Belt Feeding Research Articles

Key Parameter Design and Experimental Analysis for Peelable Seedling Belts in Sweet Potato Transplanting Systems

Sweet potato is essential for food security, but its transplanting efficiency is currently low. To improve this, we developed a belt-type transplanter that uses seedling belt technology for automated feeding, increasing efficiency by over 25%. The use of the seedling belt is key to significantly enhancing the transplanter’s efficiency. Building on seedling belt feeding, we designed a “trumpet-shaped” staggered detachable seedling belt using LDPE film. Seedlings are fixed at intervals between two film layers via thermal bonding points. Mechanical analysis showed the optimal peeling strength is 13.2 N, ensuring smooth seedling transport during transplanting. Peeling strength depends on the heat sealing temperature, time, and pressure. To optimize these parameters, we designed an experimental device and conducted single-factor experiments to determine their effects on the peeling strength and establish reasonable ranges. Results show that, at a peeling strength of 13.2 N, the thermal bonds separate smoothly without tearing the film. A three-factor, three-level orthogonal experiment further optimized the heat sealing parameters, concluding that, at 140 °C, 1.2 s, and 0.4 MPa, the average peel force of the seedling tapes obtained from the experiments was 14.31 N, at which point the peeling effect was optimal.

Design and Simulation of Small-Scale Waste Separation and Sorting Equipment

Environmental pollution is currently a major concern globally owing to increase in the world population and advances in industrialization. An automatic waste separation and sorting equipment for small-scale waste sorting systems was constructed in this paper. A two-DoF (two-degree-of-freedom) parallel sorting mechanism as well as a belt waste separation and feeding mechanism were designed, and 3D models of the mechanism were established. Finite element analysis (FEA) was conducted for the sorting mechanism, and kinematic and dynamic analysis and numerical simulation were performed for the waste and sorting mechanism. The simulation results demonstrated that the spherical waste did not roll out of the platform after leaving the slideway. The waste was stabilized at the center of the platform within a short duration with movement of the collecting mechanism of the platform. The system was optimized to reduce waste separation and sorting time. Stability of the waste motion in the equipment as well as efficiency of the system were significantly improved after optimization. The results showed that the designed equipment can complete separation and sorting of waste materials at lower output power.

Numerical simulation and an experimental test for the pneumatic spray dust reduction of the belt transshipment system

In order to address the problem of dust pollution at the transfer point of the coal transportation system, this paper carries out a numerical simulation on the dust diffusion law of the coal transportation system. The simulation results show that the dust concentration at the three openings in the transshipment point is the highest, and the farther away from the transshipment point, the lower the dust concentration. Depending on the simulation results, a pneumatic spray dust reduction scheme can be proposed by performing a field experiment. Based on the controlling variable experiments and existing studies, the parameters of pneumatic spray can be stated in the following way: the flowing rate should be laid out at 0.7 l/min, with its air velocity being 25 m/s and the working pressure being 0.6 MPa. The entire spray scheme can be verified through the computer simulation process. Thus, it can be calculated and determined that the spray scheme should be installed with four nozzles at the anterior end of the lower belt guide trough, with one nozzle at the back end and two nozzles at the upper belt feeding point. Eventually, the scheme has to be validated by the field experiments. Thus, the consequences of the on-spot experiment and test show that the scheme we have suggested is in a position to reduce the dust concentration effectively in the entire area of the transshipment point, bringing about the dust reduction rate over 90%.

Development and Evaluation of a Volumetric Quantification Method for Fecal Particle Size Classification in Rainbow Trout Fed Different Diets

AbstractAlternative plant protein sources, such as soybean meal, can interfere with digestion due to the presence of anti‐nutritional factors that cause a diarrhea‐like condition in Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, resulting in very fine fecal particles that can adversely affect aquaculture systems and the environment. More research is needed to examine the impacts of feed formulation changes on fecal quality. The prevailing method (laser diffraction) used to measure fecal particle size (FPS) requires expensive equipment and is labor intensive. Methods for FPS measurement that are affordable and easy to implement are required. We developed a visual, volumetric method that can separate feces into three particle size‐classes. Feces were collected from tanks fitted with radial flow separators, transferred to Imhoff cones, and allowed to settle. Three distinct layers were visually identified, and microscopic analysis was used to categorize them into three particle size‐classes: larger than 1.2 mm (bottom layer or large particles), 0.6–1.2 mm (middle layer or mid‐sized particles), and 0.5 mm or smaller (top layer or fines). Independent observations confirmed that the method is reproducible and without observer bias. In a second study, the method was validated and further tested during a 4‐week trial evaluating the effects of three diets (fish meal, plant based, or plant based + guar gum) and two feeding methods (hand feeding to satiation or automated belt feeding) on FPS production. Diets were isonitrogenous and isoenergetic, containing protein at 40 g/kg and lipid at 20 g/kg. Addition of guar gum significantly reduced the production of fines and increased the production of large fecal particles in Rainbow Trout (150 g/fish) that were fed the plant‐based diet, but feeding method had no effect on FPS.

2차 전지 전극생산 라인의 벨트피딩 시스템 설계 및 성능시험

2차 전지 전극생산 라인의 벨트피딩 시스템 설계 및 성능시험

Biogeomorphic impact of oligochaetes (Annelida) on sediment properties and Salicornia spp. seedling establishment

AbstractOligochaetes (Annelida) are active bioturbators that can be present in high densities in the transition zone between intertidal flats and salt marshes, though their occurrence and functional role remain understudied. This study aimed to clarify the biogeomorphic role of oligochaete bioturbation in facilitating or hindering vegetation establishment. Two microcosm experiments were performed to assess the effect of oligochaete bioturbation on sediment properties, oxidation depth, algal biomass, seed distribution, and germination success of pioneer species Salicornia spp. Oligochaetes created burrow networks in the sediment matrix, which, together with upward conveyor belt feeding, lead to substrate mixing. Sediment reworking rates of oligochaetes were compared with those of polychaete macrofauna. Bioturbation and bio‐irrigation of burrows can stimulate resource flows into the sediment. Oxidation depth increased almost tenfold in the presence of oligochaetes. Their bioturbation did not seem to affect sediment properties such as dry bulk density, porosity, and organic matter content. Sediment reworking, however, significantly reduced algal biomass at the surface with possible cascading effects on sediment stability and erodibility. Oligochaete conveyor belt feeding buried Salicornia spp. seeds until below the critical germination depth, thus negatively affecting Salicornia spp. germination and seedling establishment. Our study indicates that small, though numerous, oligochaete bioturbators may reduce lateral expansion potential of salt marshes by hindering the establishment of pioneer vegetation in the transition zone. Additionally, in dynamic fine‐grained habitats, these oligochaetes have the feature to quickly oxygenate the sediment top layer.

Optimal operation of coal conveying systems assembled with crushers using model predictive control methodology

Belt conveyors and crushers are always assembled in series to form coal conveying systems; reasonably, this paper takes them as a whole for energy efficiency optimization. The energy models of the key energy consuming devices, belt conveyors and crushers, are firstly constructed. They are then employed to formulate an open loop energy efficiency optimization problem for the studied coal conveying systems. The coal feed rate, belt speed and crusher rotational speed are taken as the optimization variables; and, the energy cost, with consideration of time-of-use (TOU) tariff, is formulated as the objective function. Next, basing on the above open loop optimization problem, a closed-loop model predictive control (MPC) strategy is constructed. The MPC strategy has the ability to deal with various disturbances with its feedback correction and receding horizon optimization mechanisms. A coal conveying system in a coal-fired power plant is taken as a case study for verification of the two strategies. The open loop optimization and MPC strategies are investigated respectively for comparison studies. The results show that, unlike the open loop optimization, the MPC strategy can deal with the disturbances of coal consumption forecasting, the disturbances of belt feeding rate and the disturbances of mean particle size of feeding coal effectively. The MPC strategy can considerably improve the energy efficiency of the whole coal conveying system while satisfying all the constraints. Its robustness and adaptability are verified through the comparison studies.

The Technology Study of Steel Belt Feeding Machine of Crystallizer of Continuous Casting

Crystallizer steel belt feeding technology make use of melt’s fusion decalescence, controlling the distribution of melt temperature field, restrain the columnar crystal’s growing to eliminate the composition segregation and internal loose of continuous casting. And it will improve the continuous casting’s quality. By discussing the effect of casting speed, the size of steel, casting section and other factors on the steel belt feeding speed, making comparison of different casting section get strip suitable feeding speed and range of strip size, combining with a steel for steel strip feeding test mold, its theoretical and practical production results the basic agreement

Effect of dietary water on growth of dentex Dentex dentex

This study is concerned with the effect of hyrdated diets on growth and feed performance of Dentex dentex. Three levels of dietary water were tested: 7%, 20% and 40%. For the 7% level a commercial feed was used and the 20% and 40% water levels were obtained after adding an appropriate amount of deionized water to the commercial feed and mixing the pellets well. The diets were offered to fish by self-feeders, by which fish were allowed continuous access to diets after acti|vating the self-feeders; by belt feeders, by which the diets were fed continuously and in excess over a 12 h interval; and by hand to apparent satiation two times a day. After 151 days of feeding, the group fed on the 20%-water diet showed significantly (P<0.05) higher growth rate than the 7 and 40% groups, while no significant differences were observed in feed conversion rate or daily feed consumption. The means of feed delivery did not influence growth rate. Self-feeder, belt and hand feeding all gave comparable growth. Fish fed the more condensed 7%-water diet had smaller stomachs than fish fed the larger volume 40%-water diet. In the stomach, all groups of fish hydrated their digesta within 2 h after feeding to a moisture content of around 60%. Apparently no difference in digestive process was observed between groups. It was concluded that the addition of water in diet at the level of 20% has a beneficial effect on dentex growth.

Development and testing of belt feeding attachment to power groundnut stripper

A belt type feeding unit was developed as an attachment to power operated groundnut stripper. Performance of the stripper with feeding unit was evaluated at different belt speeds and feed rates. Stripping capacity of the machine increased with increase in feeding belt speed and feed rate. Stripping efficiency decreased with increase in feeding belt speed and feed rate. Pod damage increased with the increase in feed rate. Damage to the stripped vines was negligible when using the stripper with belt feeding attachment. The machine ensured safety of the operators' hands during operation. A maximum stripping capacity of 40 kg h-1 was achieved at 8.48 m min-1 feeding belt speed with 1.5 kg min-1 feed rate. The corresponding pod damage was 8 per cent.

The January 1992 stratospheric sudden warming: A role for tropical inertial instability?

AbstractTwelve simulations of the stratosphere and mesosphere have been performed to investigate the near‐major stratospheric warming of January 1992. All were initialized close to the observed warming. the resulting simulations fall into two classes: those that accurately reproduce the timing and anticyclonic merger mechanism of the observed warming and those that fail. the model used was a mechanistic stratosphere‐mesosphere model. with a prescribed troposphere; thus differences among the simulations must only be due to differences among the initial conditions, which were constructed using different combinations of observed and climatological data. the main differences between the initial conditions of those simulations that succeed and those that fail are in low latitudes. A detailed analysis of two contrasting simulations reveals that the one which fails does not accurately reproduce the observed conveyor belt feeding tropical low‐potential‐vorticity (PV) air into the Aleutian high. Several factors appear to have combined to make the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful simulation of this sudden warming. the amount of low PV already present in higher latitudes in the initial condition appears to have an influence, as does the strength of the subtropical PV barrier. Also important is the Rossby wave structure which, by determining the degree of zonal asymmetry of the PV barrier, influences the injection of low PV into higher latitudes. In addition, however, we propose that the inertial stability of the tropical upper stratosphere might have played a significant role. In the unsuccessful simulation the tropical upper stratosphere is more inertially unstable than in the successful simulation; in this region more vigorous small‐scale roll structures develop which, in stabilizing the flow, might have inhibited the northward transport of tropical air that appears to be a key part of the development of the observed sudden warming.

A model for particle‐selective transport of tracers in sediments with conveyor belt deposit feeders

Conveyor belt deposit‐feeding organisms prevalent in both marine and freshwater systems have a profound effect on sediment properties and transport processes. These organisms ingest sediments over a range of depths while depositing gut contents from tails protruding above the sediment surface. This action results in particle‐selective transfer of buried materials to the sediment surface and imposes an accelerated rate of sediment and pore water burial within the feeding zone. Most previous efforts to combine sediment diagenesis with the effects of biogenic reworking characterize mixing as exclusively diffusive and ignore such major advective effects. Here a model is developed, based on fundamental diagenetic equations for transport and reaction, for the distribution of tracers in accumulating sediments subject to compaction and diffusive as well as advective redistribution by benthic organisms. Conveyor belt (CB) feeding is characterized as a first‐order process with a depth‐dependent rate constant which is either localized (Gaussian) or distributed (integrated Gaussian). Biogenic diffusivity of bulk sediments is allowed these alternative depth dependences as well. The model assumes simple linear adsorption of the tracer between solid and solution phases and uses a time‐dependent flux at (x = 0) which is a combination of that originating externally and the depth‐integrated contributions from feeding. Particle selectivity is introduced by applying mass conservation separately to transport of the tracer and bulk sediments. Properties of the model are illustrated for tracers in nondispersive systems strongly bound to sediment solids. CB recycling gives rise to transient reflections on passage of a tracer pulse through the zone of bioturbation. Reflections readily disappear in the presence of various integrative processes. The system time resolution is defined in terms of the downward propagation of dual tracer pulses and shown to be systematically degraded by intensified feeding and selective transport. A simple expression is developed for estimating the magnitude of particle‐selective changes in steady state surface concentrations in terms of the particle selectivity factor and the efficiency of sediment reworking. Unrecognized particle selectivity can lead to false inferences about changes in the rate of delivery of tracers to sediments. Selective CB recycling can cause a tracer such as 210Pb to be retained largely within the bioturbation zone, so that relatively little activity reaches the region of sediment useful for geochronological interpretation. Increased selectivity accentuates the sensitivity of the profile to details of the reworking process. The model, applied to previous studies of CB deposit feeders in tracer‐labeled freshwater microcosms, shows the need to include particle diffusion as well as advection in the treatment of CB transport.

An Automatic Grass Transplanting Machine

ABSTRACT THE presently used seeding technology for estab-lishing grasses produces many seeding failures, however, living plants, transplanted into the field by hand have a good probability for success. A plastic bandoleer permits complete mechanization of grass transplanting. This paper reports improvements to an experimental transplanting machine that uses the bandoleer. A new mechanical feeding system successfully moved the bandoleer belt through the machine and separated individual plant growing cells. A modified dibble (soil opener) reduced problems with sticky soils and dibble loading. A modified rooting medium increased the rigidity of the bandoleer belt, thus improving belt feeding. The transplanter correctly placed seedlings in 97% of the theoretical plant positions in one large field test.....

Automatic Handling of Parts for Robot Assembly

It is now widely recognized that one of the main obstacles to the economic application of robots in batch assembly work is the lack of flexible parts presentation devices. Current research in the Robot Assembly Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts demonstrates the potential of belt feeding devices as a possible solution to overcome this obstacle for a wide range of parts. This paper discusses the requirements for flexible parts handling and the merits of alternative strategies which are presently being applied. For belt feeding purposes parts are classified as stable or non-stable. Two main developments are reported: (i) a feeding concept employing simple adjustable tooling and a remote sensor for presentation and assembly of a wide class of non-stable parts; (ii) a low cost hopper-type belt feeder which utilizes a single discrete sensor for orientation of stable parts.

Precise Radiotracer Measurement of the Rate of Sediment Reworking by Stylodrilus Heringianus and the Effects of Variable Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations

A radiotracer method is used to determine the rate of sediment reworking by the worm, Stylodrilus heringianus, an organism common in profundal sediments of the Great Lakes. A submillimeter layer of sediment labeled with gamma-emitting cesium-137 is added to the surface of worm-inoculated sediments contained in cells of rectangular cross-section placed in an insulated aquarium (10° C). This layer, progressively buried by the conveyor belt feeding action of the worms, is located by scanning the cell with a well-collimated detector mounted on a hydraulically actuated elevator. Precision in locating the marked layer is greatly enhanced by Gaussian profile analysis developed in this study. Relative uncertainties in location of less than 0.01 cm allow reworking rates as low as 10 −3cm/hr to be determined in 1 to 2 days. The effect of variable dissolved oxygen (D.O.) concentrations on sediment reworking rates was determined by adjusting the relative proportions of N 2 and O 2 introduced into the aquarium through a continuous bubbler system. In a cell subject to gradual reductions in D.O. (about 1 mg/L every 50 hours) from saturation concentration (10.6 mg/L), sediment reworking rates remained virtually constant down to 1 mg/L. Below this value, the rate decreased, approaching zero at 0.2 mg/L. On increasing D. O. values above about 4 mg/L, reworking returned to the initial rate. Gradual decreases in D.O. induced a reversible dormant mode in these organisms. In cells subject to coarse D.O. changes (3.7 to 8.8 mg/L per step), reworking stopped at around 4 to 5 mg/L and did not resume following reinstatement of saturation values for up to 18 days. In all cases more than 70% of worms were alive at the end of the experiment. This study illustrates the potential of the gamma scan system for quantitative behavioral bioassay of the interactions of zoobenthos with altered sedimentary environments.