CLEANER STRUCTURE COMPOSED OF BRUSH ELEMENTS IN A ROOT CROP DIGGER WITH DRUM ASSEMBLY REAR

Abstract: A cleaner structure (10), composed of brush elements, for a root crop digger with drum assembly rear. On the shaft of the cleaner structure (10) has been mounted a plurality of brush elements (11). The brush elements (11) comprise a body component (11a) with a cross section substantially shaped like a circular ring, intended to be mounted on the shaft by its central aperture (15), and a plurality of pin-like members (13) projecting from the body component (11a). In order to preclude in an effective and reliable manner the freedom of the brush elements (11) to rotate about the shaft, there has been placed between the brush elements (11) on the shaft at least one spacer element (12) made of a material with a hardness substantially superior to that of the material used in the brush elements (11). The opposed end faces of the spacer element (12) have been provided with peripheral annular depressions (16) adapted to receive the substantially circular ring-shaped body components (11a) of the brush elements (11).

Description: Cleaner structure composed of brush elements in a root crop digger with drum assembly rear The present invention concerns a cleaner structure, composed of brush elements, for a root crop digger with drum assembly rear where on a shaft has been mounted a plurality of brush elements, said brush elements comprising a body component with a cross section of substantially circular ring shape, intended to be mounted by its central aperture on said shaft, and a plurality of pin-like members projecting from said body component. Regarding the state of art, reference is made e.g. to the same appli- cant's earlier Finnish Patents No. 54668 and 55281 and to the Finnish patent application No. 773267. In the Finnish Patent No. 54668 is disclosed a brush element for a digger with drum assembly rear harvesting root crops such as potatoes, turnips, carrots, etc., comprising a body component with a cross section substantially shaped like a circular ring, intended to be mounted by its central aperture on a shaft, and pin-like members projecting from said body component. A brush element of this type presents a plurality of knobs located peripherally on one endface of the body component and pointing outward therefrom, and a plurality of depressions peripherally located in the other end face of the body component. When such brush elements are mounted by their central aperture on a shaft side by side, the depressions of each preceding brush element will receive the knobs of the next brush element. The brush elements may also be mounted on the shaft in such a way that each next brush element is rotated about the shaft, before affixing it to the preceding brush element, through an angle consistent with the angular spacing of the knobs (and of the depressions), e.g. 60 degrees, and only thereafter is the next brush element affixed to the preceding brush element. In that case, the pin-like brushes of the brush elements will form a helix. The Finnish Patent No. 55281 discloses a similar brush element where the central aperture of the brush element has the cross section of an equilateral polygon. Thereby no knobs and depressions whatsoever are needed in a brush element of this type for affixing the brush elements to each other. The brush elements disclosed in the same applicant's earlier Finnish. Patents No. 54668 and 55281 and in the Finnish patent application No. 773267 have been made of resilient material, such as plastic, by die casting. Since such brush elements have to be made of the softest and most elastic plastic material possible, there is the risk owing to the softness of the material, that the brush elements may rotate with reference to each, other despite their being interlocked either by means of the knob/depression locking or by using a central aperture shaped like an equilateral polygon. The object of' the invention is to achieve an improvement of cleaner structures composed of brush elements known in prior art which have been developed for equivalent uses. The more detailed object of the invention is to provide for a root crop digger with drum assembly rear, a cleaner structure composed of brush elements where the rota- tion of the brush elements about the mounting shaft has been avoided in an effective and reliable manner. The object of the invention is attained by the aid of a cleaner structure mainly characterized in that between the brush elements on the shaft has been placed at least one spacer element of a hardness substantially superior to that of the material used for the brush elements. The rest of the characteristic features of the invention are stated in claims 2-5. In the cleaner structure of the invention, the spacer elements made of harder plastic prevent in a reliable manner the rotation of the brush elements about the mounting shaft. In the cleaner structure of the invention, the spacer elements keep the brush elecent structure together in a reliable manner because the body component of the brush elements has been arranged to enter the end faces of the spacer element a certain distance, e.g. 2-3 mm. Since the diameter of the spacer element is slightly larger than tLe diameter of the body component of the brush element, a better and more sturdy construction than heretofore is achieved owing to this circumstance as well. The invention shall be described in detail, referring to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, presented in the figures of the attached drawing, but to which the invention is not meant to be exclusively confined. Fig. 1 presents a cleaner structure composed of brush elements according to the invention, in elevational view. Fig. 2 shows the cleaner structure of Fig. 1, in front view. In the embodiment of Figs 1 and 2, the cleaner structure of the present invention has been generally denoted with the reference numeral 10. The cleaner structure 10 has been composed of a plura¬ lity of brush elements 11 which comprise a body component 11a with a cross section substantially shaped like a circular ring. From the body component 11a project numerous pin-like members 13. The body component 11a has been provided with a central aperture 15 serving to mount the brush element 11 on a shaft. It is to advantage to make the pin-like members 13 on the brush element 11 broad enough so that in the cleaner structure 10 composed of brush elements 11 is achieved an effect pushing in axial direction the objects to be dug out. However, pin-like members 13 of great breadth have the drawback that they are rigid in excess even if they are made of a suitable, elastic plastic material. It is therefore advantageous to make the pin-like members 13 to be a kind of bipartite or nearly bipartite pin-like members 13, which have sufficient breadth. In Fig. 2, the reference numeral 14 indi¬ cates the longitudinal slit 13 of the pin-like member 13 separating the halves of the pin-like πenbers 13. In the embodiment of Figs 1 and 2, a central aperture 15 has been employed of which the cross section is an equilateral polygon and in this specific embodiment, a hexagon. The brush elements 11 may then be mounted on the shaft so that the pin-like brushes 13 of the brush elements 11 form a helix. According to the fundamental insight of the present invention, there has been placed on the shaft at least one spacer element 12, made of a suitable plastic material with a hardness substantially superior to that of the plastic material used for the brush elements 11. In the most favourable embodiment of the invention, one spacer element 12 has been placed between each two consecutive brush elements 11, whereby the most reliable possible cleaner structure 10 is obtained. As can be seen from Fig. 1, the opposite end faces of the spacer elements 12 have been provided with annular depressions 16 adapted to receive the substantially circular ring-shaped body components 11a of the brush elements. Spacer elements of this type keep the element structure well together because the body components 11a of the brush elements 11 enter a certain distance, e.g. 2-3 mm, into the end faces of each spacer element 12. As shown in Figs 1 and 2, the diameter of the spacer elements 12 is preferably slightly larger than the diameter of the body component 11a of the brush elements 11. The spacer elements 12 have naturally been provided with a central aperture shaped similarly as the central aperture 15 in the body component 11a of the brush elements 11. Of course, the spacer element of the invention may also be used on those brush elements where one end face of the body component has peripherally located outwardly pointing knobs and the other end face, similarly peripherally located depressions, in which case the end faces of the spacer element will be provided with equivalent knobs and depressions. In the foregoing merely one favourable embodiment of the invention has been presented, and it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that numerous modifications thereof are possible within the scope of the inventive idea stated in the claims following below. c::?ι

