US20110094191A1 - Device and method for mobile handling of wood chips - Google Patents
Device and method for mobile handling of wood chips Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20110094191A1 US20110094191A1 US12/991,139 US99113909A US2011094191A1 US 20110094191 A1 US20110094191 A1 US 20110094191A1 US 99113909 A US99113909 A US 99113909A US 2011094191 A1 US2011094191 A1 US 2011094191A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- chips
- wood
- packaging
- chipper
- screw
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 239000002023 wood Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 49
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 25
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 30
- 238000005056 compaction Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 23
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims description 16
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- 235000013580 sausages Nutrition 0.000 description 23
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000002706 hydrostatic effect Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000002994 raw material Substances 0.000 description 4
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005520 cutting process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000007613 environmental effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000003306 harvesting Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 description 2
- HSOLPAFROQCEQW-UHFFFAOYSA-N Antibiotic SEK 15 Natural products Cc1cc(O)cc(O)c1C(=O)c2c(O)cc(O)cc2CC3=CC(=O)C=C(O)O3 HSOLPAFROQCEQW-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 244000246386 Mentha pulegium Species 0.000 description 1
- 235000016257 Mentha pulegium Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 235000004357 Mentha x piperita Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000011230 binding agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000009508 confectionery Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000009977 dual effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000001050 hortel pimenta Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000005445 natural material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005457 optimization Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000005022 packaging material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B27—WORKING OR PRESERVING WOOD OR SIMILAR MATERIAL; NAILING OR STAPLING MACHINES IN GENERAL
- B27L—REMOVING BARK OR VESTIGES OF BRANCHES; SPLITTING WOOD; MANUFACTURE OF VENEER, WOODEN STICKS, WOOD SHAVINGS, WOOD FIBRES OR WOOD POWDER
- B27L11/00—Manufacture of wood shavings, chips, powder, or the like; Tools therefor
- B27L11/002—Transporting devices for wood or chips
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B27—WORKING OR PRESERVING WOOD OR SIMILAR MATERIAL; NAILING OR STAPLING MACHINES IN GENERAL
- B27L—REMOVING BARK OR VESTIGES OF BRANCHES; SPLITTING WOOD; MANUFACTURE OF VENEER, WOODEN STICKS, WOOD SHAVINGS, WOOD FIBRES OR WOOD POWDER
- B27L11/00—Manufacture of wood shavings, chips, powder, or the like; Tools therefor
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B37/00—Supplying or feeding fluent-solid, plastic, or liquid material, or loose masses of small articles, to be packaged
- B65B37/08—Supplying or feeding fluent-solid, plastic, or liquid material, or loose masses of small articles, to be packaged by rotary feeders
- B65B37/10—Supplying or feeding fluent-solid, plastic, or liquid material, or loose masses of small articles, to be packaged by rotary feeders of screw type
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B9/00—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, e.g. liquids or semiliquids, in flat, folded, or tubular webs of flexible sheet material; Subdividing filled flexible tubes to form packages
- B65B9/10—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in preformed tubular webs, or in webs formed into tubes around filling nozzles, e.g. extruded tubular webs
- B65B9/15—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in preformed tubular webs, or in webs formed into tubes around filling nozzles, e.g. extruded tubular webs the preformed tubular webs being stored on filling nozzles
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a device for mobile handling of wood chips comprising a mobile platform on which a chipper is provided, a chip conveyor connected to the chipper, a packaging device, and a packaging casing arranged at the packaging device in order to package chips in a tubular package by means of the said packaging casing.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,525 discloses a method together with a device, and its subject matter is to provide a solution to the aforesaid problems.
- the device comprises a mobile unit with a chipper, which may be fed with the desired raw wood for direct production of wood chips immediately in connection with logging.
- a fan device is provided in connection with a wood chipper in order to feed the chips to an outfeed pipe.
- tubular packaging material is provided in order to wrap and package them in connection with the outfeed in the form of tubular wood chip packages.
- One object of the present invention is to provide a method or device that will create an effective solution to the aforementioned problems, which is achieved by a device or method according to the attached claims.
- a modern harvester with a mobile wood chipper according to the invention will be able to produce about the same amount of round wood (approx. 40 to 70 sq. m. of round wood per hour) as previously, involving marginal extra costs for the chip production itself, which in turn entails substantially lower chip production costs than with current methods.
- hauling of forest waste from logging to the processing yard, costs itself an estimated SEK 50 per sq. m.
- hauling green chips according to the invention is assumed to cost less than SEK 15 per sq. m., involving total savings of above 50 percent, when handing is done according to the invention.
- the attached figure shows schematically a device in side elevation according to an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 2 shows a platform belonging to a mobile unit, e.g., connected to a conventional single-grip harvester, or forming a conventional forwarder chassis.
