GB2220592A

GB2220592A - Separating soil from root crops

Info

Publication number: GB2220592A
Application number: GB8912149A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Johannes Richard Norlyk
Original assignee: HA Norlyk and Soenner AS
Current assignee: HA Norlyk and Soenner AS
Priority date: 1988-06-02
Filing date: 1989-05-26
Publication date: 1990-01-17
Also published as: DK302188D0; GB8912149D0; DK302188A; DE3917604A1

Abstract

By letting root crops such as beets (1) roll on top of a support surface (7) which is moved sideways below the beets (3, 4) the soil (11) which sticks to the lifted beets will be loosened from the beets. The support surface (7) consists of bars (8) which have crop carriers in the form of projections (16), which bars (8) are arranged between flexible toothed belts (12) so that the bars (8) are parallel. The soil (11) will be able to fall down between the bars (8) and back onto the field. <IMAGE>

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CLEANING ROOT CROPS The invention relates to a method of removing soil from roots, such as beets, after that the roots have been lifted, and a device for carrying out the method.

In connection with root lifting soil will usually stick to the roots with such a force that the innermost layer of soil will remain stuck to the roots during their further transportation and handling.

It is a big problem particularly in connection with sugar beets that during the season these must be transported on the roads to a central place of processing, and that the roads are highly polluted by soil which falls off the beets during transportation. This causes considerable inconvenience to the traffic, and no doubt special restrictive measures will be taken in order to reduce the pollution of the roads.

Various methods of removing soil from the roots are known, but these are difficult to carry out in practice without making the devices unhand, and Burthermore, these methods cause considerable damage to the roots, particularly due to pressure during cleaning.

One known apparatus comAprJ seA a drum having a comparatively large diameter whose outer casing is constructed of grate bars extending between the side faces of the drum.

By supplying roots to this drum and rotating it, the roots will rub against each other while part of them will be carried a distance up along the casing and at some time fail down on top of the roots on the bottom. This loosens the soil from the roots which is discharged through the bars end emptied out onto tha field or ground, However, this also causes considerable damage to the beets which are subjected to pressure which reduces their equality and gives a heterogeneous and hence insufficient cleaning of the roots.

It is the object of the invention to overcome these Bisad- vantages of the known method of cleaning beets and also to improve the cleaning result and reduce damage te the beets, and this is obtained by a method where the roots are supplied onto a moving support surface which is partly provided with an irregular surface and partly with openings in order that the roots will lie close together and turn around on the support surface, whereby the soil is loosened from the surface of the roots and emptied out through the openings in the support surface.

This permits a very gentle and effective clean-'ng of the roots in tat these are now merely brought to rub against each other during their rotaton or turning on the support surface when this is moved either in one direction or backwards and forwards. The soil is hereby ribbed off due to the contact to neighbouring beets and the support sur'ace. The soil will drop down through the support surface and onto the ground so that the cleaning result is of a high and uniform quality; if as many beets are supplied as are discharged across the support surface, this will further enhance the cleaning result by continued operation-.Damage to the roots can be avoided and roots .whicn are clean and comparatively flawless can be-produced after a comparatively short period on the support surface.

A device for carrying out this method need not take up much space, particularly not-heightwisE which means that it is better suited in connection with self-driving equipment.

By using an support surface comprising interparallel grate bars, as presented in clai 2, this can be made of strong and inexpensive construction alements which are moreover easily replaced by wear or damage.

By fitting the bars between flexible endless belts, as presentad in claim 3, the support surface can be produced as a conveyor for the roots while cleaning the roots at the same time.

By providing the bars with a slot or a similar projection, as presented in claim 4, the cleaning effect and degree of friction is considerably improved without in any way damaging the root since this is used only for conveying the root.

Finally it is expedient, as presented in claim 5, to drive the belts by means of toothed wheels since this permits the surface to be made dependable and simple.

In the following the invention will be described in further detail with reference to the drawing, in which Fig. l shows a perspective view of the actual cleaning equipment with two support surfaces, Fig. 2 is a sectional rear view of an equipment fitted on a vehiole during operation, Fig. 3 is a side view of this equipment, Fig. 4 shows part of the support surface seen in the direction of IV-IV in fig. 5, Fig. 5 is a top view of part of the support surface, and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of part of the support surface seen in the direction of VI-VI in fig.

