EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF DETERMINING THE FORCE INFLUENCE OF THE SEPARATING SURFACE OF THE MODULE FOR POST-HARVESTING PROCESSING ROOT CROPS AND ONIONS

Abstract

Despite the availability of extensive research on the mechanized post-harvest processing of root crops and onions, which continues today, there are unresolved problems in this area, which in most cases are associated with the imperfection of the design of separating bodies of post-harvest processing machines. Existing machines cause damage to commercial products as a result of the interaction of root crops and onions with each other, with working bodies and soil lumps. However, the largest percentage of damage is formed as a result of their interaction with the working bodies of the separating machines. The article presents a structural and technological scheme of a module for separation of a pile of root crops and bulbs developed at the VIM Federal Agroengineering Center. In order to determine the place of the greatest force impact and to carry out subsequent measures to eliminate these negative effects in the design of the module under consideration, industrial studies were conducted. A methodology has been developed for conducting industrial studies to as sess the impact of working bodies on the amount of damage to root crops and onions during operation using the «Tuber Log» electronic tuber. The results of studies of module working bodies force impact that affect the damage to marketable products are obtained, processed and graphically presented. The greatest force impact (до 10 Н) on tuber falls on the time interval of values from 4 to 6 s, while the standard deviation and coefficient of variation are σ = 5,52 and ν = 26,9 %, respectively. The most «sparing» force impacts of the working bodies of the machine for separating the data logger at the translational speed of rubberized rollers V0B =0,8 m/s were determined, where the minimum power impact in the range from 2 H to 4 H is created throughout the entire process.