- the complete unit 1 will cover a smaller area of the surface of a conventional platform 2 that is used for such machines.
- unit 1 comprises a wood chipper 3 , a conveyor 4 , a compactor 5 , and a packaging device 6 .
- Wood chipper 3 has a loading device 30 for feeding raw wood material.
- a casing 40 included in a screw conveyor 4 with a screw 41 provided therein is arranged at an outfeed end 31 of wood chipper.
- a compactor device 5 is placed in connection with the end of screw 41 .
- the compactor 5 device comprises a nozzle 50 shaped like a truncated cone. The angle of the cone is preferably in the 1 to 6° range, more preferably 2 to 5°, whereby the nozzle obtains a relatively great length (typically in the 200 to 500 mm range) in order to create the desired compaction.
- Compactor 5 is preferably also provided with a type of vibration device 51 for further chip compaction in the area of nozzle 50 .
- a packaging device 6 is provided in connection with the converging end of the nozzle.
- Packaging device 6 comprises in part a casing part 60 through which compacted chips 9 are conveyed in order to be fed further into a tubular packaging device 7 .
- This tubular packaging device 7 is journaled around tubular part 60 .
- Packaging device 7 is gradually filled when chips 9 are fed out, thereby forming an elongated tubular sausage 8 .
- a seal 80 is located at each end of a finished package 8 . This seal 80 is advantageously installed by means of a sealing device 61 positioned in direct contact with the end of outfeed pipe 60 .
- Chips 9 are thus fed directly from wood chipper 3 and compressed in said compressor 5 by means of screw 41 before packaging, thus forming a continuous “sausage” 8 , when fed into casing 7 .
- the packaging is advantageously dimensioned 400 to 600 mm in diameter and 2500 to 3500 mm in length.
- the main purpose of compression is twofold: Making the sausage sufficiently stable for automatic handling and increasing its content: Package 8 may automatically be sealed at the ends 80 and separated from the rest of casing 7 .
- Chip compressor 5 and packaging device 6 are preferably designed to be used along with a conventional single-grip harvester equipped with a wood chipper 3 .
- the single grip harvester is the most prevalent method used in machine logging, and works like this: The operator cuts a selected tree, then strips the branches from the trunk to be able to remove timber and pulpwood. When reaching the preset minimum diameter, the operator releases the top and moves on to the next tree.
- the method of wood chipper 1 differs, in that a new element is added, whereby the limit for round wood and chips becomes a new factor.
- the natural growth of a tree in a stand is characterized by the volume of the branch being inversely proportional to the diameter of the trunk, i.e., the bulk of the branch is situated at the top.
- Modern crosscutting systems make it possible to specify a new way of crosscutting thereby establishing a new break-even point for profitability. In the current price situation, the top diameter will henceforth likely be selected substantially wider than is the case today.
- the length of the round part has been optimized, preferably by means of a crosscutting computer (not shown), the operator feeds the remaining part of the trunk directly into wood chipper 3 . This processing part should not affect the capacity of the harvester to any great extent.
- Cut chips 9 should be made to drop directly into the infeed part of screw 41 , which performs some of the compaction of chips 9 before these arrive at nozzle 50 , which generally is responsible for handing the majority of compaction.
- chips 9 are conveyed into a stocking 7 forming the moveable “chip sausage” 8 .
- sealing 80 and separation should be done.
- the filled chip sausage 8 is then placed on the ground, preferably such, which includes its shape or dimension, that the harvester is not prevented from being hauled.
- chipper 3 should have a minimum diameter of 200 mm, and the infeed chute (not shown) should be configured for minimum operator intervention, i.e., a type of wide conical chute guiding the log toward the chipper infeed substantially regardless of how the log is placed in the chute.
- a self-fed conical wood chipper 3 is used, which is a great advantage.
- the feed rate of wood chipper 3 may only under unusual circumstances be limiting for the capacity of the harvester, and should be at least 8 m/min, preferably 10 to 15 m/min.
- Wood chipper 3 is preferably powered by a variable transmission (not shown), which may be hydrostatic, hydrodynamic, or mechanical, however, hydrostatic operation is most preferable, due to the simplicity of rpm control. Wood chipper 3 and the infeed chute are advantageously placed on a kingpin 32 or another device allowing it to be turned, preferably a minimum of 180 degrees.
- a screw conveyor 4 is placed in direct connection with outfeed 31 of the chipper and will in part compress the chips in a nozzle 50 or cone in order to further compress the chips.
- Screw conveyor 4 should preferably have a substantial diameter (450 to 600 mm).
- Screw 20 requires great torque and should therefore preferably be powered by a hydrostatic transmission (not shown) with ample mechanical gear reduction (preferably in the 41:51:20 range).
