CA2130550A1 - Improvements in and to combine harvesters - Google Patents
Improvements in and to combine harvestersInfo
- Publication number
- CA2130550A1 CA2130550A1 CA 2130550 CA2130550A CA2130550A1 CA 2130550 A1 CA2130550 A1 CA 2130550A1 CA 2130550 CA2130550 CA 2130550 CA 2130550 A CA2130550 A CA 2130550A CA 2130550 A1 CA2130550 A1 CA 2130550A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- air
- grain
- threshing unit
- threshed
- nozzle opening
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Landscapes
- Threshing Machine Elements (AREA)
Abstract
The invention is directed to an improved method and means of achieving the separation of relatively heavy threshed grain from lighter chaff/straw during the threshing operation in a combine harvester, wherein the crop materialbeing threshed by the threshing unit (12, 16) of the harvester is sujected to a jet of air which is directed between the underside of the concave (16) of the threshing unit (12) and the grain transfer means (18) which conveys threshed grain from the threshing unit (12) to an intake of a cleaning mechanism (22), the jet of air being effective to assist the delivery of the threshed material away from the threshing unit and to pre-clean the threshed grain by urging the chaff and strew into an airborne state prior to reaching the cleaning mechanism.
Description
'~ 13~S~ ~
WO~3/16581 PCT/AU93/00075 IMPROVEMENTS IN AND TO COMBINE HARVESTERS
This invention relates generally to c~bine harvesters and, more partic~larly, to improved means and method of achieving the Reparation of the relatively heavy threshed grain from the lighter chaff/straw during the threshi~g operation.
It is of course well known for combine harvesters to incorporate a cleaning system which relies on a flow of air in order to render the chaff and straw airborne and separate same from the heavier grain which is then able to pa S
through a set of ~ieves relying on gravitational force. The capacity and the efficiency of conventional cleaning ~ystems have been found to be signiicantly affected when the harvester is operating on sloping ground due in part to the ir~egular distribution of threshed grain on the cleaning sieves. Furthermore, par~icularl~ with cleaning Qystems which incorporate walkers, ~t has been found, in practice, that the density of the ~traw mov:ing along the ~traw walker~ ~
is such that it impedes the ability of the threshed grain to ;.
gravitate into the cleaning sieves. Accordingly it is desirable to i~crease both the capacity and the Qffiaiency of cleaning system in combine harvesters so as not to limit the throughput capability of the combine.
'.':
With conven~ional combines that have a threshing unit comprising a threshing drum/concave combination, it has been found that occasionally the concave becomes choked with straw due to the inability of the threshed makerial to be delivered efficiently from the exit end of the thresher. Such choking o~ten leaqs~~to overloading and cracking of the threshed grain and results in more threshed grain bein~ deposited on the walkers which i~ turn may lead to threshed grain being expelled with the unwanted residue from the machine.
Accordingly, it is desirable to ensure that the concaves are main~ained in a relati~ely clean condikion which not only will significantly reduce the pow r requirement of the PC~/~U 93 / 00~ 7 ~
REeEIVI~ 29 NOV1993 thresher but allows the threshed material to leave t'he threshing location at an ideal throughput speed so as to avoid blockage or choking.
Still further, where a shaking grain tray is used to convey ' threshed material from the -threshing area to the cleaning sieves, and overloading occurs in the threshing unit, a significant amount of grain will be lost due to it not being able to gravitate downwardly through the chaff/straw mixture which is also on the tray, by the time the grain reaches the end of the shaking tra~.
As stated previously, whilst many attempts have been made to improve the capacity and efficiency of convention~l combines hy means of fans or blowers so as to create a flow of air in .' order to urge'unwanted residue in the threshe~ grain into an airborne state, none of these have proven to be totally successful, and in particular none have recognised the need .- t~ efficiently dissipate' the threshed material from the -threshing area.
It is the main object of the present invention to provide an' ~::
improved means and me'thod of threshing crop mater.ial which obviates the aforementioned prior art problems and which ~'' results in a significant increase in the capacity and `~' efficiency of a conventional combine. ;~
It'is another object of the present invention to providé an improved means and method of threshing crop material which '' will allow a combine to~more efficiently operate in hilly condi~ions ~w~ére the sieves have one side higher than the other, by allowing the threshed grain to pass through the - sieves at a faster rate than would otherwise be the case.
Broadly according to this invention therefore, there'is provided an improved method of threshing crop material in a ...
combine harvester machine having a threshing unit, an infeed ' mechanism for feeding crop material into the threshing unit, IIP W 8UB~T~UTE SHEET~
~ .
PCT/AU 9 3 / O O 0 7 ~
RE~E~V~:) 2 9 NO~ 199:
a grain cleaning mechanism, and grain transfer means for transferring threshed material fxom the threshing unit to an intake of the cleaning mechanism, said grain transfer means disposed beneath -the threshing unit and extending longitudinally of the machine, characterised by;
directing a high velocity low volume jet stream of air through and ~ransverse to threshed material-discharging from the threshing unit, said jet stream issuing from an elon~ate horizontally extending rearwardly directed nozzle opening positioned below the underside of the threshinq unit in proximity to its forward end and orientated so that the jet stream is directed across the underside of the threshing unit ;;
in a direction which is upwardly inclined with respect to the longi~udlnal axis of said grain transfer means, said jet stream of air being effective the assist the discharge of threshed material from the threshing unit and to induce ;~
turbulent a~r movement in the space between the jet stream ;
and the grain transfer means which in turn assists in the precleaning of the threshed grain prior to it reaching the cleaning mechanism.
Preferably a jet of air having a velocity in the order of 7000 to 15000 ft/minute and a flow rate in the range of 1800 to 4000 cubic ft/minute is used to dissipate and to pre-clean the threshed material. It is believed that the high pressure jet stream passing beneath the threshing unit assists in the dischargé of the threshed material from the threshing unit by virtue of a "venturi" effect.
