Study of a Stripper Header for Grain Harvesting as a Vibrating System

Abstract

Introduction. Grain losses caused by stripping defects are the main problem to be solved in designing a stripper header. To reduce these losses, a design of a stripper header with a vibration drive is proposed. This device combines the processes of stripping grain crops and the vibration effect of the stripping fingers upon the ears of plants. The most important stage of the mathematical description of these processes is composing the differential equation of the stripping fingers motion. Materials and Methods. A computational-graphic diagram of an oscillatory system with one degree of freedom is proposed. To compose the differential equation of the stripping fingers motion, a method based on the application of the Lagrange equation was used. The oscillations of the system under studying arise from the motion of a point in the system according to a given law. The problem of kinematic excitation is reduced to the problem of force perturbation. This stage of the study was carried out without taking into account the resistance forces. Results. An equation for motion of stripping fingers making vibrational reciprocating movements is obtained. It is proposed to select the elastic element in the design scheme and consider a more general case of the stripping fingers movement. In this case, the movement of the stripping fingers is considered to be difficult. A characteristic feature of the mathematical description is the presence of a generalized force of potential forces. The differential equation of motion of a comb in the presence of an elastic element and the solution of this equation are composed. Discussion and Conclusion. Forced oscillations of a system without resistance, excited by a harmonic disturbing force, are harmonic oscillations with constant amplitude. On close values of the angular frequency of vibration of the drive output link and the root of the ratio of the stiffness coefficient of the elastic element to the stripping fingers mass, the case of resonance takes place. The system parameters must be selected so as to avoid this negative phenomenon.