- Providing an option for controlling the rotational speed of screw 41 may entail a great operational advantage, as the chip supply varies with the type and diameter of the tree.
- Chip supply should preferably be stopped, when sausage 8 is being sealed, which in this type of design preferably requires an automatic sensor informing the operator to temporarily stop further infeed to wood chipper 3 .
- the power requirement for chipper 3 is closely related to chip volume. Since the operator normally programs the harvester for tree type, this information may be used advantageously for programming chipper 3 , as well.
- Nozzle 50 i.e., the device that performs a part (often the main part) of the compaction should be equipped optimally with means 5 for vibrator support.
- the chip fractions obtained from chipper 3 have a great spread. It is desirable to cut chips into as large a fraction as possible, i.e., preferably 60 to 70 mm, as with shorter chips, the power requirement increases. Since chipping of stem wood, branches, and needles is done, fractions will naturally differ greatly, which is, however, often advantageous during compaction.
- means 51 may be installed for vibrator operation of the nozzle 50 .
- Packaging casing 7 i.e., the stocking that will enclose the finished sausage 8
- the sealing device 6 may be variously designed, whereby sealing of sausage 8 is done safely and quickly.
- Many different types of long known tying devices may be used, e.g., reapers and binders, whereby one preferred solution is to rotate sausage 8 one revolution, in principle like a peppermint stick, before sealing by means of two sealing devices 80. ⁇ 0 ⁇ Having completed this, sausage 8 is chopped off between the seals 80 (not shown). Chopping of sausage 8 should be done after its sealing, which can be done, e.g., with a chain saw. Since the material is sticky, the seals need not be tight, which will facilitate the procedure. After sealing, sausage 8 can be placed on the ground for transport at a later time. Handling the sausage, i.e., placing it on the ground, is probably best done using a harvester crane.
- the invention is described below in reference to a forest harvester.
- the operator applies the harvester unit (not shown) on a selected tree, severs it, provides information to the computer about the type of tree, and processes the tree according to the product range preset by the computer.
- a new product range for chips 9 is added.
- This product range requires new parameters in the harvester computer accounting for the optimal value of trunk content. This optimization should take into consideration that the volume share of branches increases with decreasing diameter. With normal logging, there is always a substantial difference between coarse and fine. Smaller trunks should preferably be cut into chips without previous separation of round wood. As for wood decayed due to putrefaction, the invention, a substantial efficiency can occur, since this type of wood may be processed immediately to chips.
- the outfeed table should preferably be equipped with a detection radar (not shown) in order to avoid collision damage.
- the feeding of raw wood material will likely require some training, but here it should be considered that tops always tend to cause handling problems.
- Mobile chip handling unit 1 may be mounted on several different chassis, whereby the following may be mentioned: For thinning, a newly designed unit with a cutting assembly also able to handle chip sausages may advantageously be used. A similar unit will be equipped with a powerful motor of at least 150 kW for harvesting the entire product range as chips. A conventional single-grip harvester with increased engine capacity may also be used in order to produce chips at the same time as ordinary processing. However, optional equipment, such as a separate engine may also be used. Moreover, chipper 1 may also be mounted on a conventional forwarder chassis with sufficient engine capacity.
- Chippers 3 may be of different types, but preferably a conical screw chipper is used. Drum chippers and disk chippers may also be used.
- Conveyor screw 41 another compaction component, should have a large diameter to length ratio (preferably between 1-2), i.e., the diameter of the chip sausage will affect the diameter of the screw.
- the screw 41 drive should preferably be of the hydrostatic type and feeding rpm preferably vary with the amount of supplied chips, which depends on the power consumption in wood chippers 3 in combination with tree selection.
- the screw drive can, of course, be exclusively mechanical or hydrodynamic, but these options often complicate control.
- Nozzle 50 i.e., the device ensuring compaction of the chips, is a unit that may be designed in several different ways. In normal situations, it is desirable to achieve at least 20%, preferably 20 to 40% compaction, and higher compaction, if achieved, is advantageous in most cases.
- Chip sausage 8 or package 8 may be modified depending on the logging system; In Scandinavia, a diameter of between 500 and 800 mm and a length of between 2000 and 3000 mm is often preferred. Chip content may vary between 0.5 and 1.5 cu. m. In the current situation, a volume matching a diameter of 500 mm and a length of 3000 mm would be optimal. A bag with a diameter of 1200 mm and a height of about 1500 mm providing a volume of 1.6 cu. m. is of course also conceivable, but this would likely result in more expensive haulage and a more difficult sealing technology. In daily situations, the simplest and safest packaging should mean a cylindrical sausage with the above dimensions.
