Professional Documents
Culture Documents
INTRODUCTION
Tapioca is familiar crop which cultivated around Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It
was harvested by using hand, it is very difficult to harvest crop so we decide to
make harvesting machine which should be economical. That’s way we make the
harvesting machine which contains of pneumatic cylinder, gripper, fixtures are
used to make this machine very simple mechanism makes this machine to user
friendly and less maintenance. Most of the Indian farmer’s economic condition is
not good, so they not able to buy tractor or large harvesting machines, so this kind
of equipment’s help them to harvest in low investment. It reduces the harvesting
wages of farmers. It's a shrubby, tropical, perennial plant that is less common in the
temperate zone. There is shortage of skilled labor available for agricultural
purpose. Because of this shortage the farmers have transitioned to using
harvestings. Cutting crop manually using labour but this method is very time
lengthy and time consuming. Development of labour saving technology for tapioca
harvesting becomes most critical challenge in tapioca transformation. Earlier
attempts at mechanized harvesting have been affected by constrain such as soil
characteristic, nature, size of tuber depth and both between tuber and soil leading
to high tuber damage and root tuber breakage.
The harvestings are available for purchase but because of their high costs,
they are not affordable. The tapioca roots are very strong and it requires to be
harvested assiduously when using hand. Large scale harvesters have harvesting
attachments attached to the tractor. But it may damage the cassava, so the design is
proposed to make a harvesting machine which will harvest the cassava without any
damage and to make effective equipment available at nominal prices However,
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agriculture groups make these available for rent on an hourly basis. But the small
holding farm owners generally do not require the full-featured combine
harvestings. Thus, there is a need for a smaller and efficient combine harvesting
which would be more accessible and also considerably cheaper. The mission is to
create a portable, user-friendly and low cost mini harvesting machine. The idea
was to create a machine which is cheap and will reduce the labour required to
harvest crops. This machine has the capability and the economic value for fulfilling
the needs of farmers having small land holdings (less than 2 acres). This machine
is cost effective and easy to maintain and repair for the farmer. Tapioca is a
perennial shrub which sometimes reaches the size of small tree. Thus stem vary in
color from plate to dirty white to brown marked by numerous nodes formed scars
left by fallen leaves. India acquires significant in the global tapioca scenario due to
its highest productivity. About 90percent of total tapioca area and production in
India are confined Salem, Namakkal, Erode and Vilupuram district of Tamilnadu.
An average productivity of tapioca is highest in the world.
The crop grows well in well drained lateritt, gravelly and sandy long soil.
Heavy and rocky soil is less suitable, they restrict root development. The crop
cannot survive water logged condition and in such areas, it must be planted on
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mounts or ridges that permit drainage. The crop can also be grown on in slope and
waste land of low fertility.
The tapioca plant has either red or green branches with blue spindles on
them. The root of the green-branched variant requires treatment to
remove linamarin, a cyanogenic glycoside occurring naturally in the plant, which
otherwise may be converted into cyanide. Konzo is a paralytic disease associated
with several weeks of almost exclusive consumption of insufficiently processed
bitter cassava.
Roots of tapioca plants are few and swallow and some become storage roots.
These are clustered around the basis of plant and extent about 600mm on all sides.
The crop is cultivated for roots which contain 40 percent starch. A single root may
vary up to 4Kg under variable condition, The number of roots per plant varies from
2-7 with an average length of 300mm and diameter of 60 mm at time of harvesting.
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1.2 Cultivation and Harvesting of Tapioca
Preparation of land before planting, plough the field 2-3 times or dig to a
depth 25-30 cm depending upon soil type to establish a deep porous field in which
the sets are to be planted. Planting material Tapioca is propagated from cuttings.
Select mature healthy stems free from diseases or pests. Discard about 10 cm from
the lower mature and about 30 cm from the upper immature end. Stems should be
cut into sets of 15-20 cm length using a sharp knife. About 2000 stems are required
for planting one hectare.