The jet stream of air i5 injected into the region directly beneath the.threshing unit through a narrow, elongate nozæle opening which is orientated so as to direct the jet of air in an upwardly inclined plane with respect to the plane of the grain transfer means. The upwardly inclined directional f?ow of air essentially prevents threshed grain moving along the transfer means being "blown~ therefrom and expelled with the lighter residue.
PCI~/~U 9 3 / 0 0 0 ~7 5 REC:EIVED 2 9 NOV f9!
From practical tests carried out by the inventors, it has been shown -that the high velocity air jet stream blowing across the top of the grain transfer means -(in non-parallel relation therewith) creates a series of vortices (turbulent flow) in the ~static" air space~between the jet stream and the transfer means and which are effective to pu~ the light residue material which might otherwise remain with the threshed grain, into an airborne state. In operation, relatively clean grain accumulates at the distal end of the transfer tray and i~ has been found in practice, that the threshed grain can be up to 75% pre-cleaned prior to entering the intake of the grain cleaning mechanism.
, ~ .
.. ...
~:.
. . ~ .
. . . ~ ~ .
5'~
W093/1~581 PCT/AU93/000, Preferably the jet of air is created by an externally mounted centrifugal fan connected to air delivery means which has an elongate nozzle at its exit end located approximately immediately below the discharge end of the infeed mechani~m to the threshing unit.
Preferably, the air delivery means comprises a distributor manifold having a sèrie~ of aligned air outlets and an inlet which connects to the fan by means of a flexible conduit and an injection manifold having a serie~ of air inlets a~d an outlet which forms the elongats nozzl~, the air inlets being ~`:
respecti~ely connected to the air outlets of the distributor manifold by separate hoses. This ensures that the flow of air is uniformly or evenly ~pread across the width of the nozzle as i~ issues therefrom. ~-Preferably the nozzle of the injection manifold is defined by an opening or aperture ha~ing a width in the order of 20-25mm a~d a le~gth which may vary between 750-15QOmm depending on the length of the threshin~ drum.
Pre~erably the di~charge nozzle is provided with an ad~u~table flap for adjusting the direction of the jet of air issuing therefrom.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the nozzle of th injection manifold has its leading edge adjacent the upstream end of a grain shaker tray ox pan o the grain transfer means which receives threshed grain directly from the threshing unit, Ruch grain being transferred along the length of the ~,!
shaker tray,lnto cleanin~ æie~es~
According to another as~ect of this invention, there is provided an improved combine harvester machine of the type c~mprising an infeed mechanism for feeding crop material into a threshing unit, a grain cleaning m~chanism for cleaning unwanted residue ~rom the threshed grain, and grain transfer PCT~AU 9 3 / O O 0 7 5 RI~CEIVE !3 2 9 NûV 19' means fc)r conveying thxeshed grain from the threshing unit to t~e grai.n cleaning mechanism, said grain transfer means being disposecl beneath the threshing unit and extending :
longituclinally of the machine, the improvements comprising .
blower means mounted on the machine, air delivery means, one .~:
end of which is connected to said blower means, the other exit encl of which terminates in a narrow elongate nozzle opening at a location proximate to and below the discharge ~-end of said infeed mechanism, said blower means and said air ~::
delivery means being operable to create a high velocity, low volume jet stream of air which, when the machine is in use, -is directed through and transverse to threshed material . ~.
discharging from the threshing unit, said jet st~eam issuing from said noz21e opening in a direction which is upwardly ~`
inclinec1 with respect to the longitudinal axis of said grain transfer means, said jet stream of air being effective to assist l:he discharge of threshed material from -the threshing ` ~:-unit and to induce turbulent air movement in the space above the gra.in transfer means which in turn assists in the precleaning of the threshed grain.prior to it reachi.ng the cleaning mechanism.
~ ' In prac~tice, with this invention, it has been found that the capacity of the combine har~ester can increase by up to 100%, ~
such an increase being attributable to the increased ;.
e.fficiency at which the threshed material is drawn thrcu~h the concave of the threshing unit, the increased efficiency of.sepa;rating the threshed grain and the straw/chaff during the tra:nsference of the threshed grain to the cleani.n~
mechanism, anjd also to the avoidance of any blockage or choking occurring in the threshing unit. In those harvesters where the cleaning mechanism comprises a walker syst.em~ it has been found that by creating an air flow stream on the under$ide of the walkers, the increaséd capacity is in part due to ~he easier separation of the threshed grain a.nd the straw/chaff being conveyed along the walkers as a re!sult of th~ straw/chaff being in a dynamic state. Normally there is ~1~ .
P~ u 9 3 / ~ ~ ~ 7 ~
F~EC~ g NOVIgc 5a no air flow along the walkers which in the past has been .
confined. to the sieve area of the cleaning mechanism. The :
dynamic state of the residue material not only assist:s in the separation of the threshed grain from such material but also enables the grain to gravitate to the cleaning sieves a lot sooner.
., ~".
,_ ~
.
.. .
., _ ~ IPEAJSlJ0~;TlTUTe SHEETl '21305~
W093/165Xl PCT/AU93/000' It is al50 believed that the unexpected results attainea with this invention are also partly attributable to a swi.rling air èffect created near the distal end of the shaker tra~y when the stream of air flowing above the grain transfer means merges with air which emanates from thè cleanin~ blower which is located adjacent th~ cleaning sieves (in accoxdarlce with known practice), such Ewirling effect causi~g lighte~r r~sidue mat~rial to be put into an airborn~ state for expul~;ion from the machine.
