GB2040152A - A machine for spreading granular material - Google Patents

Abstract

A machine for spreading granular material, comprises a storage container (1) and a plurality of pipes (3) of different lengths provided with discharge openings and connected to a blower (5). The pipes extend transversely to the intended direction of travel of the machine, material is fed to the pipes in adjustable quantities from the storage container (1) by way of outlet openings (8), drivable proportioning elements (11) and base plates (10) located thereunder. Flow control plates (18, 19) covering at least a part of the proportioning elements (11) are fitted between the proportioning elements (11) and the base plates (10). Moreover, the outlet openings (8) of the storage container (1) can be closed and adjusted to various degrees of opening, on a group basis. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A machine for spreading granular material The invention relates to a machine for spreading granular material.

The invention is particularly concerned with a machine of the type having a storage container and pipes of different lengths extending transversely to the intended direction of travel of the machine and connected to a blower. The outer ends of the pipes are provided with discharge openings and granular material is fed from the storage container to the pipes in adjustable quantities by way of outlet openings, drivable proportioning elements and base places located thereunder.

Such a machine is known from German Offenlegungsschrift 23 19 940. This known method has already proved reliable in agricultural practice for the widthwise distribution of seed material and granular fertilisers. However, it has the drawback that its effective spreading width is nonadjustable.

This drawback is especially disadvantageous when the machine has to be used with the so-called travel row method, and its effective scattering width is not equal to, or is not an exact multiple of, the operating width of the sowing and cultivating machines which are initially used or subsequently to be used.

Moreover, it is not possible to spread field edge strips which do not have a width equal to the effective spreading width of the machine, unless considerable quantities of material are spread on to the neighbouring land.

Moreover, the fact that small and very small quantities of fertilisers containing high percentages of substances or fungicides, herbicides and injecticides in the form of microgranulates cannot be distributed over the ground or over the already grown plants with the necessary spreading accuracy is a particular disadvantage. The result of this is a variation in the growth of the plants, leading to considerable reduction in yield.

According to the invention, there is provided a machine for spreading granular material, comprising a storage container, a plurality of pipes of different lengths extending transversely to the intended direction of travel of the machine and having discharge openings at their outer ends, a blower for supplying air to the pipes and means whereby material can be fed from the storage container to the pipes in adjustable quantities, the feed means comprising outlet openings in the container, drivable proportioning elements, and a base plate or plates located thereunder there being further provided one or more flow control members locatable between the proportioning elements and the base plate or plates for covering at least part of the proportioning elements.

It is thus possible to provide a machine in which the effective spreading width can be varied, and/or the smallest spreading quantities can be accurately set.

Preferably, the flow control members have therein passage openings which extend over half the width of the proportioning elements associated with at least some of the individual pipes. Thus, for the same setting of the drive device for the proportioning elements, only half the respective quantities are distributed through said at least some of the pipes.

This not only makes it possible to accurately set small and very small spreading quantities, but also simplifies the setting operation itself, even though only the spreading quantities obtainable with the proportioning elements fully uncovered are given in a material distribution chart.

Preferably at least some of the passage openings extend from the centre of one to the centre of the other of two adjacent proportioning elements each of which is associated with an individual pipe, and between the passage openings there is a respective covering portion which extends from the centre of one of the two adjacent proportioning elements to the centre of the next proportioning element.

Thus, the flow control members need only be provided respectively with only half the number of passage openings.

With the aid of the flow control members, individual proportioning elements associated with the pipes can be fully covered, so that even in the case of larger spreading quantities, the effective spreading width of the machine can be reduced in order to match the respective operating conditions.

Preferably, the outlet openings in the storage container can be closed and can be adjusted to various degrees of opening on a group basis with the aid of a closure member. This makes it additionally possible to particularly easily obtain stepwise reduction of the effective spreading width of the machine, this reduction method being in particular sufficient for spreading field edge strips.

Preferably, the flow control members are releasably connected to a respective base plate or plates in such a manner that they can be removed without the aid of tools. By this means, the flow control members provided for the respective operating conditions of the machine can be quickly and comfortably fitted.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a cross-section through part of one embodiment of a machine according to the invention, and Figure 2 is a section on the line I-I of part of the same machine.

The machine has a storage container 1 and a plurality of pipes 3 which extend to both sides of the container transversely to the intended direction of travel (indicated in Figure 2 by the arrow 2) of the machine. The pipes 3 are of different lengths in known manner, not shown, and each pipe has a discharge opening at its outer end. The pipes 3 each communicate with an air duct 4 which extends in the intended direction of travel 2, and into which a blower 5 opens.

In each side wall 6 of the storage container 1 and just above an inverted v-shaped base 7 of the container there are provided eight outlet openings 8, disposed in a respective row extending in the intended direction of travel 2. Only those openings 8 on the left hand side of the storage container 1 are shown in the drawing. The openings are arranged groups of four. There are thus four groups of openings, two on each side, and each group can be closed and adjusted to different degrees of opening with the aid of a closure member in the form of a side plate 9.