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Gap filling should be done within 15 days after planting preferably with
longer sets of 40 cm length. Sree Visakha is a choice variety recommended as an
intercrop in coconut gardens. Optimum plant population is 8000 plants per ha with
90 x 90 cm spacing. Seeds and sowing Sweet potato is propagated by means of
vine cuttings. To obtain vine cutting, raise nurseries from selected tubers using the
following method. Eighty kg of medium sized weevil free tubers (each of 125-150
g) are required for planting in the primary nursery area (100 m2 to plant one
hectare). Intercropping in tapioca. Tapioca is planted at a spacing of 90 x 90 cm
and it takes about 3-3.5 months time to have enough canopy to cover the land. So it
is possible to have an intercrop of groundnut during the early stages of tapioca
crop.. Immediately after planting of tapioca, groundnut seeds are sown at a spacing
of 30 cm between rows and 20 cm within rows, so that two rows of groundnut can
be accommodated in between two rows of cassava. A seed rate of 40-50 kg/ha is
recommended for dibbling one seed per hill. Only well-matured and bold seeds are
to be selected for sowing. Once pod formation has started (i.e., 40-45 days after
sowing) the soil should not be disturbed, as it will affect the pod development
adversely. The groundnut crop matures in 105 to 110 days. After the harvest of
pods, the haulms are incorporated in the soil along with a top dressing of 50 kg
each of N and K2O per ha for the main crop. By adopting this practice, 20-25%
additional income can be obtained.
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for shallow water table situations. For deep water table situations, the crop may be
irrigated once in 24 days to a depth of 5 cm.
Tapioca is a starchy product made from root of cassava. These tubers are
native Kerala, Karnataka, Brazil and many other countries. Tapioca is available as
flour, meal, flakes, and pearls. Tapioca pearls are commonly used to make tapioca
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pudding and bubble teas. Tapioca is also used as thickener. Tapioca is almost
entirely starchy carbohydrate. Tapioca is high on glycemic index scale. The
glycemic index measures how fast blood sugar level increased after eating.
Free of common allergens, cholesterol free, dietary fiber, easy to digest, and
weight gains are some of the benefits of tapioca. Tapioca is gluten free, nut free
and grain free it won’t cost problem for people with celiac decease, gluten
sensitivity, and nut allergies. Tapioca flour can be found in many gluten free
products, it is a good option for allergen free baking at home. High cholesterol may
build up of plaque in arteries. A cup of tapioca pearl has about 1.5 gram of dietary
fiber. Most people do not consume enough fiber. Fiber offer many health benefits
such as maintaining blood sugar levels and preventing constipation. Tapioca
recommend as source of calories and energy during digestive flares from
conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulitis. Tapioca helps blood
vessels and muscle contract and dilate, they also help nerves send messages and
help blood clot.
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1.4 Regional Application of Tapioca
There are different harvesters are available in different parts of world. Some
types of harvesters cannot be used under Indian condition due to large difference in
yield of crop, weight of root and topological conditions. Different unit operation
for tapioca harvester are loosening the roots and pulling up the plant, removing soil
and separating the root collecting the root and loading roots for transport.
Traditional practice of tapioca harvesting includes loosening soil using crowbar, if
the soil is compact. The plant is pulled up gently without dragging the roots. The
dragging can cause bruises and cuts to roots which may lead to early deterioration.
Tapioca harvest is tedious work and requires 40 men per day. The sale price of
tapioca is determined by its starch content. The farmers contract entire harvesting,
transport and sales to middleman and this lead to low price for farmers.
