IE921209A1

IE921209A1 - Conveying device

Info

Publication number: IE921209A1
Application number: IE120992A
Authority: IE
Inventors: Klaus Becker; Claus-Joseph Vogelgesang; Stefan Gross; John J Hennen; Terry A Williams
Original assignee: Deere & Co
Priority date: 1991-04-22
Filing date: 1992-04-15
Publication date: 1992-11-04
Also published as: ATE135159T1; DE59205637D1; EP0510470A1; DE4113052A1; IE76148B1; CA2064596A1; EP0510470B1

Abstract

2.1. In conventional conveying devices (24) for choppers, which followed a chopping drum and preceded a discharge shaft (26), problems could arise in the delivery of material when only a little material had to be conveyed and acceleration which could be imparted to this was too low. 2.2. The improved conveying device (24) contains a rotor (32) rotating between side walls (34) and having disc-like supporting elements (96) for receiving the paddles (98). Both in the side walls (34) and in the radially extending supporting elements (96) are provided orifices (120) or perforations (102) which can be brought into alignment with one another. In this way, the flow per unit volume can be supplemented by sucked-in air and a sufficiently high acceleration can be imparted to the "material" as a whole which is to be conveyed. 2.3. Conveying devices (24) of this type can be employed on self-propelled choppers in agriculture. <IMAGE>

Description

FORAQS BARVSSTSR BLOWS* Background of the Invention The present invention concerns a forage harvester blower arrangement including blower housing having an inlet duct, preferably coupled for receiving chopped crop from a chopper drum, an outlet duct, and a rotor rotatably mounted between side walls of the housing and provided with carriers with paddles rigidly attached thereto.

Blower arrangements on forage harvesters are used to 10 deliver an initial or supplemental acceleration to a crop that is cut in a chopper drum for impelling the cut crop through an outlet duct into a trailer or the like.

U.S. Patent No. 4,059,233, granted 22 Nov. 1977 discloses a blower arrangement including a rigid rotor having four paddles that are mounted on angle iron sections and that throw crop, directly received from a chopper assembly, into a vertical outlet duct. The angle iron sections are welded to the respective edges of a pair of square plates that are fixed to spaced axially spaced locations of the shaft of the rotor, the angle irons sections and plates then serving to enclose the opposite sides of the rotor. λ blower arrangement made in accordance with the patented structure has the disadvantage in that, when only a small amount of crop is being fed to the blower arrangement, or if a high backflow exists in the inlet duct, there is a danger of turbulence in the rotor chamber and a reduced impulse at the outlet. Unfavorable flow conditions thus appear that interfere with concentrated ejection of the crop from the rotor.

It is known from the German-Austrian patent 76401 that in the central region of the rotor, the side walls as well as the rotor should be open; however, this introduces an uncontrolled air flow. Further, the paddle carriers are configured as rails and hence are weak, and the paddles do not extend over the entire distance between the side walls thus resulting in inefficient crop delivery.

Additionally, the idea of adding supplemental air to the stream of crop being processed by a forage harvester is also - laIE 921209 disclosed in French Patent No. 2,455,582 but in this structure the air is added upstream of the chopper drum.

Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a blower arrangement having an improved construction.

A broad object of the invention is to provide a blower arrangement constructed so as to have a consistently good crop delivery characteristic over a wide range of crop conditions.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a blower arrangement constructed so as to draw air into the housing in a location for preventing a negative pressure from developing on the outlet side of the rotor chamber, such as to add to the volume of air flow at the outlet so that sufficient material is available that can be accelerated and for preventing back pressure from developing on the inlet side of the rotor chamber.

Another object of the invention is to provide a blower arrangement constructed such as to provide for supplemental air to be injected directly downstream of the crop transfer region, or at least between the inlet and outlet ducts.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a blower arrangement having a housing provided with easily replaceable wall sections in high wear zones.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the ensuing description together with the appended drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is a left side elevational view of a forage harvester equipped with a blower arrangement constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the blower arrangement with portions being shown in section.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment A self-propelled forage harvester 10, as shown in FIG. 1 is constructed upon a frame 12, supported by front and rear wheels 14 and 16. Operation of the forage harvester 10 is controlled from an operator's cab 18, from which a crop intake arrangement 20 can be visually controlled. Crop taken up from the ground by the crop intake arrangement 20, such as corn, grass or the like, is conducted to a chopper drum 22, that cuts it into small pieces and delivers it to the blower or conveying arrangement 24. The crop leaves the forage harvester 10 for a trailer drawn alongside through an outlet duct 26 that can be rotated. An inlet duct 28 extends between the chopper drum 22 and the blower arrangement 24 and delivers crop tangentially to the blower arrangement. In addition to side walls 25, the outlet duct 26 is provided with opposite walls 27 and 29 vhich are respectively located upstream (left in FIG. 2) and downstream (right in FIG. 2) with respect to the direction of crop flow through the blower arrangement 24.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the blower arrangement 24 is located between the inlet duct 28 and the outlet duct 26 and includes, in particular, a housing 30 and a rotor 32.