- the outfeed track should be substantially horizontal and, when of correct length, the sausage should be rotated by a gripping device 82 (preferably also connected to an interacting device assisting in bringing about the adjusted/desired length), thereby twisting package content 9 with stocking 7 is or moving it along the longitudinal axis, similar to the principle used in the production of striped candy.
- Seal 80 may be either a tying device or, e.g., a riveting device. Dual seals are made on either side of what is intended to be the cut-off site (not shown). Sausage 8 is then separated from casing 7 , and lifted by the harvesting assembly and placed on the ground beside the haulage road.
- the driver (operator) will not be able to feed new material into wood chipper 3 , which means that the time for sealing and hauling, normally not to exceed 20 seconds, is a parameter that should be set to a minimum delay.
- the chip content in the sausage if the diameter is increased from 500 to 600 mm, the content increases by 50%
- the degree of compaction In most cases, the weight should not exceed 500 kg in order not to complicate haulage from forest to road.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
- Forests & Forestry (AREA)
- Debarking, Splitting, And Disintegration Of Timber (AREA)
- Containers And Plastic Fillers For Packaging (AREA)
- Disintegrating Or Milling (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a device for mobile handling of wood chips comprising a mobile platform on which a chipper is provided, a chip conveyor connected to the chipper, a packaging device, and a packaging casing arranged at the packaging device in order to package chips in a tubular package by means of the said packaging casing.
- In recent years, chips from forest waste have become an increasingly important raw material, but its supply is currently limited by several factors. Of the raw material available today only a small percentage is utilized, some 10 percent, as a result of transport problems, among other things. The method that is generally used today is primarily based on a harvester (the logging machine) compiling branches and tops, so-called forest residue, that is subsequently hauled away by a forest tractor to a processing yard. This method has many disadvantages, such as:
-
- 1 Hauling away is generally not done concurrently with logging.
- 2 Hauling on sleighs often carries along ground contaminations and other contaminations.
- 3 The landing must often contain a minimum quantity.
- 4 Chipping is generally done only in the spring and summer.
- 5 The net root amount will be very modest for the land owner.
- Due to these disadvantages, generally less than 10 percent of the available raw material from the final logging is used and often nothing from thinning. Some 80 million cubic meters are currently logged in Sweden, and since branches and tops form about 20 to 25% of a tree, it is likely possible to increase the yield from raw tree material by 15 to 20 million square meters, representing a gross income of around
SEK 3 to 4 billion. - U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,525 discloses a method together with a device, and its subject matter is to provide a solution to the aforesaid problems. The device comprises a mobile unit with a chipper, which may be fed with the desired raw wood for direct production of wood chips immediately in connection with logging. A fan device is provided in connection with a wood chipper in order to feed the chips to an outfeed pipe. At the outfeed pipe, tubular packaging material is provided in order to wrap and package them in connection with the outfeed in the form of tubular wood chip packages. However, this prior-art method has not yet reached the market, probably due to a plurality of disadvantages, which in practice has meant that the problem could not be solved in an exact way. Due to the invention, in the future, a substantially greater share of available raw materials in the form of wood chips will be used in a cost-effective way, entailing substantial cost savings, environmental improvement, as well as an increased utilization rate of existing raw wood materials. The method will benefit the environment, as well as many interest groups (e.g., forest owners and consumers), due to improvements, e.g., in the form of increased income and reduced costs, including optimized usage of energy from an environmental perspective.
- One object of the present invention is to provide a method or device that will create an effective solution to the aforementioned problems, which is achieved by a device or method according to the attached claims. A modern harvester with a mobile wood chipper according to the invention will be able to produce about the same amount of round wood (approx. 40 to 70 sq. m. of round wood per hour) as previously, involving marginal extra costs for the chip production itself, which in turn entails substantially lower chip production costs than with current methods. Using today's methods, hauling of forest waste, from logging to the processing yard, costs itself an estimated
SEK 50 per sq. m., whereas hauling green chips according to the invention is assumed to cost less than SEK 15 per sq. m., involving total savings of above 50 percent, when handing is done according to the invention. - The attached figure shows schematically a device in side elevation according to an embodiment of the invention.
