Study of a lifting separator for potato machines

Ukraine has a unique natural potential that allows it to become a leader in agricultural production in Europe. However, for successful entry into Western markets, it is necessary to ensure first of all the competitiveness of its own products, which is achieved through comprehensive mechanization of technological processes, reducing labor costs, increasing yields and quality of products.

Accordingly, the aim of the study was to conduct a comparative analysis of technologies and machines for potato harvesting, development of quality indicators of potato heap separation due to various ways to activate separation and equipment with additional devices designed to accelerate soil sieving and destruction of lumps.

The research was carried out by technological and structural analysis of technologies and machines for harvesting potatoes. In the process of research methods of comparison and mathematical modeling of technological processes were used. The information base of the research was the work of Ukrainian and foreign scientists on technologies and machines for potato harvesting.

Based on the comparative analysis of technologies, separating working bodies and machines for potato harvesting, the main processes influencing agrotechnical indicators of harvesting equipment are revealed, a fundamentally new scheme of root-harvesting machine separating device is proposed, in which the working process of separating tubers from soil takes place. bulbous heap. Four characteristic zones of technological process of separation in the investigated device are allocated: a zone of transition of a bulbous layer of soil from a ploughshare to a hoisting elevator, the force breaking a stolon is defined; the zone of lifting and passing of the heap in the place of maximum ascent of the branches of the heap-lifting and tuber-receiving elevators - the calculated force exerted on the tuber in this zone does not lead to damage to the tubers; the zone of convergence of the tops separator belts with the surface of the hoisting elevator - the belts placed with an interval of 10 ... 12 cm perform the functions: cut the tubers from the tops, squeeze the tubers on the surface of the heap flow, keep the soil flow with the tops meeting area of tubers with a tuber-bale bar. The magnitude of the shock reaction acting on the tuber at the time of contact with the rod is determined.