GB1493346A - Soil blade implement - Google Patents

Abstract

1493346 Sub-soil breaking implements A N EDE 3 Dec 1974 [3 Sept 1973] 41337/73 Heading A1B A sub-soil breaking implement for soil cultivation comprises a blade 10 and supporting means such as a beam 17 mounted on a bracket 18 for positioning the blade 10 such that at least major portions of the blades sides 11, 12 facing transversely of the travelling direction, are inclined to the vertical when viewed in the direction of travel, the blade 10 having a leading wedge portion 13 of forwardly tapering cross-section provided with a cutting edge 13' which generates a slanting surface as the blade 10 is advanced in the direction of travel, wherein the supporting means holds the blade 10 in an attitude such that no part of the lower slanting side 11 of the operative portion of the blade lies substantially beyond the generated surface on the side thereof remote from the upper slanting side 12 of the blade 10, and such that the upper side of the wedge portion 13 of the blade 10 affords a lifting surface behind the cutting edge 13' whereby as the blade 10 is forced edgewise through the soil in the direction of travel soil will be lifted and displaced locally in a direction away from the lower slanting side 11 of the blade 10 by the passage of the lifting surface thereby producing a local disturbance of the soil without any substantial compression of the soil adjacent to the lower slanting side 11. The bracket 18 may be towed or pushed by a mobile carriage and may be adjusted to regulate the movement of the blade 10. The sides 11, 12 of the blade 10 are inclined to the vertical at 45, or more, e.g. 60‹. The leading edge may be vertical or downwardly inclined in the direction of forward travel. The trailing edge 14' may be vertical, as viewed from the side, or forwardly and downwardly-inclined or of tapered bevelled crosssection 14 having a sharp edge. The sides 11, 12 may taper downwardly or upwardly as viewed in the direction of travel. The blade 10 may be curved as viewed in the travelling direction with either the convex side facing upwardly or the concave side facing upwardly. The blade 10 may be preceded by a cutter such as a sharp-edged rotary disc or a knife coulter. The lifting surface of the leading wedge portion 13 of the blade 10 may be convexly curved. In cross-section the upper slanting side 12 of the blade 10 may be continuously curved convexly from the cutting edge 13' to the trailing edge 14'. In order to vary the depth of penetration the blade 10c Fig. 7 may comprise a pivoted portion 24 or (32) Fig. 9 (not shown) moved about the pivot by a hydraulic ram 21 or (31). Alternatively the entire blade may be pivotally mounted and operated by a ram Fig. 6 (not shown). The blade may have a pivoted and ram operated nose portion (16D) constituting part of the leading cutting edge and wedge portion Fig. 8 (not shown). The blade (10G) Figs. 10 and 11 (not shown) may be folded to a transport position or a movable part of it is folded in when not in use. In another embodiment blade (10J) may have a mole which is either fixedly or pivotally mounted on it or pivotally mounted on a fin 52 which is connected to the blade (10J) and has a cutting edge. Pairs of inclined blades may be used in staggered or overlapped relationships. For the treatment of arable soils, the blades may be used in combination with one or more mould board ploughs Figs. 18-20 (not shown). Again the blade (10K) is provided with ducts (71), (72) for delivering granular material received from a hopper into the cut soil or for laying flexible drainage pipe Figs. 21-22 (not shown). The blade (10C) may be provided with a duct (91) for raising favourable sub-soil Fig. 23 (not shown). In order to obtain a channel of uniform or varying gradient the distance between a reference point on the blade and/or mounting 18 and a reference line or plane can be kept constant, or the distance may be altered according to a pre-determined programme to obtain a particular channel gradient. The reference to the reference line or point may be obtained by mounting a photo-electric sensor in a fixed position on the blade and projecting a light beam which forms the plane.