-
FIG. 2 shows a platform belonging to a mobile unit, e.g., connected to a conventional single-grip harvester, or forming a conventional forwarder chassis. Thecomplete unit 1 will cover a smaller area of the surface of aconventional platform 2 that is used for such machines. - Briefly described,
unit 1 comprises awood chipper 3, aconveyor 4, acompactor 5, and apackaging device 6.Wood chipper 3 has aloading device 30 for feeding raw wood material. Acasing 40 included in ascrew conveyor 4 with ascrew 41 provided therein is arranged at anoutfeed end 31 of wood chipper. Acompactor device 5 is placed in connection with the end ofscrew 41. Thecompactor 5 device comprises anozzle 50 shaped like a truncated cone. The angle of the cone is preferably in the 1 to 6° range, more preferably 2 to 5°, whereby the nozzle obtains a relatively great length (typically in the 200 to 500 mm range) in order to create the desired compaction.Compactor 5 is preferably also provided with a type ofvibration device 51 for further chip compaction in the area ofnozzle 50. Apackaging device 6 is provided in connection with the converging end of the nozzle.Packaging device 6 comprises in part acasing part 60 through which compactedchips 9 are conveyed in order to be fed further into atubular packaging device 7. Thistubular packaging device 7 is journaled aroundtubular part 60.Packaging device 7 is gradually filled whenchips 9 are fed out, thereby forming an elongatedtubular sausage 8. Aseal 80 is located at each end of a finishedpackage 8. Thisseal 80 is advantageously installed by means of asealing device 61 positioned in direct contact with the end of outfeedpipe 60. -
Chips 9 are thus fed directly fromwood chipper 3 and compressed in saidcompressor 5 by means ofscrew 41 before packaging, thus forming a continuous “sausage” 8, when fed intocasing 7. The packaging is advantageously dimensioned 400 to 600 mm in diameter and 2500 to 3500 mm in length. The main purpose of compression is twofold: Making the sausage sufficiently stable for automatic handling and increasing its content:Package 8 may automatically be sealed at theends 80 and separated from the rest ofcasing 7. -
Chip compressor 5 andpackaging device 6, hereafter referred to as “chipper 1,” are preferably designed to be used along with a conventional single-grip harvester equipped with awood chipper 3. The single grip harvester is the most prevalent method used in machine logging, and works like this: The operator cuts a selected tree, then strips the branches from the trunk to be able to remove timber and pulpwood. When reaching the preset minimum diameter, the operator releases the top and moves on to the next tree. The method ofwood chipper 1 differs, in that a new element is added, whereby the limit for round wood and chips becomes a new factor. The natural growth of a tree in a stand is characterized by the volume of the branch being inversely proportional to the diameter of the trunk, i.e., the bulk of the branch is situated at the top. Modern crosscutting systems make it possible to specify a new way of crosscutting thereby establishing a new break-even point for profitability. In the current price situation, the top diameter will henceforth likely be selected substantially wider than is the case today. When the length of the round part has been optimized, preferably by means of a crosscutting computer (not shown), the operator feeds the remaining part of the trunk directly intowood chipper 3. This processing part should not affect the capacity of the harvester to any great extent.Cut chips 9 should be made to drop directly into the infeed part ofscrew 41, which performs some of the compaction ofchips 9 before these arrive atnozzle 50, which generally is responsible for handing the majority of compaction. After compaction,chips 9 are conveyed into astocking 7 forming the moveable “chip sausage” 8. When reaching its desired length, sealing 80 and separation should be done. The filledchip sausage 8 is then placed on the ground, preferably such, which includes its shape or dimension, that the harvester is not prevented from being hauled. - The design consists of several elements that interact in a way that interferes minimally with the harvester. Below follows an explanation of the preferred aspects of the design. As for stem wood,
chipper 3 should have a minimum diameter of 200 mm, and the infeed chute (not shown) should be configured for minimum operator intervention, i.e., a type of wide conical chute guiding the log toward the chipper infeed substantially regardless of how the log is placed in the chute. Preferably, a self-fedconical wood chipper 3 is used, which is a great advantage. The feed rate ofwood chipper 3 may only under unusual circumstances be limiting for the capacity of the harvester, and should be at least 8 m/min, preferably 10 to 15 m/min. With the latter capacity, a wood chipper has an estimated power requirement of 110 to 130 kW.Wood chipper 3 is preferably powered by a variable transmission (not shown), which may be hydrostatic, hydrodynamic, or mechanical, however, hydrostatic operation is most preferable, due to the simplicity of rpm control.Wood chipper 3 and the infeed chute are advantageously placed on akingpin 32 or another device allowing it to be turned, preferably a minimum of 180 degrees. - A
