Agricultural Research Management Information System

Home
Research Summary
Search
About Us
- ARMIS
- Brochure
Contact Us
Report
User Request
Data Input
Help
- Operation Manual
  - PDF
  - Video
- Program Area & Commodity
We have reached 37600 number of research entries at this moment.

- Logout

Research Detail

Home
Research
Detail

Design and Development of a Low Cost Power Driven Tomato and Potato Grader (2018-19)

M S Miah
Farm Machinery & Postharvest Processing Engineering Division, BARI, Gazipur, Bangladesh

M N Amin
Farm Machinery & Postharvest Processing Engineering Division, BARI, Gazipur, Bangladesh

M I Hossain
Farm Machinery & Postharvest Processing Engineering Division, BARI, Gazipur, Bangladesh

M A Hoque
Farm Machinery & Postharvest Processing Engineering Division, BARI, Gazipur, Bangladesh

N Jahan
Farm Machinery & Postharvest Processing Engineering Division, BARI, Gazipur, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Tomato and potato are sold without grading in the markets of Bangladesh. Potato is graded manually and there is no mechanical grader available in the country. A rotating cylinder type tomato and potato grader was developed in Farm Machinery & Postharvest Process Engineering Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute in 2017-2018. The grader was made of locally available MS angle bar, MS flat bar, MS rod, MS sheet, MS shaft, ball-bearing, V-belt, V-pulley, and chain-sprocket, etc. An electric motor of 1 kW was used to rotate cylinder at 17 rpm. Few modification was done during 2018-19 as machine inclination was increased from 15 to 20 º angels, increased the gap between tray and cylinder, etc. The overall dimension of the grader is 3350mm×950mm×1300mm. Four graded tomatoes were obtained from the grader through four outlets of three cylinders. The average capacity of the grader for tomato and potato are 1260 kg/h and 1504 kg/h respectively. During 2017-18, injury of potato and tomato reduced from 30 to 6% and 11 to 3% respectively. Now, injury of potato and tomato reduced 0.5% and 0.24% respectively. The benefit-cost ratio of the grader was found to be 1.54 and the payback period was 1.2 year. Therefore, the tomato and potato grader is economically profitable for custom hire business or industries. The grader is suitable for grower and traders as well as women-friendly.

Keywords: Fabricated power driven gradeer, Low cost grader, Potao grader, Tomato grader,

Location: FMPE Division, BARI, Gazipur

Start Date: 01-07-2017

End Date: 30-06-2019

Program Area: Farm Mechanization

Commodity: Grinding machine, Potato, Tomato

Objectives:

To design and fabricate of power driven tomato and potato grader
To test and evaluate the performance of the grader

Methodology:

The grader was fabricated at the workshop of the Farm Machinery Division of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Joydebpur, Gazipur. It was made of locally available materials. The materials used for the fabrication of different parts of the machine were MS plate, MS angle bar, MS flat bar, MS rod, MS pane MS shaft, ball-bearing, V-belt, V-pulley, and miscellaneous small items. The functional parts of the machine are (1) Power source (2) Power transmission (3) Three rotating cylinder (4) Frame (5) Inlet tray (6) Outlet chute. The functions of the parts are described briefly as - i) Power source: A 0.75 kW single-phase electric motor was used as the source of power. ii.) Rotating cylinder: A rotating cylinder of 370 mm length was made of SS steel and a MS shaft. The shaft was made of 25 mm in diameter. The whole cylinder was covered with simple SS 6 mm rod and both sides fixed by nut and spring washer. The cylinder was suspended on one UCP bearing fixed at one side of the shaft and other side supported 3 small bearings. iii.) Power transmission: The power transmission system is shown. In the first step, rpm was stepped down from 1483 rpm to 38 rpm by using 75mm pulley and gear reducer. A reducer gearbox of ration 10:1 was used to reduce the rpm. The rpm was further reduced to 17 in the rotary cylinder. iv.) Outlet hoppers: The smaller sized (<28mm dia.) potato and tomato come out through the first outlet hopper of the cylinder. The second outlet hopper collects potatoes size ≥28mm and ≤40mm. medium larger types (≥40mm and ≤55mm) are collected and larger (>55mm dia.) from the last hopper. The improvement of the grader was done in FMPE Division, BARI, Gazipur for better performance during 2017-18. Speed of cylinders was increased from 15 to 17 rpm. Size of intermediate trays was reduced from 30 to 20 cm. Inside barricades were added on both sides of cylinders. Cylinder inclination was reduced to zero (horizontal). Trays underneath the cylinders were replaced with new trays passing through the centre of the cylinders. Soft brush was incorporated in face of intermediate trays. Three people were required to run the grader successfully. One person put potato and tomato to the hopper, the other person fed and another person collected potato. Performance test of the grader was evaluated with tomato at FMPE Division, BARI, Gazipur on 3 July 2018. Required data was recorded. This year (2018-19) improvement of the grader was done in FMPE Division, BARI, Gazipur.The inclination of the machine was increased from 15 to 20º angel. Previously passing system from one cylinder to another cylinder was forced type, now it is free dropping. The distance between tray and cylinder was increased depending on the position of cylinder, for first, second and third were 35, 50 mm, and 55 mm respectively.

Source of Information: Annual Research Report 2018-2019, BARI, Gazipur, Bangladesh

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1.

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The capacity of the grader for tomato and potato were 1260 kg/h and 1504 kg/h respectively. The injury reduced for both from 6 to less than 0.5%. Additionally, the grader is suitable for grading of lemon, battle nut, mango, etc. Benefit cost ratio of the grader was found to be 1.54 and the pay-back period was 1.2 year. Therefore, the tomato and potato grader is economically profitable for custom hire business or industries. The service provider can use this machine with less hazard compared to manual grading system and can save huge labor, time and money. The grader is suitable for grower and traders as well as women-friendly.

Knowledge Management: Report/Proceedings