DESIGN OF A MODIFIED HAND OPERATED MAIZE SHELLER

ABSTRACT
Maize shelling or simply maize threshing is the most important aspect of post harvest operation
of maize. It involves detaching of the maize grain from its cobs. The threshing technique applied
is also important in other grain post harvest and handling processes such as sorting for quality as
well as storage. The traditional method of grain threshing is by use of hand held simple tools or
hitting with stick which is laborious, time consuming, causes loss of grains and has a very low
output. For instance, the traditional hand maize shelling technique can only achieve up to
25kg/hour of shelled maize. The performance of an improved pedal maize threshing machine
which consists of a single spiked disc in the threshing unit and whose results show that the
machine can shell about 80 kg/hour of maize is not very efficient since the machine is turned
manually and requires very high energy inputs in cycling. Mechanized shelling techniques such
as the motor operated maize sheller as well as the tractor PTO operated sheller are the most
efficient but post a challenge for adoption by the rural farmer because of the high costs involved
in either hiring their services or purchasing the machines.
The design modification presented in this paper is aimed at complementing the performance of
the cob master threshing machine by incorporating mechanisms such as gear system, flywheel
and a chain drive system to achieve desirable threshing Torque as well as minimize on the
reciprocating force and energy requirements in operating the machine. The design also furnishes
an alternative to the costly mechanized maize shelling machinery there by providing an
appropriate mechanism to meet the shelling demand of rural maize farmers who basically have a
priority in subsistence farming.
ACKNOWLODGEMENT

CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The invention of the modern crank-operated maize sheller is widely attributed to Mr. Lester E.
Denison from Middlesex County, Connecticut. Denison was issued a patent on August 12 1839,
for a freestanding, hand-operated machine that removed individual kernels of maize by pulling
the cob through a series of metal-toothed cylinders which stripped the kernels off the cob. During
that same century, dozens of American patents were filed for maize shellers made ofwood, iron
or a combination of the two, including one in 1845 by Joseph Briggs of Saratoga County, New
York. His sheller produced similar results to that of the Denison sheller but was a compact unit,
designed to be supported on a bench or chair.In the early 1900's, a number of engine-powered
maize shellers were developed which provided the foundation for modern commercial and
agricultural shellers. These large stream-powered machines have now been mostly replaced with
the use of the modern combine harvester that strips the kernels from the maize cob while the
maize is being harvested in the field. Since the introduction of the modern maize sheller in the
1800's, the basic design and function of this machine has remained the same with most modern-
day maize shellers bearing a strong resemblance to the original models designed by inventors
like Denison and Briggs.

BACKGROUND
Maize is one of the most important staple crops in the world. In Kenya, for example, 45% of the
population considers maize meal to be their survival food, making it the most consumed food of
the country. In Asia, maize production is over 200 billion kilograms a year and it is expected that
the total maize production in developing countries will eventually overtake production in
industrialized countries. Maize is the most important cereal grain in the world, after wheat and
rice, providing nutrients for humans and animals and serving as a basic raw material for the
production of starch, oil and protein, alcoholic beverages, food sweeteners and, more recently,
fuel. It is because of the important place of maize that its handling, processing and preservation
within the optimum conditions must be analyzed. The major steps involved in the processing of
maize are harvesting, drying, de-husking, shelling, storing, and milling. All these processes are
costly and for the rural farmers to maximize profits on their produce, appropriate technology that
suites their needs must be used. Maize processing not only prolongs its useful life but also
increases the net profit farmers make from mechanization technologies. It is in this line that one
of the most important processing operations done to bring out the quality of maize is shelling or
threshing f maize. It is basically the removal of the maize kernels from the cob. This separation,
done by hand or machine, is obtained by threshing, by friction or by shaking the products; the
difficulty of the process depends on the varieties grown, and on the moisture content as well as
the degree of maturity of the grain.

PROBLEM STATEMENT
For a long time now, shelling maize to remove the grain from the cob has been a time
consuming, tedious and a mind cracking process especially to the many small scale farmers in
the country who basically practice subsistence maize farming. However, traditional shelling
methods do not support large-scale shelling of maize, especially for commercial purposes. Hand
shelling takes a lot of time, even with some hand operated simple tools. In this paper’s study
area, most mechanized shellers designed for maize threshing or shelling are tractor PTO shaft
operated and cause great damage to the maize seeds likewise breaking the cob to pieces. Such
shellers are equipped with rotating threshing drum with beaters or teeth, which cause damages to
the seed. Besides, the cost of purchasing such shellers are high for the rural farmer and therefore
call for the need of a relatively low cost maize shelling mechanism that will be affordable to such
farmers not only to meet their shelling requirement but also to improve the threshing efficiency
and reduce damage to the seed.

