Designing and Prototyping of Multi-Crop Solar Powered Harvester

Abstract

The demands on the grains have been being increased radically in Ethiopia. The existing ways of harvesting grains are not differed from the ancient methods. In order to satisfy the needs our ancestors have been being applied their full money, power and times which leads financial and physical weakness and health problems especially on their backbones. No one was hearing and trying to minimize and eradicate this problem. Hence, a simple to operate and cheap in cost harvester is designed and prototyped which is driven by solar power. The machine harvest grains that have grass physical nature such as wheat, barley, Teff, rice even the grass itself for animal feed. The design and prototype were achieved by following a method of reviewing literatures, collecting data, synthesizing and analyzing the mechanism and structure at a preliminary and detail design stage (using manual and CATIA software), making drawings, manufacturing a prototype and testing. The designed harvester has two solar panel 200 watt each, 1.5 hp DC Motor, divider, cutter system, lugged belt conveyor system, two stage power transmission system and two wheels vehicle system. The harvester is 1614.5 mm width, 1602 mm length, 1862.92 mm height and 93.03 Kg mass. It can harvest 609.6 mm width of grain at a speed of 500 mm/s i.e., it can harvest 0.110 ha/hr. The prototype of the solar grain harvester has one hp DC motor, 2.4 m2 solar panel, three-wheels vehicle and cutter assembly. The test shows that the solar energy supplied into the harvester was capable enough to drive the whole system. Therefore, small-scale solar grain harvester will become preferable means of harvester because it is none pollutant and freely available.