DEVELOPMENT AND EVELUATION OF MULTI-CROP THRESHER

Abstract

Annually, Egypt cultivates around 1.8 million feddan of wheat and 800.000 feddan of paddy rice. The harvesting system for both crops primarily consistsof mannual cutting, moWing, gathering and transporting the crop to one location, which causes losses up to 25 %in the field.Improving this harvesting system has been a main national objective. To

assist with this task various combines, mowers, reapers and threshers have been

introduced throughout the last decade. • The main objectives of this work are: a- Define the thresher component which hinders capacity. b- Redesign components to increase capacity. c- Estimate the power required for operation. d- Test and report machine performance. This research work was conducted as a USAID/NARP project and carried out at the

Agricultural Engineering Department of Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana of the

U.S.A.

• This research was intended to improve the stationary thresher as a multi-crop thresher tool for wheat and paddy rice under Egyptian condtions. It was designed to

provide an optimal performance machine for small farmers. This techniques used, included developing a new cylinder, can thresh wheat and paddy rice without major changes. Also, the shape of the louver fins was modified and improved.Study of operating ranges determined the thresher capacity and results showed it increased for wheat, soybean and corn Without affecting seed quality ( i.e. damage and losses). This research contains results on three feed rates, optimum cylinder speed for threshing different crops, moisture content, separation efficiency, material movements along the rotor cylinder, and power required kW for the thresher.