Agricultural sprayer boom and method of manufacture

Abstract

Sprayer boom beam structure includes a girder member having an elongated profiled sheet structure including at least two folds or bends defining three portions in an inverted V- or U- or C-shaped cross-section, i.e. a pair of side or wing walls integrally joined by a top or bridge wall. Triangular orifices are punched out of the side walls, alongside one another in a longitudinal direction, alternating between inverted and upright triangles, leaving inclined strips of sheet material in between, and which absorb and transmit strains and stresses similar to a tubular lattice structure, and having benefits of a spatial lattice-like structure. Complementary beam members include a base plate joining longitudinal edges of sidewalls of the profiled member and close the open face of the profiled member, forming a sturdy box-like structure, and internal cross-platelets joined to inclined strips of the profiled-member sidewalls to further rigidify the beam structure.

1 . A beam structure for a boom elongated in a longitudinal direction, comprising: 
 a) the beam structure including a girder; and    b) the girder being an elongated sheet folded into one of a substantially V-, U-, and C-shaped cross-section.    
   
   
       2 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a) the elongated sheet of the girder is folded substantially at least twice;    b) the girder includes a pair of elongated sidewalls, each sidewall having a top edge, a bottom edge, and a plurality of substantially triangular orifices aligned in the longitudinal direction, the orifices having shapes alternating between upright and inverted triangles, and adjacent orifices are separated by an inclined strip of the sheet; and    c) each sidewall further including a lower elongated strip of sheet joined to each of the inclined strips.    
   
   
       3 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 a) the elongated sidewalls have a height which varies linearly in the longitudinal direction.    
   
   
       4 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 a) the girder further includes an elongated top wall bridging the sidewalls along the top edges thereof.    
   
   
       5 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 4 , wherein: 
 a) the girder top wall is shaped like an elongated trapeze, wherein the girder sidewalls have a height and the girder top wall has a breadth, the sidewall height and the top wall breadth varying inversely in relation to one another in the longitudinal direction.    
   
   
       6 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 a) the lower elongated plate includes an elongated bottom edge folded inwards.    
   
   
       7 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 a) a stabilizer element is provided, the stabilizer element bridges the girder sidewalls by a removable fastener element, the stabilizer element includes a removable elongated baseplate joined to the girder sidewalls along the bottom edges thereof by the removable fastener element.    
   
   
       8 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 7 , wherein: 
 a) the baseplate has a substantially constant breadth throughout the longitudinal direction.    
   
   
       9 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 a) a reinforcement element bridging the girder sidewalls by a removable fastener element, the reinforcement element includes a plurality of inclined platelets joined to the girder sidewalls at the inclined strips thereof by the removable fastener element, and the removable fastener element including one of bolts, nuts, and rivets.    
   
   
       10 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 a) the triangles are substantially isosceles.    
   
   
       11 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 a) the inclined strips have an inclination of around 45°.    
   
   
       12 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 a) the pair of girder sidewalls are substantially identical.    
   
   
       13 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a) the girder includes one of the substantially U- and C-shaped cross-sections; and    b) the elongated sheet is folded along parallel fold lines.    
   
   
       14 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a) the girder includes a substantially V-shaped cross-section; and    b) the elongated sheet is folded along non-parallel fold lines.    
   
   
       15 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a) the elongated sheet is folded at least four to six times.    
   
   
       16 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a) the girder is made of metal, preferably one of steel and aluminum.    
   
   
       17 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a) the girder is made of molded plastic material.    
   
   
       18 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a) end caps are mounted to respective ends of the girder by a removable fastener element, the end caps including a hinge element, the removable fastener element being one of bolts and nuts, screws, and rivets.    
   
   
       19 . A boom beam structure as in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a) the boom beam structure is configured for use as a boom beam structure of an agricultural sprayer machine.    
   
   
       20 . A boom comprising an inner beam and an outer beam, the beams being hinged end-to-end to one another, and wherein at least the inner beam includes the girder as in  claim 1 .  
   
   
       21 . A boom comprising at least two beam structures as in  claim 1  hinged end-to-end.  
   
   
       22 . A boom as in  claim 21 , wherein: 
 a) the boom has an overall length over 20 meters.    
   
   
       23 . A method of manufacturing a beam structure for a boom, the method comprising: 
 a) folding an elongated metal sheet in approximately the transversal direction at least twice into one of a substantially inverted V-, U-, and C-shaped cross-section.    
   
   
       24 . A method as in  claim 23 , further including the steps of: 
 a) providing a first sheet material;    b) performing one of cutting, stamping, and laminating in a general trapeze shape on the first sheet material,    c) performing one of cutting, punching, and stamping triangular holes arranged in two long slightly unparallel lines and alternating between upright and inverted triangles, leaving inclined strips of sheet material in between,    d) performing one of drilling and punching round and oblong holes over the strip material,    e) folding the first sheet material into the substantially inverted V- or U- or C-shaped cross-section to form a girder,    f) providing a second sheet material, the second sheet material being one of cut, stamped, and laminated in a general rectangular shape,    g) folding the second sheet material along parallel longitudinal edges thereof to form a baseplate, and    h) placing and removably fastening the base plate inside the girder to form a closed box-like structure.    
   
   
       25 . A method as in  claim 24 , further including the step of: 
 a) performing one of bolting and rivetting the girder to the base plate.    
   
   
       26 . A method as in  claim 24 , further including the step of: 
 a) removably fastening a plurality of inclined platelets to the girder inclined strips.