Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITL E: MANURE DISTRI, U~ TOR WISH INTER_NAr, Br,ADE-EOUIPPFD ~30TOR
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to manure distributors,
and more particularly to a distributor equipped with a rotor for
equally distributing the manure.
EACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Canadian patent No. 2,121,994 issued in 1995 to J.
Houle et Fils Ltee (inv.: Michel HOULE) shows that it is well
known to provide a manure distributor fluidingly connected to a
manure tank by means of a number of flexible discharge hoses.
The whole assembly is destined to be pulled by a farm vehicle,
for spreading manure on the farm fields.
The purpose of the distributor is to receive the
manure pumped from the tank and convey it into the pipes that
connect the hoses to the distributor.
There are two main problems with the existing manure
distributors, such as the one disclosed in the Houle patent.
The first problem is that the manure is very often
distributed unequally in the hoses that convey it to the ground.
This has two consequences:
a) the field is not covered evenly by the manure, and
there are larger amounts of manure at some locations while there
exists a lack of it at others; and
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b) the manure which flows into a particular hose in larger
quantity than in other hoses will cause a pressure differential
which will suck in more manure into that hose, and thus the
manure will continuously flow more into that particular hose,
thus amplifying consequence a).
This problem is due to the fact that the manure is
pumped into the distributor with a relatively high velocity, and
thus it reaches the hoses in an uneven, turbulent fashion.
Also, the vehicle and the distributor are often tilted on one
side and the other due to an uneven field terrain. Thus, the
fluid manure will move inside the distributor and may reach some
outlet hoses more than others, with the effects as explained in
b) above. The turbulent state of the manure will often cause
local bubbles or swirls which will create an uneven upper
surface of the accumulated manure. It is thus possible and
likely that these bubles or swirls allow the manure to enter in
one outlet hose more than the other, resulting in an unequal
manure distribution.
The Houle patent has attempted to mitigate this
problem by adding an annular baffle which is coaxially mounted
inside the distributor, so that the upwardly projected manure
will hit this baffle and then reach the different hose outlets
located at the periphery of the top wall of the cylindrical
distributor in a more calm state, rather than in a very
turbulent state. However, the counterflux created by the baffle
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will still allow the manure to reach the hoses in a turbulent
state.
The second problem of the existing manure distributor
devices is that the manure very often gets stuck or "packs" in
the distributor. The farm vehicle driver then has to stop his
vehicle and clean the distributor of any compacted manure that
prevents normal operation of the distributor. This evidently
results in an undesirable loss of time.
The Houle patent discloses radial knives which rotate
in the distributor in a plane adjacent the hose outlets, for
cutting any clogging macroparticles that may block the passage
into the hose outlets, where the clogging usually happens.
However, the elbow in the atop discharge pipes of the Houle
patent nevertheless promote packing.
OHJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is the gist of the present invention to provide a
manure distributor that allows a substantially equal
distribution of the manure inside each of the distribution
hoses.
It is an important object of the invention that the
manure distributor help prevent any clogging of same by the
manure.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a manure distributor
equipped with a rotor for equally distributing the manure among
a number of discharge hoses.
