Densification method and apparatus for harvested cotton or other similar fibrous material

A method and apparatus for densification of fibrous material such as harvested cotton, preferably by a movement of the cotton continuously through a compacting zone on the harvester. In one aspect of the invention, the fibers are locked by differential translation of portions of the mass of compacted material to prevent a layer of material from springing back after compression. A continuous mat of compressed material with locked fibers is formed into a uniform, high density bale or module on the harvester. A cotton harvester compacting system includes an air system feeding harvested cotton into an accumulation area and to the compacting zone on the harvester. The cotton is compressed and fed through a shear zone which differentially translates the cotton and locks the cotton fibers into a uniform, compact mat. In one embodiment, the mat of compacted cotton is fed to a round baler on the harvester to form a dense round bale or module. In another embodiment, the mat is layered into a rectangular bale or module on the harvester. An in-line horizontal compaction zone allows any existing voids in the in-feed section or voids resulting from compaction or shearing to be closed. A brake zone can be provided after the shear zone to provide adjustable back pressure for improved locked in compaction and web handling integrity. The brake is adjustable to fine tune the system for various cotton types and for different moisture and trash conditions. The accumulation area allows continued harvester operation during brief compacting interruptions, such as during module unloading.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to cotton harvesting and compacting 
implements and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus for 
densification of seed cotton for transport. 
2. Related Art 
Cotton harvesting operations typically utilize cotton module builders or 
boll buggies which receive cotton from the picker or stripper basket. 
Module builders often have a very slow, power consuming module building 
cycle and require an expensive cotton harvester to sit idle while waiting 
to offload to the module builder or buggy. A conventional four row cotton 
picker may require support of at least one module builder, two boll 
buggies and two tractors. Increasing the size of the picker to six rows 
requires at least one additional builder and boll buggy, resulting in 
substantially increased support equipment costs and field management 
problems from traffic jams in the head row. The cotton harvester basket 
can be enlarged, but added basket capacity only postpones without 
resolving the loss of productivity and traffic problems caused by capacity 
mismatches between the harvester and the supporting cotton handling 
devices. Offloading and preparing harvested cotton for transport actually 
becomes the key problem limiting productivity in the field. 
Slowness and excessive power requirements of conventional compacting 
devices result primarily from the inherent inefficiency of compressive 
action typical of most devices. Each layer of cotton moved to the builder 
is compressed on top of previous layers of cotton of low spring rate so 
much of the stroke of the compressing device is absorbed by the previous 
layers. This inherent inefficiency not only results in slow and 
inefficient operation, but also causes considerable variation in the 
density of the resulting cotton module and minimizes the transport and 
handling integrity of the module. The top layers of conventional modules 
are virtually uncompressed and easily unsettled during handling for 
transport. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved 
cotton handling system that overcomes most or all of the aforementioned 
problems. It is a further object to provide such a system which reduces 
the amount of support equipment necessary during cotton harvesting 
operations and improves speed and efficiency of cotton compacting. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved 
cotton handling system which provides substantially faster and better 
cotton compacting than at least most previously available systems. 
It is a further object to provide an improved cotton compacting method and 
structure therefor which improves densification, uniformity and transport 
integrity of the compacted cotton. It is another object to provide such a 
method and structure which eliminates problems of compression device 
stroke absorption in previously compacted layers. 
It is still a further object of the invention to provide an improved method 
and an improved structure for compacting fibrous material. It is a further 
object to provide such a method and structure having substantially 
continuous compaction to increase material compaction and throughput. 
It is another object to provide such an improved method and structure for 
compacting fibrous material wherein differential translation or movement 
of portions of compacted material is advantageously used to lock the 
material in the compressed state. It is another object to provide such a 
method and structure wherein a continuous mat of compacted material is 
produced. It is still another object to provide such a method and 
apparatus wherein a continuous mat of material locked in the compressed 
state is layered to form an improved bale or the like which is more 
uniform and easier to transport than bales formed by most previously 
available methods and structures. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved cotton 
compacting method and structure therefor advantageously utilizing 
continuous movement of the cotton mass through a compression zone to 
substantially improve compaction over that achieved with traditional bulk 
handling methods. It is a further object to provide such a method and 
apparatus which advantageously utilizes compression followed by 
differential translation. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved 
cotton compacting method and structure therefor wherein a combination of 
compression and differential translation (shear) of the cotton mass locks 
cotton fibers and maintains the mass in a compressed state substantially 
better than previously available cotton compacting methods and structures. 
