Straw choppers for an articulated harvesting combine

Straw chopper assemblies for a harvesting combine having a rotor and cage threshing assembly, which comprises:

• (a) straw chopper assemblies located on each side of the rotor discharge, the straw chopper assemblies accept straw material exiting the rotor, each straw chopper assembly comprising:
• (i) a curvilinear cage having an interior opening that accepts the rotor discharged straw material, and an opening that distributes chopped straw material to outside of the harvesting combine;
• (ii) a rotating assembly of knives housed within the curvilinear cage having slots between adjacent rotating knives;
• (iii) a shaft captured stationary assembly of knives movable for the rotating knives to pass fully, partially, or not at all between adjacent pairs of stationary knives, the stationary knife assembly comprising partial circular shaped knives such that the partial circular shaped knives fill the rotating knife assembly slots that the stationary knives are movable within to contain the rotor discharged straw material within the straw chopper assembly;
• (b) outlets in chopped straw material communication with the curvilinear cage opening through which the chopped straw material is discharged onto the ground adjacent to a side of the harvesting combine;
• and
• (c) hoods located over each of the outlets that direct the discharged chopped straw material onto the ground.