EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE INTERACTION OF SUNFLOWER STEMS WITH REAPER ROTORS

In the process of sunflower harvesting with traditional harvesters, the basket is cut together with part of the stem. Due to the fact that the baskets come into the area of the auger with a part of the stems, we have seed losses and clogging of the moving parts of the reaper. The need to clean them leads to stops and, consequently, increase the time of harvesting. In order to eliminate the outlined shortcomings, an additional working body of the reaper (rotor) was developed and manufactured. The configuration of this working body and the geometric parameters are substantiated by the authors theoretically. In order to verify the obtained theoretical results, as well as to establish a rational speed of the rotors, it was necessary to conduct a series of experimental studies. This article describes the laboratory equipment developed and manufactured by the authors to study the patterns of interaction of sunflower stems with rotors and to establish the impact on this process of stem diameter, rotor angle to the horizon and their frequency. Based on the analysis of the study results, it was found that to minimize the length of the stem segment, which falls with the basket in the area of the auger, you need to set the axis of the rotors at an angle of 10–15 degrees to the field surface, the rotational speed of rotors should be 300–350 min-1. If the angle of inclination is increased or the axes of the rotors are installed parallel to the horizontal surface, the manifestations of clogging of the rotor channel, deflection of stems in the opposite direction to their movement are established, which in real operating conditions will lead to seed loss.