':.' In order to further explain th~ present invention, several embodiments of the in~ention are described her~under in more ~-detail with reference to and are illustrated in the ::~
accompanying arawings wherein;
Fig 1 shows schematically a blower arrangement accordi~g to a first embodiment, incorporat~d into a conventional combine ~:
harvester having a cle~ning mecha~ism which includes straw walker~;
Fig 2 is a perspective view of a combined blower ancl air injection system for fitment to a harvester according to a scond embodiment;
Fig 3 is a view similar to Fig 1 but incorporating the air in jection system shown in Fig 2;
Fig 4 is a sectiorlal view of the injection manifold shown in Fig 2; whilst Fig 5 is a ~chematic Yiew of the blower arrangement shown in Fig 2 fit~ed to a harvester of the rotary-type.
.
In the embodiment shown in Fig 1, a crop harvesting machine 10, commonly referred to as a combine, is of conventional c~nstruc~ion and is arranged to sever crop material, consolidate it and feed it upwardly through an inf eed conduit WO93/l6~X1 213 0 ~ 5 ~ PCT/AU93/00075 11 which normally houses a chain elevator (not shown) for conveying the consolidated crop material into a threshing unit 12 for threshing the crop material in order to separate the relatiYely heavy grain from the lighter chaff~straw and other residuP, the threshed material being conveyed to a cleaning mechanism 13 for final separation and collection of the cleaned grain.
The threshing unit 12, in accordance with known art, comprises a rota~ing threshing drum 14 which has fixed around its outer circu~f~rence and exte~ding lengthwise thereof a plurali~y of circumferentially ~paced threshing hars 15, and a concave 16 which encircles part of the drum circumference so as to provide an area of grain separation surface.
Normally the concave is adjustable to corre~pond exactly with the threshing requireme~ts of any crop or condition change.
Loca~ed benea~h the concave 16 is a grain trans~r mechanism 18 which, in this embodiment, comprises a shaker tray or pan (of known form~ ~or aonveyi.~g unclean:thrQshed grain r~aeived directly from the threshing unit 12 to the sieve area of the cleaning mechani~m 13.
Al~o in accordance with known art, the cleaning mechanism 13 comprises straw walkers 20 for receiving threshed material after it leaves the threshing unit 12. The threshed matërial should spread in an even layer over the whol2 of the straw walker system in order to ~chievs optimum grain separation effect. The straw walkers 20 are driven in a manner to e~ure that threshed material moves uniformly therealong to enable the ~hreshed grain to ~eparate from the chaff~straw material pxior to the discharge of the unwanted residue from the discharge end of the machine 10. Located below the walkers 20 are sieves 22 through which the threshed grai~
gravitates ln order to produce cleaned grain free from any remaining residue such as chaff and short pieces of straw.
WO~3/16581 PCT/AU93/00075 IMPROVEMENTS IN AND TO COMBINE HARVESTERS
This invention relates generally to c~bine harvesters and, more partic~larly, to improved means and method of achieving the Reparation of the relatively heavy threshed grain from the lighter chaff/straw during the threshi~g operation.
It is of course well known for combine harvesters to incorporate a cleaning system which relies on a flow of air in order to render the chaff and straw airborne and separate same from the heavier grain which is then able to pa S
through a set of ~ieves relying on gravitational force. The capacity and the efficiency of conventional cleaning ~ystems have been found to be signiicantly affected when the harvester is operating on sloping ground due in part to the ir~egular distribution of threshed grain on the cleaning sieves. Furthermore, par~icularl~ with cleaning Qystems which incorporate walkers, ~t has been found, in practice, that the density of the ~traw mov:ing along the ~traw walker~ ~
is such that it impedes the ability of the threshed grain to ;.
gravitate into the cleaning sieves. Accordingly it is desirable to i~crease both the capacity and the Qffiaiency of cleaning system in combine harvesters so as not to limit the throughput capability of the combine.
'.':
With conven~ional combines that have a threshing unit comprising a threshing drum/concave combination, it has been found that occasionally the concave becomes choked with straw due to the inability of the threshed makerial to be delivered efficiently from the exit end of the thresher. Such choking o~ten leaqs~~to overloading and cracking of the threshed grain and results in more threshed grain bein~ deposited on the walkers which i~ turn may lead to threshed grain being expelled with the unwanted residue from the machine.
Accordingly, it is desirable to ensure that the concaves are main~ained in a relati~ely clean condikion which not only will significantly reduce the pow r requirement of the PC~/~U 93 / 00~ 7 ~
REeEIVI~ 29 NOV1993 thresher but allows the threshed material to leave t'he threshing location at an ideal throughput speed so as to avoid blockage or choking.
Still further, where a shaking grain tray is used to convey ' threshed material from the -threshing area to the cleaning sieves, and overloading occurs in the threshing unit, a significant amount of grain will be lost due to it not being able to gravitate downwardly through the chaff/straw mixture which is also on the tray, by the time the grain reaches the end of the shaking tra~.
As stated previously, whilst many attempts have been made to improve the capacity and efficiency of convention~l combines hy means of fans or blowers so as to create a flow of air in .' order to urge'unwanted residue in the threshe~ grain into an airborne state, none of these have proven to be totally successful, and in particular none have recognised the need .- t~ efficiently dissipate' the threshed material from the -threshing area.
It is the main object of the present invention to provide an' ~::
improved means and me'thod of threshing crop mater.ial which obviates the aforementioned prior art problems and which ~'' results in a significant increase in the capacity and `~' efficiency of a conventional combine. ;~
It'is another object of the present invention to providé an improved means and method of threshing crop material which '' will allow a combine to~more efficiently operate in hilly condi~ions ~w~ére the sieves have one side higher than the other, by allowing the threshed grain to pass through the - sieves at a faster rate than would otherwise be the case.
Broadly according to this invention therefore, there'is provided an improved method of threshing crop material in a ...
combine harvester machine having a threshing unit, an infeed ' mechanism for feeding crop material into the threshing unit, IIP W 8UB~T~UTE SHEET~
~ .