Engineers at home and abroad have made many attempts toward the
development of tapioca uprooting devices. These include manual devices such as
plough and grippers with different structural configurations. Further work machine
lead to the development of single row harvester with two gangs of reciprocating
power take off. Tapioca root can be used to manufacture biodegradable bags and
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tapioca resins product includes re useable gloves and apron. A gripper is a device
which enables the holding of an object to be manipulated. The easier way to
describe a gripper is to think of the human hand. Just like a hand, a gripper enables
holding, tightening, handling and releasing of an object. A gripper is just one
component of an automated system. A gripper can be attached to a robot or it can
be part of a fixed automation system. Many styles and sizes of grippers exist so
that the correct model can be selected for the application. Compressed air is
supplied to the cylinder of the gripper body forcing the piston up and down, which
through a mechanical linkage, forces the gripper jaws open and closed. There are 3
primary motions of the gripper jaws; parallel, angular and toggle. These operating
principals refer to the motion of the gripper jaws in relation to the gripper body.
This gripper make the uplifting easier compared to other mechanism. . People find
difficult buying modern harvester due to its cost, to overcome this problems we
have used this mechanism for up lifting.
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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
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for commercialization, the implementation of automatic and improved cultural
practice of tapioca enhance for reduction of labour and time.
[8] L. Satheeshkumar et al., (2002) The author Contribute that, the effect of
weld quality is mainly depends on tool rotational speed and transverse speed.
When the tool rotational speed is increases the heat input also increased the heat
input also increased. Experimentally found that the 35 mm/min transverse feed
gives excellent mechanical property both tensile and hardness.
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effect of cassava agronom parameters on uprooting force requirement. field study
was carried out at the central tuber crops research institute (CTCRI).
[12] Shadwack kwadwo, Amponash and byju gongadharan(Review of
various harvesting option for tapioca) Various mechanized harvesting option have
been developed for use in different part of world to overcome challenges. Earlier
attempts at mechanizing tapioca scale of cultivation. Development of labour saving
technology for tapioca harvesting becomes most critical challenge in tapioca
transformation. Earlier attempts at mechanized harvesting have been affected by
constrain such as soil characteristic, nature, size of tuber depth and both between
tuber and soil leading to high tuber damage and root tuber breakage There by
usage of pneumatic cylinder and gripper in machine the chance of getting damage
to tapioca get reduced.
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CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
Problem Identification
Material Selection
Designing of Harvester
Fabrication of Model
Implementation
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3.1 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
It was very difficult to remove the soil and pull out tapioca
More human labour is required for harvesting
There is shortage of skilled labour available agricultural purpose
Shortage of farmers has transitioned to using harvesting crop manually using
labour but this method is very time consuming.
There is chance of breaking of tapioca while pulling out from soil.
Harvesting of tapioca manually requires more effort.
3.2 MATERIAL SELECTION
Table.3.2 Material Selection
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3.2.2 Aluminum
3.2.3 Steel
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon and sometimes other elements. Iron is
base metal of steel. Iron is able to take on two crystalline forms depending on its
temperature. The steel structure has relatively low resistance. The increase in steel
strength compared to pure iron is possible only by reducing irons ductility. steel is
an iron carbon alloy that does not undergo eutectic reaction. Because of its high
tensile strength and low cost, it is a major component used in making frame of our
harvester.
3.2.4 Polymer
Polymer is a large molecule or macro molecule composed of many repeated
sub units due to their broad range of properties they play an essential road in
everyday life. Polymer ranges from familiar synthetic plastic to bio polymers.
Polymer and resins are often synonym with plastic. The structure of polymer is
composed of multiple repeating units. The tensile strengths of material quantifies
how much along a stress material will endure before failure. This is very important
in applications that relay upon polymers relay strength or durability. Due to its
high relay strength and durability it is used to manufacture wheel of our tapioca
harvesting machine.
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CHAPTER 4
COMPONENTS AND DESCRIPTION
4.1.1 Frame
The whole power is mounted on frame structure with suitable arrangement.
Frame is made of mild steel. Boring of bearing sizes and open bores done in one
setting so as to align bearing properly while assembling provision is made to cover
the bearing with grease. Frame is the creation of metals structures by cutting,
bending, and assembling processes. It is a value added process involving creation
of machine parts and structures from various raw materials.