It is a further object to provide such a method and structure which 
provides thick cotton web capacity and a higher throughput than at least 
most previously available cotton compacting methods and structures. 
In accordance with the above objects, a method and apparatus for 
densification of fibrous material such as harvested cotton includes 
compacting the material, preferably by a continuous movement of material 
substantially continuously through a compacting zone on the harvester. The 
compacting zone eliminates problems such as compression absorption and the 
resulting slow and inefficient operation associated with compression of 
material on top of an already compressed layer. In one aspect of the 
invention, the fibers are locked by differential translation of portions 
of the mass of compacted material to prevent a layer of material from 
springing back after compression. A continuous mat of compressed material 
with locked fibers is formed into a uniform, high density bale or module 
on the harvester. Variations in density and integrity of the compacted 
mass are reduced substantially over those associated with previously 
available bulk handling compacting methods and apparatus. 
A cotton harvester compacting system constructed in accordance with the 
teachings of the present invention includes an air system directly feeding 
harvested cotton into the compacting zone on the harvester. The cotton is 
compressed and fed through a shear zone which differentially translates 
the cotton and locks the cotton fibers into a uniform, compact mat. In one 
embodiment, the mat of compacted cotton is fed to a round baler on the 
harvester to form a dense round bale or module. In another embodiment, the 
mat is layered into a rectangular bale or module. An in-line horizontal 
compaction zone allows any existing voids in the in-feed section or voids 
resulting from compaction or shearing to be closed. An adjustable brake 
zone can be provided after the shear zone to provide back pressure for 
improved locked in compaction and web handling integrity. The brake is 
adjustable to fine tune the system for various cotton types and for 
different moisture and trash conditions. A simple, complete cotton 
processing system can be provided utilizing only five active components 
including four powered belts and one non-driven belt with intermittent 
braking action. The cotton processing system has a low power consumption 
and a capacity matching or exceeding the picking capacity of a six-row 
cotton picker and on the order eight thousand pounds in twenty minutes, 
thereby significantly improving the productivity of the picker over that 
presently available with conventional bulk cotton handling systems and 
reducing the amount of support equipment and labor necessary to prepare 
cotton for transport to the gin. 
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention 
will become apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading the following 
detailed description in view of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, therein is shown a processor 10 for the 
compaction of fibrous material 11 such as seed cotton harvested from rows 
of cotton plants 12 by a cotton harvester 14 (FIG. 2). The processor 10 
preferably is a continuous motion type having a relatively large, 
unrestricted in-feed area indicated generally at 20 for receiving the 
fibrous material in an uncompressed state. A vertical compaction zone 22 
opens to the in-feed area 20 and receives the material. The material is 
immediately moved away from the in-feed area 20 through the zone 22 and is 
substantially compressed from its free state to a compressed mass in a 
generally continuous motion process. The in-feed area 20 may also be 
utilized as an accumulator (20a) so that harvesting can continue if for 
any reason the processor is stopped momentarily, for example, during 
movement or unloading of a module from the forming chamber on the 
harvester. 
In a material such as seed cotton, a sphere of spring-like fibers radiate 
out from the seed, and the material does not take a permanent set when 
simply compressed. To lock the fibers of the compressed cotton and prevent 
the material from simply springing back, the compressed material is 
processed in a shear or differential translation zone 24 which follows the 
compaction zone 22. The mass of compressed material enters the shear or 
differential translation zone 24 wherein one portion of the mass is moved 
differentially relative to another portion of the mass. As the portions 
are moved differentially, the spring-like fibers of the seed cotton are 
pulled across each other and interlock to prevent the compressed mass from 
expanding back towards its original low density state. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shear or differential translation zone 24 of 
the processor 10 is followed by a horizontal compaction zone 26 wherein 
the compressed material is allowed to move relative to itself in the 
in-line direction to fill any voids existing within the in-feed area 20 or 
created during the horizontal compaction or shearing steps of the process. 
