Functional analysis in the evaluation of four concepts of planters

ABSTRACT

The essential functions of a planter are to open the planting furrow, meter the seeds, deposit them in the furrow, cover them and compact the soil around them. The planter precision is affected, in some way, by each of those functions. Function analysis is a tool used in the conceptual phase of product design which allows an abstract formulation for the function of the technical system, thus making it very useful in product design and in the analysis of existing products. Therefore, the technique of function analysis makes it possible to identify, in the various concepts of planters sold in the Brazilian market, which function is not well implemented when considering precision planting of small grains, being this the main objective of this study. This study has made it possible to conclude, among other things, that in all concepts of planters analyzed, the sub-functions of metering seeds and that of depositing seeds in the soil were not satisfactorily implemented for the precision planting of small grains. This points out the need of searching for other concepts of planters or the adoption of different solution principles for these functions