GB2209453A

GB2209453A - Cutter for a farm machine

Info

Publication number: GB2209453A
Application number: GB8720971A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nikolai Dmitrievich Sinitsyn; Grigory Prokofievich Varlamov; Anatoly Mikhailovic Dolgosheev; Vasily Dmitrievich Sinitsyn
Original assignee: N PROIZV OB SELSKOKHOZYAISTVEN
Current assignee: N PROIZV OB SELSKOKHOZYAISTVEN
Priority date: 1987-09-03
Filing date: 1987-09-07
Publication date: 1989-05-17
Also published as: GB8720971D0; FR2621444B1; DE3729487C2; DE3729487A1; FR2621444A1

Description

11 1 1-, 1 1 1 230P54974 CUTTER FOR A FARM MACHINE 1 This invention

relates to farm machines, particularly those used for cutting coarse-stalk and bush cultures. such as tea bushes, and more particularly to cutters for such machines.

What is desired is a cutter in which a sectional shearing knife is so constructed as to prevent its cutting elements from thrusting against branches of a culture being cut, thereby reducing resistance to its travel forward. which eventually requires less power for the forward travel of the cutter. ensures a higher operating efficiency, and prevents damage to the culture.

The invention provides a cutter of a farm machine comprising a bar having pins; movable cutting sections or members mounted on the pins of the bar; a drive for moving the cutting sections or members; a sectional shearing knife arranged on the bar for longitudinal reciprocations relative to the bar and resiliently connected therewith; longitudinal grooves provided in the sectional shearing knife and receiving the pins of the bar; a longitudinal passage made in the sectional shearing knife; and a plate arranged in the longitudinal passage of the sectional shearing knife and secured on the pins of the bar.

a 1 2 Thanks to the arrangement of the shearing knife for reciprocating relative to the bar. the knife can move as it runs into stalks of-the culture being cut under the action of the forces of bending (deviation) of the branches cut by the adjacent cutting members of the cutter. Such a movement of the shearing knife makes it possible to reduce the amount of power required for the forward movement of the cutter, resulting in an eventual increase in operation efficiency and less metal consumed for its manufacture.

The provision in the shearing knife of a longitudinal passage accommodating a plate secured on the pins of the bar prevents penetration of the cut branches to the longitudinal grooves of the sectional shearing knife. thereby reducing the susceptibility of the cutter to inadvertent damage or failure. This also ensures high reliability of the cutter in operation, and therefore promotes maximum operating efficiency.

Preferably. the longitudinal passage of the sectional shearing knife is arranged at the side of the cutting members on the bar. each pin of the bar having a head overlapping the length of a longitudinal groove of the knife adjacent to the head, whereby penetration of the cut branches to the longitudinal grooves at various relative positions of the sectional shearing knife and cutting members on the.bar is prevented.

j 1 3 In a preferred embodiment of the cutter. a guide is secured-on the shearing knife, whereas the bar has brackets with stop elements secured thereto. springs being accommodated between the guide and stop elements to ensure resilient connection of the shearing knife to the bar enabling return of the shearing knife to an initial position. This in turn reduces the amount of power necessary for the travel of the cutter and results in a higher operating efficiency and reduced amount of metal consumed for the fabrication of the cutter.

The bar can be provided with adjusting stops between which there is arranged the guide of the shearing knife, which allows. depending on the diameter of the branches being cut. adjustment of the extreme positions of the shearing knife relative to the cutting members in order to minimize deviation of the branches during cutting, thereby minimizing non- uniform branch cutting in the cutting plane.

In view of the foregoing, the distinctive features of the cutter in comparison with prior art devices allow one to considerably reduce the amount of power required for its forward. travel. thereby ensuring higher operating efficiency. reliability, and cutting quality.

The invention will now be described in greater detail. by way of example, with reference to the accompanying.drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top schematic fragmentary view of a cutter; w 4 Figure 2 i-s a section on line II-II in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged view of detail A in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a side view of parts shown in Figure 3; and Figure 5 is an enlarged view of detail B in Figure 2.

The illustrated cutter can be ganged up with any known farm machine. such as a harvesting machine or a manually operated machine (not shown) for cutting shrubbery. The cutter comprises a bar 1 secured in any known manner to the farm machine and carrying a sectional shearing knife 2 in the form of a comb, movable cutting sections or members 3, 4. 5, 6 (only four of which are shown in Figure 1), and a drive for moving the cutting members 3 to 6. Any known drive means can be used for moving the cutting members 3 to 6, such as the one shown in Figure 1 including a drive shaft'7 with sleeves 8 arranged thereon. The shaft 7 is journalled in bearings 9 secured on the bar 1.

The drive shaft 7 is provided with helical closed grooves 10 receiving pins 11 mounted with the sleeves 8 on the tails of each cutting member 3 to 6. The helical grooves 10 of the drive shaft 77 are relatively displaceid in phase lengthwise of the shaft 7. which dictates the initial phase angle (p of setting for each cutting member 3 to 6 in the cutter. The total number of cutting members in the cutter is even (to ensure pairs of sections 3 and 5. 4 and 6. etc.), whereas the S 4 grooves 10 on the shaft 7 for the corresponding sections in each such pair are phase-shifted 1800. Displacement of the grooves 10 in each pair meets the requirements that (p 3 = (PS (P4 = (P 6 etc., which allows reciprocation of the members in each pair in antiphase. that is with the opposite direction of movement.