The housing 30 is composed of two side walls, of which only the left side wall 34, as considered in the normal direction of forward travel, is visible; however, the right side wall is identical to the left side wall 34. Extending between the side walls 34 and considered in a clockwise direction starting at a lower end of the downstream wall 29 of the outlet duct 26 is a cylindrical wall including a rigid enclosure wall segment 36, an adjoining cover 38 and, following this, a second enclosure segment 40, which includes a cover 42 of the inlet duct 28. The interior surfaces of the wall segments 36, 40 and the cover 38 follow a circular shape at a small distance from the path followed by the radially outer parts of the rotor 32. A bottom of the inlet duct 28 adjoins a housing segment 46 over an arc of 90° to 100*, whose interior surface also generally follows the aforementioned circular contour. The housing segment 46 ends with its upper edge 48 in close proximity to the upstream wall 27 of the outlet duct 26, but is spaced inwardly therefrom so as to leave a gap or slot 50. Finally, between the edge 48 and the upstream wall 27, there extends a guide vane 52, which is attached to the vail 27 with brackets 54 and screws 56. Accordingly the crop conducted through the Inlet duct 28, froa the right as seen in the drawing, is guided over the bottom 44, the housing segment 46, the guide vane 52 and the upstream wall 27, where it changes to the downstream wall 29.

The first housing wall segment 36 is connected by a rail to the downstream wall 29 and at its opposite end is carried a part of a joint 60. One end of the cover 38 carries the other part of the joint 60 and is thus connected to the first enclosure section 36 for free vertical pivoting. The cover 38 thus may be raised to an open position, not shown in the drawing, for the purpose of gaining access to tho the rotor 32 for maintenance purposes. At the end opposite the joint 60, the cover 38 is provided with a rod 62 that can engage a hook 64 rigidly attached to the second enclosure of housing segment 40 and which can be secured by screws, pins or the like, not shown. By this means any uncontrolled opening of the cover 38 during operation is prevented. The second enclosure or housing segment 40 closes the region between the cover 38 and the cover 42 of the inlet duct 28.

The cover 42 and the bottom 44 of the inlet duct 28 lead to a housing section 66 that extends up to the chopper drum 22 or to its surrounding housing and which generally exhibits the same cross sectional area as the inlet duct 26. This section 66 can be disassembled and replaced by another section that contains a kernel processor. In addition, the underside of the section 66 is provided with a wall segment 68 which engages a further joint 70 at its left end, as seen in FIG. 2, that attaches it to the bottom 44, and which can pivot downward after releasing locks,not shown.

Towards the rear, to the left in FIG. 2, the bottom 44 adjoins the housing segment 46, which consists principally of a frame 72 and a metal plate or sheet 74. The frame 72 is composed of flanges 76 and braces 78 welded thereto, which have a Ό-shaped cross section, that extend towards the circular contour of the path swept by the rotor 32, but which are spaced from the path by a distance which corresponds at least to the thickness of the plate 74. The flanges 76 are provided with several openings 80, shaped as elongated holes, which accept screws 82 and spacers 84, cut from round steel sections. The screws 82 as well as the spacers 84 are retained in bores in the side walls 34 and are fixed radially. The screws 82 retain the frame 72 to the side walls 34 in its correct position, while the spacers 84 assure that the side walls 34 are permanently held at a constant distance from each other, so that the frame 72 as well as the plate 74 can be moved between the side walls for maintenance purposes.

Guides 86 are attached, to the walls 34 concentric to the radially inward surfaces of the flanges 76 and hence to the contact surface of the plate 74 at a distance that corresponds to the thickness of the plate 74. The guides 86 are formed from angle iron sections, one of whose legs is attached to the side walls 34 with screws, while the other leg extends a small amount towards the interior of the housing; however, a correspondingly formed flat steel strip could also be used.