screw conveyor 4 is placed in direct connection withoutfeed 31 of the chipper and will in part compress the chips in anozzle 50 or cone in order to further compress the chips.Screw conveyor 4 should preferably have a substantial diameter (450 to 600 mm). Screw 20 requires great torque and should therefore preferably be powered by a hydrostatic transmission (not shown) with ample mechanical gear reduction (preferably in the 41:51:20 range). Providing an option for controlling the rotational speed ofscrew 41 may entail a great operational advantage, as the chip supply varies with the type and diameter of the tree. Chip supply should preferably be stopped, whensausage 8 is being sealed, which in this type of design preferably requires an automatic sensor informing the operator to temporarily stop further infeed towood chipper 3. The rotational speed of the screw should preferably be controlled by a computer with some type of limit sensor in order to detect when the desired length ofsausage 8 has been reached, and then stopping the screw, in part coupled to the chipper power requirement (i.e., small P=low production=lower speed). The power requirement forchipper 3 is closely related to chip volume. Since the operator normally programs the harvester for tree type, this information may be used advantageously forprogramming chipper 3, as well. -
Nozzle 50, i.e., the device that performs a part (often the main part) of the compaction should be equipped optimally withmeans 5 for vibrator support. The chip fractions obtained fromchipper 3 have a great spread. It is desirable to cut chips into as large a fraction as possible, i.e., preferably 60 to 70 mm, as with shorter chips, the power requirement increases. Since chipping of stem wood, branches, and needles is done, fractions will naturally differ greatly, which is, however, often advantageous during compaction. In order to increase further the degree of compaction, means 51 may be installed for vibrator operation of thenozzle 50. -
Packaging casing 7, i.e., the stocking that will enclose thefinished sausage 8, should be of the ventilating type and sufficiently strong for the finished unit to be handled with ordinary forks. Due to this and in combination with compaction, the dimensional stability of the sausage becomes sufficiently great for transport on an ordinary forwarder.Chips 9 consisting of ordinary natural material will not impact the environment negatively in the event of an accident. The combination of the form of material, resin content, etc., the diameter of the sausage, and compaction results in a substantially stable unit that may be handled and transported by a plurality of currently existing equipment. - The
sealing device 6 may be variously designed, whereby sealing ofsausage 8 is done safely and quickly. Many different types of long known tying devices may be used, e.g., reapers and binders, whereby one preferred solution is to rotatesausage 8 one revolution, in principle like a peppermint stick, before sealing by means of two sealing devices 80.<0} Having completed this,sausage 8 is chopped off between the seals 80 (not shown). Chopping ofsausage 8 should be done after its sealing, which can be done, e.g., with a chain saw. Since the material is sticky, the seals need not be tight, which will facilitate the procedure. After sealing,sausage 8 can be placed on the ground for transport at a later time. Handling the sausage, i.e., placing it on the ground, is probably best done using a harvester crane. - The invention is described below in reference to a forest harvester. The operator applies the harvester unit (not shown) on a selected tree, severs it, provides information to the computer about the type of tree, and processes the tree according to the product range preset by the computer. Here, a new product range for
chips 9 is added. This product range requires new parameters in the harvester computer accounting for the optimal value of trunk content. This optimization should take into consideration that the volume share of branches increases with decreasing diameter. With normal logging, there is always a substantial difference between coarse and fine. Smaller trunks should preferably be cut into chips without previous separation of round wood. As for wood decayed due to putrefaction, the invention, a substantial efficiency can occur, since this type of wood may be processed immediately to chips. The harvester operator must ensure that wood that is too coarse is not fed intowood chipper 3, including tops that cannot be handled bywood chipper 3. Naturally and for various reasons, there will be some trunks that cannot be chipped, however, this does not represent a loss in relation to current methods, since these trunks may be processed into round wood. - To gain the acceptance by harvester operators, the following should apply:
-
- 1. The power requirement should make possible the removal of branches and cutting without restriction, when compared with standard machines, whereby the power requirement should be increased, preferably by approx. 100 kW.
- 2. The crosscutting computer should be reprogrammed such that the new product range is automatically stored.
- 3. Sealing and length determination should be “automatic.”
- 4. Feeding new raw wood material (e.g., tops) during the sealing process should be possible.
- If these four requirements are met, it will not be difficult for operators to accept the method, especially if operator preferences in terms of shape and size are given ample consideration. The outfeed table should preferably be equipped with a detection radar (not shown) in order to avoid collision damage. The feeding of raw wood material will likely require some training, but here it should be considered that tops always tend to cause handling problems.
