Axial flow rotary separator

An axial flow rotary separator having a rotor rotatably supported within a casing to define an annular space in which crop material is propelled circumferentially by the rotor and the casing has internal means for deflecting crop material downstream characterized in that:

• the rotor carries a plurality of crop material engaging elements normally extending outwards from the rotor in a first position and moving, as the rotor rotates, in a plane perpendicular to the rotor axis and being deflectable downstream from the first position responsive to an external force;
• the rotor speed and casing cross-sectional form and the relative juxtaposition of rotor and casing are such that, as the rotor rotates, the crop material engaging elements move from substantial engagement to substantial disengagement and so that while in engagement, the downstream deflection of a crop material portion in engagement with a crop material engaging element supplies an external force effective to deflect said element downstream so as to facilitate the movement of crop material in the separator;
• and
• the rotor includes means, effective upon disengagement of the crop material by a crop material engaging element, tending to restore said element to its first position.

An axial flow rotary separator for processing harvested crop material comprising:

• at least one elongated rotor including a plurality of crop engaging elements extending outwards with respect to the rotor axis of rotation, said elements, as the rotor rotates, each normally moving in a plane perpendicular to the rotor axis but, responsive to an externally applied force, displaceable in a plane approximately parallel to the axis of rotation and rotatable to generate a surface of revolution defined by the outer extremities of the crop engaging elements;
• an elongated tubular casing having a wall and an upstream inlet and a downstream outlet and surrounding a portion of the length of the at least one rotor and defining an annular space between the rotor and the wall, the form of the wall and its disposition relative to the at least one rotor being such that the radial thickness of the annular spacing between the rotor surface of revolution and the wall in non-uniform so that the annular space includes at least one each of circumferentially spaced zones of greater and lesser radial thickness respectively;
• a plurality of elongated guide surfaces extending internally of the casing within the annular space and disposed helically with respect to the axis of rotation;
• means for delivering crop material to the casing inlet for engagement by the at least one rotor;
• means for driving the at least one rotor at such a speed and in such a direction that crop material engaged by the crop engaging elements of the rotor is propelled circumferentially in the annular space and maintained generally as a mat following the casing wall, the guide surfaces being disposed to engage portions of the mat and deflect them downstream and so that, as the rotor rotates, the zones of greater and lesser radial thickness of the annular space permit the radial penetration of the crop engagine elements to vary between substantial engagement and substantial disengagement.

An axial flow rotary separator in which a rotor propels crop material in a generally spiral path through a casing surrounding the rotor, the casing having at least one foraminous portion and the rotor having a frame and including a plurality of generally radially extending fingers, the driven speed of the rotor being sufficient to maintain the crop material by centrifugal force in a mat generally in contact with the inside surface of the casing, the fingers fully engaging the mat only intermittently, in a zone of engagement in which the spacing between the fingers and the casing is diminished, characterized in that:

• the fingers are supported so that in operation, when disengaged, each finger follows a circular path perpendicular to the rotor axis of rotation but is displaceable axially, responsive to an external force greater than a predetermined minimum, and the combination of rotor frame and fingers includes means tending to restore each finger to its circular path from a displaced position and the casing includes a plurality of helically disposed guide surfaces for deflecting mat portions downstream at least portions of some of which are circumferentially adjacent the zone of engagement, guide surfaces and crop material mat portions cooperating to generate external forces in downstream direction greater than the predetermined minimum so that the fingers may at least partially follow the downstream deflection of mat portions with which they are engaged and so that beyond the zone of engagement, the means for restoring the fingers to their circular paths becomes effective.

An axial flow rotary separator for a combine, the combine including threshing means having a transversely extending threshing cylinder and means for gathering crop material from a field and delivering it to the threshing means, the threshing means being operable to thresh the crop material and deliver threshed crop material generally rearwardly, comprising:

