GB2069808A

GB2069808A - Blower device for a harvesting machine

Info

Publication number: GB2069808A
Application number: GB8013885A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: John Deere SA
Current assignee: John Deere SA
Priority date: 1980-02-26
Filing date: 1980-04-28
Publication date: 1981-09-03
Also published as: ATA86881A; NL176129C; DK158278B; DE3105167A1; DK158278C; DK70581A; ZA811261B; AT389205B; GB2069808B; ES264750U; NL8100896A; FR2476434B1; CH651721A5; NL176129B; FR2476434A1; ES264750Y; DE3105167C2

Abstract

A blower unit (50) for a forage harvester for maize silage has fan blades (52) to provide a current of air to convey the cut maize up a spout (64) and thence into a waggon following the harvester. In order to break the kernels of the maize for rendering it more easily digestible by cattle, the fan blades (52) have bars (74) welded to their leading faces which strike the crop. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Blower device for a harvesting machine This invention relates to a blower device for crop harvesting machines and in particular for forage harvesters for maize silage.

The crop harvesting operations performed by a conventional forage harvester consist of removing the crop from the field, chopping (or reducing) it into relatively fine pieces, and blowing the reduced crop into a trailing waggon or other receptacle. The blower device can be mounted either adjacent to the cutter unit so that the reduced crop material is discharged directly into the blower housing, or the blower device can be spaced from the cutter unit when a conveyor can be employed to deliver the reduced crop from the cutterhead to the device. A forage harverter may be self-propelled or it may be of the "pull-type" which is drawn by a tractor.

It is important that maize kernels in forage maize silage are broken adequately in order that the cattle to which the silage is fed can more easily digest the material.

The present invention provides means whereby such kernels can be broken or crop otherwise conditioned.

According to the present invention a blower device for a crop harvesting machine having rotatable fan blades arranged in a housing so as to provide a current of air for conveying the crop has striking elements, projecting from the surface of the blades in the direction of rotation, which are shaped to break or otherwise condition the crop on impact therewith.

The striking elements are preferably provided with sharp edges. They can be in the form of bars. These can extend longitudinally or transversely of the blades or they can follow a chevron configuration.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a selfpropelled forage harvester for maize silage with portions broken away having a blower device of the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the blower device of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a fan blade with striking bars of the blower device of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a fan blade with an alternative form of striking bars; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a fan blade with another array of striking bars; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a fan blade with a further formation of striking bars; and Figure 7 is a perspective view of a fan blade with yet another disposition of striking bars.

The forage harvester in Figure 1 includes a longitudinally extending frame, indicated generally by the numeral 10. A pair of right and left main drive wheels of which one wheel 12 only is shown, is rotatably supported on opposite ends of an axle (not shown) which, in turn, extends transversely across the front portion of the frame 10. The rear portion of the frame is supported by a right and left pair of steerable wheels, of which the right hand wheel 14 only is shown. A longitudinally extending engine 16 is mounted on the rear portion of the frame 10 and furnishes power to drive the front wheels, as well as the various operating components comprising the harvesting mechanism. Situated above and transversely between the wheels 12 and 14 is an operator's platform 18 from which the various functions of the machine are controlled by the operator.

The harvesting mechanism includes a transverse rotary cutterhead 20 mounted forwardly on the frame 10 and enclosed by a housing 22. The cutterhead 20 is of the conventional cylindrical type and comprises a plurality of knives 24 supported on a transverse shaft 26 for rotation therewith. The ends of the shaft 26 extend through and are rotatably supported in spaced vertical sidewalls, of which one wall 28 only is shown, which, in conjunction with upper and lower walls 30 and 32, respectively, form the housing 22. The housing 22 opens forwardly to admit crop material thereto.

A conventional maize header unit (not shown) is mounted on the front of the housing 22 and is operable to pick up crop material from the field and deliver it rearwardly to the housing.

Interposed between the header unit and the cutterhead 20 is a crop feed mechanism comprising an upper and lower pair of front feed rolls 34 and 36, and an upper and lower pair of rear feed rolls 38 and 40. These rolls co-operate to engage and compress the crop material received from the header and feed it rearwardly toward the cutterhead 20.

