Reducing the energy intensity of the process of crushing grape vines with a pick-up-chopper

The aim of the research is to substantiate the directions of energy consumption reduction and determination of technical and technological indicators of modes of operation of the chopping unit of the grapevine picker-shredder. The calculations of the rotation speed of the chopping knife fixed articulated on the drum, the destructive speed of the knife at the impact impact on the vine are carried out. To find X_C and Y_C coordinates of the centre of gravity C and moment of inertia J of the knife, its 3D-model was created in the Compass-3D program. At the distance from the axis of rotation O of the drum to the axis of rotation O1 of the knife r = 0.05 m the knife can carry out up to 10 cuts of the vine with a diameter of 9.3 mm per one revolution of the drum, and at r = 0.1 m – up to 18 cuts. The obtained regularities were used in the preparation of a mock-up model of the machine for production selection and chopping of vines in 2023–2024. in the inter-row young and fruit-bearing vineyards of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varieties with a width of 3 m in the conditions of the Republic of Crimea in the chopper unit with the drum radius (R = 0.52 m), the mass of the hammer (m = 0.5 kg), length (L = 0.10 m), the number of hammers (k = 32 pcs.), the number of contradictory grids (2 pcs.), the width of the drum (1.5 m). Optimal mode parameters of the machine: pickup shaft speed – 400 rpm, shredding drum speed – 2100 rpm, machine speed – 1,2 m/s, technological clearance for pickup beats – 30…60 mm, technological clearance for shredder knives – 150…200 mm. Completeness of vine picking was 95 % with an average length of shredded clippings of 8.0 cm. The average length of shredded clippings in the 3 m wide row spacing was 80 mm with the completeness of vine picking of 95 %. The productivity of the machine increased by 1.4 times and the energy consumption of the shredding process decreased by 1.1 times.