• a pair of side-by-side fore-and-aft extending generally cylindrical elongated separator casings each including a foraminous area and an upstream inlet and a downstream outlet, the inlets being in approximately lateral alignment and each casing including a series of internal axially spaced guide surfaces disposed helically with respect to the casing longitudinal axis;
• a separator infeed casing having walls defining a feed chamber and including angled guide surfaces spanning at least a portion of said walls, said feed chamber having a single downstream outlet spanning and communicating with both separator casing inlets, said walls including a generally upright, laterally extending wall spaced upstream from the separator casing inlets and having an upper edge, a floor extending between the bottom of the upright wall and the separator casing inlets adjacent their lower portions, a pair of opposite longitudinally extending sidewalls extending between the opposite lateral sides of the upright wall and the separator casing inlets adjacent their respective opposite outer portions, and a top wall having an upstream edge spaced above the upper edge of the upstream upright wall and a downstream edge spanning the separator casing inlets adjacent their upper portions, said upper wall generally converging on the direction of the axes of the separator casings in a downstream direction, said infeed casing upstream upright wall upper edge, top wall upstream edge, and said opposite sidewalls defining an infeed inlet opening disposed generally above the level of the axes of the separator casings and said inlet opening being in a receiving relationship with the discharge of threshed material from the threshing means;
• a pair of separator rotors including first and second rotors extending from adjacent the infeed casing upstream wall to the downstream end of the separator casings, the first and second rotors respectively occupying one and the other of the separator casings and being supported for rotation about axes of rotation parallel to the longitudinal axes of the separator casings but offset below the casing axes, each rotor including a frame carrying a plurality of crop engaging fingers, each finger connected to the rotor frame and normally extending generally radially with respect to the rotor axis of rotation and including a radially outward crop engaging portion displaceable axially, responsive to an externally applied force greater than a predetermined minimum and including fingers disposed so as to engage crop material delivered to the infeed chamber;
• and
• means for rotating the rotors in mutually opposite directions and in directions such that, in the infeed chamber, material engaged by the rotors in the upper portion of the chamber is carried down between the rotors and at such speed of rotation that crop material is maintained in a somewhat annular mat generally in contact with the casings and the finger length, rotor axis offset, and crop material mat thickness is such that as the rotors rotate, each finger periodically engages and effectively disengages radially the crop material mat while each rotor overall maintains circumferential propulsion of the material and wherein the guide surfaces of the feed casing and of the separator casings on their respective sides are angled in the same direction and in such direction that engagement of the crop material mat with the guide surfaces deflects the mat axially downstream and each mat portion in engagement with a finger is effective to apply an external force to the respective finger crop engaging portion greater than the predetermined minimum so that said finger portion is displaced axially downstream.

A separator feeding arrangement for transferring threshed crop material from the threshing section to the separating section of a combine, the threshing section including a transverse threshing cylinder cooperating with a concave partially wrapping the cylinder and operable to discharge a stream of threshed crop material generally rearwardly and the separating section including a pair of side-by-side generally cylindrical separator casings and associated separator rotors and each separator casing having an inlet, said inlets being approximately in lateral alignment, the separating section being rearward of and in substantial longitudinal alignment with the threshing section, comprising:

• a feed casing extending between adjacent the threshing section discharge and the separator casing inlets, said casing having a floor, a pair of opposite sidewalls, and a top wall coverging rearwardly towards the axes of the separator casings, said walls defining an infeed chamber having a downstream outlet end defined by the downstream portions of the top wall, opposite sidewalls and floor and substantially encompassing the side-by-side inlets of the separator casings and an elevated upstream inlet having an upper limit defined substantially by the upstream portion of the top wall of the casing and substantially spanning the threshing section discharge, said inlet being in a receiving relationship with the stream of threshed crop material;
• a feeder beater rotatable about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the threshing cylinder and in a direction opposite to that of the threshing cylinder disposed adjacent the casing inlet opening so as to intercept at least some of the stream of threshed crop material and convey it into the feed chamber;
• a pair of feed rotors having a plurality of crop material engaging elements, disposed side-by-side in the infeed chamber for rotation about axes approximately parallel to the axes of the separator casing, and axially deflecting means within the feed chamber for cooperating with the crop material engaging elements of the rotors;
• means for driving the rotors;
• and
• a guide plate portion included in the feed casing top wall upstream portion extending over and partially wrapping the feeder beater so that as the rotors rotate, threshed crop material delivered to the feed chamber in the space above the rotors is urged downwards into engagement by the rotor elements and propelled in a generally spiral path downstream into the inlet of the separator casings.