A justification of the choice of parameters for the picking reel tooth on a lowbush blueberry harvester
¹Estonian University of Life Sciences, Institute of Technology, 56 Kreutzwaldi Str., EE51006 Tartu, Estonia
²2Saint-Petersburg Mining University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 21 Line, 2, RU199106 Saint-Petersburg, Russia
*Correspondence: margus.arak@emu.ee
Abstract:
The functional working tool on the blueberry harvester is its rotating picking reel. Its working element is the picking rake which is attached to the picking reel. A total of four rakes are attached to the picking reel. A picking rake includes an axis which is attached in an articulated manner between the reel’s end discs, and pin-shaped teeth which are rigidly attached to it. The picking rake’s tooth must be made of a fully flexible material to prevent damage to the blueberry plant. The aim of this research was to determine the flexure of test specimens (plastic rods) which have been constructed from a fully flexible material of different conditions, along with the suitability for use of such flexible material as the teeth on the picking rake. As a result of this study, it became clear that, based on the results from flexure, durability, and residual deformation tests, it is more expedient to choose Ertacetal C (POM-C) as the material for the picking reel’s tooth, with a diameter of 4.3 mm.
Key words:
blueberry harvester, elastic modulus, flexible tooth, picking reel