DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A BUNCH SHAKER FOR VIBRATORY DATE DETACHMENT*.

The purpose of this research was to design and develop an experimental shaker for vibratory date detachment. The prototype machine was constructed and tested on Shahani dates fruit bunch. The bunch shaker was powered by a continuous variable speed motor. The rotational speed of the power unit could be continuously varied from 0 to 1400 rpm by means of a volume control knob on a digital board. The rotating output power of the motor was transmitted to a small flywheel through a V-belt drive system, where it was converted to a reciprocating motion by a slider-crank mechanism. The eccentricity of the crank mechanism was adjustable to provide stroke lengths of 20, 40, 80, 100 and 120 mm. The slider motion was transmitted to the shaker clamp by a 500 mm long boom made of 20mm steel tubing. The boom could reciprocate vertically and horizontally in a brass guide. By this shaker date fruit bunch can be oscillated in vertical, horizontal and hanging modes. At the vertical shaking mode, the resulting motion of slider-crank mechanism was transmitted to the fruit bunch clamped to the shaker frame, through a boom and a clamping device. The required average power for bunch shaking was estimated to be about 1kW by assuming constant-displacement limb shaker model. Result showed the bunch shaker was capable of removing ripe fruit from the bunch at 5-7 second without imparting rubbing and bruising damage to the fruits