The plate 74 is composed of a material, or at least is provided with a surface treatment, that assures high strength and therewith a long endurance life. Depending on the thickness of the plate 74, it may be pre-formed to correspond to the cylindrical contour of the rotor 32, or it may be deposited as a flat sheet upon the frame 72 that is pivoted or slid away from the rotor 32. In any case, the plate 74 is brought into the proper shape between the frame 72 and the guides 86 and retained with a friction lock, by movement of the frame 72 on the spacers 84 or by pivoting towards the rotor 32 about a joint to be provided. Beyond that, it is brought into contact at its upper edge 48 against the guide vane 52 and with its lower edge against the bottom 44, so that it is firmly retained. In the upper region of the frame 72 an adjusting screw 90 is provided that retains a carrier 88 that permit a precise adjustment of the frame 72 and the plate 74 with respect to the rotor 32.

The guide vane 52 extends across the entire width of the upstream wall 27 and is retained by tabs 54 as well as by spacers 92, if necessary, variable in thickness, spaced at a distance therefrom. The tabs 54, that occupy only a small part of the width of the guide vane 52, are bent towards the wall 27. By this means the gap is maintained at a constant width over the entire vertical extend of the guide vane 52, and air can be drawn from outside the housing 30 through the slot 50 into the interior of the outlet duct 26.

As can be seen clearly in FIG. 2, the surface of the guide vane 52 that faces the rotor 32, which generally guides air, does not lie tangent to the housing segment 46 in the ejection region, but diverges from it. The crop thrown off by the rotor 32 is thus given a direction towards the wall 29 along which it slides until it leaves the outlet duct 26, and hence does not disintegrate into a diffuse flow of material.

The rail 58 extends almost to the circular path swept by the rotor 32 and forms a cut-off or separating edge for the air flow rotating with the rotor 32.

It is to be noted that the outlet duct 26 with its upstream wall 27 is attached to a mount 94 separate from the housing 30, and thus can be retained when the housing 30 is disassembled for maintenance purposes.

The rotor 32 consists primarily of carriers 96, paddles 98 and a shaft 100, that extend between the side walls 34 and rotate about a common axis of rotation. In this embodiment, three carriers 96 are spaced axially and welded to the shaft 100 and oriented radially thereto. The carriers 96 are configured as disks, but each 90* sector is provided with a kidney-shaped penetration 102, that occupies a considerable part of the area of each sector. In addition the remaining part of the carrier 96 does not end in a circular arc, but is provided with radial straps 104 that extend over about onefifth of the radius and end in an inner and an outer edge 106, 108. Between the straps 104, the outer edge of the carriers 96 runs from the outer edge 108 of each leading strap 104 to the inner edge 106 of the following strap 104, with constantly decreasing diameter. In the embodiment shown, four paddles 98 are provided, resulting in four sickle-shaped outer edges on the carriers 96. λ paddle mount 110 is welded flat against each strap 104 and thus extends radially. Each mount extends over the entire length of the rotor 30 and thus connects the carriers 96 to each other. Thus, the paddle carriers 96 are welded to the shaft 100 on the one hand and to the paddle mounts 110 on the other hand, resulting in a robust rotating component with an open configuration. The paddle mounts 110 are provided with bores 112 for screws 114 which serve to secure paddle rails 116 to the mounts 110, the rails being provided with elongate holes 118 that permit the rails to be adjusted radially with respect to the housing 30. The rotor shaft 100 extends through appropriate openings in the side walls 34 into corresponding bearing arrangements and can be driven at a high rotational speed by a belt drive including belt pulley, not shown, carried by the shaft.

In the side walls 34 there is also provided an opening 120 that can be brought into alignment with one of the penetrations 102 in the carriers 96, depending upon the position of the rotor 32. However, the cross sectional area of the openings 120 is somewhat larger than that of the penetrations 102. In this embodiment the openings 120 are located in or generally in the first quadrant of the housing, that is, the 90* sector downstream of the inlet duct 28.

Although not shown in the drawing, it is possible to provide a moveable vane or the like, on the outer surfaces of the sidewalls 34, by means of which the cross sectional area of the openings 120 can be reduced or relocated. Such an adjustment could be performed manually, if necessary from the operator's cab, or automatically, depending upon the occurrence of certain conditions.

