MANUFACTURING AND EVALUATING OF A LOCAL SHREDDING UNIT ATTACHED WITH A CARRIAGE IRRIGATION MACHINE

In Egypt, many farmers have a carriage irrigation machines operated with a single cylinder diesel engine and used only for irrigation purposes at different periods. So, the aim of this paper is using the diesel engine of the irrigation machine to provide power for an attached small shredding unit which can be delivered its movement from the flywheel of the irrigation machine. The experiments were conducted at three shredding drum speeds of 32.2, 41 and 52.8 m.s^-1, three maize average moisture content of 67, 74 and 85% as well as three different number of shredding knives were 3, 4 and 5. Machine productivity, shredding efficiency, power, specific energy requirements, and saving costs were studied. The obtained results revealed that, the productivity increased by increasing the cutting drum speed and number of knives where the highest productivity is 0.608 Mg.h^-1 recorded at cutting drum speed of 52.8 m.s^-1, moisture content of 85 % and using 5 knives. While, the highest shredding efficiency is 95.4 % recorded at cutting drum speed of 52.8 m.s^-1, moisture content of 67 % and using 5 knives. The lowest specific energy of 8.37 kWh.Mg-1 and the highest saving costs of 176.4 L.E. Mg^-1were recorded at drum speed of 32.2 m.s^-1,moisture content of 85% and using 3 knives.