This research was conducted to evaluate feasibility of a crank-type walking cultivators for weeding in furrowed upland. Methods: A walking cultivator developed by RDA was selected and evaluated with its working speed (S), cultivation depth (CD) and weeding performance (WP). The evaluation was performed in upland field on July and August, 2012. Also kinematic analysis of the machine was performed to draw out design improvements. Results: S in flat, uphill and downhill were about 0.11 m s-1 , 0.11 m s-1 , and 0.13 m s-1 respectively. It was found that S had a low relevance with user conditions. The CD was 35 ~ 40 mm which was satisfied with the RDA guide for weeding machine. A wide variation was observed in values of WP depending on the growth stages of weeds and field conditions. The cultivator showed low performance in eliminating the well-grown weeds. Kinematic simulation revealed that high forward speed caused a high ratio of un-weeded area. Conclusions: The weeding performance of the cultivator was satisfactory for weeds in early growth stage but it showed difficulties in handling on up-slope and in entering up-land. Specifically, the weight of the cultivator was judged as overweight for female workers. The crank-hoe type cultivator was judged as unsuitable for small walking type machine due to weight of the four-bar linkage system. Kinematic analysis revealed that the ratio of crank speed to the ground speed must be 850 rpm s m-1 (255 rpm based on 0.3 m s-1) or greater to avoid uncultivated area. Selection of forward speed is a decisive factor in designing the weeding cultivator.
Purpose:The study was conducted to investigate the proper working conditions like the mesh size of the concave and the chaffer angle of the oscillating sieve, and the fan speed of the head-feeding rice combine for foxtail millet harvesting.
Methods:The study aimed to determine the harvesting conditions for the rice combine harvester at a 0.5 m/s working speed and at 40° and 55° sieve chaffer angles. The harvesting loss of the foxtail millet based on the speed of the fan and the oscillating speed of the sieve was measured at three levels of fan speed and oscillating sieve speed. Results: The threshing rates of different foxtail millet varieties were 64.1~83.5% at a mesh size of 7 mm of the concave. In experimental foxtail millet harvesting, the optimal operating condition of the rice combine harvester included a 40° sieve chaffer angle and a 4.8 Hz oscillating sieve (cleaning shoe) frequency. The grain loss was found to be lower at a 40° than at a 55° sieve chaffer angle. In field harvesting using the combine harvester, the lowest harvesting grain loss rate of the foxtail millet varieties ranged between 0.2~0.5% at a 7 mm mesh concave, 40° chaffer angle, 4.8 Hz sieve frequency, and a 20 m/s fan speed at an engine speed of 2,000 revolutions per minute (RPM). Conclusions: Findings showed that foxtail millet could be harvested using the combine harvester.
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