The length of the horizontal compaction zone 26, which preferably is a 
minimum of several inches, may be increased to provide increased 
buffering, particularly when compacting system is provided with open or 
closed loop control. A brake zone 28 located at the exit of the horizontal 
compaction zone 26 provides compaction system back pressure to help lock 
in compaction and provide increased integrity of the generally continuous 
web of material (11') exiting the zone. As shown, the brake zone 28 has 
two main functional components including a passive exit funnel 28a having 
a preselected funnel height, and a selectively activatable brake 28b. The 
passive funnel 28a provides a steady state back pressure for the mat of 
material 11', and the system is rather sensitive to funnel height. Once an 
optimum funnel height is established for the material 11 being compressed, 
the brake 28b provides fine control required to adjust the system to 
various material types and conditions. Alternatively, the compaction zone 
26 may be incorporated directly into the brake zone 28 to reduce the 
length of the processor. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the in-feed area 20 of the processor 10 is located 
behind the harvester cab 14c near the lowermost portion of the cab. An air 
duct system 14a conveys the harvested material 11 from the harvesting 
units 14h directly to the in-feed area 20 and into the processor 10. The 
in-feed area 20 preferably includes the accumulation area 20a so that the 
harvester 14 can continue to operate during brief interruptions of the 
operation of the processor 10, such as during module movement. To increase 
the capacity of the accumulation area, the outlets from the duct system 
14a can be positioned above the cab (14b of FIG. 2) so that the cotton 
drops through an upper accumulation area (20b) towards the in-feed area 
20. 
The mat of compressed cotton 11' is fed from the zone 28 to an on-board 
module builder 30 supported on the cotton harvester frame. The module 
builder 30 is shown as a round baler which receives the mat of material 
11' and forms material into a compact layered bale 32 of high density 
cotton in a manner similar to formation of a large bale of hay or straw by 
a conventional round baler. An endless belt 36 trained around adjustable 
roller assemblies 38 rolls the mat 11' until a large bale is fully formed. 
Thereafter, the formed bale 32 is released by opening door structure 40 at 
the rear of the harvester and moving the roller assemblies 38 so the bale 
is cleared to exit through the opened structure 40. Alternatively, a bale 
accumulator can be mounted directly on the harvester frame or towed by the 
harvester, and a fully formed bale can be quickly moved from the bale 
forming chamber to the accumulator. The accumulator chamber 20a (and 20b) 
at the in-feed area 20 permits continued harvester operation while the 
processor 10 stops for a short period of time during bale movement or 
removal. 
In an alternate embodiment shown in FIGS. 5-7, the cotton harvester 14 
includes an air duct system 14a extending from the harvesting units 14h to 
a location behind the rear, uppermost portion of the cab 14c. Cotton 
removed from the rows of cotton plants is propelled upwardly and 
rearwardly through the in-feed area 20 and accumulation area 20a into the 
processor 10. The compact, continuous mat 11' formed by the processor 10 
is layered into a generally rectangular bale 32R supported on 
reciprocating platform structure 50. The platform structure 50 is 
reciprocated in the fore-and-aft direction as the mat 11' exits the zone 
28, and a scissors lift 52 adjusts the bale 32R vertically to maintain 
proper alignment of the bale with the exit zone 28 as the bale grows in 
height. The structure 50 is shown supported on carriage structure 60 
(FIGS. 6 and 7) which is movable rearwardly and downwardly from the 
operating position of FIG. 6 to an unloading position shown in FIG. 7. 
Once in the unloading position, the structure 50 can be operated to move 
the bale 32R downwardly and rearwardly onto the ground. 
Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the processor 10 will be described in 
further detail. The vertical compaction zone 22 and shear zone 24 are 
shown as opposed belt continuous motion densification structure (indicated 
at 70). The structure has four powered (friction drive) endless belts 
including a lower horizontally disposed belt 71 and an upper inclined belt 
72 located above and offset at an acute angle relative to the belt 71 so 
the belts open towards the in-feed area 20. The angle between the belts 
(compaction angle) is substantially greater than 20 degrees and preferably 
between 27.5 and 45 degrees. At higher angles, vertical compaction 
increases and axial compaction decreases. The drive speed of the lower 
belt 71 is approximately equal to the drive speed of the upper belt 72 
multiplied by the cosine of the compaction angle so that horizontal 
components of the belts are equal and compaction is primarily vertical 
with little or no shear force on the mass of material 11. 
