gear ring to a significant extent, or vice versa. Moreover, the separate gear ring can be fixed to 15 the rim of the roll part permanently or in a detachable manner. A detachable structure has the advantage that the gear ring and the feed roll can then be replaced irrespective of each other; in other words, if one of these parts is damaged, it is not necessary to replace both of them. 20 In the following, the invention will be described in more detail, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the appended drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows a feed roll pair consisting of feed rolls, seen in a front view, 25 Fig. 2 shows a single feed roll of Fig. 1, seen in a slanted side view, and Fig. 3 shows another feed roll, seen in a slanted front view. A feed roll according to an embodiment of the invention, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is made 30 of separate parts. It comprises a fastening hub 1 and a roll part 2 fixed around the same, the outer surface being provided with holding elements 3. Furthermore, the feed roll according H:\a.m\lntcnocvn\NRPonblDCC\AZM 5896614_ I.doc-17/12/2013 - 5a to Figs. I and 2 comprises a cogging 4 at the rim of the roll part 2, for coupling the feed roll mechanically to an adjacent feed roll. As seen in Fig. 1, a feed roll pair formed of two feed rolls mechanically coupled to each other is generally installed in a harvester head so that the rotation axes of the adjacent feed rolls form a blunt angle. The magnitude of this 5 angle is affected by the curvature of the outer surface of the trunks to be manipulated and the location where the point of contact between the feed rolls and the trunks is to be formed. Naturally, this angle must also be such that the coggings of the adjacent feed rolls can engage each other in a functional way. 10 In this case, the fastening hub 1 of the feed roll shown in Figs. 1 and 2 consists of a cylindrical central piece 5, whose outer surface is provided with two flange elements 6 spaced from each other. A fastening 6 hole 7 is provided centrally in the central piece of the fastening hub, for mounting the feed roll on the shaft of the motor rotating the same. The fastening of the shaft and its locking in the fastening hole 7 can be made, for example, by means of a tight insert, a fluted shaft, a shaft 5 journal, or the like, or in another way known as such. In this case, the roll part 2 consists of a surface piece 8 formed of a half-finished tube, the cogging 4 having been milled on the rim of the surface piece 8 by means of e.g. a laser. The cogs 9 of the cogging 4 10 formed in this way are parallel to the central axis of the feed roll and thereby form a circle having an equal diameter with the roll part; in other words, their distance from the central axis of the feed roll is the same as with the roll part. Furthermore, the cogs 9 of the cogging 4 are shaped in a way known as such so that the feed rolls can be installed 15 next to each other, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the cogs 9 of the cog ging 4 engage each other like the teeth of gearwheels. In this case, the holding elements 3 of the roll part 2 are formed by machining/moulding apices 10 with sharp tips at regular intervals on the surface of the semi finished tube used as the surface piece 8. Consequently, in this .20 embodiment, the holding elements 3 also extend to the cogging 4 in the transverse direction of the roll part; in other words, holding ele ments can be placed in a larger area than in feed rolls of prior art, cou pled mechanically to each other. In addition, in such an embodiment, the grip between the feed rolls and the tree trunk will hold even if the 25 point of contact between the tree trunk and the outer surface of the roll part 2 hit the cogging 4 only. In the feed roll shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the roll part 2 as well as the cylindrical central piece of the fastening hub 1 and the flange pieces 6 30 are connected to each other by welding. In this case, the flange pieces 6 are made of discoidal pieces of sheet metal having an outer diameter with the size of the inner diameter of the roll part 2 and a central circu lar opening with the size of the outer diameter of the central piece 5, so that they can be arranged around the central piece 5, between the 35 inner surface of the roll part 2 and the outer surface of the central piece 5. The distance between the flange pieces 6 is about half of the width 7 of the roll part 2, and the flange pieces 6 are placed symmetrically to the centre of the roll part 2. In this way, loads caused by the tree trunk on the roll part 2 can be distributed as evenly as possible to both flange pieces 6 and the surface piece 8 of the roll part 2. 5 The feed rolls shown in Fig. 2 can be coupled to each other, for exam ple, in the way shown in Fig. 1 so that the rotation axes of the adjacent feed rolls are in a slanted position in the direction of the tree trunk, that is, they form a blunt angle in the above-mentioned way. In this way, the 10 area of contact of their coggings is approximately at the contact point of the tree trunk and the feed rolls. Because of the mesh of the coggings 4, the feed rolls can thus rotate only simultaneously and in the same direction (because the area of contact is at the same rim of both feed rolls with respect to the axis of rotation). The coggings 4 of the feed 15 rolls shown in Figs. 1 and 2 allow the use of different positional angles. in principle, the feed rolls can be installed to be parallel, or at an almost direct angle to each other. However, in practice, there is normally no need for the use of very large angles. Instead, if the point of contact between the feed rolls and the tree trunk is to be, for example, as close 20 to the central line of the tree trunk as possible, they can be installed in parallel or almost in parallel. Since holding elements are also provided at the coggings, a good grip is achieved with the structure of the feed roll shown in Figs. 1 and 2, also when very small positional angles are applied. 25 In the second application of the feed roll according to the invention, shown in Fig. 3, the fastening hub 11 is similar to the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2, but the roll part 12 is implemented in a way different from the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2. In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the roll 30 part 12 is made of a surface piece 13 with a straight edge, several pro trusion-like holding elements 14 with sharp points being fixed (e.g. by welding) to one side of the surface piece 13. In this case, the cogging on the second rim of the roll part 12 is made of a separate gear ring 16 with a milled cogging 15 similar to that in the preceding embodiment, 35 welded onto the rim of the roll part 12. Alternatively, the roll part 12 of the feed roll according to Fig. 3 can be implemented, for example, in 8 such a way that the lower surface of the second rim of its surface piece 13 as well as a connecting piece formed on the second rim of the gear ring 16, having a diameter of the size of the inner diameter of the sur face piece 13, are provided with threadings, by means of which the 5 gear ring can be joined to the rim of the surface piece (equally spaced with the rim from the rotation axis) in a detachable manner. This kind of a structure has the advantage that the gear ring 16 can be, when worn or damaged, replaced without replacing the other parts of the feed roll. 10 The feed roll of the harvester head according to the invention can fur ther be implemented in a way different from the example embodiments. For example, the feed roll according to the invention can be made of a single moulded piece, whose fastening hub is milled to provide a fas tening hole and whose roll part rim is milled to provide a cogging of the 15 above-described kind. Such an embodiment has the advantage that it does not comprise separate parts to be attached to each other and joints between them. In this case, it is also possible to use many such materials that are more difficult to connect than metal materials. Fur thermore, the roll part of a feed roll made of separate parts can be 20 manufactured, for example, by making it from a sheet piece with a suit able thickness, whose one rim is milled to provide a cogging before the moulding of the sheet piece to have a circular cross section. The invention is not restricted to the advantageous embodiments pre 25 sented above, but it may vary according to the appended claims. The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge -in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

