5 research outputs found
Design, Development and Evaluation of Lever type Maize Sheller
11-16An investigation was carried out to design, develop and evaluate the performance of manually operated Lever type Maize Sheller (LMS). It consisted of a handle, guiding rod, supporting rod, spring loaded ram, maize cob guiding cylinder, shelling blade, buffer, collection chamber, shutter and frame. Performance of developed LMS was statistically compared with Tubular Maize Sheller (TMS) in terms of throughput capacity, shelling capacity, shelling efficiency, unshelled seeds and damaged seeds percentage at different maize cob length. The overall throughput capacity and shelling capacity was found to be 44.63 kg cobs/h and 33.90 kg seeds/h with LMS which was almost 3 times more as compare to TMS. The overall shelling efficiency of 96.34% and 99.45% was observed with LMS and TMS respectively. The unshelled seeds of 3.66% with LMS and 0.55% with TMS were observed. The seed damage during operation with LMS was around 5%, while it was nil in case of TMS. The total savings on shelling hundred kg seeds with LMS was found as ₹ 202 and ₹ 424 on comparing with TMS and bare hand method of shelling respectively. The performance evaluation and economic analysis reveals that the adoption of developed Lever type Maize Sheller can be economical and technically feasible
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Not AvailableEngineering properties play important role while designing of metering devices of the planter/seed drills. Present investigation was conducted to study the change in
engineering properties of paddy (Kranti (PV1) and Pusa1121 (PV2)) and wheat (HI1544 (WV1) and Lokwan (WV2)) seeds due to soaking in water for predetermined
duration. Geometric mean diameter of PV1, PV2, WV1 and WV2 was ranged between 3.89 and 4.07 mm, 3.87–4.14 mm, 4.03–4.59 mm and 4.18–4.61 mm, correspondingly
due to soaking. Sphericity with aspect ratio of PV1, PV2, WV1 and WV2 seeds were varied as 48.43–49.56 with 0.41–0.42, 32.03–32.07 with 0.2,
60.68–64.12 with 0.51–0.58 and 57.29–60.67 with 0.46–0.52, respectively. Thousand seed weight of PV1, PV2, WV1 and WV2 was increased from 27.80 to 34.88 g,
28.64–35.91 g, 45.68–67.6 g and 48.21–71.13 g, respectively. Bulk and true densities of PV1 and PV2 were increased from 626.49 to 661.98 kg/m3 and
1150.83–1322.45 kg/m3 and 1376.76–1412.58 kg/m3 and 540.35–562.15 kg/m3, respectively, for dry to 2 days soaked seeds. Bulk and true densities were
833.06–676.91 kg/m3 for WV1 while 816.18–669.85 kg/m3 and 1388.09–1258.84 kg/m3 and 1647.7–1485.62 kg/m3 for WV2. Porosity of PV1, PV2, WV1 and WV2 was
varied from 45.48–49.87%, 60.61–60.17%, 39.91–48.02% and 50.44–56.55%. Angle of repose of PV1, PV2, WV1 and WV2 was ranged as 30.33–38.13o, 27.78–34.15o,
29.22–37.97o, respectively. On wooden platform, static coefficient of external friction was varied
as 0.56–0.62, 0.45–0.53, 0.38–0.65 and 0.41–0.69 for PV1, PV2, WV1 and WV2 seeds, while on mild steel corresponding values of coefficient were 0.37–0.56, 0.40–0.51,0.33–0.68 and 0.37–0.75. Coefficient on plastic platform was varied as 0.34–0.41, 0.36–0.41, 0.34–0.67 and
0.29–0.63 for PV1, PV2, WV1 and WV2 in same order.Terminal velocity values for PV1, PV2, WV1 and WV2 were ranged between 6.5 and 8 m/s, 6.2–7.6 m/s,
7.4–9.10 m/s and 7.5–10.1 m/s, respectively. Statistical models with ANOVA and multiple pair wise comparison also determined change of the seeds behaviour for soaking
conditions.Not Availabl
Optimization of Design Parameters of Pneumatic Plug Tray Seeding Mechanism for Cabbage Seed
