• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.677-696
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• 2022

Development of radish collectors may enhance radish production and promote upland crop mechanization in the Republic of Korea. Theoretical analysis of power is crucial to ensure the optimum design of agricultural machinery. The aim of the present study is to analyze theoretically the power requirement of a tractor-mounted radish collector under development and to propose design guidelines. The important components of the radish collector were belt-type conveyors, three hydraulic motors, and a direct current (DC) winch motor to operate the total radish collecting process. Theoretical equations were used to calculate the hydraulic motor's power, winch motor power, and draft power at loaded and unloaded conditions. A variety of tractors (44 - 74 kW) and different soil characteristics (hard, firm, tilted, and sandy) were considered to investigate the appropriate drawbar power. Variations of the power requirement of the tractor-mounted radish collector were observed due to modifications of the design parameters. The required hydraulic power of the stem cutting conveyor, stem cutting blade, and transfer conveyor of the radish collector were 0.23 and 0.24, 0.18 and 0.19, and 0.19 and 0.22 kW under unloaded and loaded conditions, respectively. The maximum draft power was calculated as 0.89, 1.07, 1.25, and 1.61 kW at a 30° tilted angle for hard, firm, tilted, and sandy soil, respectively. The calculation showed 2.07 kW DC power was required for unfolding or folding the stem-cutting conveyor. A maximum power of 4.78 kW was prescribed for conducting the whole process of the tractor-mounted radish collector. The analysis of power introduced in this study will be helpful to select the appropriate design parameters for the successful development of a tractor-mounted radish collector.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.269-284
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• 2022

The development of radish collectors has the potential to increase radish yields while decreasing the time and dependence on human labor in a variety of field activities. Stress and fatigue analyses are essential to ensure the optimal design and machine life of any agricultural machinery. The objectives of this research were to analyze the stress and fatigue of major components of a tractor-mounted radish collector under dynamic load conditions in an effort to increase the design dependability and dimensions of the materials. An experiment was conducted to measure the shaft torque of stem-cutting and transferring conveyor motors using rotary torque sensors at different tractor ground speeds with and without a load. The Smith-Watson-Topper mean stress equation and the rain-flow counting technique were utilized to determine the required shear stress with the distribution of the fatigue life cycle. The severity of the operation was assessed using Miner's theory. All running conditions produced more than 10⁷ of high cycle fatigue strength. Furthermore, the highest severity levels for motor shafts used for stem cutting and transferring and for transportation joints and cutting blades were 2.20, 4.24, 2.07, and 1.07, and 1.97, 3.81, 1.73, and 1.07, respectively, with and without a load condition, except for 5.24 for a winch motor shaft under a load. The stress and fatigue analysis presented in this study can aid in the selection of the most appropriate design parameters and material sizes for the successful construction of a tractor-mounted radish collector, which is currently under development.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2013

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to construct the solar drying system with evacuated tubular solar collector and to investigate its performance in comparison with indoor and outdoor dryings. Methods: Solar drying system was constructed with using CPC (compound parabolic concentrator) evacuated tubular solar collector. Solar drying system is mainly composed of evacuated tubular solar collector with CPC reflector, storage tank, water-to-air heat exchanger, auxiliary heater, and drying chamber. Performance test of solar drying system was conducted with drying of agricultural products such as sliced radish, potato, carrot, and oyster mushroom. Drying characteristics of agricultural products in solar drying system were compared with those of indoor and outdoor ones. Results: Solar drying system showed considerable effect on reducing the half drying time for all drying samples. However, outdoor drying was more effective than indoor drying on shortening the half drying time for all of drying samples. Solar drying system and outdoor drying for oyster mushroom showed the same half drying time. Conclusions: Oyster mushroom could be dried easily under outdoor drying until MR (Moisture Ratio) was reached to about 0.2. However, solar drying system showed great effect on drying for most samples compared with indoor and outdoor dryings, when MR was less than 0.5.

• Solar Energy
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.9-20
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• 1991

Experiments for drying radish were carried out to analyze the drying characteristics and quality evaluation between solar heated-air drying and natural air drying system. Solar heated-air drying system consists of a small fan, a solar air heater and a tunnel dryer. Simulation model for thermal environments of solar collector was developed to investigate the effect of solar radiation and airflow rate on thermal performance.