Theoretical analysis and design of inter cum intra-row wetland paddy field weeder.

Most of the paddy field weeders developed belongs to inter-row types and the use of inter cum intra-row weeding in wetland paddy fields is obscure. This study aims to design and develop inter cum intra-row weeders so that weeds in both inter and intra-row zone can be eradicated in one go. From the design point of view, the power source (engine), cutting blades, rotor shaft, inter and intra-row weeding units, rectangular link, trapezoidal and lateral plates, and support frames were the important components for the functioning of the machine. The power requirement of the machine and finite element analysis (FEA) of the major components have been analyzed. The numerical values obtained from the available theoretical equations were plugged into the SolidWorks software to analyze the strength of each component. The magnitudes of every result showed superb agreement with the values obtained through analysis in the SolidWorks software. To eliminate weeds in the intra-row zone, a sinusoidal curve path was devised for the intra-row unit to move around the paddy plant. Thus, a 3-D (3-Dimensional) CAD model paddy field weeder suitable for inter cum intra-row weeding has been created and the path to be followed by the intra-row weeding unit has been traced using SolidWorks simulation. • Identification of the weeder components necessary for its functioning and its analysis. • Theoretical analysis of power requirements and strength analysis. • FEA (Finite Element Analysis) of each component in SolidWorks software. • Creation of CAD model as per the analysis. • Simulation and path tracing for intra-row weeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]