More particularly, the invention is a distributor for
use in a manure spreader to distribute manure to a plurality of
discharge hoses via a manure feed pipe connected to a manure
pump, said distributor comprising:
a) an elongated upright chamber connectable to the feed
pipe at a lower portion of said chamber, said chamber having a
substantially vertical axis, top and bottom walls, a side wall
with an inlet opening at said lower portion of the chamber in
open communication with the feed pipe when said chamber is
connected thereto, said chamber side wall also having an upper
portion provided with a set of spaced apart outlet openings
extending away from said vertical axis, each of said outlet
openings corresponding to one of said discharge hoses, an
intermediate partition wall being transversely mounted to said
chamber side wall intermediate said upper and lower portions
thereof whereby said chamber is divided into two vertically
upper and lower spaced compartments, said partition wall having
a central aperture for allowing communication between said two
compartments;
b) an annular baffle coaxially mounted within said
chamber, said baffle having a radius shorter in size than said
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chamber and an upper edge merging with said intermediate
partition wall and opening into said central aperture of the
partition wall; said baffle being shorter in diameter than said
chamber and shorter in length than said lower compartment, said
baffle further defining a bottom mouth located above the level
of said inlet opening of the chamber side wall lower portion;
c) a set of discharge pipes connecting each of said outlet
openings of the chamber to a corresponding discharge hose;
d) a rotor, rotatably mounted to said chamber top wall
generally coaxially to said annular baffle and including a
number of blades extending within a plane generally coplanar to
said outlet openings of said chamber upper portion;
e) power means for power rotating said rotor for
horizontally distributing the manure moving upwardly through
said baffle, generally equally through said spaced apart outlet
openings of said chamber upper portion;
wherein manure packing within said discharge hoses during
distributor operation is substantially prevented.
Preferably, the distributor of the invention further
includes spring biased valve members, one for each discharge
hose, for self-regulating the air pressure inside each said
discharge hose relative to the other said discharge hoses during
operation of the distributor.
Advantageously, the distributor further includes
guillotine air flow control means, mounted about said inlet
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opening at said lower portion of the chamber, for controlling
manure feed loading into said chamber lower compartment.
Preferably, each said discharge pipe is mounted to
said upper portion of the chamber in a non-radial partly
tangentially offset fashion relative to the vertical axis of
said elongated chamber, wherein an acute angle is made between
a corresponding said discharge pipe and a tangential section of
said chamber upper portion, said acute angle being located at
the trailing end portion of a given said outlet opening relative
to direction of rotation of said rotor blades.
Preferably, said chamber is cylindrical; said
distributor further including knife members, mounted to said
chamber each adjacent to a said outlet opening wherein each
knife member includes a cutting edge, said cutting edges
tangentially extending along corresponding said outlet openings
of said chamber upper portion, said rotor blades sized so that
their radially outermost edges brushingly engage said knife
members upon rotation thereof.
Preferably, each said blade is of arcuate shape in top
edge view, the convexity of said arcuate blades being on the
leading face of said blades relative to the direction of
rotation of said rotor blades.
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l7FSCRTPmTpoN cF THE DRAWINGS
In the annexed drawings:
Figure 1 is a perspective, partly fragmented view of
the rear end of a manure tank, together with a support rack for
the soil tools and with a manure distributor according to the
invention, with a number of flexible hoses shown in dotted lines
for clarity of the view;
Figure 2 is a perspective view, at an enlarged scale,
of the manure distributor of figure 1;
Figure 3 is a fragmented, perspective exploded view of
the manure distributor of figure 2, further suggesting in dotted
lines the rear end of the manure tank;
Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the manure
distributor of the invention, suggesting with a number of arrows
the direction of the manure flow;
Figure 5, on the second sheet of drawings, is a top
plan view of the manure distributor of the invention, suggesting
in dotted lines the curved rotor blades; and
Figures 6 and 7, on the fourth sheet of drawings, are
two enlarged views at different operational stages of the area
circumscribed by circle 6 in figure 4, suggesting with arrows
the pressure applied on the air valve by the manure and the
ambiant air, respectively.
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DFTATTED DESCRIPTION OF T~3E EMBODIMENTS
Figure 1 shows the rear end of a large manure
enclosing tank 10 which is destined to be rollingly carried over
ground by a farm vehicle, e.g. a tractor (not shown) . To the
holding tank is attached a tool rack 12 which is carried
spacedly over ground by several wheels 14. As is known in the
art, the housing 26 of a manure distributor 16 is fixedly
installed at the rear of tank 10 by a bracket 17 and is
f luidingly connected thereto through the instrumentality of
modular rigid infeed pipes 18 and 20. A pump 21 (shown
schematically in figure 1) allows a regular manure flow from
tank 10 to distributor 16. Distributor 16 distributes the
manure among a number of flexible hoses 22, e.g. six hoses, that
redirect and spread the manure behind the farm vehicle on the
ground. Preferably, triplets of fore and aft tines 24
integrally mounted to farm rack 12 will plow a furrow in the
soil for it to receive the manure therein, and then move the
soil over the ground engaging manure to burry it and help
prevent foul odors from being released to the ambiant air.
