Design and Development of Sugarcane Harvester

Agriculture contributes about 21 percent in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Pakistan. 48% of Pakistan?s workforce is associated with the agriculture sector. Intraditional farming, conventional sugarcane harvesting techniques are mostly used which require manual cutting the base of the sugarcane

Project Title

Design and Development of Sugarcane Harvester

Project Area of Specialization

Mechatronics Engineering

Project Summary

Agriculture contributes about 21 percent in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Pakistan. 48% of Pakistan’s workforce is associated with the agriculture sector. Intraditional farming, conventional sugarcane harvesting techniques are mostly used which require manual cutting the base of the sugarcane using a mechete, shaving the dry leafs and cutting the top green leafs which demands a lot labor. It results in less accurate farming e.g. low yeild per hecter anually, it also consumes a lot of time and money. The project aim is to develop a low cost sugarcane harvester with onboard diagnostic sensors and localization capability. The main objective is tomake farming efficient which requires minimum man power and less time to obtain more accuracy.

Project Objectives

Automation in agriculture will increase efficiency not only because automation is much faster than manual labor but also because it reduces costs by reducing human interference. The project aim is to develop a low cost sugarcane harvester with onboard diagnostic sensors and localization capability

Project Implementation Method

The first phase of development of the sugarcane harvester is the ground work, finding out what the farmers requirements are from the harvester. In order to do this, our team went to different parts of Pakistan to talk to the farmers and gather information. We also visited National agricultural research center to gather all data they had on the requirements of the farmer. The second phase in the development of the sugarcane harvester is the research of the existing sugarcane harvesters and also looking in to why the farmers of Pakistan are not buying these sugarcane harvesters.

The third phase in the development of the sugarcane harvester is making a smart accurate design that would fulfil the requirements that were given to us. First of all, the concept design of the machine would be conceptualized in Maya to get a 3D perspective of what the machine would look like. Next the model would be imported into solid works and all the specific detailing would be done. Some of the specific detailing that would be done are the material selection, the length, the gage of material, etc. After the design model of the sugarcane harvester chassis is complete, it would be extensively tested and analyzed in simulation.

The fourth phase starts after the simulation results are successful. The prototype materials will be bought and costing analysis would be done. The aim in the section of material selection is that all the materials must be easily available in the local market and also must be cost effective. In the fifth phase, after the materials have been procured, the model will be fabricated.

In the sixth phase the fabricated prototype would be taken out in to the field and its mechanics would be rigorously tested. During testing three main things would be looked at, first the falling motion of the sugarcane after being cut from its base would be analyzed so a suitable mechanism can be designed in order to control the falling motion of the sugarcane, second analyzing the machine in order to find a smart and efficient place to install the sensors, and third the result of the specific cutter designed that is installed on the machine.

The seventh phase in the development of the sugarcane harvester would be designing and fabricating the electronics which consisting of multiple sensors interfacing with a controller, motor drivers and communication module. Four types of sensors will be used, which are ultrasonic sensor, IR sensor, wheel encoders and temperature sensor. After the fabrication of the electronics, it would be installed on the machine.

In the eighth phase after the electronics have been installed on the machine, it would be taken out in to the field and put under extensive testing. In the ninth phase, rectifying issues arising during testing would be done. In the last phase, an app would be designed and developed in order to display all sensory data and control the machine.

Benefits of the Project

Pakistan's sugarcane yield averages about 35.4 tonnes per hectare as shown in figure 3, which is well below the world average yield of sugarcane. Neighbouring country India's yield is at 59.9 tonnes and Egypt’s yield is 90 tones which is almost thrice the Pakistan’s yield. Due to automation, following benefits will be achieved, which will also be a contribution to the society.

· Increase yield by Higher production rates.

· Time to market will reduce.

· More efficient use of materials.

· Better product quality.

· Improved safety.

· Shorter workweeks for labour.

· Reduced factory lead times.

· Low number of labours are required for whole operation.

· Cost of harvesting is very less as compared with manual harvesting which is done in Pakistan.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The development of the sugarcane harvester will use several Mechanical component and Electrical component which would be either designed or procured

· Engine: An engine will be used as the main mechanical source of power that will be used to move all other parts of the machine. The engine will produce the mechanical force in order to move the machine as it will be given a driving force, and the base cutter.

· Base cutter: The base cutter will be used in order to cut the sugarcane from base. The cutter will be made of stainless steel of gauge 16 which would have sharp curve on its edges.

· Shave roller: The shave rollers will be run using a DC motor so the rollers speed and strength applied and be controlled by the user.

· Top cutter: The top cutter will be used in order to cut the top green leafs of the sugarcane, there are other agricultural uses of these top green leafs so they will be separated from the harvested sugarcane.

· Electrical component. The electrical component will be used to give the reading of the machine progress and processes. We will be using several electrical components that are described below.

· IR sensor: The IR sensor will be used to measure the speed of the base cutter, the shave rollers and the speed of the machine.

· Temperature sensor: The temperature sensor will be used to measure the temperature of the engine. Specific threshold will be applied to avoid any unwanted circumstances like the engine heating up. If such conditions do arise, there would be a cutoff switch in the app which the user may enable or the system will automatically shut down so that more damage is not caused.

· Ultrasonic sensor: The ultrasonic sensor will be used to monitor the distances of the sugarcane from the front of the machine. With specific values specific actions will be performed.

· Interfacing controller: The microcontroller Arduino Uno will be the controller that is used to interface the sensors.

· Designing of the models: The designing of the model was done in Maya, which was used to a 3D perspective of the machine and then it was imported in to solid-works where all the detail of dimensions and materials were added

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Agriculture

Other Industries

Core Technology

Robotics

Other Technologies

Sustainable Development Goals

No Poverty, Zero Hunger

Required Resources

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