Air flow conditions in workspace of mulcher
¹Czech University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Department for Quality and Dependability of Machines, Kamýcká 129, CZ16521 Prague 6, Czech Republic
²Czech University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Agricultural Machines, Kamýcká 129, CZ16521 Prague 6, Czech Republic
³Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Department of Thermodynamics and Environmental Engineering, Technická 2896/2, CZ616 69 Brno, Czech Republic
*Correspondence: cedikj@tf.czu.cz
Abstract:
Currently, there has been a great effort on increasing the efficiency of agricultural machinery. The energy demands of mulching with the vertical axis of rotation depends on the amount of processed material per unit of time, its properties and efficiency of material processing. Another important factor that is affecting the overall energy demands is the energy losses, which can be even higher than energy, required for the processing of material. The efficiency of the material processing and the energy losses are influenced to a large extent by the air flow inside the mulcher workspace, which is created by the movement of working tools. The air flow ensures the repeated contact of the processed material with the working tools, affects the energy losses and the quality of work. The contribution deals with the air flow conditions inside the workspace of mulcher with the vertical axis of rotation. The velocity of the air flow was measured my means of LDA (Laser Doppler Anemometry) method in three planes above the surface (180, 100 and 20 mm) and in two directions (peripheral and radial). The laboratory model of one mulcher rotor from mulcher MZ 6000 made by BEDNAR Ltd. company was used for the measurement. From the results it is evident that the maximum values of peripheral velocity of the air flow reach approx. 50% of the velocity of the tools. In the radial plane an air vortex is created between 20 and 100 mm planes above the surface around the tip of the blade.
Key words:
airflow velocity, cutting tool, mower, mulcher