Development of a Vertical Axis Shredder for Pineapple Field Clearing

After analyzing the performance of a prototype of a vertical-axle flail shredder designed by the authors for pineapple (Ananas comosus) fields, an Italian manufacturer of agricultural machinery has supported a project for developing a commercial shredder for clearing pineapple fields at the end of their economic cycle. The process and the parameters that were considered in the construction of the first unit are described and the first results of the tests made on different crops are presented. This shredder, which is designed to be connected to the front three point linkage hitch of the tractor, has four vertical rotating axles on which swinging knives are arranged on parallel planes. The machine can process two double rows at a time at a speed of 1 to 1.5 m∙s-1 with an overall power requirement of 100-120 kW. At this stage the work has focused mainly on the structure of the machine, on its’ kinematics and on the coupling to the tractor. The main problem was determining how to process the base of the stump without damaging the shredding blades and in allowing the chopped mass to flow freely out of the system thus assuring a safe working environment for tractor drivers and other field workers. This innovative approach to pineapple plant shredding reduces the energy requirement when compared to horizontal-axle flail mowers, processes more area per unit time and produces smaller and more homogeneous particles.