It is of course important that the manure be spread as
evenly as possible along the ground, at least as far as the
furrows are concerned. Therefore, each hose 22 should
preferably have a regular and constant manure flow rate going
out of its lower extremity. The purpose of distributor 16 is
thus to provide manure to all six hoses, and that the manure
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flow rate in these hoses be as regular and constant as possible.
The distributor 16 according to the invention is
better seen in figures 2 to 7.
Figures 2 to 4 show that distributor 16 comprises a
casing defining a substantially cylindrical peripheral wall 26,
a top wall 28 and a bottom wall 3o having an opening covered by
a maintenance cover 32 fixedly bolted thereon. A screw cap 34
threadingly and sealingly engages a complementary hole 32a in
maintenance cover 32, allowing an easy emptying of the
distributor fluids if so desired.
A main innterior manure storage chamber 36 (figure 4)
is defined inside the distributor 16 casing, chamber 36 having
an upper portion 36a and being divided into a lower portion 38
and an intermediate portion 40 by a transverse, annular
partition wall 42 which defines a central opening 44 concentric
to but diametrally smaller than cylindrical peripheral wall 26.
Partition wall 42 is otherwise fixedly attached, e.g. bolted, to
the inner surface of peripheral wall 26 by annular clamp 27. On
the radially inner periphery of annular partition wall 42 is
ffixedly attached a downwardly depending cylindrical baffle 46
coaxial to opening 44 and which is thus located in the lower
portion 38 of chamber 36. Coaxial baffle 46 and opening 44 thus
form an axially-oriented vertical channel from the lower portion
38 to the intermediate portion 40 of inner chamber 36.
A ring member 48 is coaxially and fixedly installed at
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the upper end of main chamber 36 and diametrally conforms to the
top edge of the peripheral wall 26 of the distributor 16. Ring
member 48 ~is located between top wall 28 and a radially
outwardly oriented lip 50 (figure 3) of the distributor casing,
and the joint is sealed by means of a pair of lower and upper
sealer ring strips 52, 54 to prevent any leaks. Ring member 48
has and thus provides to peripheral wall 26 a number of outlet
openings 56 (figure 3). In this case, there are six such
openings, since this number must be equal to the number of hoses
22 in which manure is to be distributed.
As shown in figures 2 to 5, a rotor 58 having several
substantially radially-extending blades 60, e.g. four blades 60
as shown, is axially connected to and controlled by an external
power supply 62, e.g. an hydraulic motor. Blades 6o are
positioned so as to rotate in a plane parallel and adjacent to
top wall 28, i.e. normally parallel though very slightly spaced
therefrom. Also, blades 60 radially extend out to th level of
peripheral wall 26 (corresponding to ring member 48 at this
location), though it extends very slightly short therefrom,
almost brushing it. Therefore, blades 60 rotate in a the same
general plane a that of outlets 56.
Preferably, as illustrated in the drawings, blades 60
are curved in a top plan view and define a commonly-oriented
convexity which is turned in the direction in which the blades
are destined to rotate in their operational mode.
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An inlet opening 64 through peripheral wall 26 and a
complementary inlet pipe section 66 are located in lower portion
38 of inner chamber 36 for admitting therein the manure fed by
the pump 21 from the tank 10. A guillotine-style shutter 68 of
known construction links inlet pipe section 66 to modular infeed
pipe 18, to allow a selection of the manure infeed rate into
distributor main chamber lower portion 38.