Claims: Claims 1. A cleaner structure (10) composed of brush elements for a root crop digger with drum assembly rear wherein on a shaft has been mounted a plurality of brush elements (11), said brush elements (11) comprising a body component (11a) with a cross section substantially 5 shaped like a circular ring and which is intended to be mounted by its central aperture (15) on said shaft, and a plurality of pin-like members (13) projecting from said body component (11a) , characterized in that between the brush elements (11) on the shaft has been placed at least one spacer element (12) which has been made 10 of a material having a hardness substantially superior to the hardness of the material used for the brush elements (11) . 2. Cleaner structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the opposite end faces of the spacer element (12) have been provided with 15 peripheral annular depressions (16) which have been adapted to receive the substantially circular ring-shaped body components (11a) of the brush elements (11). 3. Cleaner structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that 20 the diameter of the spacer element (12) is slightly larger than the diameter of the body component (11a) of the brush elements (11) . 4. Cleaner structure according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that a spacer element (12) has been placed between 25 each two consecutive brush elements (11). i 5. Cleaner structure according to any one of claims 1-4, • _ characterized in that the central aperture (15) of the brush elements (11) and similarly the central aperture of the spacer elements (12) 30 has for its cross section an equilateral polygon.

Inventors: JUNNILA LAURI JOHANNES
Applicants: LAURI JOHANNES JUNNILA, JUNNILA LAURI JOHANNES
Application year: 1981
Main classification: A01D19
IPC codes: A01D25, A01D33