DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A CHOPPING MACHINE FOR FORAGE CROPS

Silage is an important bulk feed source and is an indispensable part of rations in animal feeding due to its high nutritional value, ease of use, and ability to provide feed during the off-season. Generally, silage materials chopped by silage machines in the field are transported to the silage storage area by carrying vehicles. After being unloaded into the silo, they are subjected to compaction using compaction equipment. One of the important issues that researchers have been working on is the effect of the relationship between the silage density obtained after compaction and the particle size of the silage materials on silage quality. This study describes the implementation of a monitoring and control system based on Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) technology for chopping silage materials into different sizes in a laboratory environment. Two cutting blades have been mounted on the rotor of the designed chopper. The developed chopper has two geared electric motors: the first drives the feeding rollers, and the second drives the chopping rotor. Drivers controlled by a PLC operate these motors. The machine is equipped with belt-pulley mechanisms as transmission elements. The chopper has been designed with a flexible structure to operate at different speeds using various pulley ratios when needed. In the experimental studies, the machine's cutting performance for silage corn stalks was evaluated as particle sizes 2, 4, and 6 cm. The test results demonstrated that the machine successfully performed the cutting process at the sizes entered through its control unit. Additionally, preliminary trials showed that the machine could also cut wet/dry hay, stalks, alfalfa, and tree branches with a diameter of 16 mm.