Research And Development Of Stem-Leaf Separation Equipment Of Wakame(Undaria Pinnatifida)

The annual production of Wakame(Undaria pinnatifida)in China reaches2.12×10~5t is one of the three major economic algae in China.Stem and leaf separation is an important link in the initial processing of Wakame.However,there is no mechanized stem and leaf separation equipment in China,and currently it still relies on manual operations.There are problems such as high labor intensity,low production efficiency,high labor costs,and harsh working environments(high salt,high humidity,high temperature),which urgently require mechanized stem and leaf separation equipment.This article takes salted Wakame as the research object,and based on the study of biomechanical characteristics,a vertical roller Wakame stem and leaf separation equipment was designed.The finite element simulation software was used to simulate the stem and leaf separation process,and prototype trial production and system experimental research were completed.Experimental studies on the biomechanical properties of Wakame indicate that the tensile strength of its stems and leaves is 3.07～3.79 MPa,3.09～3.66 MPa,the shear strength of its stems and leaves is 5.36～7.56 MPa,2.34～3.30 MPa,the separation strength of its stems and leaves is 1.33～2.32 MPa,and the recovery is0.27～0.31.The friction coefficients between its stems and leaves and different materials are 0.33～0.39,0.38～0.41.As the loading rate increases,the tensile strength between stems and leaves,the shear strength between stems and leaves,and the separation strength between stems and leaves show an overall downward trend,while the resilience and friction coefficient between stems and leaves and different materials show an overall upward trend.According to the technical requirements for stem and leaf separation of Wakame,combined with the biomechanical characteristics test results of Wakame,the technical scheme of the vertical roller stem and leaf separation equipment for Wakame was determined.Key working components such as the clamping roller mechanism,clamping propulsion mechanism,and leaf stripping roller wheel mechanism were designed,and the overall design of the vertical roller stem and leaf separation equipment for Wakame was completed.Using ANSYS/LS-DYNA software,a simulation study was conducted on the stem and leaf separation process of Wakame.Through single factor and orthogonal experiments,the effects of the length,diameter,and number of inserted rods of the stripping roller on the separation and removal rate of Wakame stem and leaf were studied.The results showed that when the material of the stripping roller was silicone,the length,diameter,and number of inserted rods were 100mm,and 12,the stripping rate of Wakame was the highest,reaching 88.65%.Based on the simulation optimization results,a trial production equipment for separating the stems and leaves of Wakame was developed,and orthogonal experiments were designed to study the effects of leaf peeling roller speed,clamping roller speed,and meshing depth on the peeling rate and damage rate of Wakame.The results showed that the speed of the leaf stripping roller had the most significant impact on the peeling rate of Wakame.The peeling rate showed a trend of first increasing and then stabilizing with the increase of the leaf stripping roller speed,while the meshing depth had a significant impact on the damage rate of Wakame stem and leaf separation.The damage rate showed a trend of first slowly increasing and then sharply increasing with the increase of meshing depth.When the speed of the clamping roller,the speed of the leaf stripping roller,and the meshing depth were45rpm,400rpm,and 2mm,respectively,the stripping rate and damage rate are86.98%and 9.62%respectively.