ANN-based Modeling of Sunflower Threshing Process and Defining the Optimal Operation Point for Separation Efficiency

Journal Title: Journal of Agricultural Machinery - Year 2020, Vol 10, Issue 1

Abstract

Harvesting is one of the most important field operations in sunflower production. Seed damage and low separation efficiency are the top concerns of harvesting sunflower. In this study, a threshing cylinder with rubber teeth and a concave for harvesting sunflower were designed and evaluated. The variable parameters were threshing cylinder speed (TCS), threshing space (TS) and moisture content (MC) of sunflower head. Azargol variety was used to evaluate the threshing unit. The tests were performed at three cylinder speed levels (280, 380 and 480 rpm), two threshing spaces (8 and 10 cm) and two moisture content of sunflower head based on the crop condition (20% and 45% wet basis). An ANN model was developed to predict the amount of materials in each part of the concave. Results showed that the sunflower seeds had no damage during the threshing process and the presented model could predict the amount of materials in each part of the concave with a regression coefficient R2=0.95. Based on the ANN model, with a decrease in MC and TS, and an increase in TCS, the separation efficiency was increased. Furthermore, optimal parameters for the threshing unit which were suggested by Design Expert software to maximize the separation efficiency were 18% w.b, 450 rpm and 10.5 cm for MC, TSC, and TS, respectively and in this condition separation efficiency was determined to be 94.92%.

Authors and Affiliations

P. Ghiasi,A. Masoumi,A. Hemmat,Gh. Najafi,

Keywords

Related Articles

Effect of Compaction and Soil Moisture on Apparent Electrical Conductivity of Soil and Rolling Resistance of Tractor Tire

Introduction One of the main factors affecting plant growth is soil compaction. More attention should be paid to soil compaction than the past. Soil compaction not only destroys the soil structure, but also leads to a he...

The effect of slicing type on drying kinetics and quality of dried carrot

Introduction: Carrot is one of the most common vegetables used for human nutrition because of its high vitamin and fiber contents. Drying improves the product shelf life without addition of any chemical preservative and...

Evaluating the Mechanical Properties of Tomato Based on Electrical Conductivity

Evaluation of mechanical and electrical properties of agricultural products plays an important role in equipment design and optimizing post-harvest operations. Among the crops, tomato and its products are the major proce...

Design, Construction, and Optimization of Performance of Electrodynamic Spraying Head of Atomizer Motorized Knapsack Sprayer

IntroductionDue to the increasing need for agricultural products, protection of products against pathogens and preventing them from being wasted is important. Studies on droplet charging systems result in the reduction o...

Energy Consumption Analysis and Environmental Impact Assessment of Grape Production in Hazavah Region of Arak City

Introduction Today, grapes are cultivated in a vast zone worldwide. Grapes are among the major horticultural produced in Iran and the country is ranked 10th in the world for the grape production. Therefore, efficient use...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP717951
  • DOI https://doi.org/10.22067/jam.v10i1.76264
  • Views 30
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

P. Ghiasi, A. Masoumi, A. Hemmat, Gh. Najafi, (2020). ANN-based Modeling of Sunflower Threshing Process and Defining the Optimal Operation Point for Separation Efficiency. Journal of Agricultural Machinery, 10(1), -. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-717951