Loading...
Theses
Browse
13 results
Search Results
ThesisItem Open Access Design analysis of suitable cutter header assembly for pokkali paddy harvester(Department of Farm Machinery and power engineering, KCAET, Tavanur, 2021) Rathinavel, S; KAU; Sindhu, BhaskarPokkali system of rice cultivation is a unique farming under pokkali ecosystem prevalent exclusively in central Kerala. Harvesting of paddy in pokkali is to be carried out under stagnated water level which may raise upto five feet. Hence a research was undertaken to design a suitable cutter header assembly for the harvester, as other existing harvesting machines can’t be used in pokkali fields. Existing machines were studied and their drawbacks were identified. Four different designs of cutter header assembly models were made suiting an existing amphibian weed harvester (Truxor DM 5045). The four design models were design I (multiple bat reel system), design II (single bat reel system), design III (vertical axis reel system) and design IV (floating assembly with projected conveyor system). Selection of the best model out of these four was carried out by Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Technique along with Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a sub process, statistical analysis with expert ratings on models and Finite Element Analysis (FEM) on components suspected to failure of the selected models. All the results were collectively analysed and design II (single bat reel system) was selected. Also the design I (multiple bat reel system) can be an alternative as per statistical analysis. The single bat reel type system consists of single bat reel with elongated tynes. The corrosion resistant standard type cutterbar is finalized. Other specifications such as position of assembly, material of construction, dimensions etc were discussed in detail. Further the design, development and evaluation are suggested on the selected models with reduced size machine with same features and components as in Truxor DM 5045 (Amphibian weed harvesting machine)ThesisItem Open Access Development of a machine vision system to identify matured pepper spikes(Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2021) Meera, T; KAU; Sindhu, BhaskarBlack pepper is a perennial crop and one of the most economically significant spices in India. It has a high commercial value in the market all around the world. Its fruit is harvested, dried and powdered for many cuisines and processed for many value added products. Black pepper is a flowering vine growing up to 4 m in height. The berries turns from green to red on maturity and are harvested when it starts to turn red. For achieving good quality and good sized pepper, it should be harvested at its proper matured state. Farmers for their time saving and due to heavy work intensity, harvest almost all the fruits which are in a range of maturity along with the real matured ones. This eventually affects the crop yield and quality. Hence employing an automated identification system in this case would be effective. An application programme interface was developed for this, using the fruit features like the shape, colour and size. By using the machine learning techniques and computer vision technology, two programmes were developed in python language, one using OpenCV library and Haar Cascade classifier, and other platform with TensorFlow as library and faster-RCNN as classifier. Studies were also carried out to analyse the physical properties of black pepper. Using image acquisition, a dataset was created and was used for training and preparation of both the models. The hardware part of the system comprised of a webcam as sensor, Raspberry Pi processor, a RPI display unit and some accessory parts. The hardware and software parts were installed and assembled, and subjected to performance evaluation. It was revealed that the Tf-RCNN platform had better performance and efficiency. The performance evaluation parameters viz., sensitivity, specificity and accuracy values were 78%, 71% and 75% respectively for the second model. It was statistically verified that there is a significant difference between the two platforms and the second model had better consistency.ThesisItem Open Access Development of a semi autonomous robotic platform for intercultural operations in row crops(Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology,Tavanur, 2020) Athira, P; KAU; Shaji James, PA semi-autonomous robotic platform was conceptualized for performing the intercultural operations in row crops. It was expected to be capable of navigating within the field and performing the intended intercultural operation according to the user command. The dimensions of the chassis (track width and ground clearance) were determined on the basis of agronomic characteristics of the crop. Wheel mounted geared motors were used for self-propulsion. The wheel variables were decided based on the rolling resistance and terramechanics relationships. A six-wheel independent drive skidsteering drive mechanism was provided to the robotic