Development of a Technique to Reduce Combine Header Losses in Soybeans (Part 2)

Geometrical Analyzing Generation Factors of Header Losses

Abstract

The gathering process was classified into the moving process, the displacing process and the cutting process for each action of the knife. The forward motion of the stalks was analyzed geometrically in each process into the parameters of advance ratio, cutting height, guard pitch and other working conditions, We defined the “ineffective cutting area” as the area where the knife section did not cut effectively during the moving process, the “stalk motion angle during the displacement process” as the direction of the forward lean of the stalk, the “lodging angular velocity” as the angular velocity during the displacement process of the stalk while still rooted, and the “terminal cutting angle” as the cutting angle at the point where the knife closed with the guard. The results showed that to optimize each process, the advance rate should be low, the cutting height should be high and the knife angle should be small. However, the best advance ratio and guard pitch varied with each process, suggesting that it is necessary to clarify under what conditions the forward speed of the stalk during the gathering process can be minimized.