Evaluation of maize seed sieving performance using sieves with cassini oval shape openings Bredykhin Vadym1, Shchur Taras2,*, Tikunov Stanislav3, Makarenko Oleksandr1, Mezentsev Vladyslav3, Kruszelnicka Weronika4 1Department of Reliability and Durability of Machines and Structures named after V.Y. Anilovich, State Biotechnological University, Alchevskih str., 44, Kharkiv, Ukraine, 61002 2Cyclone Manufacturing Inc, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, L5N 5S1 3Department of Equipment and Engineering of Processing and Food Industries, State Biotechnological University, Alchevskih str., 44, Kharkiv, Ukraine, 61002 4Department of Renewable Energy Sources Engineering and Technical Systems, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, Al. Prof. S. Kaliskiego 7, 86-796, Bydgoszcz, Poland *Corresponding Author’s E-mail Address: shchurtg@gmail.com
Online published on 7 March, 2025. Abstract The process of preliminary cleaning is a determining factor affecting the standard qualities of the seeds. The grain mass that undergoes primary processing contains significant amounts of impurities, the amount of which is strictly regulated by standards. Sieves with rectangular and round openings are the most widely used for separating maize seeds. In this study, the feasibility and efficiency of using sieves with openings in the Cassini oval shape were proposed and substantiated. Three factors subject to variation during the experiments were selected, each having a crucial influence on the process parameters: rotational speed (n, rpm), specific material feed (Q, kg), and angle of sieve inclination (α, deg.). A regression equation was developed, and the response surfaces of the dependencies of defining characteristics of the process of separation of maize seeds on sieves with openings in the Cassini oval shape were compiled and analyzed. The study showed that the rotational speed has a less significant influence on the mass of the undersize of sieved maize than the inclination angle and feeding rate. A maximum grain passage (2.9 kg) into the openings in the Cassini oval shape is obtained at a rotational speed of 290.35 min-1 and a grain feed rate of 3.06 kg min-1. Top Keywords Impurities, Grain, Primary processing, Separating machine, Seed cleaning. Top |