Evaluation the Performance of the Locally Fabricated Maize Sheller Machine

The shelling process is one of the most critical of post-harvest operations which affects the quality and quantity of corn production. It could be done manually or mechanically. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of a corn ear shelling which fabricated locally to meet the needs of small farmers. The studied factors were rotational speed of chains shaft 200, 250, 300 and 350 rpm & shelling time 20, 30 and 40 sec and feeding quantity of ears 9, 12 and 15 kg. The affected parameters were shelling efficiency, a ratio of broken grains, the shelling rate, the specific of shelling power and energy consumption. The obtained results using the shelling machine were increasing rotational speed of chains led to an increase in shelling efficiency, the specific of shelling power, energy consumption, shelling rate and broken grains ratio. Increasing feeding quantity led to an increase in both the specific of shelling power, energy consumption and shelling rate while decreased shelling efficiency and broken grains ratio and vice versa with increasing shelling time. The optimum operating parameters of the shelling machine were found at shelling time of 30 sec, 15 kg feeding quantity and 300 rpm shelling speed. The values of shelling rate, shelling efficiency and specific energy were 962.5 kg/h, 100% and 3.51 kJ/kg respectively at optimum operating parameters. The study recommends using this machine to meet the needs of small farmers.