Design parameters for vibratory mango harvesting system.
Parameswarakumar M., Gupta C. P.
Author Affiliation: Agricultural and Food Engineering Division, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand.
Transactions of the ASAE 34 : 14-20
Abstract : An inertia type slider crank limb shaker was designed and developed for harvesting mango fruits. Field tests on two local cultivars showed that to obtain maximum fruit removal with minimum tree damage, the shaker should be operated in the range of 76 to 102 mm eccentricity and 13 to 11 rev/s for 4s. To minimize tree damage, the clamp for holding the tree limb should be provided with a padding material having high shock absorbing characteristics. Among the cushioning materials tested, the nylon net had the lowest fragility factor and the lowest coefficient of restitution and its use is recommended for catching the fruits. Equations are presented for maximum limb displacement, shaking frequency, apparent stiffness of the limb, fruit removal percentage and fruit detachment force.