University of Tehran Press Iranian Journal of Biosystem Engineering 2008-4803 51 4 2021 02 19 Defining the Optimal Operation Point for A Rubber Tooth Threshing Unit in the Mechanized Harvesting of Sunflower nuts Defining the Optimal Operation Point for A Rubber Tooth Threshing Unit in the Mechanized Harvesting of Sunflower nuts 725 735 78103 10.22059/ijbse.2020.295525.665258 FA Pedram Ghiasi Faculty Member, Department of Biosystems Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology Aminollah Masoumi Faculty Member, Department of Biosystems Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology Abbas Hemat Faculty Member, Department of Biosystems Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology Gholamhassan Najafi Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Journal Article 2020 01 12 Power consumption and threshing efficiency are important parameters in the mechanization process. In this study power consumption and threshing efficiency are modeled with Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and after that optimization operation point for the rubber tooth threshing unit was defined. Independent parameters included the threshing cylinder speed (TCS), the distance between the threshing cylinder and concave or threshing space (TS) and moisture content (MC). Azargol variety was used to evaluate the threshing unit. The tests were performed at 3 TCS levels (280, 380 and 480 rpm), 2 TS levels (8 and 10 cm) and 2 MCs of sunflower head proportional to crop condition (20 and 45% wet basis). Results of analysis of variance show that the effect of TCS, MC, and TS on power consumption are significant and the effect of MC and TS are not significant on the threshing efficiency but the effect of TCS is significant on it. with increasing in TCS, MC, and TS, power consumption was increased. But threshing efficiency was increased just with increasing in TCS. After defining the ANN model the optimal operation point for minimize power consumption and maximize threshing efficiency was determined that it was 10, 600 and 11.5 for MC, TCS and TS respectively. Power consumption and threshing efficiency are important parameters in the mechanization process. In this study power consumption and threshing efficiency are modeled with Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and after that optimization operation point for the rubber tooth threshing unit was defined. Independent parameters included the threshing cylinder speed (TCS), the distance between the threshing cylinder and concave or threshing space (TS) and moisture content (MC). Azargol variety was used to evaluate the threshing unit. The tests were performed at 3 TCS levels (280, 380 and 480 rpm), 2 TS levels (8 and 10 cm) and 2 MCs of sunflower head proportional to crop condition (20 and 45% wet basis). Results of analysis of variance show that the effect of TCS, MC, and TS on power consumption are significant and the effect of MC and TS are not significant on the threshing efficiency but the effect of TCS is significant on it. with increasing in TCS, MC, and TS, power consumption was increased. But threshing efficiency was increased just with increasing in TCS. After defining the ANN model the optimal operation point for minimize power consumption and maximize threshing efficiency was determined that it was 10, 600 and 11.5 for MC, TCS and TS respectively. https://ijbse.ut.ac.ir/article_78103_e88684a57aa7d5b397f503975e6de146.pdf