Title: Axial flow separator with stepped threshing bar rotor

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1. In a combine having an axial flow rotary separator for processing crop material and means for delivering crop material from a field to the separator, the separator including a generally cylindrical threshing housing having an upstream inlet and a threshing grate and including a threshing rotor having a frame and supported for rotation within the housing, the separator also including material control means for propelling crop material received from the field downstream through the threshing housing inlet and within the threshing housing as the rotor rotates, the rotor including at least two circumferentially spaced generally longitudinally extending elongated threshing bars carried by the frame, each bar having an upstream portion adjacent the threshing housing inlet and a downstream portion, each portion being spaced radially inwards from the grate and, as the rotor rotates, defining a surface of revolution and moving in a threshing relationship with the grate to thresh crop material propelled downstream by the material control means, each threshing bar being characterized in that the relative dispositions of the respective portions is such that as the rotor rotates, the surface of revolution defined by the upstream portion is substantially cylindrical and of smaller diameter than that defined by the downstream portion, the relatively greater clearance between rotor and grate adjacent the inlet facilitating propulsion of material into the threshing housing.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 further characterized in that in each threshing bar the radial spacing of the upstream portion from the grate is between approximately 11/2 and 3 times the spacing of the downstream portion from the grate.

3. The invention defined in claim 1 further characterized in that each threshing bar portion includes an elongated carrier attached to the frame and a plurality of side-by-side axially spaced raised rib-like elements carried rigidly by the carrier each element angled in the same direction with respect the rotor axis so as to urge downstream crop material engaged by the elements.

4. The invention defined in claim 3 further characterized in that the rib-like elements of each portion are of uniform radial extent but those of the upstream portion are of lesser radial extent than those of the downstream portion.

5. The invention defined in claim 4 further characterized in that the axial extent of the downstream threshing bar portion is approximately twice the axial extent of the upstream portion.

6. The invention defined in claim 4 further characterized in that the radial clearance between the upstream threshing bar portion and the grate as the rotor rotates is approximately between 11/2 and 3 times the radial clearance between the downstream threshing bar portion and the grate.

7. The invention defined in claim 1 further characterized in that at least a portion of the grate completely surrounds the rotor.

8. In an axial flow rotary separator for a combine of the type which advances over a field and harvests crop material for treatment in the separator including a generally cylindrical threshing casing having an upstream inlet for receiving harvested crop material and a grate and material control means for propelling crop material downstream within the casing, a threshing rotor supported for rotation within the casing and having opposite upstream and downstream ends and comprising:

a frame; and

at least two circumferentially spaced threshing bars carried by the frame having axially spaced upstream and downstream ends radially spaced from the grate and the housing so that as the rotor rotates grain is threshed from the crop material between the rotor and the grate, being discharged radially through the grate and straw being propelled downstream and each threshing bar including an upstream inlet threshing portion adjacent the threshing casing inlet and a downstream final threshing portion, each portion including a plurality of raised radially outwardly directed threshing elements, the radially outward extremities of said elements defining a cylinder as the rotor rotates and the diameter of the cylinder defined by the inlet threshing portion being less than that of the cylinder defined by the downstream final threshing portion, thus facilitating entry of crop material into the inlet threshing portion.

9. The invention defined in claim 8 wherein each threshing bar includes an elongated carrier having a radially outward surface extending generally parallel to the rotor axis and the threshing elements comprise side-by-side radially extending blaldes, each blade angled in the same direction with respect to the rotor axis so as to urge downstream crop material engaged by the blades and the blades in the downstream final threshing portion being a greater radial extent than the blades of the upstream inlet threshing portion.

10. In an axial flow rotary separator for a combine including a threshing casing having a wall conforming substantially to a ruled surface of generally circular cross section and an upstream inlet, an improved threshing rotor supported for rotation within the casing and cooperating with the casing to thresh grain received through the inlet while propelling it spirally downstream and comprising;

a frame; and

a plurality of threshing bars of axial extent supported by the frame, each bar stepped so as to define an upstream threshing portion adjacent the upstream inlet of the casing and a downstream threshing portion, each portion extending approximately parallel to the casing wall and spaced radially from said wall, the radial spacing of the upstream portion from the casing wall being greater than that of the downstream portion from the casing wall.

11. In an axial flow rotary separator for a combine having a threshing housing including a wall and a coaxial threshing rotor including a frame and rotating within the housing to define axially extending annular upstream and downstream threshing zones, the improvement in the rotor comprising:

at least two elongated threshing bars carried by the frame, each bar having upstream and downstream portions each approximately parallel to the threshing housing wall and offset with respect to one another and axially spanning the upstream and downstream threshing zones respectively, each upstream portion being disposed radially closer to the rotor axis than the downstream portion so that the upstream threshing zone is of greater radial thickness than the downstream threshing zone.

12. In an axial flow rotary separator for a combine including a threshing housing having an inside surface and a threshing rotor including a frame and mounted for rotation and extending within the housing, the improvement in the rotor comprising:

at least two elongated circumferentially spaced longitudinally stepped rasp bars carried by the rotor frame, each bar having contiguous upstream and downstream portions and each portion having radially outermost crop engaging surfaces disposed so as to define a surface of revolution approximately parallel to the radially adjacent portions of the housing inside surface as the rotor rotates, the diameter of the surface of revolution defined by the upstream portion of the bar being less than that of the downstream portion.

Other info:

Inventors: Wilson, John E. (Colona, IL, US)

Application Number: 901326
Filing Date: 1978-05-01
Publication_date: 1980-03-11
Assignee: Deere & Company (Moline, IL)
Primary Class(es): 460/70 460/66
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

1651037	Nov, 1927	Mitchell	130/6.
3179111	Apr, 1965	Morrison et al.	130/27.
3203428	Aug, 1965	Ausherman	130/27.
3430633	Mar, 1969	Mark	130/27.
3623302	Nov, 1971	Schmitt	56/14.
4136704	Jan, 1979	Dyke	130/27.

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Kinsey, Russell R.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: