Results of experimental studies of the head cleaner of root crops from the remnants of the gizzard on the root

Abstract

Purpose. To determine the optimal structural and kinematic parameters of the new cleaner, which will ensure the improvement of the quality of cleaning the heads of root crops from the remains of the scum on the root. Methods. For conducting field experimental research, a new experimental setup was developed, which allows to study the operation of the new design of the cleaner of root crops on the root. In order to build a model of a full-factor experiment, a method was developed to determine the remains of the smut on the heads of root crops after passing through the purifier, and modern methods of regression and correlation analyzes were used. The research results were processed by statistical methods on a PC with the help of the «Statistiсa 13.0» computer program. Results. A new design of the head cleaner of root crops has been developed, which is used in their final cleaning from the remains of the root crop after the continuous cutting of the main mass of the green root crop. The cleaner consists of two horizontal shafts equipped with pairs of rubber cleaning blades and which have counter-rotating movements. A new experimental installation was developed, which made it possible to conduct a study of the quality indicators of the cleaner’s work in field conditions, depending on its kinematic, structural and operational parameters. A model of a multifactorial experiment was built, which made it possible to obtain three-dimensional graphs of the dependence of the input parameters (advance speed, angular velocity of the rotary movements of the cleaning shafts and the height of the ends of the rubber blades relative to the soil surface) with the help of a statistical calculation program and a PC on the output parameter – the number of burdock residues per 1 linear meter of a row of root crops. Conclusions 1. The developed improved design of the root crop head cleaner from the residues of tops on the root has significant advantages compared to other design solutions, which was experimentally tested in the field. 2. A model of a multifactorial experiment was developed, which made it possible to determine the optimal kinematic, structural and operational parameters that ensure high quality of cleaning root crop heads from the remains of tops on the root. 3. As shown by the regression analysis, the optimal mode of operation of the cleaner, subject to minimization of the quality of cleaning – the remains of tops on the heads (g∙m–1) is: - the movement speed should be in the range of 0.9-1.6 m∙s–1; - the angular speed of rotation of the cleaning shafts should be in the range of 46-80 rad∙s–1; - the height of the ends of the rubber blades above the soil surface should be in the range of 0-1.5 cm. Keywords: root crops, harvesting, ghee, residues, cleaning, multivariate experiment, PC calculations, cleaner parameters.