platform. Arduino Mega was the microcontroller used which was interfaced with the drive motors via L298N motor driver for speed and direction control. The microcontroller was programmed in Arduino IDE software using C++ language. The wireless communication system was based on Radio Frequency (RF) protocol using Flysky FS i6 2.4GHz Six-channel Transmitter Remote Controller with FS-iA6 Receiver unit. The monitoring guidance of the prototype was accomplished on the basis of real-time video streaming using Wi-Fi enabled wireless IP camera. The operational unit was controlled by relay driver circuits. Geared DC motor operated cable drive slider mechanisms actuated the position control of the sprayer unit. The developed prototype was evaluated in both lab and field conditions. The speed of travel obtained was less than the rated speed. The total power consumed by the prototype increased with increase in the load. The deviation of the prototype from a straight path could be corrected by the use of steering controls by the operator. The control unit functioned satisfactorily for every command by the user. During the basic field trial, a non-uniform distribution of load on each ground-contact point occurred due to the undulated terrain. Therefore, wheels were subjected to sinkage which resulted in lack of proper traction and wheel slip. The tractive forces were then insufficient to overcome the soil resistance. The test resulted in the requirement for a modified drive mechanism for the prototype. The modified design of the drive mechanism comprised of high torque motors (24 V, 8Nm, 300 RPM DC motor) with reducer unit, high power motor drivers (BTS7960) and larger diameter pneumatic wheels (30.48 cm diameter). A suspension could also be provided to maintain uniform load distribution on each groundcontact points. As the torque exerted by these motors would be greater than the required torque, the design was safe. The cost for modified prototype was estimated to be Rs.65000/-.ThesisItem Open Access Development and perfomance evaluation of a tractor powered manure pulverizer cum application(Department of Farm Machinery and Power Enginnering, Kelappaji College of Agriculture Engineering, Tavanur, 2020) Sai Mohan, S; KAU; Jayan, P ROrganic manures such as farm yard manure, green manure etc., when incorporated into the soil not only add nutrients but enriches the soil by the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. Manures (FYM, vermicompost, edible oil cakes etc.,) are an important resources which provide nutrients that could reduce bagged fertilizer costs and improves the crop growth and performance. A well-managed manure is a valuable resource in providing nutrients for crop production. Use of farm yard manure and other organic manure is the way out to overcome the problems of soil degradation, loss of fertility and soil health. Manual application of manure consumes more time and labour. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to develop and evaluate the performance of a tractor powered manure pulverizer cum applicator. The components of the machine were developed to suit the various dosages of manure without much variation in the distribution efficiency. The actual field capacity and efficiency of manure pulverizer cum applicator was found out to be 0.311 ha h-1 and 86.5 % at a forward speed of 2.0 km h-1, 0.356 ha h-1 and 79.2 % at a forward speed of 2.5 km h-1 and 0.395 ha h-1 and 73.1 % at a forward speed of 3.0 km h-1. Maximum field capacity was noted at a traveling speed of 3.0 km h-1. A larger application rate of 1387.1 kg ha-1 for cow dung, 1624.4 kg ha-1 for goat faecal pellets and 1618.6 kg ha-1 for neem cake was noted at an engine rpm of 2500, forward speed of 2 km h-1 with a field capacity of 0.31 ha h-1. With increasing the forward speed to 2.5 and 3.0 km h-1, field capacity increases but the application rate is decreased. The cost of manure pulverizer cum applicator alone is Rs. 64,000. Cost of operation of manure pulverizer cum applicator as an attachment to tractor as explained in Section 3.4 was found as 583.05 Rs h-1 and 1943.5 Rs ha-1. Cost of manual manure application followed by manure pulverization was 582.7 Rs h-1 and 4662.2 Rs ha-1.ThesisItem Open Access Investigations for the development of electrostatic pollinator(Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2019) Rinju lukose; KAU; Dhalin, DThe problems in fruit setting with artificial pollination (contact type) can eradicate by the application of electrostatic forces (non - contact pollen collection and deposition), hence the study was undertaken to develop an electrostatic pollinator. Anagha variety of tomato and Preethi variety of bitter gourd were selected. Morphological characteristics of these flowers were studied for design of pollinator. A high voltage amplification unit with flyback transformer and MOSFET, a spherical shaped electrode and a DC input source were the major components of the electrostatic pollinator. The pollen collection capacity of two electrodes E1 (10 mm) and E2 (7.5 mm) were