OPTIMISATION DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF CLOVER THRESHER K-0.3.

In the course of the research of the operational procedure of the clover thresher K-0.3 at alfalfa (Medicago) seed threshing the authors set a purpose of studying the influence of the machine design and technological parameters on the indicators of the quality of the industrial process of alfalfa seed threshing. To achieve the purpose, the authors adopted and implemented a Box-Behnken statistical design. After the plan implementation and processing of the experiment results the models of regression analysis of the second order were obtained for the extent of seed threshing and crushing. As a result, the authors draw a conclusion that a significant influence on the change of the seed threshing extent is provided by the change in the drum rotation frequency. The feed of the original material and the gap between the rasps and the threshing surface has a smaller impact on the change in the extent of alfalfa. The change of the seed threshing value is largely influenced by all of these three factors. The most significant of them is the drum rotation frequency. Based on the requirements set to the values of the quality indicators for the industrial process of grass seed threshing (the extent ε of seed threshing is not less than 97...98%, crushing of d seeds not more than 1.5%) the authors found an intermediate solution in relation to combination of the factor levels: q = 50...350 kg·h-1; δ = δin = δout = 3...5 mm; n = 1 300...1 400 min-1. To evaluate the validity of the research outcomes the authors conducted an experiment at registering the factor levels in relation to the assumed optimal values: n = 1400 min-1, q = 350 kg·h-1; and δ = 3 mm. As a result, the authors obtained the values of the seed threshing extent ε = 96.1% against ε = 96.4%, and crushing d = 0.68% against d = 0.70%, which, with a probability of 95%, confirms the validity of the model and the results of the conducted research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]