Corn Processing Roll with Chevron Grooves

Abstract

Crop processing rolls are provided for operative use in forage harvesters wherein the crop processing rolls are formed with spiraled grooves that are oriented in opposing slopes extending from the opposite ends of the crop processing roll toward the center of the roll. The formation of these spiraled grooves defines teeth from the ridges created with the formation of vertical grooves into the circumferential surface of the crop processing roll. In one configuration, the spiraled grooves meet at the center of the crop processing roll in a V-shaped intersection to provide a chevron shape to the spiraled grooves. In a second configuration, the spiraled grooves do not intersect at the center and form a semi-chevron pattern that does not form a short tooth that the chevron configuration creates at the V-shaped intersection.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A crop processing roll for use in a forage harvester to process crop material comminuted by the operation of the forage harvester before being discharged from the forage harvester, comprising:
 an elongated cylindrical body adapted for rotation about an axis of rotation and having formed therein a plurality of circumferentially extending grooves formed as a plurality of spaced apart rings forming a groove path that is oriented perpendicularly to the axis of rotation, said circumferentially extending grooves forming ridges between said circumferentially extending grooves; and   spirally extending grooves formed in the outer circumference of the elongated cylindrical body and oriented to intersect said circumferentially extending grooves to pass through said ridges and to break said ridges into discrete teeth, said spirally extending grooves extending between the respective ends of the crop processing roll.   
     
     
         2 . The crop processing roll of  claim 1  wherein the shape of the longitudinal and circumferentially extending grooves has vertical sides and a rounded bottom portion. 
     
     
         3 . The crop processing roll of  claim 1  wherein the spirally extending grooves are configured in oppositely oriented directions extending from the respective opposing ends of the crop processing roll 
     
     
         4 . The crop processing roll of  claim 3  wherein the oppositely oriented spirally extending grooves intersect at the center of the cylindrical body to form a V-shaped chevron configuration. 
     
     
         5 . The crop processing roll of  claim 4  wherein the discrete teeth formed by the intersection of the spirally extending grooves with the ridges formed by the circumferentially extending grooves have different longitudinal lengths depending on the location of the respective teeth on the processing roll. 
     
     
         6 . The crop processing roll of  claim 3  wherein the oppositely oriented spirally extending grooves do not intersect at the center of the cylindrical body, leaving a gap between the oppositely oriented spirally extending grooves. 
     
     
         7 . A corn processing roll for use in a forage harvester to process corn kernels passing through said forage harvester before being discharged from the forage harvester, comprising:
 an elongated cylindrical body adapted for rotation about an axis of rotation and having formed therein a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves oriented parallel with the axis of rotation and being formed in an outer circumference of the cylindrical body, said longitudinally extending grooves forming ridges between said longitudinally extending grooves; and   circumferentially extending grooves formed in the outer circumference of the elongated cylindrical body and oriented to intersect said longitudinally extending grooves to pass through said ridges to break said ridges into discrete teeth, said circumferentially extending grooves being formed in a spiraled configuration extending from respective ends of the crop processing roll in opposing directions from the opposing ends of the processing roll such that the circumferentially extending grooves originating at one end have an opposite slope with respect to the circumferentially extending grooves originating at the opposing end of the processing roll, said oppositely oriented circumferentially extending grooves intersecting at the longitudinal center of the cylindrical body to form a V-shaped chevron configuration.   
     
     
         8 . The corn processing roll of  claim 8  wherein the discrete teeth formed by the intersection of the circumferentially extending grooves with the ridges formed by the longitudinally extending grooves have different longitudinal lengths depending on the location of the respective teeth on the processing roll. 
     
     
         9 . The corn processing roll of  claim 8  wherein the shape of the longitudinal and circumferentially extending grooves has vertical sides and a rounded bottom portion. 
     
     
         10 . A crop processer for use in a forage harvester to process crop material comminuted by the operation of a forage harvester before being discharged from the forage harvester, comprising:
 a pair of crop processing rolls mounted for rotation about respective parallel axes of rotation, each said crop processing roll having an outer circumference with said crop processing rolls being mounted so that the crop material comminuted by the operation of the forage harvester passes between the two crop processing rolls, said crop processing rolls being driven at differential speeds to enhance the processing of the crop material passing between the crop processing rolls;   each said crop processing roll being formed as an elongated cylindrical body adapted for rotation about the corresponding axis of rotation and having formed therein a plurality of circumferentially extending grooves formed as a plurality of spaced apart rings forming corresponding groove paths that are oriented perpendicularly to the corresponding axis of rotation and being formed in the outer circumference of the cylindrical body, said circumferentially extending grooves forming ridges between said circumferentially extending grooves; and   each said crop processing roll further having spirally extending grooves formed in the outer circumference of the elongated cylindrical body and oriented to intersect said circumferentially extending grooves to pass through said ridges and to break said ridges into discrete teeth, said spirally extending grooves being formed in a spiraled configuration extending from one end of the crop processing roll toward the opposing end of the crop processing roll.   
     
     
         11 . The crop processer of  claim 10  wherein the spirally extending grooves originate at opposing ends of said crop processing roll such that the spirally extending grooves originating at one end of the crop processing roll have an opposite slope with respect to the spirally extending grooves originating at the opposing end of the crop processing roll. 
     
     
         12 . The crop processer of  claim 11  wherein the oppositely oriented spirally extending grooves intersect at the center of the cylindrical body to form a V-shaped chevron configuration. 
     
     
         13 . The crop processing roll of  claim 12  wherein the discrete teeth formed by the intersection of the spirally extending grooves with the ridges formed by the circumferentially extending grooves have different longitudinal lengths depending on the location of the respective teeth on the processing roll. 
     
     
         14 . The crop processer of  claim 11  wherein the oppositely oriented spirally extending grooves do not intersect at the center of the cylindrical body, leaving a gap between the oppositely oriented spirally extending grooves. 
     
     
         15 . The crop processer of  claim 11  wherein the shape of the longitudinal and circumferentially extending grooves has vertical sides and a rounded bottom portion.