As the knives 24 on the cutterhead 20 pass a transverse co-operating shear bar 42, a portion is severed from the rear of the mat of crop material fed thereto and is discharged downwardly and rearwardly through a passage 44. The passage 44 communicates with the forward end of a longitudinally extending conveyor assembly, the latter comprising a pair of parallel augers, of which only one, auger 46, is shown, contained within a housing 48. In operation, the augers receive the chopped crop material from the cutterhead housing 22, advance it upwardly and rearwardly, and discharge it laterally to a sidemounted blower unit 50. The blower unit 50 comprises a plurality of radially extending fan blades 52 rotatable within a generally cylindrical housing 54.

As is apparent from the drawings, the axis of rotation of the blower fan is parallel with that of the cutterhead 20. The blower housing 54 includes generally circular, inner and outer walls, 56 and 57, respectively, the inner wall 56 including an opening 58 through which the interior of the conveyor housing 48 communicates with the interior of the blower housing 54. The rearward ends of the augers are provided with radially extending guides 60 (one only being shown) which are operative to discharge crop material reaching the end of the housing 48 trans The drawings originally filed was/were informal and the print here reproduced is taken from a later filed formal copy.

verselythrough the opening 58 and into the blower unit housing 54. Inside the housing 54, the crop mat erial is engaged by the fan blades 52 and propelled upwardly through a passage 62 and into a curved discharge spout 64. The spout 64, in turn, directs the material into an adjacent receptacle, conventionally a trailing forage waggon.

Drive belts between the cutterhead 20 and the blower unit 50 have been omitted for clarity.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, the fan blades 52 consist of radial arms 66 and fan paddles 68 which are located on radially outer portions of the arms which are driven in a clockwise direction (when viewed as in Figure 1) by a drive shaft 70 on which they are mounted. These paddles 68 are rectangular plates with a bite portion 72 removed from their top left corners (as viewed in FigureS). Striking bars 74 are welded to the paddles 68 on the leading face of the plates in relation to the rotational direction of the blades 52. The bars 74 extend, in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, longitudinally of each paddle 68.

The bars 74 can be square or rectangular in cross section.

An alternative form of striking bars shown in Figure 4 is triangular in cross section and these bars 76 also extend longitudinally of each paddle 68 similarly to the bars 74 in Figure 3.

Bars 78 in Figure 5 have a similar cross section to the bars 74 in Figure 3, but extend in this further embodiment laterally of the paddles 68.

Bars 80 in Figure 6 run angularly crosswise of the paddles 68 in another possible disposition.

Bars 82 in Figure 7 are in yet a further alternative chevron array.

Claims

1. A blower device for a crop harvesting machine which has rotatable fan blades arranged in a housing so as to provide a current of air for conveying the crop and has striking elements, projecting from the surface of the blades in the direction of rotation, which are shaped to break or otherwise condition the crop on impact therewith.

2. A blower device according to claim 1 in which the striking elements are provided with sharp edges.

3. A blower device according to claim 1 or 2 in which the striking elements are bars.

4. A blower device according to claim 3 in which the bars extend substantially radially on the blades.

5. A blower device according to claim 3 in which the bars extend substantially at right angles to the radial direction on the blades.

6. A blower device according to claim 3 in which the bars extend angularly crosswise of the blades.

7. A blower device according to claim 3 in which the bars are disposed in a chevron fashion on the blades.

8. A blower device according to any of claims 3 to 7 in which the bars are triangular in lateral cross section.

9. A blower device substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1,2and3,or1 and 4 or 1 and 5, or 1 and 6 of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

9. A blower device according to any of claims 3 to 7 in which the bars are rectangular or square in cross section.

10. A blower device substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1,2and3,or1 and 4or ? and 5, orl and 6, or1 and7 of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

11. A forage harvester having a blower device according to any preceding claim.

New claims or amendments to claims filed on 22/1/81.

Superseded claims 1-11.

1. A forage harvester for maize having a cutter head for cutting the maize and a blower device which has rotatable fan blades arranged in a housing so as to provide a current of air for conveying the maize delivered thereto from the cutterhead and has striking elements, over the leading surface of each blade projecting in the direction of rotation, which are shaped to present a blunt surface to the maize so that kernels thereof are broken on impact with the striking elements.

2. A forage harvester according to claim 1 in which the striking elements are provided with sharp edges.

4. A blower device according to claim 3 in which the bars extend substantially radially over the blade surfaces.

6. A blower device according to claim 3 in which the bars extend angularly crosswise of the blade surfaces.

7. A blower device according to claim 3 in which the bars are disposed in a chevron fashion over the blade surfaces.

8. A blower device according to any of claims 3 to 7 in which the bars are rectangular or square in cross section.