Weed Seed Destruction

Abstract

Weed seeds are destroyed in the chaff from a combine harvester by repeated high speed impacts caused by a rotor mounted in one of a pair of side by side housings which accelerate the discarded seeds in a direction centrifugally away from the rotor onto a stator including angularly adjustable stator surfaces around the axis. Thus the discarded seeds rebound back and forth between the rotor and the stator to provide a plurality of impacts. The seeds are carried axially of the rotor by a controlled airstream so that they move to an axial discharge location where a discharge fan is mounted. The angle of the discharge around the rotor axis can be changed to direct the seeds to the side of the combine away from a straw chopper, towards the guide fins of the tailboard of the chopper, or into the housing of the straw chopper.

1 . A combine harvester comprising:
 a separation system for separating from harvested crop a first material comprising straw and a second material comprising chaff and weed seeds;   a straw spreading device for receiving the first material and spreading the first material at least to the sides of the combine harvester;
 a destructor rotor housing arranged to receive the second material; 
 a destructor rotor arrangement mounted in the destructor rotor housing for rotation about an axis and including rotor surfaces thereon for engaging the second material and for accelerating the second material in a direction; 
 at least one stator arrangement mounted at a location along the direction for engaging the weed seeds in the accelerated second material to cause a plurality of impacts with the weed seeds; 
   the stator arrangement comprising a stator support member surrounding the rotor axis and a plurality of stator surface elements mounted on the stator support member at positions thereon angularly separated around the rotor axis;   each of the stator surface elements carrying a plurality of individual seed engaging surface portions arranged at different angles to one another in a plane radial to the rotor axis;   wherein the stator surface elements carrying the individual surface portions thereon are removable and replaceable.   
     
     
         2 . The combine harvester according to  claim 1  wherein the stator surface elements are hard surface coated as a separate component from the support member. 
     
     
         3 . The combine harvester according to  claim 1  wherein each of the stator surface elements comprises a sheet metal plate. 
     
     
         4 . The combine harvester according to  claim 1  wherein the rotor comprises a hub carrying rotor blades defining said rotor surfaces where the blades are pivotally mounted about an axis parallel to the rotor axis so as to act as flails. 
     
     
         5 . The combine harvester according to  claim 4  wherein the blades include a base plate lying in a radial plane of the rotor axis and a bent blade portion at an angle to the radial plane of the base plate for generating an air flow. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the stator surface elements carrying the individual surface portions thereon are angularly adjustable relative to the rotor axis. 
     
     
         7 . A combine harvester comprising:
 a separation system for separating from harvested crop a first material comprising straw and a second material comprising chaff and weed seeds;   a straw spreading device for receiving the first material and spreading the first material at least to the sides of the combine harvester;
 a destructor rotor housing arranged to receive the second material; 
 a destructor rotor arrangement mounted in the destructor rotor housing for rotation about an axis and including rotor surfaces thereon for engaging the second material and for accelerating the second material in a direction; 
 at least one stator arrangement mounted at a location along the direction for engaging the weed seeds in the accelerated second material to cause a plurality of impacts with the weed seeds; 
   the stator arrangement comprising a stator support member surrounding the rotor axis and a plurality of stator surface elements mounted on the stator support member at positions thereon angularly separated around the rotor axis;
 wherein the stator surface elements carrying the individual surface portions thereon are angularly adjustable relative to the rotor axis. 
   
     
     
         8 . The combine harvester according to  claim 7  wherein the stator surface elements are hard surface coated as a separate component from the support member. 
     
     
         9 . The combine harvester according to  claim 7  wherein each of the stator surface elements comprises a plurality of surfaces arranged at different angles in a plane radial to the rotor axis. 
     
     
         10 . The combine harvester according to  claim 7  wherein the rotor comprises a hub carrying rotor blades defining said rotor surfaces where the blades are pivotally mounted about an axis parallel to the rotor axis so as to act as flails. 
     
     
         11 . The combine harvester according to  claim 10  wherein the blades include a base plate lying in a radial plane of the rotor axis and a bent blade portion at an angle to the radial plane of the base plate for generating an air flow. 
     
     
         12 . A combine harvester comprising:
 a separation system for separating from harvested crop a first material comprising straw and a second material comprising chaff and weed seeds;   a straw spreading device for receiving the first material and spreading the first material at least to the sides of the combine harvester;
 a destructor rotor housing arranged to receive the second material; 
 a destructor rotor arrangement mounted in the destructor rotor housing for rotation about an axis and including rotor surfaces thereon for engaging the second material and for accelerating the second material in a direction; 
 at least one stator arrangement mounted at a location along the direction for engaging the weed seeds in the accelerated second material to cause a plurality of impacts with the weed seeds; 
   wherein the rotor comprises a hub carrying rotor blades where the blades are pivotally mounted about an axis longitudinal of the rotor axis so as to act as flails.   
     
     
         13 . The combine harvester according to  claim 12  wherein the blades include a base plate lying in a radial plane of the axis and a bent blade portion at an angle thereto for generating an air flow. 
     
     
         14 . The combine harvester according to  claim 12  wherein the stator arrangement comprising a stator support member surrounding the rotor axis and a plurality of stator surface elements mounted on the stator support member at positions thereon angularly separated around the rotor axis, each of the stator surface elements carrying comprises a plurality of surfaces arranged at different angles in a plane radial to the rotor axis. 
     
     
         15 . A combine harvester comprising:
 a separation system for separating from harvested crop a first material comprising straw and a second material comprising chaff and weed seeds;   a straw spreading device for receiving the first material and spreading the first material at least to the sides of the combine harvester;
 a destructor rotor housing arranged to receive the second material; 
 a destructor rotor arrangement mounted in the destructor rotor housing for rotation about an axis and including rotor surfaces thereon for engaging the second material and for accelerating the second material in a direction; 
 at least one stator arrangement mounted at a location along the direction for engaging the weed seeds in the accelerated second material to cause a plurality of impacts with the weed seeds; 
   said stator having one or more stator elements arranged such that the weed seeds impact on said one or more stator surfaces and do not pass through the stator along said direction but instead are rebounded therefrom back toward the rotor;   the rotor and stator being arranged such that the weed seeds rebound back and forth between the rotor and the stator to provide a plurality of impacts on the accelerated feed material to destroy at least some of the weed seeds;   wherein the housing includes a discharge opening for discharge of the feed material after the plurality of impacts, where the discharge opening is at a location different from the stator so that said weed seeds discharge from the rotor through said discharge opening do not pass through the stator.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 15  wherein the discharge opening is axially separated from the stator arrangement. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus according to  claim 15  wherein the discharge blades include a base plate lying in a radial plane of the axis and a bent blade portion at an angle thereto for generating an air flow. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus according to  claim 15  wherein the rotor comprises a hub carrying rotor blades where the blades are pivotally mounted about an axis longitudinal of the rotor axis so as to act as flails. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus according to  claim 15  wherein the stator surface elements carrying the individual surface portions thereon are angularly adjustable relative to the rotor axis. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus according to  claim 15  wherein the stator surface elements carrying the individual surface portions thereon are removable and replaceable.