A proportioning element 11 in the form of a pinion wheel is provided in front of each outlet opening 8 and above a base plate 10 which is connected to the respective side edge of the container base 7 and projects obliquely outwardly and upwardly therefrom. The eight proportioning elements 11 located on each side of the machine are mounted on a respective pinion shaft 12 so as to be rotatable therewith. The pinion shafts in known and unillustrated manner are drivable at variable speed by means of a variable speed gear.

Each pipe 3 has an associated inlet hopper 14 below a downwardly directed discharge edge 13 of the base plate 10. Each hopper 14 laterally encloses an inlet opening 15 in its associated pipe. Each pipe 3 has a pipe restriction part 16 upstream of the respective inlet opening 15 relative to the direction of airflow, in order to produce air suction in the respective inlet opening 15.

In all cases in which granular material in large and medium quantities is to be distributed over the ground using the full effective spreading width of the machine, material flowing through the outlet openings 8 of the storage container 1 is conveyed from all proportioning elements 11 over the discharge edge 13 ofthe base plate 10, and falls into respective inlet hoppers 14. Here it is taken up by the suction air and is sucked through the inlet openings 15 into the pipes 3, and fed by the air stream produced by the blower 5 in the direction of the arrow 17 to the discharge openings in the pipes 3, from which it is uniformly distributed widthwise over the ground.

For the machine application shown in Figures 1 and 2, in which fine granular material is to be delivered in very small spreading quantities and with the effective spreading width of the machine reduced on both sides, flow control plates 18 and 19 are located between the proportioning elements 11 and base plate 10. The plates 18 and 19 are connected to the discharge edge 13 of the base plate 10 with the aid of bolts 20 and wing nuts 21.

Each rear flow control plate 18 contains a narrow passage opening 22 and a wide passage opening 23.

In this respect, each narrow passage opening 22 is located below a respective second proportioning element 11, as viewed from the rear, and extends over half the width B of the respective proportioning element 11. In contrast, each wide passage opening 23 is disposed below respective third and fourth proportioning elements, as viewed from the rear, and extends from the centre of one to the centre of the other of these two proportioning elements.

Between the two passage openings 22 and 23, each rear flow control plate 18 has a covering portion 24 which extends from the centre of one to the centre of the other of the proportioning elements 11 located thereover, and a similar covering portion 24 is disposed below the respective first proportioning element 11, as viewed from the rear. In addition, a covering portion 25 is provided at the front end of each flow control plate 18, and extends as a continuation of the wide passage opening 23 over half the width B of the proportioning element 11 located thereover.

In contrast to the rear flow control plates 18, each front flow control plate 19 contains two wide passage opening 23 only which, viewed from the front, extend from the centre of the respective first proportioning element 11 to the centre of the respective second proportioning element 11, and from the centre of the respective third proportioning element 11 to the centre of the respective fourth proportioning element 11. Covering portions 24 are provided between these passage openings 23, while covering portions 25 are disposed at the front and rear ends of the flow control plates 19.

Finally, the passage openings 22 and 23 at their front and rear ends are bound by upright fillets 26, which extend from the flow control plates 18 and 19 to the external unpenetrated shell 27 of the proportioning elements 11.

When the machine is in use, the material flows from the storage container 1 through the outlet openings 8 and under the flow control plates 18 and 19. In this respect, only that quantity of material which flows through the passage openings 22 and 23 can be picked up by the proportioning elements 11 and fed to the pipes 3, whereas the granular material located under the covering portions 24 and 25 remain where they are, and do not enter the pipes 3 for distribution over the ground.

By this means, the effective spreading width of the machine is reduced by the spreading range of the longest pipes 3 on the two sides, and the quantity of material fed to the remaining lines 3 is only half as great as it would be if the flow control plates 18 and 19 had not been used.

Claims (7)

1. A machine for spreading granular material, comprising a storage container, a plurality of pipes of different lengths extending transversely to the intended direction of travel of the machine and having discharge openings at their outer ends, a blower for supplying air to the pipes and means whereby material can be fed from the storage container to the pipes in adjustable quantities, the feed means comprising outlet openings in the container, drivable proportioning elements, and a base plate or plates located thereunder, there being further provided one or more flow control members locatable between the proportioning elements and the base plate or plates for covering at least part of the proportioning elements.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flow control members have therein passage openings which extend over half the width of the proportioning elements associtated with at least some of the individual pipes.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least some of the passage openings extend from the centre of one to the centre of the other of two adjacent proportioning elements each of which is associated with an individual pipe, and between the passage openings there is a respective covering portion which extends from the centre of one of the two adjacent proportioning elements to the centre of a next proportioning element.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein with the aid of the flow control members, individual proportioning elements associated with the pipes can be fully covered.

5. A machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outlet openings in the storage container can be closed and can be adjusted to various degrees of opening on a group basis with the aid of a closure member.

6. A machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flow control are releasably connected to a respective base plate or plates in such a manner that they can be removed without the aid of tools.

7. A machine for spreading granular material, such as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.