PCT/AU 9 3 / O O 0 7 ~
RE~E~V~:) 2 9 NO~ 199:
a grain cleaning mechanism, and grain transfer means for transferring threshed material fxom the threshing unit to an intake of the cleaning mechanism, said grain transfer means disposed beneath -the threshing unit and extending longitudinally of the machine, characterised by;
directing a high velocity low volume jet stream of air through and ~ransverse to threshed material-discharging from the threshing unit, said jet stream issuing from an elon~ate horizontally extending rearwardly directed nozzle opening positioned below the underside of the threshinq unit in proximity to its forward end and orientated so that the jet stream is directed across the underside of the threshing unit ;;
in a direction which is upwardly inclined with respect to the longi~udlnal axis of said grain transfer means, said jet stream of air being effective the assist the discharge of threshed material from the threshing unit and to induce ;~
turbulent a~r movement in the space between the jet stream ;
and the grain transfer means which in turn assists in the precleaning of the threshed grain prior to it reaching the cleaning mechanism.
Preferably a jet of air having a velocity in the order of 7000 to 15000 ft/minute and a flow rate in the range of 1800 to 4000 cubic ft/minute is used to dissipate and to pre-clean the threshed material. It is believed that the high pressure jet stream passing beneath the threshing unit assists in the dischargé of the threshed material from the threshing unit by virtue of a "venturi" effect.
The jet stream of air i5 injected into the region directly beneath the.threshing unit through a narrow, elongate nozæle opening which is orientated so as to direct the jet of air in an upwardly inclined plane with respect to the plane of the grain transfer means. The upwardly inclined directional f?ow of air essentially prevents threshed grain moving along the transfer means being "blown~ therefrom and expelled with the lighter residue.
PCI~/~U 9 3 / 0 0 0 ~7 5 REC:EIVED 2 9 NOV f9!
From practical tests carried out by the inventors, it has been shown -that the high velocity air jet stream blowing across the top of the grain transfer means -(in non-parallel relation therewith) creates a series of vortices (turbulent flow) in the ~static" air space~between the jet stream and the transfer means and which are effective to pu~ the light residue material which might otherwise remain with the threshed grain, into an airborne state. In operation, relatively clean grain accumulates at the distal end of the transfer tray and i~ has been found in practice, that the threshed grain can be up to 75% pre-cleaned prior to entering the intake of the grain cleaning mechanism.
, ~ .
.. ...
~:.
. . ~ .
. . . ~ ~ .
5'~
W093/1~581 PCT/AU93/000, Preferably the jet of air is created by an externally mounted centrifugal fan connected to air delivery means which has an elongate nozzle at its exit end located approximately immediately below the discharge end of the infeed mechani~m to the threshing unit.
Preferably, the air delivery means comprises a distributor manifold having a sèrie~ of aligned air outlets and an inlet which connects to the fan by means of a flexible conduit and an injection manifold having a serie~ of air inlets a~d an outlet which forms the elongats nozzl~, the air inlets being ~`:
respecti~ely connected to the air outlets of the distributor manifold by separate hoses. This ensures that the flow of air is uniformly or evenly ~pread across the width of the nozzle as i~ issues therefrom. ~-Preferably the nozzle of the injection manifold is defined by an opening or aperture ha~ing a width in the order of 20-25mm a~d a le~gth which may vary between 750-15QOmm depending on the length of the threshin~ drum.
Pre~erably the di~charge nozzle is provided with an ad~u~table flap for adjusting the direction of the jet of air issuing therefrom.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the nozzle of th injection manifold has its leading edge adjacent the upstream end of a grain shaker tray ox pan o the grain transfer means which receives threshed grain directly from the threshing unit, Ruch grain being transferred along the length of the ~,!
shaker tray,lnto cleanin~ æie~es~
According to another as~ect of this invention, there is provided an improved combine harvester machine of the type c~mprising an infeed mechanism for feeding crop material into a threshing unit, a grain cleaning m~chanism for cleaning unwanted residue ~rom the threshed grain, and grain transfer PCT~AU 9 3 / O O 0 7 5 RI~CEIVE !3 2 9 NûV 19' means fc)r conveying thxeshed grain from the threshing unit to t~e grai.n cleaning mechanism, said grain transfer means being disposecl beneath the threshing unit and extending :
longituclinally of the machine, the improvements comprising .
blower means mounted on the machine, air delivery means, one .~:
end of which is connected to said blower means, the other exit encl of which terminates in a narrow elongate nozzle opening at a location proximate to and below the discharge ~-end of said infeed mechanism, said blower means and said air ~::
delivery means being operable to create a high velocity, low volume jet stream of air which, when the machine is in use, -is directed through and transverse to threshed material . ~.
discharging from the threshing unit, said jet st~eam issuing from said noz21e opening in a direction which is upwardly ~`
inclinec1 with respect to the longitudinal axis of said grain transfer means, said jet stream of air being effective to assist l:he discharge of threshed material from -the threshing ` ~:-unit and to induce turbulent air movement in the space above the gra.in transfer means which in turn assists in the precleaning of the threshed grain.prior to it reachi.ng the cleaning mechanism.
~ ' In prac~tice, with this invention, it has been found that the capacity of the combine har~ester can increase by up to 100%, ~
such an increase being attributable to the increased ;.
e.fficiency at which the threshed material is drawn thrcu~h the concave of the threshing unit, the increased efficiency of.sepa;rating the threshed grain and the straw/chaff during the tra:nsference of the threshed grain to the cleani.n~
mechanism, anjd also to the avoidance of any blockage or choking occurring in the threshing unit. In those harvesters where the cleaning mechanism comprises a walker syst.em~ it has been found that by creating an air flow stream on the under$ide of the walkers, the increaséd capacity is in part due to ~he easier separation of the threshed grain a.nd the straw/chaff being conveyed along the walkers as a re!sult of th~ straw/chaff being in a dynamic state. Normally there is ~1~ .