Preferably, as shown in the drawings, each outlet 56
is fluidingly connected to a short rigid distribution pipe 70
which is in turn fluidingly connected to a flexible hose 22. As
shown in figures 3 and 5, each pipe 70 extends away from its
corresponding outlet substantially halfway between a tangential
and a radial direction.
A knife member 71 (figure 3) is fixedly installed at
one tangential extremity of each opening 56. The leading
cutting edge of the knife 71 is the one which will be reached
last by the rotating rotor blades.
An air valve 72 is transversely mounted to the upper
portion of each distribution pipe 70. As shown in figures 6 and
7, air valve 72 comprises a sealing stopper 74 mounted on a
piston 76 which guides stopper 74 between an opened position,
characterized by the fact that the outside ambiant air can enter
pipe 70 via the valve, and a closed position, characterized by
the fact that the ambiant air is prevented from entering pipe 70
via the valve by sealing stopper 74. A coil spring 78 biases
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stopper 74 into its closed position in normal conditions. It is
understood that any pressure-activated air valve of known
construction which would have the same effect as valve 72 may be
used on each distribution pipe.
In use, manure is fed by pump 21 from tank 10 into
distributor 16 at a selected flow rate, which is chosen e.g.
depending on the advance speed of the tractor. The manure
rapidly fills the distributor inner chamber 36, which may e.g.
have a volume capacity of approximately 14 liters, though larger
or smaller capacities are envisioned. Once the inner chamber 36
is almost filled with manure, with the channel formed by baffle
46 allowing the manure to fill chamber intermediate portion 40,
it overflows into the chamber upper end 36a and thus reaches the
rotating rotor blades 60 (which must of course be activated
previously). The rotor blades 60 will drive the manure unaer
the centrifugal force resulting from their rotation towards the
level of peripheral wall 26, which corresponds to ring member 48
at this level. The thus propelled manure will be allowed to
flow out through outlets 56, through pipes 70 and into hoses 22
to be spread in the farm field soil.
It is understood that the propelled manure will have
a natural tendancy to flow out of inner chamber 36 through
outlets 56 according to a direction vector which may be
decomposed into a radially outward component and a tangential
component, due to its propelling by rotating blades 60. As
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clearly illustrated in figure 5, the orientation of outlet pipes
70 is not radial, but is of a value intermediate a tangential
and a radial orientation, as already explained. The outwardly
flowing manure will therefore flow into pipes 70 with less
resistance against the pipe walls than if pipe elbows or the
like were found immediately at the chamber outlets 56.
The purpose of the horizontal partition wall 42 and
vertical annular baffle 46 is to calm the manure upcoming flow
from its initial turbulent state to a calmer state. Indeed, the
ZO manure fed from the pump 21 into inner chamber 36 possesses a
considerable velocity, and is consequently thrusted upwardly
when hitting the peripheral wall 26 opposite inlet 64 (the lower
wall 30 prevents it from being thrusted downwardly also). The
main part of this high-velocity manure flow will either hit the
lower surface of annular partition wall 42 or the outer surface
of baffle 46, and will thus eventually be deflected downwards.
It is a more calm manure flow that will rise centrally through
the channel formed by baffle 46 and through partition wall
opening 44, this flow being protected from turbulence by baffle
46. The manure filling chamber upper portion 40 is thus in a
relatively calm state, while the manure filling chamber lower
portion 38 is in a rather turbulent state. The manure
overflowing into the upper part 36a of inner chamber 36 will
thus be in this calm state.
The multiple purposes of the rotor blades 60 are as
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follows:
1) They help distribute the manure more evenly among
outlets 56 and into pipes 70, since there is a constant radially
outward flaw created by each blade 60 which successively passes
proximate each outlet 56. Thus, the manure flow through each
outlet 56 is substantially constant and regular, as long as the
manure infeed flow is constant and regular. Moreover, rotor
blades 60 will level the accumulated manure upper surface of any
local bubbles or swirls, if some exist, to feed outlets 56 with
a regular flow.