evaluated at voltage potentials of 3 kV, 4 kV, 5 kV and 6 kV at 5 mm, 10 mm and 15 mm distance from the anther tip of flower. The maximum number of pollens (409 for tomato and 2827 for bitter gourd) was collected by electrode E1 with a charging potential of 6 kV at 5 mm distance, both in case of tomato and bitter gourd. This high pollen collection rate was due to high detaching forces acting on the pollen grains at shorter distance between the anther tip and electrode. The pollen collection capacity was minimum (87 for tomato and 1227 for bitter gourd) for electrode E2 with an electrode potential of 3 kV at 15 mm distance. Pollens were deposited into the flower using the two electrodes (E1 and E2) at voltage potential of 1 kV, 3 kV and 6 kV at 5 mm distance from the tip of stigma. The fruit set efficiency of electrostatic pollination in tomato was 80% and artificial manual pollination was 40%. In bitter gourd, fruit set efficiency of electrostatic pollination and artificial pollination was 100%. But damage of stigma during hand pollination caused reduction in size, weight and number of sound seeds.ThesisItem Open Access Design development and testing of a power operated paddy hill seeder(Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2019) Bandi Nageswar; KAU; Manoj MathewRice (Oryza sativa L.) is important leading food crop and it is widely cultivated in India. The farmers are facing problems due to lack of labour, time, inputs cost and also due to drudgery in work. Nevertheless, mechanization in paddy cultivation can boost higher productivity and considerably reduce the cost of production. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to design and develop a power operated paddy hill seeder in paddy cultivation. The power operated paddy hill seeder was developed and tested based on the, engineering and physical properties of dry and pre-germinated paddy seeds. The tests were conducted on sand bed to evaluate the seed metering mechanism performance with respect to spacing, seed rate, quality of feed index, multiple index, miss index, and seed damage at two different forward speeds (1.5 and 1.8 km h-1), two cell sizes and three transmission speeds (1:1.7, 1:1.2 and 1:0.95). The mean hill to hill spacing was ranged from 0.09-0.20 m, 3 to 7 seeds per hill, seed rate of 21-58 kg ha-1. The missing index and multiple indexe were less for the different combinations of study parameters (speed 1.5 kmph, cell size 9 mm, Transmission ratio 1:1.7), (Speed 1.8 kmph, Cell size 9 mm, Transmission ratio 1:1.7) and (Speed 1.8 kmph, Cell size 12 mm, Transmission ratio 1:1.7). The quality feed index were 86.1, 88.6 and 91.1 respectively for above sequence of combinations of study parameters. The average field capacity of the paddy hill seeder was 0.22 ha h-1 and 0.26 ha h-1 with efficiency of 80.00% and 76.00 % for forward speeds of 1.5 and 1.8 kmph respectively. Based on the performance evaluation results, it is concluded that the developed power operated paddy hill seeder is economical and efficient for direct sowing of paddy.ThesisItem Open Access Design and development of a multipurpose tool carrier for homestead agriculture(Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2019) Arya, K T; KAU; Shaji JamesHomesteads lack appropriate machinery that suits their diverse requirements. Homestead agriculture warranted an affordable and versatile powered multipurpose tool carrier capable of improving the efficiency of human power. Hence development of a MPTC powered by the engine of a 1.5 kW backpack brush cutter which is commonly available in farming households was under taken so as to avoid the requirement of different implements and power sources for different operations. Main components of MPTC were support frame along with handle, transmission systems with gear reduction units which converted 9340 rpm of the engine to 226 rpm with necessary transmission shafts and transportation wheels. Tools developed as attachments to MPTC were rotary tiller/weeder for vegetable crops, paddy weeding attachment, surface pulveriser cum two-row vegetable weeder, horizontal auger for coconut basin listing and vertical auger for digging pits. The multipurpose tool carrier with its different attachments was tested in fields with moisture contents ranging from 10 to 30%. From the field evaluation of rotary weeding attachment, it was found that the depth of cut was 3-5 cm and the average weeding efficiency was 90.07%. The fuel consumption, field efficiency, average weeding efficiency and average plant damage in the case of paddy weeder were 0.675 l h-1, 66.4%, 71.09% and 4.87%, respectively. Surface pulveriser cum two-row vegetable weeder attachment for row crop vegetables gave an average weeding efficiency of 80.27% with a fuel consumption of 1.64 l h-1 and a field capacity of 0.024 ha h1. Coconut basin lister could make 14-25 shallow basins per hour based on soil conditions. Earth auger could dig 8 pits with a maximum depth of 45 cm and 15 cm diameter. Total cost of fabrication of different attachments with MPTC was