OBJECTIVES
GENERAL OBJECTIVE
The General objective of this project is to design a modified hand operated maize sheller.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
The specific objectives of the project are the following;
 To review the existing maize shelling techniques.
 To design a hand operated mechanical maize sheller.
 To determine energy requirement for operating the machine.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT

THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

This modified sheller is to be a manually operated equipment. Its work output will depend on the
operators as well as on the machine itself. The operator is to perform the maize shelling
operation by rotating a crank handle and therefore, proper crankshaft height and crank length
would be necessary for efficient operation of the machine. Improper crankshaft height and shaft
length will result in discomfort to the operator and difficulties in the smooth operation of the
equipment, thus resulting in lower work efficiency.
In view of the above this paper focuses on energy considerations which arise from among other
factors, the physiological and psychophysical responses of the rural farmer during operation of
the maize sheller at different shaft handle heights and shaft lengths and to carry out design
modification in work system so as to have higher man-machine system efficiency. It is in this
regard that speed of the toothed gearing in the design system will be analyzed to facilitate the
determination of forces in the primary shaft as well as the power transmitted to the threshing
unit.
 LIMITATIONS OF THE PROJECT
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Maize shelling is an important step towards the processing of maize to its various finished
products like flour. Threshing or shelling operations of maize follow the harvest and whatever
pre-drying of the crop is undertaken. This operation can be carried out in the field or at the
storage environment. The different methods of maize shelling can be categorized based on
various mechanization technology used. These includes: hand-tool-technology, animal
technology, and engine power technology.

MAIZE SHELLING TECHNIQUES

Depending on the influence of agronomic, economic and social factors, threshing or shelling is
done in different ways:
 threshing or shelling by hand, with simple tools;
 mechanical threshing or shelling, with simple machines operated manually;
 mechanical threshing or shelling, with motorized equipment.

Hand shelling
The easiest traditional system for shelling maize is to press the thumbs on the grains in order to
detach them from the ears. Another simple and common shelling method is to rub two ears of
maize against each other. These methods however require a lot of labour. It is calculated that a
worker can hand-shell only a few kilograms an hour. Shelling of maize, as well as of sunflowers,
can be more efficiently accomplished by striking a bag full of ears or heads with a stick. Maize
and sunflowers can also be shelled by rubbing the ears or heads on a rough surface. Small tools,
often made by local artisans, are sometimes used to hand-shell maize. With these tools, a worker
can shell 8 to 15 kg of maize an hour.

Maize-shelling with Rotary Equipment

Manual shellers, which are relatively common and sometimes made by local artisans, permit
easier and faster shelling of ears of maize. These come in several models, some of them equipped
to take a motor; they are generally driven by a handle or a pedal. Use of manual shellers
generally requires only one worker. A good example is the Antique maize shellers.

Figure 1: Antique Maize sheller

The major setbacks with these shellers are that their threshing capacities are low and most of
them require to be fixed on benches before operation. Also their method of operation is too
cumbersome from the fact that the crank handle is directly connected to the threshing chamber
and therefore the effect of friction is too vigorous during the threshing process.