Mild steel is type of carbon steel with low amount of carbon, it is also
known as “low carbon steel” although ranges vary depending on source, the
amount of carbon typically found in mild steel is 0.05% to 0.25% by weight.
Whereas higher ranges from 0.30% to 2.0%. Mild steel is not an alloy steel and
therefore does not contain large amount of other elements beside iron.
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4.1.2 Pneumatic cylinder
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4.1.3 Solenoid valve
This valve was selected for speedy operation and to reduce the manual effort
and also for the modification of the machine into automatic machine by means of
using a solenoid valve. A solenoid is an electrical device that converts electrical
energy into straight line motion and force.
These are also used to operate a mechanical operation which in turn operates
the valve mechanism. Solenoids may be push type or pull type. The push type
solenoid is one in which the plunger is pushed when the solenoid is energized
electrically. The pull type solenoid is one in which the plunger is pulled when the
solenoid is energized.
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The solenoid valve has 5 openings. This ensure easy exhausting of 5/2
valve. The spool of the 5/2 valve slide inside the main bore according to spool
position; the ports get connected and disconnected. The working principle is as
position -1 and position -2.
In position -1, when the spool is actuated towards outer direction port ‘P’
gets connected to ‘B’ and ‘S’ remains closed while ‘A’ gets connected to ‘R’.
whereas in position -2, When the spool is pushed in the inner direction port ‘P’ and
‘A’ gets connected to each other and ‘B’ to ‘S’ while port ‘R’ remains closed.
A ball bearing is a type of rolling element bearing that uses balls to maintain
the separation between bearing races. The purpose of ball bearing is to reduce
rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this by using
atleast three races to contain the balls and transmit loads through the balls. The
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most application one race is stationary and other is attached to rotating assembly.
As one of the bearing races rotates it cause the balls to rotate as well. Because the
balls are rolling they have a much lower coefficient of friction than if two flat
surfaces where sliding against each other.
Radial ball bearing (6202) is able to accommodate low to heavy radial loads
and low to moderate thrust loads in either direction. They are available with metal
shields or rubber seals. Several tolerance grade, internal clearance and cage designs
are available to best suit the running precision and speed of the application.
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CHAPTER 5
FABRICATION PROCESSES
5.2 Bending
5.3 Welding
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Fig. 5.2 Welding
5.3.1 Arc Welding
Arc welding is welding process that is used to join metal to metal by using
electricity to create enough heat to melt metal, and melted metals when cool
resulting binding of metals there is a type of welding that uses welding power
supply to create an electric arc between metal stick and the base material to melt
the metals at point of contact. It use either direct or alternating current, and
consumable or non consumable electrodes. The process may be manual, semi
automatic or fully automatic. The process is very versatile require little operate
training and inexpensive equipment so for welding of frame and grippers arc
welding is used.
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Fig. 5.3 Arc Welding
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5.4.1 Drilling
Drilling is a cutting process that uses a drill bit to cut a hole of circular
cross-section in solid materials. The drill bit is usually a rotary cutting tool, often
multipoint. The bit is pressed against the work piece and rotated at rates from
hundreds to thousands of revolutions per minute. This forces the cutting edge
against the work piece, cutting off chips from the hole as it is drilled. The hole is
usually not made through a circular cutting motion, though the bit is usually
rotated.
5.4.2 Grinding
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Fig. 5.4 Grinding
5.4.3 Turning
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CHAPTER 6
WORKING PRINCIPLE
The main working principle is to pull the tapioca from ground without using
a labour. A single acting cylinder is fixed to the top and bottom of frame. First
single acting cylinder works with compressed air to actuate piston in one direction
and spring force to return to base position, this makes the gripper to do the opening
operation. Work can be performed in air driven direction. Cylinder has one port
that is used to both supply and vent compressed air. Piston rod extends when
compressed air is supplied to cylinder as soon as air supply is cut off piston rod
retracts by spring force, there by closing of gripper is done . The spring extends
cylinder works the other way around the piston retracts when compressed air is
supplied. When air supply is switched off spring pushes the rod out. Second one is
used to move the shaft from up and down ward motion. This help the gripper to
move deep inside the soil to pull out tapioca from the soil, after pulling out tapioca
shaft of piston will move upwards. These movement of first cylinder connected to
gripper is controlled by a hand operating lever, and second is being controlled by
another hand operating lever.
