14. SEMI AUTOMATIC CORER AND SIZER

SEMI AUTOMATIC CORER AND SIZER

Aim: To remove the core and peel of the pineapple and measure the power transmission elements of a semi automatic corer and sizer machine.

Apparatus:
  1. Semi Automatic corer and sizer
  2. Measuring scale
  3. Outside and inside caliper
  4. Tachometer
  5. Thread (Nylon)
Working principle: The machine is used to remove the; core and outer peel of the pineapple. There are two separate units, which are based on the cast iron stand. The first unit has an electrical motor with driver pulley which is connected to a driven pulley by ‘V’ belt. The driven pulley has metallic sizer and
Fitted in Plummer block bush bearing. The Plummer block has two extended rods which are connected to three knives ring. The second unit has a bed with two guiding arbors at the base to facilitate the corer tube to move front and back by using button hand lever linkage and to move upper square bar hand lever towards coreless pineapple. The rotating power from the electrical motor (i.e. driver pulley) is transferred to driven pulley by ‘V’ belt which has sizer and three knives ring. The; movement of the corer tube and square bar can be obtained by pressing the foot pedal and moving the bottom and top hand lever manually.

The machine essentially consists of the following parts.
  1. Cast iron body with stand
  2. Electrical motor
  3. Plummer block bush bearing
  4. Three knives ring with two rods
  5. Sizer
  6. Bed with corer tube and square bar
Procedure:
  • Switch on the electrical motor before starting the work.
  • Press the foot pedal to hold the base plate at the center of three knives corer ring.
  • Keep the dressed pineapple at the center of the base plate.
  • Push the lower hand lever towards left so that the pineapple core enters the hollow corer tube.
  • Keep the lower hand lever towards right side and release the foot pedal to lift the base plate.
  • Again push the lower hand lever and upper hand lever towards sizer.
  • Collect the sized fruit at the exit of the sizer.
  • Switch off the machine after completion of the operation.
Observations: Following observations have be recorded.

Sl.No. Parameters
1. Horse power of the electrical motor (HP/KW)
2. RPM of the electrical motor (rpm)
3. RPM of the driver pulley (rpm)
4. Diameter of the driver pulley (cm)
5. Diameter of the driven pulley (cm)
6. Inside diameter of the sizer (cm)
7. Diameter of the knives ring (cm)
8. Diameter of the base plate (cm)
9. Diameter of the corer tube (cm)
10. Diameter of the bigger tube (cm)
11. No. of blades (knives ) inside the ring (cm)
12. Knives length, breadth, thickness (cm)

Calculations:

1) Velocity ratio of belt drive

N2
= ------------
N1
d1
= ------------
d2
Where,
N1 = Speed of the driver in rpm
N2 = Speed of the driven in rpm
d1 = Diameter of the driver in cm
d2 = Diameter of the driven in cm

2) Length of the belt
(r1 – r2)2
L = (r1 + r2) + 2x + ------------
x

Where,
r1 = radius of the driver pulley in cms
r2 = radius of the driven pulley in cms
x = distance between the center of the pulley in cms

2 π NT
HP = ------------
4500

3) Diameter of the shaft

π
T = ------fsd3
16
Where,
Fs = Shear stress in Kg/ cm2
T = Torque in Kg-m
N = rpm
HP = Horse power
d = Diameter of driver shaft in cms

Last modified: Monday, 9 August 2010, 7:19 AM