Authors: Kotov A.V., Krol D. G., Ph. D. in Phys. And Math., Assoc. Prof.
This article is a translation of the original work of the same name, which was written in Russian and published in a peer-reviewed journal. I decided to prepare and publish its English version for several reasons. First, science and engineering thinking have no language barriers. Publishing a translation is a step towards drawing attention to my research from a wider audience, including foreign colleagues, engineers and researchers who may find the proposed method useful. Second, publishing the article in English helps increase the visibility of the blog itself in foreign search engines. This means that my developments and findings are more likely to reach those who truly need them. I am open to discussion, feedback and professional dialogue with anyone who finds the topic of my research relevant. I will be glad if this material proves useful beyond the Russian-speaking audience.
Introduction. Grain cleaning is one of the most important stages of a combine harvester's operation, during which, under the action of a fan and vibration, the final separation of grain from the grain heap, unthreshed ears, and other impurities occurs. The functional efficiency of the entire system largely depends on the cleaning drive mechanism, whose kinematics determine the nature of the oscillatory motion of all working links and the associated sieves. The rather high oscillation frequency of the links, combined with the significant mass-inertial characteristics of the sieves (including the technological mass of the harvested crop), allows this mechanism to be classified as a key source of dynamic load on the combine harvester frame. To reduce this dynamic load, silent blocks (elastic hinges) are traditionally used in the joints of the cleaning drive mechanism. These elements are rubber-metal (sometimes with a polyurethane insert) hinges which, due to the elasticity of the elastic element, perform the function of damping vibrations and also ensure the mobility of the connected links, but within a very limited range of twist angle. Figure 1 shows the cleaning system of a combine harvester with the installation locations of silent blocks in the cleaning drive mechanism highlighted.

1 – fan; 2 – cleaning drive mechanism; 3 – straw walker; 4 – upper sieve; 5 – lower sieve
Figure 1 – Cleaning system of a combine harvester
The service life of silent blocks is largely determined by their correct choice based on the permissible twist angle, as well as the applied maximum radial load. Quantitative assessment of these characteristics of silent blocks under operating conditions is quite difficult today. Therefore, in practice, these parameters are calculated at the preliminary design stage using appropriate mathematical or virtual models.