Mechanized threshing or shelling with motorized equipment

Nowadays many small maize shellers, equipped with a rotating cylinder of the pegor bar type,
are available on the market. Their output ranges between 500 and 2000kg per hour, and they may
be driven from a tractor power take off or have their own engine; power requirements vary
between 5 and 15hp according to the equipment involved. For instance the French Bourgoin
"Bamba" model seems well-suited to rural areas in developing countries because of its simple
design, easy handling and versatility (maize, millet sorghum, etc.).
 Figure 2: "Bamba" motorized maize sheller
It is also important to consider the fact that the operations of harvesting and threshing or shelling
can be carried out simultaneously, by combine-harvesters or picker-shellers. Whatever the
system used, it is very important that threshing or shelling be done with care. Otherwise, these
operations can cause breakage of the grains or protective husks thus reducing the product's
quality and fostering subsequent losses from the action of insects and moulds. Transport of the
product from the field to the threshing or shelling place must also be handled with special care,
since it can bring about severe losses. Maize grain losses contribute to food insecurity and low
farm incomes not only in Kenya but also in other SSA countries (Compton, 1992;Azu, 2002;
Republic of Kenya, 2004). Therefore, efficient post harvest handling, storage and marketing can
tremendously contribute to social economic aspects of rural communities in Kenya as stipulated
in Vision 2030 (Republic of Kenya, 2007). The losses are directly measurable in economic,
quantitative, qualitative, (nutritional) terms. Economic loss is the reduction in monetary value of
maize grain as a result of physical loss. Quantitative maize loss involves reduction in weight and
therefore can be defined and valued. Qualitative loss although difficult to assess because it is
frequently based on subjective judgments (like damage), can often be described by comparison
with locally accepted quality standards (Magan and Aldred, 2007).Such losses lead to lower
levels of food security, hunger and low on farm incomes.
The link in the Maize shelling techniques
Although there exist a number of maize shelling techniques as earlier discussed, each of the
technique has its own shortcomings which in general call for the design of this modified maize
sheller. These drawbacks include the tediousness involved in manually operating hand held
maize shelling devices, the cost of buying motorized maize shelling equipment is unaffordable to
the small scale maize farmers, existing hand operated rotary shellers especially those constructed
by the local artisans require the farmer to use too much energy to shell very little maize. Most
farmers find this as a waste of time and other valuable resources. There cent developments in
maize shelling techniques as well as the design presented in this paper would provide alternative
options that can be adopted to meet the sheller needs of such rural farmers.
Theoretical framework
The design of this modified maize sheller aids its possible construction from locally available
materials to shell maize and separate the cob from the grains and its cost is projected to be low
and affordable. Its threshing efficiency is projected to be above 90% and breakage is estimated to
be very insignificant, as well as losses. Moisture content seriously affects the thresh ability of
maize (Agricultural Innovations for Sustainable Development-Contributions from the Finalists of
the 2009/2010 Africa-wide Women and Young Professionals in Science Competitions Volume 3
Issue 2). An average moisture content of 15% to 18% is sufficient for maize threshing. Another
factor that affects the thresh ability of maize in a mechanized system is the size of the maize cob.
The mechanical shellers need to be adjusted to the various sizes of cobs ranging from 50mm to
85mm depending on the variety. There are also engineering design factors that affect the design
of mechanical shellers. These factors are the design of the power transmission shaft, key,
selection of the prime mover, type of pulley, appropriate chain drive design and selection of
appropriate bearings support. The power delivered by a shaft is given by:
P=F×V (1)
Where P = power (Nm/s), F = Force of threshing (N), and V = linear velocity (m/s). Force
required to thresh the maize is given by
F = mw2r (2)
Where F is force required to thresh maize, m is mass of the prime movers, w is the angular
velocity of shaft.
The angular velocity w is determined by the equation 2π N/60, where N is the speed of threshing
which is in revolutions per minute.
The power delivered by the shaft is Fwr. The total threshing power is determined by an
appropriate threshing speed that will give very low mechanical damage, but high threshing
output within the range of 40 - 100 revolutions per minute. The relationship in the speed of the
driver and driven gears of the spur gearing is given by;
N1. T1 = N2. T2 (3)
where N1 and N2 are the speeds of the driver and driven gears whereas T1 and T2 are the
number of teeth of the respective gears.
The relation can also be stated as;
N1.D1 = N2. D2 (4)
where D1 and D2 are the overall diameters of the driver and driven gears. The chain drive
system in this design is composed of the larger sprocket and smaller sprocket. The exact length
of the chain may be determined by the relation L=pK where p is the pitch of the chain and K a
multiplying factor determined from the number of teeth on the larger sprocket (T1) and the
number of teeth on the smaller sprocket (T2). The momentum of the flywheel that is mounted at
the far end of the primary shaft determines the torque and contributes to the total power that the
chain drive transmits to the threshing chamber.
L=I.ω (5)
where L is the angular momentum, I the mass moment of inertia and ω the angular velocity of
the flywheel. I = m.k2, k being the radius of gyration of the flywheel.
The shelling machine to be designed will be recommended for testing to determine its effective
use with respect to the work to be done. Its performance is to be evaluated based on the
throughput capacity, effective throughput capacity and its mechanical efficiency. The throughput
capacity (Tp) is given as;
Tp = Wt /tt in kg/hr, (6)
where Wt is to total weight of material handled, which includes threshed and un threshed, and tt
is the total time taken in handling the materials. The effective throughput capacity is the ratio of
actual weight of grains handled that was not damaged to the effective time of operation. Also,
Tpe = Wa/te where Tpe is the effective throughput capacity, Wa is the actual weight of grain
handled in kg, and ta is the effective operating time in hour. The efficiency in %, η is the
percentage of the ratio of the total weight of grain actually handled (output), Wa(kg) to the total
weight of grain to be handled (input), Wt (kg)
η = Wa/Wt (7)

