Increase in performance of air-sieve grain-cleaning machines in separating heap of sunflower seeds

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The performance of grain cleaning machines (GCM) of the air-sieve type and the quality of grain cleaning depend on the uniformity of the loading of the sieves, which is determined by the design of the supply-distribution device. A decrease in the inclination angle of the feeding device surface leads to a decrease in the intensity of supply of the heap closer to the axis, further reduction leads the heap to stop in this area. Therefore, the inclination angle reduction for the feeding device is below the friction coefficient that leads to a decrease in the loading distribution uniformity. AIMS: Determination the dependence of the sorting process parameter of a heap of sunflower seeds on the material for the feeding device surface in the MVU-1500 air-sieve GCM. METHODS: To determine the inclination angle of the feeding device in the process of sorting the Lakomka variety sunflower seeds, which affects the parameters of the pneumatic system of the MVU-1500 air-sieve GCM, an experimental installation was built to determine the heap movement velocity. The used methods were a privately developed methodology, methods of mathematical statistics and laws of theoretical mechanics. RESULTS: The movement velocity of the heap of sunflower seeds on the surface of the feeding device were considered. Using the feeding device, the experimental and theoretical movement velocities of the heap of sunflower seeds on its surface made of metal and fluoropolymer included in the standard and improved MVU-1500 air-sieve GCMs were determined. CONCLUSIONS: The practical value of the study lies in determining the theoretical movement velocity of the heap of sunflower seeds on the GCMs feeding device surface which depends on its inclination angle as well as on the optimal material for it.