P~ u 9 3 / ~ ~ ~ 7 ~
F~EC~ g NOVIgc 5a no air flow along the walkers which in the past has been .
confined. to the sieve area of the cleaning mechanism. The :
dynamic state of the residue material not only assist:s in the separation of the threshed grain from such material but also enables the grain to gravitate to the cleaning sieves a lot sooner.
., ~".
,_ ~
.
.. .
., _ ~ IPEAJSlJ0~;TlTUTe SHEETl '21305~
W093/165Xl PCT/AU93/000' It is al50 believed that the unexpected results attainea with this invention are also partly attributable to a swi.rling air èffect created near the distal end of the shaker tra~y when the stream of air flowing above the grain transfer means merges with air which emanates from thè cleanin~ blower which is located adjacent th~ cleaning sieves (in accoxdarlce with known practice), such Ewirling effect causi~g lighte~r r~sidue mat~rial to be put into an airborn~ state for expul~;ion from the machine.
':.' In order to further explain th~ present invention, several embodiments of the in~ention are described her~under in more ~-detail with reference to and are illustrated in the ::~
accompanying arawings wherein;
Fig 1 shows schematically a blower arrangement accordi~g to a first embodiment, incorporat~d into a conventional combine ~:
harvester having a cle~ning mecha~ism which includes straw walker~;
Fig 2 is a perspective view of a combined blower ancl air injection system for fitment to a harvester according to a scond embodiment;
Fig 3 is a view similar to Fig 1 but incorporating the air in jection system shown in Fig 2;
Fig 4 is a sectiorlal view of the injection manifold shown in Fig 2; whilst Fig 5 is a ~chematic Yiew of the blower arrangement shown in Fig 2 fit~ed to a harvester of the rotary-type.
.
In the embodiment shown in Fig 1, a crop harvesting machine 10, commonly referred to as a combine, is of conventional c~nstruc~ion and is arranged to sever crop material, consolidate it and feed it upwardly through an inf eed conduit WO93/l6~X1 213 0 ~ 5 ~ PCT/AU93/00075 11 which normally houses a chain elevator (not shown) for conveying the consolidated crop material into a threshing unit 12 for threshing the crop material in order to separate the relatiYely heavy grain from the lighter chaff~straw and other residuP, the threshed material being conveyed to a cleaning mechanism 13 for final separation and collection of the cleaned grain.
The threshing unit 12, in accordance with known art, comprises a rota~ing threshing drum 14 which has fixed around its outer circu~f~rence and exte~ding lengthwise thereof a plurali~y of circumferentially ~paced threshing hars 15, and a concave 16 which encircles part of the drum circumference so as to provide an area of grain separation surface.
Normally the concave is adjustable to corre~pond exactly with the threshing requireme~ts of any crop or condition change.
Loca~ed benea~h the concave 16 is a grain trans~r mechanism 18 which, in this embodiment, comprises a shaker tray or pan (of known form~ ~or aonveyi.~g unclean:thrQshed grain r~aeived directly from the threshing unit 12 to the sieve area of the cleaning mechani~m 13.
Al~o in accordance with known art, the cleaning mechanism 13 comprises straw walkers 20 for receiving threshed material after it leaves the threshing unit 12. The threshed matërial should spread in an even layer over the whol2 of the straw walker system in order to ~chievs optimum grain separation effect. The straw walkers 20 are driven in a manner to e~ure that threshed material moves uniformly therealong to enable the ~hreshed grain to ~eparate from the chaff~straw material pxior to the discharge of the unwanted residue from the discharge end of the machine 10. Located below the walkers 20 are sieves 22 through which the threshed grai~
gravitates ln order to produce cleaned grain free from any remaining residue such as chaff and short pieces of straw.
2 13055 ~
W093/l658l 1 . PCT/A~'93/000.
, After being cleaned, the cleaned grain is then transported to a grain tank (not shown). In accordance with usual practice, a blower fan 24 is positioned to one side of the sieves 22 and directs a flow of air across the surface of the sieves to effect a final separation of any unwanted r~sidue from the cleaned grain.
~ :
In accordance with the practice of this inv~ntion, there is :~
provided a c~ntrlfugal fan 25 ~ecured to the fxame of the machine 10 which is operable to produce a jet of air from the exit end of an air delivery conduit 26. In this embodiment, the discharge ~nd of the co~duit 26 ic located immediately below the exit end of the delivery conduit 11 and compri~e~ a narrow elongate opening 27, designed to direct the incoming air jet at an upwardly inclined angle betwee~ the underside of the concave 16 and the upper side of the tray 1~ to thereby urge a large percentage oi the chaff and ~traw into an airborne ætate immediately upor~ threshing. With this arrangement, the threshed material is already partially cleaned before reaching the cleaning mechanism 13~ ~:
, :
It is e~sential that a high velocity, low volume flow of air be created by the blower 25 in order to dissipate the threshed material efficiently and also to cope with the larg amount of crop material being forced through the conca~e of the threshing unit 1~. Preferably a jet of air haviny a velocity in the order of 4000 to 6000 feet per minute, and a velocity pressure in the range of 3 to 14" of water, is required. Depending on the width of the machine (which determines the length of the discharge opening of the conduit 26), the ~olume of flow may range between 1800 to 4000 cubic ft/minute.
An adjustable flap 28 can be conveniently hingedly mounted at .
the discharge ~nd of the delivery conduit 26 to enable the direction o~ the jet of air issuing from the conduit 26 to be adjusted.
~136~SO
WO93/16~81 PCT/AU93/00075 In this embodiment the discharge opening 27 of the delivery conduit 26 is a nozzle opening having a width o~ between 20-25mm.
It is important that the stxeam of pressure air blown from the opening 27 retains ~ts dir~ctional effect for a considerable distance beyond the pl~ne of the opening. In some harve~ters, eg where both the walkers and th~ grain auger conveyor sy~tem extend to the rear of the machine, the directional effect of the air stream is required to be maintained approximatQly along the full length of the machine to ensure that the ai borne residue material is e~fectively expelled from th~ rear thereof and cannot re-mix with the threshed grain being fed into the cleaning sieves 22.