- Mobile
chip handling unit 1 may be mounted on several different chassis, whereby the following may be mentioned: For thinning, a newly designed unit with a cutting assembly also able to handle chip sausages may advantageously be used. A similar unit will be equipped with a powerful motor of at least 150 kW for harvesting the entire product range as chips. A conventional single-grip harvester with increased engine capacity may also be used in order to produce chips at the same time as ordinary processing. However, optional equipment, such as a separate engine may also be used. Moreover,chipper 1 may also be mounted on a conventional forwarder chassis with sufficient engine capacity. -
Chippers 3 may be of different types, but preferably a conical screw chipper is used. Drum chippers and disk chippers may also be used. -
Conveyor screw 41, another compaction component, should have a large diameter to length ratio (preferably between 1-2), i.e., the diameter of the chip sausage will affect the diameter of the screw. Thescrew 41 drive should preferably be of the hydrostatic type and feeding rpm preferably vary with the amount of supplied chips, which depends on the power consumption inwood chippers 3 in combination with tree selection. The screw drive can, of course, be exclusively mechanical or hydrodynamic, but these options often complicate control. -
Nozzle 50, i.e., the device ensuring compaction of the chips, is a unit that may be designed in several different ways. In normal situations, it is desirable to achieve at least 20%, preferably 20 to 40% compaction, and higher compaction, if achieved, is advantageous in most cases. -
Chip sausage 8 orpackage 8 may be modified depending on the logging system; In Scandinavia, a diameter of between 500 and 800 mm and a length of between 2000 and 3000 mm is often preferred. Chip content may vary between 0.5 and 1.5 cu. m. In the current situation, a volume matching a diameter of 500 mm and a length of 3000 mm would be optimal. A bag with a diameter of 1200 mm and a height of about 1500 mm providing a volume of 1.6 cu. m. is of course also conceivable, but this would likely result in more expensive haulage and a more difficult sealing technology. In daily situations, the simplest and safest packaging should mean a cylindrical sausage with the above dimensions. The outfeed track should be substantially horizontal and, when of correct length, the sausage should be rotated by a gripping device 82 (preferably also connected to an interacting device assisting in bringing about the adjusted/desired length), thereby twistingpackage content 9 with stocking 7 is or moving it along the longitudinal axis, similar to the principle used in the production of striped candy.Seal 80 may be either a tying device or, e.g., a riveting device. Dual seals are made on either side of what is intended to be the cut-off site (not shown).Sausage 8 is then separated fromcasing 7, and lifted by the harvesting assembly and placed on the ground beside the haulage road. During the sealing process or hauling, the driver (operator) will not be able to feed new material intowood chipper 3, which means that the time for sealing and hauling, normally not to exceed 20 seconds, is a parameter that should be set to a minimum delay. - As is obvious from the above that several parameters may be varied/optimized, e.g., the chip content in the sausage (if the diameter is increased from 500 to 600 mm, the content increases by 50%) and the degree of compaction. In most cases, the weight should not exceed 500 kg in order not to complicate haulage from forest to road.
- The invention is not limited by what is described above, but may be modified within the scope of the following claims. Moreover, it is obvious that the exemplified schematic figure provides only outlines within the scope of which, a person skilled in the art may devise many different kinds of concrete embodiments.
Claims (11)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
SE0801070-4 | 2008-05-12 | ||
SE0801070A SE532414C2 (en) | 2008-05-12 | 2008-05-12 | Device and method for mobile chip management |
PCT/SE2009/050519 WO2009139704A1 (en) | 2008-05-12 | 2009-05-11 | Device and method for mobile handling of wood chips |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20110094191A1 true US20110094191A1 (en) | 2011-04-28 |
Family
ID=41318918
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/991,139 Abandoned US20110094191A1 (en) | 2008-05-12 | 2009-05-11 | Device and method for mobile handling of wood chips |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20110094191A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2285540A4 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2723287A1 (en) |
SE (1) | SE532414C2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2009139704A1 (en) |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4044525A (en) * | 1975-04-17 | 1977-08-30 | Anders Eric Sundin | Method and machine for packing wood chips |
US4415336A (en) * | 1981-06-11 | 1983-11-15 | Standard Oil Company (Indiana) | Method and apparatus for continuous pumping of compressible solids against high pressures |
US4567820A (en) * | 1984-02-13 | 1986-02-04 | Munsell Frank E | Silo bag packing machine |
US6237309B1 (en) * | 1999-06-09 | 2001-05-29 | Demarco Paul C. | Apparatus for forming sand bags |