After all this, it can be seen that the rotor 32, rotating in the direction of the arrow, can draw in air through the openings 120 and the penetrations 102 to supplement the flow of the crop fro* the inlet duct 28;, which enhances the volume flow and assures a smooth delivery of the crop to the outlet duct 26 as veil as a compact flow of material through the outlet duct 26.

In addition, any back flow in the inlet duct 28 is avoided that would obstruct intake of the crop. Moreover, a suction is created that, combined with the conveying pressure in the outlet duct 28, produces well-balanced flow conditions

Claims

1. Clftlns

1. In a forage harvester blower arrangement including a housing, which is substantially cylindrical in side view and has an inlet opening coupled in material-receiving relationship to an inlet duct, and an outlet opening coupled for discharging material into an outlet duct, a rotor including a shaft rotatably mounted between opposite side walls of the housing and having at least a pair of carriers fixed thereto at axially spaced locations respectively adjacent the opposite side walls and a plurality of paddles being eguiangularly spaced about the shaft and extending between and being rigidly attached to the carriers, the improvement comprising: said carriers being configured as disks provided with openings; and said opposite side walls each being provided with at least a further opening, whereby air may be drawn into the rotor by way of the openings in the side walls and the openings in said disks.

2. The blower arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein the openings in the side walls are preferably located in the first 90* sector downstream of the inlet duct as considered in the direction of conveying.

3. The blower arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein the outer perimeter of each of the carriers between adjacent paddles is shaped so as to increase in diameter from a radially inward location in the vicinity of a first paddle to a radially outward location in the vicinity of an adjacent paddle.

4. The blower arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein each of the paddles include a paddle mount fixed to each of the carriers, a paddle rail extending between each paddle mount and fastening means releasably securing each paddle rail to each paddle mount.

5. The blower arrangement defined in claim 4 wherein said fastening means includes adjustment means permitting the rail to be adjusted radially on the paddle mounts.

6. The blower arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein said rotor ie formed as a weldment including said ehaft, carriers and paddle mounts.

7. The blower arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein a 5 cut-off plate is provided at and forms an extension of a downstream side of said outlet duct, the cut-off plate being positioned such that a free end thereof is closely adjacent a path swept by the paddles of the rotor.

8. The blower arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein 10 the outlet duct includes, as considered in the direction of rotation of the rotor, upstream and downstream sides; and a guide vane being connected between and angled from the upstream side and extending to a bottom vail segment of the housing, which is located between the inlet and outlet ducts, 15 said guide vane forming a transition region between said outlet duct and the housing.

9. The blower arrangement defined in claim 8 wherein the downstream wall of the outlet duct and said guide vane are oriented relative to each other such that crop leaving said 20 guide vane comes into contact with said downstream wall.

10. The blower arrangement defined in claim 8 wherein said guide vane and the upstream side of said outlet duct cooperate to form an air intake slot leading into the outlet duct. 25

11. The blower arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein said inlet and outlet ducts are disposed relative to each other and the direction of rotation of the rotor such that the paddles move crop along a first wall segment of the housing extending between the inlet and outlet ducts; and said first 30 wall segment being releasably attached to said housing so as to be disassembled for permitting replacement of said wall segment.

12. The blower arrangement defined in claim 11 wherein said housing includes a frame section defining a cylindrically 35 shaped support surface and said first wall segment being a plate resting on the support surface.

13. The blower arrangement defined in claim 12 wherein said housing includes a pair of guides respectively secured the opposite side walls and defining abutment surfaces generally paralleling the support surface of said frame section; and said frame section being mounted for sandwiching said plate between the support and abutment surfaces.

14. The blower arrangement defined in claim 13 wherein spacers extend between the opposite side walls at spaced locations adjacent and at an opposite side of said plate from said rotor.

15. The blower arrangement defined in claim 14 wherein said frame includes respective flanges abutting said opposite side walls; and said flanges having openings receiving said spacers.

16. The blower arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein said housing is defined in part by an arcuate cover that extends between the side walls and partially encloses a path swept by the rotor.

17. The blower arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein said inlet duct includes a section which may be disassembled.

18. The blower arrangement defined in claim 1 and further including a support frame; and said outlet duct being separate from said housing and releasably mounted to said support frame, whereby the outlet duct may be selectively separated from said housing.

19. The blower arrangement defined in claim 1 wherein said outlet duct is tapered to a smaller cross section at an end thereof at the outlet opening of the housing.

20. A forage harvester blower arrangement according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.