Each movable cutting member 3 to 6 has a longitudinal slot 12 through which a pin 13 extends. The pins carry the cutting member 3 to 6 and are secured on the bar 1.

The shearing knife 2 is secured on the bar 1 so as to be capable of longitudinal swinging or reciprocation relative to the bar 1. and is resiliently connected therewith. The shearing knife 2 is provided with open longitudinal grooves 14. through which the pins 13 of the bar 1 extend, and a longitudinal passage 15 accommodating a plate 16. This plate 16 has holes facilitating its arrangement on the pins 13 of the bar 1.

The longitudinal passage 15 in the shearing knife 2 is arranged at the side facing the cutting members 3 to 6 on the bar 1,- as seen best in Figures 1 and 5. Each pin 13 of the bar 1 has a head 17 adapted to overlap the length of a longitudinal slot of an adjacent knife (in the embodiment shown in Figure 5 it overlaps the longitudinal'slot 12 of the cutting member 4).

1 6 A guide 18 is secured on the shearing knife 2 (Figures 3. 4). whereas the bar 1 has brackets 19 carrying stop elements 20. Arranged between the guide 18 and stop-elements 20 at both sides of the guide are plate springs 21 bearing by their curved portions on the guide 18 and by their ends on the stop elements 20 as shown in Figure 3 by the dotted line. The bar 1 is provided with adjustable stops 22, which are secured by bolts 23 on riffled plates 24 of the bar 1. The guide 18 of the shearing knife 2 is arranged between the stops 22.

The cutter operates in the following manner.

Preliminarily. the cutter is adjusted to harvest the desired culture by setting the necessary amplitude of reciprocation of the shearing knife 2 (Figure 3). This is attained by adjusting the stops 22 in the required position on the plates 24 of the bar 1; the amplitude of oscillation of the knife 2 for each diameter of the bush branches being cut is determined experimentally to attain minimized resistance of the branches in the cutting plane. thus ensuring that the cutting or shearing member.s can freely pass relative to the branches being cut.

The forward travel of the farm machine imparts motion to the drive shaft 7 (Figure 1) with the helical closed grooves 10 converting the rotational movement into reciprocation of the corresponding cutting members p ell 1 v 7 3 to 6 through kinematic connection of the pins 11 of the sleeves 8 with the tails of the cutting members. The longitudinal slots 12 of the cutting members 3 to 6 ensure their movement. The grooves 10. being phasedisplaced relative to one another lengthwise of the shaft 7 and having a phase-displacement of 1800 in each pair. provide phase-shifted reciprocations of the members. each member reciprocating in antiphase with the other member in the pair.

As the cutter moves forward, bush branches which enter the cutting zone of the members 3 to 6 will be initially caused to alternately bend to a contact with the cutting elements of the sectional shearing knif 2 oscillating with the guide 18 CFigures 2 and 3) within aspace limited by the stops 22. Reciprocation of the sectional shearing knife 2 acts to cause compression of the springs 21. which return the knife to the initial position after branch cutting. Reaction of compression of the springs 21 is taken up by the stop elements 20. brackets 19, and bar 1. The longitudinal grooves 14 (Figure 1) of the shearing knife 2 allow its reciprocation relative to the bar 1.

The cut branches move along the sectional shearing knife 2. the plate 16 overlapping the longitudinal grooves 14, the cutting members 3 to 6, and the drive, to fall at the rear of.the cutter and be placed by farm workers in bush interrows.

1 I c 8 _f 1 Reciprocation of the sectional shearing knife 2 in the course of the forward movement of the cutter, as the cutter shears branches of bush crown. prevents pressure contact of the cutting members with the branches, reducing the power required for moving the cutter forward and enhancing cutting efficiency.

4 1 9

Claims

Claims: G 1.

1. A cutter for a farm machine comprising: a bar having pins; movable cutting members mounted on the pins; drive means for moving the cutting members; a sectional shearing knife arranged on the bar for longitudinal reciprocation relative to the bar and resiliently connected therewith; longitudinal grooves provided in the shearing knife and receiving the pins; a longitudinal passage in the shearing knife; and a plate arranged in the longitudinal passage and secured on the pins.

2. A cutter as claimed in claim 1. in which the longitudinal passage is arranged at the side of the sectional shearing knife facing the cutting members.

3. A cutter as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which each pin has a head overlapping a longitudinal slot of the cutting member adjacent to the head.

4. A cutter as claimed in claim 1. in which a guide is secured on the shearing knife, the bar has stop elements mounted thereon. and springs are accommodated between the guide and the stop elements to ensure resilient connection of' the shearing knife to the bar.

1

5. A cutter as claimed in claim 4, in which the bar is provided with adjustable stops between which the guide is disposed.

1,5 4

6. A cutter for a farm machine substantially as described with reference to. and as shown in. the accompanying drawings.

7. A farm machine provided with a cutter according to any preceding claim.

n v Published 1988 at The Patent Office, State House. 66 71 High Holborn. London WC1R 4TP. Further copies may be obtained from The Patent Office, Sales Branch, St Mary Cray. Orpington, Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd, St Mary Cray. Kent. Con. 1187.