2) They propell the manure inside each distribution pipe
70, thus effectively acting as a small pump for the manure.
3) They help prevent manure from getting stuck at the
upper end of inner chamber 36, since the rotor blades 60 are
diametrally sized in relation to ring member 48 to scrape the
upper wall 28 continuously. And
4) They help prevent manure from getting stuck in outlets
56, since the combination of knives 71 and the outer extremities
of blades 60 will cause most macroparticles to be sliced instead
of packing at an outlet.
Concerning point 4) above, it is important to note
that the manure often comprises not only dung but also straw
and/or wood chips, and thus there is a considerable likelihood
that such macroparticles could obstruct the outlets 56. The
knives 71 and rotating rotor blades 60 combination thus have a
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particularly desirable effect against this clogging.
It may happen that the manure enter one or several of
the distribution pipes in a larger quantity than in others, e.g.
if the distributor is tilted sideways because the.farm vehicle
is rolling over uneven terrain. In this case, the pipes 70 in
which the manure is propelled by the rotor blades 60 in larger
quantities will cause a suction effect that would act on the
manure inside chamber upper portion 40 and that could reach the
other pipes and effectively self-correct against the propelling
of the manure in these other pipes by the pump and the rotor.
The purpose of air valves 72 is to prevent this. Indeed, as
shown by the arrows in figures 6 and 7, if the pressure
differential between the inside of any distribution pipe and the
outside ambiant air is large enough to overcome the force
exerted by spring 78, then the suction thus existing in such a
pipe will force stopper 74 into its opened position against the
biasing force of spring 78, to let some air in and thus
effectively cancel the pressure differential and consequently
the suction effect of this pipe 70 inside the distributor 16.
As soon as there is an upcoming flow of manure towards the valve
72 because of the pressure rising again inside this particular
pipe 70, the stopper 74 will rise again into its closed
position, helped by the spring 78 that allows the stopper to
move before the manure flow reaches it (thus helping to prevent
that manure get stuck in the air valve)
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The value of the spring 78 resistance is chosen to
allow a suction effect to occur in the upper part 36a of chamber
36 on the manure, to effectively help its propelling into the
outlet pipes, though without allowing this suction effect to
impede the functioning of the distributor by draining the other
pipes of their manure.
The combination of a calm uprising flow of manure with
the blade-equipped rotor 58 has proven to be very efficient in
acquiring a constant and regular manure flow out of hoses 22.
The distributor according to the invention gives unexpected and
advantageous results in this respect.
It can be seen in figure 3 that maintenance or repair
of the distributor according to the invention is .possible due to
the fact that most pieces can be separated from the rest of the
distributor quite easily. Indeed, wing nuts 80 attach the upper
portion of the distributor 16, i.e. upper wall 28, ring member
48, sealer rings 52, 54 and lip 50. Access into main chamber 36
is thus easily possible, either by removing the upper part by
means of the wing nuts or the lower part by means of either
screw cap 34 or screwed maintenance cover 32.
It is understood that throughout this description,
reference is made to axial and radial directions because the
preferred embodiment of the invention is preferably of
cylindrical shape. However, except for the upper end of the
main chamber comprising the rotor blades 60 which has to be of
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cylindrical shape, the remaining shape of the chamber could be
different, for example polygonal (though a square-shaped storage
chamber would not be as efficient and would increase the
likelihood of manure getting stuck inside the chamber). If such
is the case, then the axial and radial direction references
should be interpreted consequently, i.e. as if the chamber was
cylindrical. The axis of a polygonal prism, e.g. an octagonal
prism, would be the line passing at the geometric center of all
the transverse cross-sections of the prism, and the radial
direction would be the lines that extend perpendicularly
therefrom.
Any minor changes to the invention as described which
do not deviate from the scope of the present invention are
considered to be included in the scope thereof.
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