CHAPTER THREE
DESIGN METHODOLOGY
The methods used in this design are in three phases; the first phase involves the collection of
rural farmer sheller needs. The second stage is the design of an appropriate system to meet their
needs, and finally to communicate results to the farmers and determine whether their problem
will be solved.
3.1 Collection of the rural farmer sheller needs
The farmer sheller needs are vital in identifying the performance of the shelling machines
currently available in the market. Majority of the farmers in the site under study lamented on the
high costs charged by local business men and women who offer maize shelling services normally
for hire. Such shellers are usually powered by tractor PTO and require more than eight people for
its effective operation. The farmers are therefore forced to dig deep into their pockets to facilitate
payment of such casual workers alongside the payment of machine service. Considering the low
harvest capacity of individual farmers from the sizes of their farms as stated earlier in this paper,
such a move would cost them a lot and cut a great deal on their returns. On the other hand the
farmers termed such techniques as those of shelling by hand and use of sticks to beat maize in
sacks so as to shell as stone age shelling techniques that are a waste of time and energy and
which would only be adopted as a fall back plan if all means to shell their produce fail. The use
of small rotary shellers such as the antique sheller presented a further challenge since they had to
set up a working bench on which they could mount the machine. Additionally, the farmers also
complained of the slow rate at which such equipment remove kernels from the cobs and most of
them were reluctant to use them frequently. They suggested that if a cheaper solution would be
availed to them to solve their maize shelling problem, with minimal breakage of the kernel and
cob then such a technique would be warmly welcome and embraced by individual farmers or a
group of such rural farmers. On the field determination of farmer shelling capacity is vital.
Comparison was made on the time taken to shell the quantity of maize harvested per farmer and
the time taken before deterioration sets in. It is important to consider the fact that appropriate
technology for storage of maize produce is not readily available including pesticides to handle
weevil attack. Pesticides are purchased from local agro-vets and do not last long hence the need
to design a threshing mechanism that would eliminate breakage of kernels as much as possible to
reduce chances of easy attack by the pests. Essentially, rural farmers’ problems in relation to
maize shelling had to do with energy inputs in shelling of their produce, cost of the shelling
technology used and mechanical advantage of using the equipment as well as self reliance of the
equipment in terms of rigidity, support and portability.
Design Of The Hand operated Mechanical Maize Sheller
Design Considerations
The parameters considered in the design of this modified hand operated maize sheller include the
following;
 Dried cobs with maize kernel moisture content of 15% to 18% to ease the removal of the
seeds from the cob.
 Overall height of the machine to facilitate ease of operation by a rural farmer of average
height.
 Overall width and breadth of the machine for purposes of storage space in the rural
farmers granaries.
 Weight of the equipment for portability
Working Principle of the Machine Design
The uniqueness of this design is that it works on a different principle of threshing. As compared
to other designs which work on the principle of impact force, this design works on the principle
of abrasion; an application of force tangentially on a surface.
The machine is to be operated by applying force to rotate the crank handle. Motion of the handle
provides an angular velocity that is translated to the toothed gearing system. The driven gear is
fixed on the primary shaft hence the resultant velocity of the driven gear generates power on this
shaft. As the shaft rotates, the flywheel mounted on its far end provided an angular momentum
which adds more power to that generated along the length of the shaft. This total power is
transmitted to the secondary shaft via the chain drive hence providing rotary motion of the
beater discs which pull and shell the maize cobs by friction and shearing action against the
spiked cast iron projections on either side of the thresher bar. The empty cobs will pass out
through the cobs outlet opening and are thrown out by the force of rotation of the shelling discs,
and then grain will spread through the grain outlet (collector and port).
Design specifications
The design of this maize sheller is based on consideration of design specifications whose choice
is based a number of factors that include the availability of construction materials needed for a
further fabrication of the work presented in this paper, cost of such materials, desired size of the
machine for Ergonomics of using it, machinability factor which includes, installation,
simplication, and durability as well as the prolonged life of using the machine. These design
specifications include the following;
Overall dimension 1000mm x 690mm x 1500mm
Shaft of at least 700mm in length and 40mm in diameter
Hopper of Overall Height 520mm inlet allowance of 550mm by 550mm
Crank handle of length 170mm and height 300mm
Spur gears of gear ratio above 3, with the driven preferably being a freewheel cog gear.
Small/large sprockets (4-13 STD/8-23STD) respectively
Flywheel of at least 14kg in weight
Thresher discs of at least 20kg total weight
Centre to center shaft distance not less than 500mm Angle steel bars of1 ” by1 ” and 2mm
thickness