US6557791B2 (en) * | 2001-02-20 | 2003-05-06 | Brian Mulgrew | Woodchipper tool |
Family Cites Families (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3606726A (en) * | 1969-08-07 | 1971-09-21 | Intercraft Ind Corp | Method and machine for making dunnage devices |
US3593484A (en) * | 1970-03-23 | 1971-07-20 | Joseph A Dussich | Method and apparatus for sequentially packaging materials into units of desired volume |
US3650298A (en) * | 1970-08-06 | 1972-03-21 | Crystal X Corp | Cartridge pack for trash compaction machine |
US3763621A (en) * | 1971-07-26 | 1973-10-09 | L Klein | Sealing apparatus and method for refuse compactor |
US3726488A (en) * | 1971-10-04 | 1973-04-10 | Roper Corp | Shredding and bagging device for yard usage |
DE2151116C3 (en) * | 1971-10-14 | 1979-04-26 | Karl Mengele & Soehne Maschinenfabrik Und Eisengiesserei Gmbh & Co, 8870 Guenzburg | Device for unloading a car |
US3861603A (en) * | 1974-01-21 | 1975-01-21 | Red Cross Manufacturing Corp | Leaf shredder with improved material feeding and discharging apparatus |
US5137219A (en) * | 1988-02-11 | 1992-08-11 | Wood Technology, Inc. | Wood chipper and infeed system |
JP2608255B2 (en) * | 1995-02-14 | 1997-05-07 | 日本コンベヤ株式会社 | Branch processing equipment |
US7513449B2 (en) * | 2001-02-16 | 2009-04-07 | Gross Thomas R | Wood collection and reducing machine |
-
2008
- 2008-05-12 SE SE0801070A patent/SE532414C2/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
2009
- 2009-05-11 US US12/991,139 patent/US20110094191A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2009-05-11 CA CA2723287A patent/CA2723287A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2009-05-11 EP EP20090746864 patent/EP2285540A4/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2009-05-11 WO PCT/SE2009/050519 patent/WO2009139704A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4044525A (en) * | 1975-04-17 | 1977-08-30 | Anders Eric Sundin | Method and machine for packing wood chips |
US4415336A (en) * | 1981-06-11 | 1983-11-15 | Standard Oil Company (Indiana) | Method and apparatus for continuous pumping of compressible solids against high pressures |
US4567820A (en) * | 1984-02-13 | 1986-02-04 | Munsell Frank E | Silo bag packing machine |
US6237309B1 (en) * | 1999-06-09 | 2001-05-29 | Demarco Paul C. | Apparatus for forming sand bags |
US6557791B2 (en) * | 2001-02-20 | 2003-05-06 | Brian Mulgrew | Woodchipper tool |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CA2723287A1 (en) | 2009-11-19 |
SE532414C2 (en) | 2010-01-12 |
EP2285540A4 (en) | 2013-11-27 |
WO2009139704A1 (en) | 2009-11-19 |
EP2285540A1 (en) | 2011-02-23 |
SE0801070L (en) | 2009-11-13 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US3356116A (en) | Method and means for forest harvesting | |
US4044525A (en) | Method and machine for packing wood chips | |
Laitila et al. | Truck transportation and chipping productivity of whole trees and delimbed energy wood in Finland | |
CA2687074C (en) | Arrangement for harvesting | |
US8234976B2 (en) | Device and method for compressing wood | |
Laitila et al. | Productivity and cost-efficiency of bundling logging residues at roadside landing | |
US20110094191A1 (en) | Device and method for mobile handling of wood chips | |
RU135227U1 (en) | WOOD STORAGE MACHINE | |
Laitila et al. | Time consumption models and parameters for off-and on-road transportation of whole-tree bundles | |
SU1132857A1 (en) | Tree-harvesting machine | |
Mokhirev et al. | Technology of processing of green verdure of conifers in the wood cutting area | |
RU2426303C2 (en) | Method to do cutting area work with integrated machine | |
US5964262A (en) | Treelength processor | |
GB2279223A (en) | Method and equipment for felling and processing trees | |
RU2554444C2 (en) | Method of carrying out logging operations by multiple-function logging machine | |
US9736986B2 (en) | Apparatus and method for chipping tree branches and the like and baling wood chips formed from such chipping activities | |
RU2299557C1 (en) | Machine for processing of standing trees and stocking of sawn wood | |
WO2002001939A1 (en) | Method of harvesting energy wood, and harvesting apparatus | |
Mitchell | Bundling Logging Residues with a Modified John Deere B-380 Slash Bundler | |
Meadows et al. | A new slash bundling concept for use in a southern US logging system | |
Warkotsch | The impact of harvesting operations on timber quality: causes and remedies | |
FI109890B (en) | packaging equipment | |
RU2443102C2 (en) | Method to produce wood chips at felling site | |
Du Toit | The Harvesting of a Greater Part of the Forest Biomass: Full-Tree Harvesting | |
Hakkila et al. | Trucking Residual Forest Biomass |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: BRUUNS INNOVATIONS AKTIEBOLAG, SWEDEN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:BRUUN, LARS;BRUUN, GOSTA;SIGNING DATES FROM 20101213 TO 20101217;REEL/FRAME:025521/0864 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: FLISPAC AB, SWEDEN Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:BRUUNS INNOVATIONS AKTIEBOLAG;REEL/FRAME:026029/0587 Effective date: 20110324 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: FLISPAC AB, SWEDEN Free format text: CHANGE OF OWNER ADDRESS;ASSIGNOR:FLISPAC AB;REEL/FRAME:029834/0979 Effective date: 20130108 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |