Roller Feed Research Articles

Design and development of an automatic vegetable transplanter using a novel rotating finger device with push-type mechanism for plug seedlings

ABSTRACT Manual vegetable transplanting is a time-consuming, labor-intensive, operation. The objective of the study was to design, develop, and evaluate an automatic vegetable transplanter (AVT) for plug seedlings of chili (Capsicum annuum L.). Metering mechanisms in an AVT are affected by the transmission system and changes in desired plant spacing. To overcome problems, a novel rotating finger device with a push-type mechanism was developed for automatic transplanting of vegetable plug seedlings. The AVT consists of a pair of L-shaped rotating fingers, feed roller unit, metering mechanism, and delivery unit. Clearance between the feed roller and fingers is adjustable. The average values of performance parameters: plant spacing (Ps), planting depth (Pd), mis-planting (Mp), multiple planting (Mt), seedling mortality (Sm), transplanting efficiency (Et), and field transplanting efficiency (Ef) were 599.8 mm, 46.4 mm, 4.9%, 1.1%, 0.9%, 92.6%, and 76.12%, respectively. Effective field capacity (Fc) with the transplanter was 0.093 ha∙h−1 and 0.027 ha∙h−1 with the manual method. The two-row AVT can be used with a small tractor and may make up for labor shortage during peak season.

ОБОСНОВАНИЕ КОРРЕКТИРУЮЩИХ ВОЗДЕЙСТВИЙ, КОМПЕНСИРУЮЩИХ ПОНИЖЕННОЕ СОДЕРЖАНИЕ УГЛЕРОДА В СТАЛИ ПРИ ПРОИЗВОДСТВЕ ХОЛОДНОКАТАНОГО ЛИСТОВОГО ПРОКАТА ДЛЯ ШТАМПОВКИ

The relevance of the work. There are situations in the practice of metallurgical production when steel melting with a chemical composition intended to complete the determined order is reassigned to the production of rolled metal from another steel grade. With the formal accordance of chemical composition of melted steel to the requirements for a different steel grade, crucial control parameters of process that are traditionally used for a new grade of steel, may turn out to be inappropriate for structural and phase transformations in steel with real chemical composition. To prevent the re-lease of non-conforming products is necessary to develop and apply operational corrective actions. The purpose of the work is selection and rationale of operational corrective actions in the production of cold rolled sheet products of quality classes CQ, DQ and DDQ of mild quality steel to compensate for the reduced carbon content in meltings assigned to complete the respective orders. Microscopy methods were used to study the structure and phase composition of steel with a carbon content of 0,008 – 0,04 % in hot-rolled and cold-rolled states. Data on the mechanical properties of hot-rolled and cold-rolled steel were obtained by standardized tensile test methods. Based on the test results, re-liable multiple approximations of influence of control characteristics of the technology on properties of cold-rolled steel were constructed, which were subsequently used in optimization of thickness of semi finished rolled product for cold rolling as a compensating effect at the fluctuations of carbon content within the above limits. The novelty of the work lies in the identification and rationale of corrective actions for a technological system in which cold rolling is carried out on a continuous four-stand mill with roll feed. The results of the work consist in determining the temperature of the end of rolling and the increment of the thickness of the semi finished rolled product as operation-al compensating effects at assigning steel meltings with a low carbon content for rolling into a tech-nological system with a continuous four-stand mill with roll feed. The practical significance of the work is to prevent the yield of non-conforming products at using the proposed solution in the pro-duction of cold-rolled steel of quality classes CQ, DQ and DDQ 0,6–2,0 mm thick.

Influence of the Carbon Content on the Surface Integrity of Deep Rolled Steels

Abstract Surface integrity refers to a set of characteristics of the surface and subsurface layers that have great influence on the functional performance of mechanical components under conditions of wear, corrosion, and fatigue and is determined by the manufacturing processes employed. Thus, surface treatments are used to generate a surface integrity suited to the desired function. Deep rolling is one of the surface treatments that involve cold working of the surface and subsurface layers. This work addresses the influence of selected deep rolling parameters (pressure, speed, feed, and number of passes) on the surface integrity (roughness, surface and subsurface microhardness, and microstructure) of AISI 1020, AISI 1065, and AISI 1080 carbon steels. Deep rolling significantly improved the surface finish; however, the excessive increase in pressure, associated with the reduction of the carbon content, and in feed, associated with the increase in the carbon content, increased the roughness. An increase in the number of passes, on the other hand, improved the surface finish in some cases. Under all conditions tested, deep rolling increased the microhardness of the subsurface layer and affected depth. Finally, the microstructure analysis showed that the increase in the carbon content promoted a reduction in grain deformation caused by deep rolling. Grain deformation was found to increase in AISI 1020 and AISI 1065 steels with increasing pressure and to reduce with the elevation of rolling speed and feed. The number of passes, on the other hand, affected only the subsurface layer of AISI 1020 steel.

Analyses on the roller structure of equivalent honeycombs for forest harvester under impact loading

The roller honeycomb feeding roller (RHFR) of forest harvester in logging was raised for reducing damage to logs. The equivalent relationship of roller double V-wings honeycomb (RDWH) were proposed and analytically derived in the mass, platform stress and elastic modulus. The finite element models of RDWH with various cell densities under the equivalent relation were established. The mechanical properties, energy absorption characteristics, impact response, structural stability, structure efficiency and improvement performance efficiency of RDWH under compression impact were investigated in comparison with roller hexagonal honeycomb (RHH). The RDWHs with equivalent relationship had approximate mechanical properties under unit compression displacement. The RDWH, benefiting from the NPR enhancement phenomenon in deformation, possessed about multiple times of mechanical properties and energy absorption efficiency than RHH. The performance efficiency of RDWH related to cell densities and cell layers in “PVP” and “Bunching Phase” trend. The RHFR exceeded that of the steel feeding roller (SFR) with about 2 times in maximum contact area under the corresponding contact force. The phenomenon of “sequential increment” and “uprush stage” appeared in contact area of RHFR for Gi groups were recorded with relating of cell densities and cell layers, which provided significance on reducing damage to logs.

Increasing Durability of Transport Rollers for Sawmill Equipment

A test procedure has been developed that models the wear of a material at friction against timber with abrasive particles impregnated into it. The procedure considers the kind and grain structure of an abrasive, timber species, technique of impregnating timber with abrasive particles, and testing configuration, temperature, and modes. The building up of the lateral surfaces of roller thorns with electrodes UONI-13/NZH and powder wire PP-Np-30Х4G2М is a more expedient method to make them more durable. It is shown that the grade 30 steel wear is characterized by the plastic straining of micro-volumes in the surface layer in the presence of individual marks and scratches, whereas the buildup wear is attended only by elastoplastic straining. The influence of such factors, as contact pressure, sliding speed, test temperature, and quartzy particle grain structure on the wear resistance of the studied surfacings is revealed. It is noted that the wear resistance of buildups UONI-13/NJ and PP-NP-30X4G2M for various test conditions is approximately equal to and 2.5–3 times as high as that of grade 30 steel; however, the preferable option for practical use on feed rollers is UONI-13/NJ due to its enhanced anticorrosion properties.

Modelling and simulation of the grain threshing process based on the discrete element method

A modelling and simulation method was developed to comprehensively describe and quantify the unmeasurable dynamic threshing process based on the discrete element method (DEM). To establish a simulation model of rice plants, experiments were carried out to determine the relevant biological and mechanical parameters. A discrete element model of rice plants was established using hollow cylindrical elastic bonds. The complex threshing process of grain was simulated. Through the threshing simulation, the dynamic behaviour of flexible rice plants under large deformation, fragmentation and multiple interaction conditions was accurately described at the particle level. The cumulative distribution of the separated grains obtained by the simulation was consistent with the experimental results. The maximum relative error of the grain separation rate between the simulated and experimental results under different feeding rates was 11.2%. The impact force distribution, grain flow field distribution, threshed grain percentage and grain separation rate during the threshing process could be easily obtained by the simulation. The threshing simulation could predict the effects of the feed rate, cylinder speed, threshing gap and rolling friction on the threshing performance.

YSZ atmospheric plasma coating method for improved high temperature corrosion and wear resistance

The yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) ceramic coating of feed rollers exposed to the high temperature environment used in the floating process for display panel glass manufacturing has high hardness, low porosity and no cracking in the high temperature environment. To obtain such properties, which are necessary for glass panel manufacture, analysis of various parameters such as powder particle size, plasma nozzle diameter, powder feeding rate, and coating distance, was carried out. The results demonstrated a hardness of about 800–1019 Hv 0.1, 150 % higher than the general YSZ coating film. It was possible to obtain a dense coated film with a porosity of 1.4 to 3.0 %, which is 50 % lower than the general porosity. The condition where no cracks occur after an 850 °C thermal shock was also found.

Characterization of Recycled Silk Fiber PP Composites with Optimal Performance of Silk Fibers by Response Surface Methodology

Abstract This article emphasizes the optimization of the retrieval of silk fibers from silk selvedge waste in a hard waste opening machine. It also highlights the characterization of composites developed from retrieved silk fibers with a polypropylene matrix in a compression molding machine. The machine conditions of the hard waste opener, such as the licker-in speed, cylinder speed, and setting between feed roller to licker-in, were optimized with respect to the fiber staple length using the Box-Behnken experimental design with response surface methodology. The optimum conditions for the fiber staple length were found to be licker-in speed, 550 r/min; cylinder speed, 280 r/min; and setting between feed roller to licker-in, 0.01 inch. Composites were developed using the silk fibers retrived at optimum conditions with polypropylene resin in compression molding at three different fiber loadings, namely 40, 50, and 60 weight % of silk fibers. The influece of silk fiber loading on the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites were studied and compared to pure PP composite. It is observed from the results that the composite with 50 weight % of silk fiber loading has shown greater mechanical properties. Furthermore, the incorporation of silk fibers in the polypropylene matrix has shown an improvement in the mechanical properties of 71.6 %, 76.66 %, 69.73 %, 67.97 %, and 58.45 % for tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, and impact strength, respectively, in the composites when compared to pure polypropylene composite. The Differential Scanning Calorimetry analysis has also shown an increase in the degradation temperature of 8°C in the silk fiber-reinforced composite.

Influence of Process Parameters on Forming Load of Variable-Section Thin-Walled Conical Parts in Spinning

Thin-walled conical parts with variable-section are usually made of superalloy material, with poor plasticity and complex forces, which are difficult to form and control. In this research, a thin-walled conical casing of superalloy GH1140 with variable-section is studied; the real stress–strain curve of the material is fitted and the load-displacement curves of superalloy GH1140 are obtained through a universal testing machine. To clarify the equivalent stress distribution on the upper surface of the thin-walled casing during the forming process and after unloading the rotary wheel, the finite element model of the thin-walled conical casing during the spinning forming process is established with the Simufact Forming finite element analysis software. The effects of processing parameters, such as the mandrel rotational speed ω, the roller feed ratio f and the gap deviation rate δ between the roller and mandrel, on the spinning forming load were obtained. The distribution and numerical trend of the tangential residual stress after forming were detected by X-ray diffraction, and the causes of defects such as flange instability were analyzed. The results of the forming test and the test of residual stress conform well with the simulation, which verifies the stability of the model. The research provides a theoretical basis for improving the forming quality of thin-walled parts with variable-section.

The effects of screw-to-roll speed ratio on ribbon porosity during roll compaction.

Dry granulation through roll compaction is a technology commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry for producing roll compacted ribbons. The significance of the feed screw speed and roll speed during ribbon production was highlighted in recent publications. However, previous studies focused primarily on the individual effects of either the feed screw speed or roll speed on ribbon porosity, and the synergetic effect of these parameters was rarely examined. The aim of this study therefore was to investigate the effects of the screw-to-roll speed ratio on the porosity of roll compacted ribbons, produced at different roll compaction conditions using the microcrystalline cellulose MCC, Avicel PH-102 feed material. It was observed that ribbon porosity decreased linearly with increasing screw-to-roll speed ratio. Furthermore, an increase in the speed ratio led to an increase in the roll gap and mass throughput while a decrease in the screw constant was observed. Thus, this study demonstrates that the screw-to-roll speed ratio can be treated as one of the critical process parameters for controlling ribbon porosity and can also be used to determine the optimum operating regimes during roll compaction.

Design and Optimization of Feeding Device for Sterile Seed Long Fiber Extractor

The feeding status of feeding device is an important factor that affects the performance of the main machine and even the process line. Taking the assembly layout of the feeding device and the structure of key parts as the research object, we conducted research design and analysis of the feed roller and cotton-feeding roller structure and their configurations. The results show that vertical feeding is conducive to the continuous and uniform feeding of materials; the combined use of cotton-plucking feed roller with roller is superior to the combination of multiple rollers; the progressive differential feeding mode makes for gradually thinning the material bed, improving the long fiber extraction rate, reducing the impurity rate, reducing the unattached fiber and greatly improving the machine performance; Φ58×1200mm cotton-feeding roller with a hexagonal spindle structure has higher deformation resistance than simple hollow structure. The research can be a reference for the optimization and design of sterile cottonseed extraction machine and equipment.

Design of self-propelled asparagus mechanized harvesting device

At present, the harvesting process of asparagus still depends on manual work, which is faced with the problems of large labor intensity and labor shortage. At the same time, the growing law of asparagus is random and the growth height is different. This paper presents a mechanized harvesting machine of self-walking asparagus. The punching angle and cutting height of pneumatic punching mechanism and the inclination angle of feeding roller can be adjusted in a certain range, which can adapt to the wide working conditions and harvesting demands.

Optimisation and dynamic simulation of a conveying and top breaking system for whole-stalk sugarcane harvesters

One of the critical barriers for whole-stalk sugarcane mechanical harvesting is the high proportion of impurities especially in the cane tops. In this study, a whole-stalk sugarcane conveying and top breaking system was developed and tested to improve top breaking performance. Effects of feeding roller speed, top breaking roller speed, stagger angle of upper and lower top breaking elements and distance between the upper and lower top breaking element on sugarcane top breaking rate, non-fracture rate and power requirement were explored. Central composite design combined with response surface method was employed to conduct experiments and explore the interaction effects of influence factors on indicators. The optimal structure and operating parameters were determined to be 305 rpm for feeding roller speed, 520 rpm for top breaking roller speed, 14° for the stagger angle and 10 mm for the distance. The predicted values for top breaking rate, non-fracture rate and power requirement were 85%, 83% and 690 W, respectively. Verification experiments demonstrated that the observed values were in agreement with the predicted values. Based on the optimised results, a rigid-flexible coupling model was established for sugarcane conveying and top breaking and the simulation results showed that the model was reliable in predicting the kinetic characteristics of sugarcane in conveying and top breaking processes. The maximum resultant striking force of the top breaking elements on the cane stalk was 807.68 N. Overall, the conveying and top breaking system developed in this study was effective for improving top cleaning performance in whole-stalk sugarcane harvesting.

Adaptive Feeding Roller with An Integrated Cutting System for Automated Fiber Placement (AFP)

Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) has been used for more than 30 years as a manufacturing process for large components such as aircraft fuselage or nose made of composite materials. As the literature research showed, 85% of efficient AFP head process time is used for the cutting process, accelerating, decelerating and necessary directional changes of the AFP head. The AFP head consists of various modules that synchronize the complete process. In recent years, scientists tried to extend the advantages of this technique and optimize the process. The aim of this article is to show the integration of the cutting unit and the feeding unit in a compact and simple system. Therefore the cutting edge of the tape and the productivity can be increased significantly. The feeding system pulls the tape from the material spool to under the compaction roller. Obviously, the tape should also cut to a predefined length. According to the state of the art, the cutting unit works when the feeding unit is in the standing position. The layup process has therefore a short break, which is no longer required with the new approach. The cutting process is realized without interruption, therefore the lost time during cutting can be saved. The integrated unit is synchronized with the AFP process to apply the active or passive feeding process.

Response surface optimization of cotton tufts opening degree using Box–Behnken designs

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effect of process parameters of blow room machines on openness degree and quality of cotton tufts in a blow room.Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, an experimental Box–Behnken design (BBD) was used, and the process parameters were the angles of the grid bars underneath the opening rollers of CVT3 beaters and the distance between feed roller of the first opening roller of CVT3.FindingsIt was found that the cotton tuft openness increased by increasing the angles of grid bars and by decreasing the distance between the feed roller and first opening roller on CVT3 beater. Further, the optimization procedure showed that an optimum value of cotton tuft openness (in laser method) was determined for specific levels of the process parameters.Originality/valueThe originality of this investigation is that it showed the individual effects and interactions of the most important factors in two tufting machines instead of only one machine. This study is important because it helps cotton yarn spinners to improve the quality of the final yarns by optimizing the levels of tuft openness which in turn improves fiber cleaning.

IMPROVEMENT OF THE DESIGN OF MOBILE EQUIPMENT FOR POST-HARVEST PROCESSING OF AGRICULTURAL CROPS

The article covers the current actual problem of increasing the efficiency of post-harvest processing of agricultural crops. The advantages and disadvantages of existing designs of mobile equipment for post-harvest processing of seeds and the creation of information base for the reconstruction of mobile grain separator for farms are revealed. The results of research of the grain moisture effect on the strength of the grain characteristics under static and dynamic compression are presented. The dependence of the change in the mass of 1000 grains along the length of the fractionation chamber on the rotation frequency of the feed roller at rational rotation frequency of the feed roller (nб = 450 rpm) and the angle of inclination of the guide tray (α = 45 degrees) was established. The technological process of separation and fractionation of grain on new series of machines of the type “ZWICR-1445” is analyzed. The optimal parameters of the main structural elements of the mobile separator are determined.

Research on adjusting size proportion of cut tobacco

For solving the applicability of size proportion ofcut tobacco under the Internet environment, The device adjusting size proportion of cut tobacco needs to be developed including a feeding belt conveyor, a tobacco regulating device, a discharging belt conveyor, a guiding groove and a fixed bracket. Among these devices the feeding belt conveyor adopts two-way control of size proportion ofcut tobacco without adjusting the choice; the device adjusting size proportion of cut tobacco consists of a feed roller of tobacco, a Uniform roller of tobacco and a Cut tobacco roller, mainly by adjusting the feeding roller of tobacco, Cut tobacco roller speed difference and gap adjustment to control size proportion cut tobacco. Application test was made in Henan tobacco corporation. The results showed that: the gap between the feeding roller and the broken roller are the significant factors in proportion of long stands rate, middle stands rate, short stands rate and small particles rate. the long stands rate is positively associated with the gap, the rest are negatively correlated with the gap, ② the rotational speed of cut tobacco smoothing roller, cut tobacco feeding roller, Cut tobacco cutting roller has certain effect on, proportion of long stands rate, middle stands rate, short stands rate and small particles rate and cannot be ignored in practical work. Conclusion: This design can improve the structure of the cut tobacco through the gap between the cut tobacco feed roller and the cut tobacco break roller. How to quantify the specific effect requires special research.

Cutting length the fodders of green stalks by drum chopper

In Uzbekistan, special attention is paid to the development of livestock, poultry, and fish farming. In the ration of animals, green fodder obtained by cutting green stalks corn, alfalfa and other feed crops have a special place. For high-quality chopping of stalks with the required cutting length for each type of animal, a chopper has been developed with a simple design for chopping green feed. Testing of the chopper work, carried out at an engine speed of 2800 rpm, a cutting drum rotation speed of 950 rpm and in two rotations of the feed rollers 10 rpm and 20 rpm with an average length of alfalfa stalks 71.6 cm and an average length of corn stalks 216.4 cm, showed that at a feed roller rotation speed of 10 rpm the average cutting length of the stalks was 10.6 mm, and at a feed roller rotation speed of 20 rpm - 17.6 mm. It can be seen from the data that with a twice increase in the feed roll speed, the cutting length increases 1.66 times, which confirms the theoretical assumptions obtained.

Formation of White Etching Layers by Deep Rolling of AISI 4140 Steel

Deep rolling is an effective mechanical surface treatment method; however, the induced deformation may eventually lead to changes that result in a structure known as a white etching layer (WEL). The WEL possesses a distinct constitution and properties compared with the surrounding bulk material. The presence of the WEL drastically affects the surface integrity of the part and impairs the performance of the metallic components. However, the influence of deep rolling on WEL formation has not been fully clarified. Therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate WEL formation after deep rolling AISI 4140 steel with various microstructures (obtained through four heat treatment routes) and employing distinct rolling pressure and feed values. The results show that larger lattice distortion (resulting from refined martensitic structures) and higher deep rolling feed (increased work hardening) lead to the formation of a thicker WEL. Moreover, the increase in rolling pressure does not affect the WEL within the tested range. Finally, the mechanisms involved in WEL formation are discussed. It is suggested that the shear energy associated with deep rolling and applied along the surface grains leads to WEL formation by grain refinement.

Effect of Spinning Process Parameters on the Forming Quality of Inner and Outer Teeth Shaped Parts

Deform-3d software was used to conduct numerical simulation on the spinning forming process of inner and outer teeth to study the strain distribution and material flow law during the spinning forming process. The influence of mandrel rotation speed and roller feed speed on the forming quality of inner and outer teeth profile was studied. The results show that the best forming quality of the spinning parts can be obtained under the combination of the process parameters of the mandrel rotation speed of 150r/min and the roller feed speed of 110mm/min. Compared with the experimental results, the maximum relative errors of inner and outer teeth wall thickness were 2.03% and 1.78%, which verified the reliability of the finite element model. The results can provide guidance for the finite element simulation and production of inner and outer teeth spinning forming process.