Abstract: |
Combine harvesters are widely used worldwide in harvesting many crops, and they have
many functions that cover the entire harvesting process, such as cutting, threshing, separating, and
cleaning. The threshing drum is the core working device of the combine harvester and plays an
influential role in rice threshing efficiency, threshing power requirement, and seed loss. In this study,
two structures of rice threshers (conical-shaped and cylindrical-shaped) were tested and evaluated
for performance under different thresher rotating speeds of 1100, 1300, and 1500 rpm and different
feeding rates of 0.8, 1.1, and 1.4 kg/s. The experiment was designed using the Taguchi method, and
the obtained results were evaluated using the same technique. The thresher structure and operating
parameters were assessed and optimized with reference to threshing efficiency, required power, and
productivity. The obtained results revealed that increasing thresher rotating speed and the feeding
rate positively related to threshing efficiency, power, and productivity. The highest efficiency of 98%
and the maximum productivity of 0.64 kg/s were obtained using the conical-shaped thresher under
a 1500 rpm rotating speed and a feed rate of 1.4 kg/s, whereas the minimum required power of
5.45 kW was obtained using the conical thresher under a rotating speed of 1100 rpm and a feed rate
of 0.8 kg/s.
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