The present study was conducted to optimize the mouth piece diameter and suction pressure of plug tray seeding mechanism of pneumatic seeder for cabbage seeding. The seeding mechanism consisted of a seeding pipe with hypodermic needles as seed picking units, a cut-off device for supplying/cutting suction, a pressure regulating assembly consisting of a vacuum gauge and pressure control valve, and a suction unit. The seeding unit was connected to the pressure regulating assembly by a flexible pipe for easy operation. The responses namely, per cent miss, per cent multiple, per cent single, output, and seed damage were determined in the laboratory for different levels of mouthpiece diameter and suction pressure. Mouthpiece diameter of 0.84 mm and suction pressure of 5.9 kPa were found suitable for cabbage seeding with 92.88% singles and 69 cell.min-1 output capacity. As germination percentage was not affected by the mouthpiece diameter and suction pressure, the quality of the seeds could be expected to remain unaltered
Engineering Properties of Onion Seeds for Sustainable Agricultural Machinery Design
The engineering properties of the crop are an important factor in effectively designing agricultural machines. In terms of onion seeding or planting, various physical, mechanical, and frictional properties play a crucial role in the development of planting machines and performance assessment. The study on the engineering properties of onion seeds and their implications for agricultural machinery design supports the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. Efficient and precise planting systems can optimize resource utilization, reduce wastage, and enhance overall agricultural productivity. This focus on engineering aspects in machinery design indirectly contributes to sustainable agriculture practices, which prioritize minimizing environmental impacts while ensuring food security. Ultimately, by emphasizing the importance of engineering properties, the study promotes the development of agricultural systems that align with sustainability goals. In this study, various engineering properties of onion seeds concerning the different soaking times have been studied. An experiment was performed to assess the change in engineering properties of onion seeds (Gavran, Puna fursungi, and KSP-117) by soaking them in water with a predefined duration (Dry seed, Day 1 and Day 2). The average moisture content of onion seeds varied from 9.44 to 40.87 % (d.b.). Sphericity, aspect ratio, geometric mean diameter, and thousand seed weight varied in the range from 0.72 to 0.77, 0.71 to 0.76, 2.05 to 2.18 mm, and 3.50 to 6.75 g, respectively. The bulk density of onion seeds was observed in the range of 489.64 to 526.24 kg/m3. It was observed that there was a gradual increment in bulk density with an increase in soaking time. However, a gradually decreasing trend was observed in the case of true density. The true density of onion seeds varied from 1127.14 to 1245.64 kg/m3. The coefficient of friction of onion seeds on a selected material (Wood, Plastic, Mild steel, and Aluminum) showed gradual growth concerning the soaking time
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Not AvailableAn investigation was conducted to study the effect of heat treatment processes on agricultural grade steels to enhance their life and associated cost economics. Three different types of agricultural grade steels (mild steel (MS), medium carbon steel (MCS) and medium carbon low alloy steel (MCLAS)) underwent heat-treatment processes. MS was carburized (950°C for 720 min), MCS and MCLAS were austenised at 900 and 850°C for 120 min. These steels were oil quenched and tempered at 200, 300 and 400°C. The steel specimens were evaluated in laboratory condition using dry sand abrasion tester before and after heat-treatment. Effect of heat-treatments on abrasive wear, hardness and associated cost economics were studied. The results exhibit that under heat untreated conditions, wear rate of MCS and MCLAS were 13.10% and 32.33% less than that of MS. Whereas, under heat treated specimens wear rate reduced by 18.83%, 36.94% and 48.13% in MS, MCS and MCLAS, respectively. The hardness of all steels after heat treatment was found to increase more than two fold. Enhancement in the life of the selected steels were found to be 64.83% higher in case of MCLAS followed by 45.15% in case of MCS over MS. Maximum increase was seen in cost of 70/kg and 45/kg in MCLAS and MCS at 200°C tempering temperatures, respectively.Not Availabl