Advances and Recent Patents about Cracking Walnut and Fetching Kernel Device

Abstract

In recent years, many patents have been devoted to develop the walnut mechanical cracking and kernel fetching, kernel shell separation and walnut classification techniques that can significantly improve the walnut shell cracking rate and decrease the walnut kernel breaking rate. However, those machines adjust poorly to different sizes of walnuts, requiring size grading by human with high kernel breaking rate, low efficiency. This paper analyzes the patent on new walnut cracking, kernel fetching and shell kernel separation equipment in recent years. Based on the sphere walnut models and the advantages of variety of walnut shell machine, the walnut shearing, pressing and cracking device is designed by the author. Different sizes of walnuts are adjusted to these machines, including the conveyor belt shear extrusion flexible shell system, flexible blade hammer kernel fetching system and the air-flexible screw blade coupling walnut kernel shell roller two-way separation system, realizing the function of walnut crashing, kernel fetching and shell kernel separation, with the walnut shell cracking rate being 98%, the kernel breaking rate 2.9% and the kernel revealing rate 70%, improving the walnut shell cracking rate and reducing the kernel breaking rate. Keywords: Air-flexible screw blade, cracking the shell, flexible blade hammer, roller two-way separation, walnut, walnut classification screening.