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CHAPTER 7
7.1 2D Drawing
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All dimensions are in mm.
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1 .Frame 2 .Wheel 3 .Solenoid Valve 4 .Pneumatic Cylinder
. . . .
5. .Blade . . .
.
Fig. 7.3 2D Drawing of tapioca harvesting machine
.
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7.2 3D Drawing
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Fig 7.5 3D Diagram of tapioca harvesting machine
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7.3 Calculation of Ball Bearing
Radius (r₁) = 1
= (35 + 15) / 2
dm = 25 mm
= p x (Πd² / 4)
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= 6 x {( Π x 4² ) / 4 }
P = 73.36Kgf
= 36 / 2
= 18 Kgf/mm²
= P / (Π d² / 4 )
D = √4P/ Π× σy
= √4×75.36/{ Π×18}
= √5.33 = 2.3mm
= 2500 kgf/mm²
= 625 Kgf/mm²
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Diameter of Piston Rod
= p x Π/4 (d²)
= 6 x (Π / 4) x (4)²
= 73.36 Kgf
= 0.15
dp = 0.38 cm
= 3.8 mm
By standardizing dP = 4 mm
Length of threads = 2 x 20
= 40mm
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Total length of the piston rod = 160 + 40 + 12 + 20
= 232 mm
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CHAPTER 8
ADVANTAGES AND APPLICATIONS
8.1 Advantages
• Separate tapioca from soil and collect in ridge, easy to load.
• Manual power not required.
• Maintenance is easy.
• Replacement of parts is easy.
• The involvement of manual work is highly negligible.
• Simple in construction.
• High efficiency.
• No need of skilled operators to operate this system.
8.2 Applications
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CHAPTER 9
COST ESTIMATION
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CHAPTER 10
CONCLUSION
Tapioca harvester is simple compact structure and can operate easily. This
unit is equipped with a wheeled frame as its supporting power. The tapioca stem
would be higher of the ground so that the combined operation of both digging and
plucking are performed in one stroke. If the digging depth is adjusted other deep
rooted crops like cassava have also be harvested. The digging part and frame can
be adjusted according to any tapioca fields. No tapioca root breakage was observed
during the harvesting procedure and giving the high lifting efficiency. Many ways
of reducing the production cost should be investigated to make the study more
appealing to the rural farmers. We have implemented an automatic and improved
cultural practices of tapioca harvesting that will enhance for the reduction of labour
charge and time. Further improvements can also be made regarding the gripper size
and mode of transportation.
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REFERENCE
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International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology: study and
development of compressed air engine single cylinder: A review study
Mystery Manish K.1 , Dr. Pravin P.Rathod2 ,Prof. Sorathiya Arvyind S.
International journal of science and research(IJSR) paper ID:ART201940
“Manufacturing technology” A.R.S Publications - G.K vijayaraghavan.
Pneumatic system double acting cylinder with PID controller. Triangular
reference, Problems in Engineering Journal, ISSN 1563-5147, vol. 2014, p.
1-12.
Dr. V. Jayakumar - “Enginnering materials and metallurgy” A.R.S
publications.
Lambert MB, James OH(1990). Cost and productivity of New technology
for harvesting and in wood processing small diameter trees. USDA Forest
service, pacific research station.
Lamminen S,Asikainen A (2011). The importance of the forwarder operator
In loading phase during virtual CLT-forwarding.
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PHOTOGRAPHY OF MODEL
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Fig. 12.2 Tapioca harvesting machine
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