A research on design and development of a prototype harvest machine for tigernut (Cyperus esculentus L.)

Although the tigernut is a commercially attractive plant that can be used as a raw material in many sectors due to its features, it cannot be widely grown and therefore cannot be evaluated by many sectors. The most important reason for this situation is that the harvest is based on manual labor. In this study, it was aimed to design and develop a prototype of a harvesting machine in accordance with its physical properties and soil structure. In line with this objective, firstly the design parameters of the machine have been determined and the functional units have been decided and the design draft has been prepared. Afterwards, design drawings and material selection was made. The units were manufactured separately. After testing the units under field and laboratory conditions, the prototype was assembled. In the evaluation of the working efficiency of the prototype, the two main functions of digging and separation are considered. Digging and seperation losses were found as 10.43% and 4.7%, respectively. As a result, it was determined that the prototype, which was designed and manufactured, could be used successfully in the harvest of tigernut. However, some additional arrangements like adding soil breaking unit and two nested cylindirical screens should be made depending on the heavy ans stony field conditions in which the product was cultivated.