The shear zone 24 provides a shearing motion on the compressed mass of 
material so that the compressive deflection introduced in the compression 
zone 22 is locked into the web. The belts 73 and 74 are driven at 
differential speeds so that the upper portion of the web in contact with 
the upper belt 74 is translated at a different speed (and thus a different 
distance for a given period of time) than the lower portion of the web 
which is in contact with the belt 73. It has been observed that high shear 
rates, or high differential belt speeds, produce higher density webs than 
lower shear rates. Throughput speeds can be increased by providing higher 
belt speed in the shear zone 24 with lower differential speed, but the 
mass flow rate does not increase significantly because the web density 
decreases with the lower differential speed. The shearing structure in 
zone 24 can also be in the form of a skid plate structure replacing one of 
the belts 73 or 74 and an opposed moving member such as the remaining belt 
73 or 74. 
The horizontal compaction zone 26 establishes relative motion between the 
cotton material 11 and plates or working surfaces 81 and 82 of the 
processor 10. In the zone 26, cotton is allowed to move relative to itself 
in the in-line direction (direction of travel of the web 11') to fill 
voids created for any reason by the previous processing steps. The plates 
81 and 82, as well as the belts 71-74, have a working width approximately 
equal to the width of the processor chamber, which can vary depending on 
the capacity of the harvester 14. The plates 81 and 82 are supported in 
parallel relationship at a distance approximately equal to the spacing 
between the shear belts 73 and 74 and have a length in the in-line 
direction on the order of one to two feet. The horizontal compaction zone 
26 can be made as short as four inches or less without reduction of the 
desired closing and interlocking action. However, as pointed out above, 
the longer lengths provide extra buffer for better open or closed loop 
system control. Improved results were achieved when the horizontal 
compaction zone just began to move into the shear zone 24 of the processor 
10. 
The brake zone 28 includes a passive endless belt 91 and an upper inclined 
plate 92 which converge in the in-line direction to the exit funnel 28a. 
As the web 11' is urged through the processor 10 by the belts 71-74, the 
belt 91 is driven by the web, and the web is pushed through the funnel 
28a. The exit funnel height is set and brake 28b is activated at a duty 
cycle and frequency to set steady state back pressure on the system for 
good processor operation. The brake duty cycle/frequency can then be 
adjusted to maintain a back pressure that provides compaction of the web 
at the exit of the shear zone 24 for ideal system operation regardless of 
cotton type and fiber length, trash content or moisture level. By way of 
example only, with a fifty percent duty cycle, braking at a frequency in a 
range of between one-half and three hertz has produced desired 
performance. 
Although belts with conventional belt drives provide a simple, 
straight-forward approach to the design of the compaction and shear zones 
22 and 24 for a continuous process, rollers or rotating members other than 
belts, or reciprocating members, can be utilized to provide compaction and 
shear of the material 11. A belt-type system has been found to be 
relatively simple and less complex to implement than most other types of 
systems. It has also been found that compaction followed by shear in 
substantially a linear manner provides excellent results. If cotton is 
first compressed to approximately half to two-thirds of its original free 
height (zone 22) and then differentially translated (zone 24) across the 
thickness of the compressed web, optimum results are obtained. 
Path based performance of a compactor is illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3D and 4. 
FIGS. 3A-3D show various paths which include movement of a compression 
member or wave plate through different sequences (see 101-105), with the 
sequence of FIG. 3A depicting an orthogonal sequence approximating that 
achieved with the processor 10 of FIG. 1 wherein vertical straight-line 
compression (101-103) is followed by horizontal translation or shear 
(103-105). The paths of FIGS. 3B-3D progress from the orthogonal motion to 
diagonal motion in which compression and translation occur simultaneously. 
FIG. 4 shows the mass flow rate for the sequences depicted in FIGS. 3A-3D 
and indicates that processor throughput falls significantly for the 
diagonal movement of FIG. 3D. 
Having described the preferred embodiment, it will become apparent that 
various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the 
invention as defined in the accompanying claims.