With the arrangement of thP present inve~tion, the e~ficiency of the separation o the threshed material moving along the walkers 20 i~ ~ignificantly improved by virtue of the ~et of air creating an air flow acro~s ~he underside of the walkers 20, such air flow cauæing ~ome turbulence on the und~r~ide of the walkers 20 which in turn cau~es the rel~tively light wa6te ~aterial, i.e. chaff, to "jump", such dynamic movement enabling the threshed grain to separate more easily a~d in turn be allowed to gravitate into the sieves 22.
Referring to the embodiment shown in Figs 2-4 ~f the drawings, where corresponding parts have been given the ~ame numerals to those in Fig l, the centrifugal blower 25 is mounted on the machine lO adjacent its cab, the blower 25 being connected to a distributor manifold 3l by a flexible _ ~ .
conduit 32,~the manifold 3l in turn being connected to an injector manifold 33 by a pluraliky of short-length hoses 360 The injector manifold 33 i~ mounted in an elongate transverse opening in an end wall of the machine lO ju~t below the exit end of the infeed conduit ll, the manifold 33 having a ::
transverse horizontal elongatP nozzle opening 34 which communicates with the space below the concave l6.
~13~5~
WO93/16581 PCr/AUg3/000.
.
The hoses 36 ensure that the flow of pressure air is delivered into the manifold 33 evenly acro~ its full width, and in turn blown from the opening 3~ uniformly across its entire length which can vary between 750-1500mm.
A~ shown in Fig 4, the manifold 33 is provided with a pair of opposed parallel walls 35, 35' which terminate at the nozzle opening 34, ~o that air issues fr~m the opening 34 in a linear or straight stream at a slightly upwa:rdly inclined angle with resp~at to the shaker tray l8. As discussed previou~ly, it is advantageou~ that the stream of jetted air undergoes minimal di~sipa~ion, at l~a~t initially, as it flows across the top of the tray 18 so as to maintain its directional effect.
Referring to Fig 5 of the drawings, a blower as~embly similar to that shown in Figs ~-4 is shown fitted to a rvtary combine harvesting machine, which incorporates a rotary cylindrical threshing drum 37 and concave 38 which extends lengthwise of the machine (rather than tran~ver~ely) a~d a grain transfer auger 39 ~rather than a shaker tray) which conveys thr~shed grain and lighter wasts material to the cleaning ~i~ves 40.
No walkers are used. As with the pre~ious embodiment, pressure air is blown through a flexible delivery duct to a distributor manifold which ~plits the air up into a numbex of separate flow paths by means of ho6e~ before pa~sing into the injectivn manifold 33 which has its di~charge nozzle 34 located below the threshing mechanism 37, 38 and at the upstream end of the auger 39. The fast flowing airstream 40 flows betwe~n the underside of the concave 38 and the auger 39 at a s~ightly inclined angle with respect to the axis of the auger 39. The number and size of the hoses 36 will vary according to the size and width of the machine.
In accordance with known art, the machine has a cleaning fan 42 for getting rid of chaff residue which may accumulate on the sieves 4l, with the clean grain passing through the R!EC:EI~/E~ 2 9 NOY 1' 11 . .
sieves 41 into a delivery auger 43 which delivers the clean grain ~o a collection bin or tank.
With the machine shown in Fi.g 5, the turbulent flow of air which produces a secondary separation effect, will tend to occur at either side of ~he rotary drum rather than in the-restricted space between the concave 38 and the auger 39.
It will of course be appareciated that the threshing and cleaning units can be of other designs, as will be well known to those skilled in the art.
A brief consideration of the above described embodiment will indicate that the invention provides a very simple and ine~pensive solution to significantly improving the capacity and efficiency of a combine machine, and one which can be readily fitted to existing machines. `~
__ ~ ru~ 1
W093/l658l 1 . PCT/A~'93/000.
, After being cleaned, the cleaned grain is then transported to a grain tank (not shown). In accordance with usual practice, a blower fan 24 is positioned to one side of the sieves 22 and directs a flow of air across the surface of the sieves to effect a final separation of any unwanted r~sidue from the cleaned grain.
~ :
In accordance with the practice of this inv~ntion, there is :~
provided a c~ntrlfugal fan 25 ~ecured to the fxame of the machine 10 which is operable to produce a jet of air from the exit end of an air delivery conduit 26. In this embodiment, the discharge ~nd of the co~duit 26 ic located immediately below the exit end of the delivery conduit 11 and compri~e~ a narrow elongate opening 27, designed to direct the incoming air jet at an upwardly inclined angle betwee~ the underside of the concave 16 and the upper side of the tray 1~ to thereby urge a large percentage oi the chaff and ~traw into an airborne ætate immediately upor~ threshing. With this arrangement, the threshed material is already partially cleaned before reaching the cleaning mechanism 13~ ~:
, :
It is e~sential that a high velocity, low volume flow of air be created by the blower 25 in order to dissipate the threshed material efficiently and also to cope with the larg amount of crop material being forced through the conca~e of the threshing unit 1~. Preferably a jet of air haviny a velocity in the order of 4000 to 6000 feet per minute, and a velocity pressure in the range of 3 to 14" of water, is required. Depending on the width of the machine (which determines the length of the discharge opening of the conduit 26), the ~olume of flow may range between 1800 to 4000 cubic ft/minute.
An adjustable flap 28 can be conveniently hingedly mounted at .
the discharge ~nd of the delivery conduit 26 to enable the direction o~ the jet of air issuing from the conduit 26 to be adjusted.
~136~SO
WO93/16~81 PCT/AU93/00075 In this embodiment the discharge opening 27 of the delivery conduit 26 is a nozzle opening having a width o~ between 20-25mm.
