Modernization of Harvesting and Processing Head

Abstract

Background and Purpose: The article is devoted to the reduction of energy consumption necessary for delimbing. Materials and Methods: Branch delimbing method includes feeding the tree trunk through the ring formed by the delimbing knives and simultaneous reciprocator movement of the delimbing knives along the axis of the processed trunk. The distinctive feature of the construction is the presence of the beater unit comprising a pusher and a piston mounted inside a sealed housing. Results: As a result of the suggested construction the force of the beater impact of the delimbing knife is increased. Using this method, the branches are removed not only due to the force generated when the knives come in contact with branches pushed by feed rolls moving the trunk, but also due to extra beater stress affecting the delimbing knife. The use of the aforesaid method and the construction of the mechanism allows to reduce energy consumption necessary for the delimbing process. Conclusions: The design of harvesting and processing head proposed in this article can be used in the design and manufacture of logging machines and mechanisms. The technical solution may be an interesting advance of the delimbing process when processing trees, especially when cutting big branches or when cutting forces are temporarily higher than average force values.

Analysis of Damaged Delimber Knives and the Possibility of Increasing their Service Life

“…It is necessary to focus mainly on exposed parts of the device, which are subject to strong abrasive wear as well as impact loads. Neglected maintenance and inregular inspection of exposed parts of the harvesting mechanism increase costs and previous quality of wood production [3,4,5,6]. In Fig.…”

“…Improvement in the maintenance of delimbing knives can reduce the RR of IRW by 5%. Timely restoration of worn-out rollers can increase productivity by 2% and reduce fuel consumption by 5% [3,5]. The knives of the harvester head are the most worn out.…”