Modelling and Analysis of Areca Nut Collecting Machine

Abstract

Areca is a prominent commercial crop in coastal regions of Karnataka, a state of India. Major difficulties faced by areca growers include the shortage of labor and intensive time required for collecting areca nuts from ground during the drying process. To address the above problem, an area collecting machine is modelled. For design optimization of machine components, stress analysis on chassis, impact analysis on feeder ramp and deflection analysis on conveyor belt are assessed using solid edge tool. Design modifications incorporated from the above Finite Element based analysis are increasing the thickness of feeder ramp from 3 mm to 6mm along with the provision of ribs and providing support plates for conveyor belt. Modelled machine can bear 100 kg load with bagging efficiency of 900 areca nuts for per revolution of the belt.