H zm\ateo en,\NRPortbl\DCC\AZM\5896614_ doc.-17/12/2013 -9 Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise; the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or Steps.

Claims

1. A feed roll for a harvester head, comprising: a fastening hub, 5 a roll part having a primarily circular cross section and surrounding the fastening hub, holding elements on the outer surface of the roll part to provide the necessary hold between the outer surface of the roll part and a tree trunk touching the same; and a cogging formed on at the least one rim of the roll part to couple two 10 adjacent feed rolls mechanically to each other, wherein the cogging is primarily at the level of the outer surface of the roll part, and the distance of the outer surface of the cogging from the rotation axis of the feed roll is primarily equal to the distance of the outer surface of the roll part from the rotation axis of the feed roll. 15

2. The feed roll according to claim 1, wherein holding elements are also provided on the outer surface of the cogging.

3. The feed roll according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cogging is formed of a separate 20 gear ring fixed to the rim of the roll part either permanently or in a detachable manner.

4. A method for manufacturing a feed roll for a harvester head, comprising: providing the feed roll with a fastening hub, providing the feed roll with a roll part having a primarily circular cross 25 section and surrounding the fastening hub; providing the outer surface of the roll part with holding elements to produce friction between the outer surface of the roll part and a tree trunk touching the same; and providing a cogging on at the least one rim of the roll part to couple two adjacent feed rolls mechanically to each other, the cogging being primarily at the level of 30 the outer surface of the roll part, and the distance of the outer surface of the cogging from the rotation axis of the feed roll being primarily equal to the distance of the outer surface of H:Mm,.\b.ilerwoven\NRPorbl\DCC\AZM\596614-Idoc-17/12/20131 - 11 the roll part from the rotation axis of the feed roll.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the roll part is manufactured primarily of a circular surface piece whose rim is provided with a cogging. 5

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the surface piece is formed of a semi finished tube with a primarily circular cross section.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein a separate gear ring is 10 attached onto the rim of the roll part.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the gear ring is attached to the rim of the roll part in a detachable manner. 15

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein the feed roll is made of a single moulded piece, a cogging being machined on the rim of the roll part.

10. A feed roll substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings and/or Examples. 20

11. A feed roll manufacturing method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings and/or Examples.