It is important that the stxeam of pressure air blown from the opening 27 retains ~ts dir~ctional effect for a considerable distance beyond the pl~ne of the opening. In some harve~ters, eg where both the walkers and th~ grain auger conveyor sy~tem extend to the rear of the machine, the directional effect of the air stream is required to be maintained approximatQly along the full length of the machine to ensure that the ai borne residue material is e~fectively expelled from th~ rear thereof and cannot re-mix with the threshed grain being fed into the cleaning sieves 22.
With the arrangement of thP present inve~tion, the e~ficiency of the separation o the threshed material moving along the walkers 20 i~ ~ignificantly improved by virtue of the ~et of air creating an air flow acro~s ~he underside of the walkers 20, such air flow cauæing ~ome turbulence on the und~r~ide of the walkers 20 which in turn cau~es the rel~tively light wa6te ~aterial, i.e. chaff, to "jump", such dynamic movement enabling the threshed grain to separate more easily a~d in turn be allowed to gravitate into the sieves 22.
Referring to the embodiment shown in Figs 2-4 ~f the drawings, where corresponding parts have been given the ~ame numerals to those in Fig l, the centrifugal blower 25 is mounted on the machine lO adjacent its cab, the blower 25 being connected to a distributor manifold 3l by a flexible _ ~ .
conduit 32,~the manifold 3l in turn being connected to an injector manifold 33 by a pluraliky of short-length hoses 360 The injector manifold 33 i~ mounted in an elongate transverse opening in an end wall of the machine lO ju~t below the exit end of the infeed conduit ll, the manifold 33 having a ::
transverse horizontal elongatP nozzle opening 34 which communicates with the space below the concave l6.
~13~5~
WO93/16581 PCr/AUg3/000.
.
The hoses 36 ensure that the flow of pressure air is delivered into the manifold 33 evenly acro~ its full width, and in turn blown from the opening 3~ uniformly across its entire length which can vary between 750-1500mm.
A~ shown in Fig 4, the manifold 33 is provided with a pair of opposed parallel walls 35, 35' which terminate at the nozzle opening 34, ~o that air issues fr~m the opening 34 in a linear or straight stream at a slightly upwa:rdly inclined angle with resp~at to the shaker tray l8. As discussed previou~ly, it is advantageou~ that the stream of jetted air undergoes minimal di~sipa~ion, at l~a~t initially, as it flows across the top of the tray 18 so as to maintain its directional effect.
Referring to Fig 5 of the drawings, a blower as~embly similar to that shown in Figs ~-4 is shown fitted to a rvtary combine harvesting machine, which incorporates a rotary cylindrical threshing drum 37 and concave 38 which extends lengthwise of the machine (rather than tran~ver~ely) a~d a grain transfer auger 39 ~rather than a shaker tray) which conveys thr~shed grain and lighter wasts material to the cleaning ~i~ves 40.
No walkers are used. As with the pre~ious embodiment, pressure air is blown through a flexible delivery duct to a distributor manifold which ~plits the air up into a numbex of separate flow paths by means of ho6e~ before pa~sing into the injectivn manifold 33 which has its di~charge nozzle 34 located below the threshing mechanism 37, 38 and at the upstream end of the auger 39. The fast flowing airstream 40 flows betwe~n the underside of the concave 38 and the auger 39 at a s~ightly inclined angle with respect to the axis of the auger 39. The number and size of the hoses 36 will vary according to the size and width of the machine.
In accordance with known art, the machine has a cleaning fan 42 for getting rid of chaff residue which may accumulate on the sieves 4l, with the clean grain passing through the R!EC:EI~/E~ 2 9 NOY 1' 11 . .
sieves 41 into a delivery auger 43 which delivers the clean grain ~o a collection bin or tank.
With the machine shown in Fi.g 5, the turbulent flow of air which produces a secondary separation effect, will tend to occur at either side of ~he rotary drum rather than in the-restricted space between the concave 38 and the auger 39.
It will of course be appareciated that the threshing and cleaning units can be of other designs, as will be well known to those skilled in the art.
A brief consideration of the above described embodiment will indicate that the invention provides a very simple and ine~pensive solution to significantly improving the capacity and efficiency of a combine machine, and one which can be readily fitted to existing machines. `~
__ ~ ru~ 1
Claims (13)
1. An improved method of threshing crop material in a combine harvester machine having a threshing unit, an infeed mechanism for feeding crop material into the threshing unit, a grain cleaning mechanism, and grain transfer means for transferring threshed material from the threshing unit to an intake of the cleaning mechanism, said grain transfer means disposed beneath the threshing unit and extending longitudinally of the machine, characterised by;
directing a high velocity low volume jet stream of air through and transverse to threshed material discharging from the threshing unit, said jet stream issuing from an elongate horizontally extending rearwardly directed nozzle opening positioned below the underside of the threshing unit in proximity to its forward end and orientated so that the jet stream is directed across the underside of the threshing unit in a direction which is upwardly inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of said grain transfer means, said jet stream of air being effective to assist the discharge of threshed material from the threshing unit and to induce turbulent air movement in the space. above the grain transfer means which in turn assists in the precleaning of the threshed grain prior to it reaching the cleaning mechanism.
directing a high velocity low volume jet stream of air through and transverse to threshed material discharging from the threshing unit, said jet stream issuing from an elongate horizontally extending rearwardly directed nozzle opening positioned below the underside of the threshing unit in proximity to its forward end and orientated so that the jet stream is directed across the underside of the threshing unit in a direction which is upwardly inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of said grain transfer means, said jet stream of air being effective to assist the discharge of threshed material from the threshing unit and to induce turbulent air movement in the space. above the grain transfer means which in turn assists in the precleaning of the threshed grain prior to it reaching the cleaning mechanism.
2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said jet stream of air is produced by an externally mounted centrifugal fan connected to air delivery means which terminates at its exit end in said elongate nozzle opening.
