Development And Performance Evaluation Of Rice Destoning Machine

CHAPTER THREE
3.0    Materials and Methods
3.1    Description of rice de-stoning machine

The main features of rice de-stoning machine are: The hopper, the reciprocating screen, the blower, the drive and driven assembly and the supporting frame.
Hopper: the hopper is cuboid in shape. It is made of mild steel with the thickness of 1.5mm. It forms the feeding chute through which stone contaminated milled rice are fed into the cleaning unit and has stopper at the base to regulate the inflow of the materials into cleaning unit.
The Reciprocating Screen:
The reciprocating screen arrangement consists of four reciprocating arms; each arm has bearing at both ends and the ends are attached to the frame and the other to the reciprocating screen. The reciprocating screen bears the separating screen which is fixed on the main frame. Beneath it, it is a connection to the cam (eccentric mechanism) which energizes the reciprocating screen in the both horizontal and vertical oscillatory motion as it rotates.
Blower Housing:
It is made of mild steel. It accommodates the blower blade and the shaft. The blower provides the air blast for aero dynamism.
Drive and driven assembly:
This consists of electric motor of 1hp with its pulley and eccentric shaft pulley as well as blower’s pulley. The electric motor, the eccentric and blower are connected by V- belts.
Machine Frame:The machine frame is made up of an angle iron. It holds the machine, drive and driven assemblies in position and stabilizes the system during operation.