5.

The drawing shows an example of an embodiment of a cleaning device which can be used together with an ordinary beet lifter which while driving across the ground lifts the beets and carries them, for instance by means of a conveyor belt, to the cleaning device, as will be explained in the following.

As shown particularly in fig. 1, the device comprises a chamber being open at the top and surrounded by sidewalls 19. In the shown example two support surfaces 7 are arranged at the bottom, which surfaces extend from each a sidewall and inwardly toward the centre where they form a gap or channel 20 between them.

In order to avoid that the supplied roots l, see particularly fig. 2, roll directly down into the gap 20 without having been cleaned, a cover or screen 21 is arranged which extends across the surfaces 7 and furthermore leaves a gap or opening 22 through which the roots 5 can be d charged from the support surfaces 7 for further transportation.

In the shown example a conveyor belt 23 is arranged which can convey the cleaned beets 6.

At the end of the conveyor belt 23, as shown in fig, 3, a conveyor belt or discharge device can be arranged (not shown) for instance in the form of a further conveyor belt, a slot, chute or the like, which is pivotally secured to the vehicle so that the device can be trwn- ported in its swung-in position and be swung out over the side of the device when the beets are to be delivered from the equipment.

The support surface proper 7 consists of two endless flexible belts 12 which on the inside are designed as e toothed belt with teeth 17, see fig. 5, and which at their sides receive bars or sticks extending between the belts 12 The bars 8 are parallel to each other and arranged across the direction of travel of the support surface. The distance between the bars is smaller than the size of the roots; for beets the distance will be approximately six centimetres.

The belts 12 extend across two.pairs of wheels 13, 14 at the en8s and a pair of supporting wheels 15 which absorb the downward pressure exerted by the beets.

Moreover, the bars 8 are provided with projections or ribs 16 which protrude above the support surface and constitute a kind of carrier during the motion of the support surface 7 below the beets.

The belts 12 and the bars 8 are rotated by means of the driving wheel pairs 13 with teeth iA, see fig, 4 which can interlock with the teeth 17 on the belts 12.

If the innermost wheel pair 13 drives by means of for instance an oil engine 24, see flg. 3, the support surfaces 7 can be moved around at the bottom of the funnel 19, The method will now be described in further detsil with reference to particularly fig. 2.

When the beets 1 are lifted, they are supplied to the cleaning device from above so that they will roll down along the sides 19 onto the support surface 7 and pile up in a Sort of pyramid 2, 3.

The support surface 7 is moved in the direction of the arrow whereby the bars 8, 16 will make the lower beets 3, 4 turn in the direction of the arrow 10, whereby the soil 11 is loosened from the beets and falls down through the interspaces 9 between the bars 8 and further down onto the field.

When the lower beets 3, 4 have turned a suitable number of times, they have been conveyed to a point below the screen 21 and will roll down onto their shared conveyor belt 23 which carries the cleaned beets 6 further along.

Consequentlyr the application of this method does not expose the beets to pressure or. ehock, and the beets will therefore remain intact and even cleaner that what has hitherto been obtained by the known methods for cleaning roots.

Claims

1. Method of removing soil from root crops, after the crop roots have been lifted, wherein the roots are supplied onto a moving support surface which is partly provided with an irregular surface and partly with openings in order that the roots will lie close together and turn around on the support surface whereby the soil is loosened from the surface of the roots and emptied out through the openings in the support surface.

2. Device for carrying out the method according to claim 1, wherein the support surface comprises a number of interparallel bars which are held together at a distance to each other being smaller than the outer measures of the roots.

3. Device according to claim 2, wherein the ends of the bars are attached to a flexible endless belt extending across wheels arranged at the opposite side edges of'the support surface.

4. Device according to claims 2 and 3, wherein the bars are each provided with a rib or projection protruding outwardly towards sthe roots on the support surface.

5. Device according to claims 3 and 4, wherein in that the belt is provided with teeth on its underside which teeth interlock with teeth on a driving wheel.

6. A method of removing soil from root crops, the method being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

7. A device for removing soil from root crops, the device being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.