3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said flow of air has a velocity pressure in the range of 3 to 14"
of water and a flow velocity in the range of 7000 to 15000 ft/minute.
of water and a flow velocity in the range of 7000 to 15000 ft/minute.
4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said nozzle opening has a width in the order of 20-25mm.
5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the nozzle opening has its lower edge adjacent the upstream end of said grain transfer means.
6. An improved combine harvester machine of the type comprising an infeed mechanism for feeding crop material into a threshing unit, a grain cleaning mechanism for cleaning unwanted residue from the threshed grain, and grain transfer means for conveying threshed grain from the threshing unit to the grain cleaning mechanism, said grain transfer means being disposed beneath the threshing unit and extending longitudinally of the machine, the improvements comprising:
blower means mounted on the machine, air delivery means, one end of which is connected to said blower means, the other exit end of which terminates in a narrow elongate nozzle opening at a location proximate to and below the discharge end of said infeed mechanism, said blower means and said air delivery means being operable to create a high velocity, low volume jet stream of air which, when the machine is in use, is directed through and transverse to threshed material discharging from the threshing unit, said jet stream issuing from said nozzle opening in a direction which is upwardly inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of said grain transfer means, said jet stream of air being effective to assist the discharge of threshed material from the threshing unit and to induce turbulent air movement in the space above the grain transfer means which in turn assists in the precleaning of the threshed grain prior to it reaching the cleaning mechanism.
blower means mounted on the machine, air delivery means, one end of which is connected to said blower means, the other exit end of which terminates in a narrow elongate nozzle opening at a location proximate to and below the discharge end of said infeed mechanism, said blower means and said air delivery means being operable to create a high velocity, low volume jet stream of air which, when the machine is in use, is directed through and transverse to threshed material discharging from the threshing unit, said jet stream issuing from said nozzle opening in a direction which is upwardly inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of said grain transfer means, said jet stream of air being effective to assist the discharge of threshed material from the threshing unit and to induce turbulent air movement in the space above the grain transfer means which in turn assists in the precleaning of the threshed grain prior to it reaching the cleaning mechanism.
7. An improved combine harvester according to claim 6 wherein said air delivery means comprises a distributor manifold, conduit means interconnecting the blower means and one end of said distributor manifold, an injection manifold spaced from the distributor manifold and which terminates at its exit end in an opening which constitutes said elongate nozzle opening, and a plurality of separate conduits extending between respective air outlets on the distributor manifold and spaced along the length thereof and respective air inlets spaced approximately evenly along the length of said injection manifold at its other end, whereby air is evenly discharged across the full length of said opening.
8. An improved combine harvester according to either claim 6 or claim 7 wherein said jet stream of air issuing from the nozzle opening has a velocity in the range of 7000 to 15000 ft/minute.
9. An improved combine harvester according to any one of claims 6 to 8 wherein said grain cleaning mechanism comprises a walker system having its leading end located in proximity to the discharge end of the threshing unit and extending rearwardly therefrom, said jet stream of air flowing along a longitudinal path beneath the underside of said walker system.
10. An improved combine harvester according to any one of claims 6 to 9 wherein said injection manifold comprises walls which converge in a direction towards its exit end.
11. An improved combine harvester according claim 10 wherein said walls comprise parallel wall portions arranged to provide a laminar flow of air discharging from the nozzle opening.
12. An improved combine harvester according to any one of claims 6 to 11 wherein said threshing unit comprises a rotary threshing drum which rotates about an axis which extends transversely of the machine, said nozzle opening having a length which is approximately coextensive with the length of said drum.
13. An improved combine harvester according to any one of claims 6 to 12 wherein said grain transfer means comprises a horizontally extending shaker tray, said nozzle opening being located adjacent the leading end of said tray.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUPL0992 | 1992-02-21 | ||
| AUPL000992 | 1992-02-21 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2130550A1 true CA2130550A1 (en) | 1993-09-02 |
Family
ID=3775885
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2130550 Abandoned CA2130550A1 (en) | 1992-02-21 | 1993-02-22 | Improvements in and to combine harvesters |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2130550A1 (en) |
-
1993
- 1993-02-22 CA CA 2130550 patent/CA2130550A1/en not_active Abandoned
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US7413507B2 (en) | Grate between precleaner and sieve | |
| US6558252B2 (en) | Blower for combine harvesters having a separation unit | |
| RU2415553C2 (en) | Combine harvester with suction fan | |
| US9295197B1 (en) | Combine harvester with blower equipped elevator | |
| US10306834B2 (en) | Chopper and spreader for an agricultural harvester | |
| US8221064B2 (en) | Transverse fan assembly having a supplementary air feed inlet for infill of air flow deficiencies to effect a desired output air flow pattern, and method of use thereof | |
| EP3108737B1 (en) | Chaff spreader assisted by cross-blown airflow | |
| US8286798B2 (en) | Corn cob cleaning conveyor system | |
| US9686918B2 (en) | Combine with free grain extraction | |
| EP3262920B1 (en) | Fan in straw beater to avoid strawhood blockages | |
| US5120275A (en) | Chaff spreading attachment for combines | |
| US6475082B2 (en) | Flap openings in a grain harvesting threshing and separation unit | |
| EP3217781B1 (en) | Agricultural harvester with an elevator supplied by multiple cross augers | |
| US5403235A (en) | Device for separating and screening of bulk materials and a self-propelled combine with such a device | |
| EP1220598B1 (en) | Separation unit for grain harvesting | |
| CA2130550A1 (en) | Improvements in and to combine harvesters | |
| FI61603B (en) | ANORDNING VID SKAERMASKINER TILL SKOERDETROESKOR | |
| AU670575B2 (en) | Improvements in and to combine harvesters | |
| WO1993016581A1 (en) | Improvements in and to combine harvesters | |
| US10485180B2 (en) | Agricultural harvester auger assembly with crop material deflecting cover | |
| GB2025746A (en) | Axial Flow Combine Harvester |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Dead |