PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A MECHANISM FOR GREEN ‎ONION HANDLING

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to design and performance analysis a ‎mechanism for handling green onion crop, as well as, improving the crop ‎quality based on the suggested handling system. Therefore, a mechanism ‎had been designed, manufactured in the workshop of the Agricultural ‎Engineering Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University. ‎However, the suggested handling system consists of the feeding unit, trimming ‎unit which based on rotary cutting mechanism, antioxidant unit, and tying ‎unit. The following technical parameters had been considered to evaluate ‎the suggesting mechanism: feeding rate, cutting speed and feeding belt ‎speed. However, the following technical indicators had been estimated such ‎as machine productivity, cutting efficiency, cutting offset angle of plants, ‎tying position of onion bundles from cutting disc and the quality of the final ‎product. Results indicated that the highest cutting efficiency was 89.3 %, ‎cutting offset angle of plants was 73.7% and cutting capacity was found to ‎be 124.14 kg per hour (0.99 ton per day of 8 working hour) at 60 rpm drum ‎shaft speed, 0.64 kg/min feeding rate (38.4 kg per hour) and when operated ‎at slower than 870 rpm (7.10 m/s) cutting disc speed. ‎