Design, fabrication, and testing of grains and mixer for flatbed dryer for Barangay Badiangan, Ajuy, Iloilo

Abstract

This study aims to design, fabricate, and test a grains mixer for a flatbed dryer in Barangay Badiangan, Ajuy, Iloilo. The farmers suffer low corn quality, and stirring the corn is labor- intensive. A mechanical dryer stirrer is to increase the corn quality of the place while at the same time eliminating or reducing the labor force. The stirrer is a horizontal paddle- type stirrer that employs both translational and rotational motion to thoroughly mix the corn. The stirrer consists of the main shaft, trapezoidal paddles, and 1.5 HP electric motor with a gear-based drivetrain, frame housing, and foundations around the perimeter of the dryer. The main tests are cost analysis and the comparative calculation between computational and the actual. The cost analysis showed Php 13, 391 in savings. After completing the investigation and analyzing the data, the researchers operated the grains mixer, and it was functional. The results except the rotational speed were within 10%. The stirrer can move over a 6-meter width truss-type platform and a 12-meter length railings. The paddle arm was able to reach at the bottom of the bed with a clearance of 7 cm to make an allowance due to the identified obstruction and the condition of the bed such as the uneven steel matting and entangled nets. The RPM was 13.5, which is quicker than manual mixing. Since the calculations were based on a full capacity of the flatbed dryer, comparing rotational speed is more realistic with 200 sacks of com grains. Overall, the stirrer was working and the computational values compared to actual were expected.