Research into the parameters of a potato harvester's potato heap distributor, and the justification of those parameters

Abstract

The low levels of efficiency and general quality when it comes to the use of potato harvesters in difficult soil and climatic conditions substantiate the relevance of the problem which is faced in terms of research by technologically advanced equipment and tools. They are looking to increase the efficiency of potato harvesters. This paper serves to justify the formation of the design and technical parameters of the V-type distributor, which directly acts on the undermined mass to increase the ability of the potato harvester to separate the soil. Preliminary experimental studies have shown that to achieve efficient technological processing in terms of the distribution of the general soil and potato heap, the distributor must possess the appropriate technological and design parameters. Calculations which have been carried out by using as a basis the theoretical dependencies that have been obtained serve to allow us to determine the optimum speed of progress through the heap, using the following design and kinematic parameters: Vel = 2.0 m s–1, А = 0.35 m, hv = 0.22 m, Δ = 0.08 m, bel = 1.2 m. The allowable speed for heap movement will be [V] = 1.62 m s–1, which will ensure the prevention of any heap clogging in front of the distributor. An analysis of the dependencies which have been obtained during the work shows that rational values for the distributor wing’s fitting angle fall within the range of α = 40°.

Keywords

• clod-crushing
• distributor
• harvester
• heap
• potato
• rational parameters
• rotor
• soil separation