Rs.35640/-.ThesisItem Open Access Development and testing of potting mixture Filling machine for filling grow bags(Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2019) Amal Dev, J; KAU; Jayan, P RGrow bag cultivation is getting popular in our state due to urbanisation. It necessitated easy method of filling grow bags as per the favourable agronomic conditions for crop growth. A grow bag filling machine was hence developed and tested for filling grow bags of different size. The machine was developed by modifying the KAU manure pulverizer by suitably fixing a collecting hopper beneath the sieve, grow bag holders attached to one leg of the stand for holding different bags and pedal for controlling the filling. The machine consists of an electric motor, a feeding chute, pulverizing drum, transmission unit, rotating blades, sieve and a supporting stand. Materials were pulverized and mixed due to rotations of the blade which caused the cutting and shearing actions and got pulverized in the clearance between the blade and the sieve. The grow bag mixture was discharged through the sieve and got collected in the bottom hopper. A pedal operated valve was inserted into the small hopper to facilitate metered discharge of the potting media. As and when it is allowed to open a metered quantity of the mixture was discharged into the grow bags placed below it. The machine was tested to determine its performance and to optimize the machine parameters and material parameters at different moisture contents of 10,15,20,25 and 30 percent, clearances of 15, 20 and 25 mm, two ratios of soil: coir pith: FYM as 1:1:1 and 1:0.5:1 mixture and for three bag sizes of small medium and large. Dried soil, coir pith and FYM get pulverized, mixed and filled in the grow bags. The properties of grow bag mixtures obtained were found out and were on par with the ideal recommendations. The properties such as water holding capacity (165.02 percent), bulk density (0.493 g.cm-3), porosity (65.43 percent), fineness modulus (5.31), angle of repose (46.66º), pH (6.76), electrical conductivity (2.19 dS.m-1) and uniformity of mixture were observed at the ratio 1:1:1 (S:C:FYM) at the moisture content of 15 percent. Performance parameters such as weight of bags filled (6.18 kg) time of operation (230 s), capacity of the machine (385 kg.h-1), number of bags filled (63) and energy consumption (0.31 kWh for four bags) were obtained with an overall efficiency of 97.70 percent. The cost of grow bag filling machine is Rs.49500. The hourly cost of operation for the machine is calculated as Rs.357. The analysis of the results indicated that the performance of the machine was optimum for filling large grow bags at 15 percent moisture content at the ratio S: C: FYM as 1:1:1 for all clearances.ThesisItem Open Access Department and testing a power operated pre-germinated paddy seed broadcaster(Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2019) Sreedhara, B; KAU; Manoj MathewRice (Oryza sativa L.) is important leading food crop and it is widely cultivated in India. The farmers are facing problems due to lack of labour, time, inputs cost and also due to drudgery in work. Nevertheless, mechanization in paddy cultivation can boost higher productivity and considerably reduce the cost of production. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to develop and evaluate the performance of a battery operated pre-germinated broadcaster in paddy cultivation. The power operated pre-germinated paddy seed broadcaster was developed and tested based on the, engineering and physical properties of dry and pre-germinated paddy seeds. The performance parameters of paddy seed broadcaster were the application rate, coefficient of variation, skewness ratio and uniformity coefficient of distribution. The maximum application rate of 149.02 kg ha"' was observed for the treatment Q2S201 in single pass. The minimum application rate of 0.14 kg ha"' was observed for the treatment Q2S201 in single pass. In multiple pass the maximum and minimum application rate of 182.52 kg ha"' and 47.05 kg ha"' were observed for the treatments Q2S101 and Q2S202 for three meter spacing of seven meter effective swath width. The maximum skewness ratio was about 101% for the treatment QlSlOl in single pass. The minimum skewness ratio observed was about 48% for the treatment Q2S102. The minimum coefficient of variation observed was about 57.15 % for the treatment Q1S201 in single pass. The minimum coefficient of variation of about 8.19% was observed for the treatment Q1S102 for four meter spacing application rate. The average effective field capacity and field efficiency for four meter was about 0.59 ha hr"' and 65% for six-meter effective swath width at walking speed of 1.5 km ha"'. The savings in cost and time for battery powered centrifugal broadcaster about 76.34% and 78.88% compared to manual broadcasting. From the perfonnance evaluation test, it was concluded that the battery operated centrifugal paddy seed broadcaster can perform paddy seed broadcasting operation efficiently and economically.
