FABRICATION AND MANUFACTURE OF A LITTER REMOVAL MACHINE FOR POULTRY FARMS

Afify, M. K.

doi:10.21608/mjae.2009.109075

FABRICATION AND MANUFACTURE OF A LITTER REMOVAL MACHINE FOR POULTRY FARMS

Document Type : Original Article

Author

M. K. Afify

Ass. Prof. of Agric. Eng. Dept., Fac. of Agric., Zagazig Univ., Egypt.

10.21608/mjae.2009.109075

Abstract

A litter removal machine was fabricated and constructed for exciting, removing and scraping the litter (bed) of the poultry breeding farms. The evaluation of machine is carried out through the terms of five litter moisture content(25.43, 28.15, 31.30, 35.58, and 38.82 % ), five machine forward speeds (0.57, 0.87, 1.13, 1.42, and 1.73 km/h) ,number of knives groups (3 and 4 groups), and number of knives per each group (3 and 4 knives ) .The machine productivity, removal efficiency, power, energy, and criterion cost were investigated to evaluate the machine performance. The proper kinematics parameter ( ratio of knife peripheral velocity to machine forward speed) is experimentally estimated to maximize removal efficiency and minimized both energy and cost. The results concluded the following;
1. The maximum of removal efficiency, the minimum of energy requirement and criterion cost were achieved at litter moisture content of 31.30 %, four groups of knives, four knives per each group on the unit
2. The kinematic parameter of 1.6 ( 0.5 m/s knife velocity and 1.13 km/h machine forward speed) is recommended to be adjusted for operating the manufacture litter removal machine with three knives per each group and four groups of knives or kinematic parameter of 1.27 (0.5 m/s knife velocity and 1.42 km/h machine forward speed) for machine with four knives per each group and four groups of knives

Main Subjects

Agricultural Power and Machinery Engineering

References

Abo-habbaga, M.M (1994). Influence of the kinematic parameters on a rotary plow on the seedbed quality. J. of Agric. Science. MansouraUniv.(19) (12):5433-4543.

Awady, M.N.; E.Y. Ghoneim. and A.I. Hashish (1982). A critical comparison between wheat combine harvesters under Egyptian conditions. Res. Bull. No.1920. Ain Shams Univ.; 1 – 13.

Barth, C.L. (1985). Livestock waste characterization-a new approach. In Agricultural Waste Utilization and Management. Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on Agricultural Wastes, ASAE, St. Joseph, MI, p. 286.

Hunt, D. (1983): Farm power and machinery management. 8^th Ed. Iowa state Univ., Press Ames, USA. Ames, Iowa, USA: 364-368.

Kepner, R.A.; R. Bainer; and E.L.Barger (1986) Principle of farm machinery. 3^rd ed., The AVI pub. Co.INC, WestportConn. U.S.A: 341 – 357.

Krider N. J. (1999) The Agricultural Waste Management Field Handbook . Waste Management Systems .United States Department of Agriculture. Soil Conservation Service.pp:210.

Morad, M.M (1981) A study on the energy requirements for the cutting operation of different kinds of plants. Masc. Thesis, Agric. Mech. Dept., Fac. of Agric., ZagazigUniv.

Prasad and Cupta (1975). Mechanicalproperties of maize stalk as related to harvesting. J. Agric. Eng., Res., vol. 20,p: 79 – 87.

Stephenson, A.H., T.A. McCaskey, and B.G. Ruffin. (1989) Treatments to improve the feed nutrient value of deep stacked broiler litter. J. Dairy Sci. 67, Suppl. 1, p. 441.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (1983) Water quality standards handbook. Wash., DC.

United States Environmental Protection Agency (1984). Technical support manual: Water body surveys and assessments for conducting use attainment. Wash., DC.

Westerman, P.W., L.M. Safley, Jr., J.C. Barker, and G.M. Chescheir (1985). Available nutrients in livestock waste. InAgricultural Waste Utilization and Management. Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on Agricultural Wastes, ASAE, St. Joseph, MI, p. 295.