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Design and Development of a Manually Operated Sunflower Thresher

Sultan Ahmed
Scientific Officer
Farm Machinery and Postharvest Process Engg. Divn., BARI, Gazipur, Bangladesh.

M. Abdullah
Senior Scientific Officer
Farm Machinery and Postharvest Process Engg. Divn., BARI, Gazipur, Bangladesh.

M. A. Satter
Chief Scientific Officer
Farm Machinery and Postharvest Process Engg. Divn., BARI, Gazipur, Bangladesh.

M. S. Borhan
Senior Scientific Officer
Farm Machinery and Postharvest Process Engg. Divn., BARI, Gazipur, Bangladesh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

A hold-on-type, pedal operated, light weight, and simple sunflower thresher has been designed and constructed with locally available materials in the workshop of Farm Machinery and Postharvest Process Engineering Division, BART, Bangladesh. Performance test of the machine was conducted with sunflower heads, and threshing yield was found satisfactory. The output capacity and threshing efficiency were 20 kg/hr and 97%, respectively, at 12% moisture content. Requisite improvements and recommendations were made for further work.

Keywords: Sunflower, Performance of developed thresher

Location: Farm Machinery and Postharvest Process Engineering Division, BARI.

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Postharvest and Agro-processing

Commodity: Thresher

Objectives:

i) To design and fabricate the simple thresher for sunflower suitable for small and marginal farmers

ii) To evaluate the performance of developed thresher with a view to achieving maximum threshing capacity and efficiency.

iii) To demonstrate the thresher in the farmers' field.

iv) To modify the machine if needed.

Methodology:

A manual pedal operated sunflower thresher has been designed and fabricated at the workshop of Farm Machinery and Postharvest Process Engineering Division, BARI using locally available materials. The following points were given due consideration ill designing the sunflower thresher::

1. Ripe sunflower heads shade the petals of the ray florets. The bracts of involucrate become yellow and little loose but remain attached to the head. The bracteoles covering the seeds little separated from seeds but remain attached sufficiently rigidly to the receptacles of the head. 2. The ripe seeds become dark, little hard, and loose in the bracteoles. A gentle impact is adequate to detach these seeds without removal of other components of the florets. 3. The shape of the sunflower heads does not change appreciably after maturity upto 10-12% seed moisture content. Below that they tend to take any irregular shape. 4. The average range of sunflower head diameter is 7-25 cm. Threshing disc: This unit is made of M. S. sheet with vanes and placed horizontally at a convenient height on a main shaft of 20 mm diameter. The main shaft is fitted through ball bearing.The diameter of the disc is 200 mm.

Power transmission : Power from pedal is transmitted through chain and sprocket to a horizontal shaft. A 90° bevel gear assembly was mounted aside the horizontal shaft to rotate the vertical main shaft and on the top of which the threshing disc was mounted. Proper matching of the bevel gear is needed for perfect operation. Working of the thresher: One person is required to operate the thresher. One additional man may increase capacity of the thresher. A sunflower head is held with its seed face gently on the rotating threshing disc, till all the grain is detached. Receptacle of the sunflower is kept aside separately. Test procedure: Tests were carried out in different locations e. g. BARI (Headquarter), Debigonj and Ishurdi. Sunflower variety Kironi was used as test crop. Performance of the thresher was evaluated in terms of capacity, broken grain, un shelled grain, and efficiency. The performance parameters were calculated as per RNAM test code. The sunflower head was threshed by operating one hour continuously taking 10 minutes rest and the operation were repeated thrice in each location.

Source of Information: Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 21(2) : 219-224, December 1996

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1. Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council	Budget:
2. World Bank	Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

1. BARI sunflower thresher is a simple technology most suitable to medium, small, and marginal farmers of Bangladesh.

2. The threshing efficiency of the machine is 97%.

3. Breakage percentage is within 2%.

4. The output capacity is 20-22 kg/hr. But the thresher permits threshing right after harvesting, without any sun-drying.

Knowledge Management: Journal