Fea technique for design and simulation of sisal decorticator raspador

Finite element analysis (FEA) is a computational technique used to provide the numeric solution of complex structures by dividing them into small elements using various partial differential equations. In agriculture, the numerical simulation based on the FEA technique allows the engineers to study the behavior of various input products to optimize the design of any machine without developing a prototype. The present study focused to design and simulates the sisal decorticator raspador by employing the FEA technique. For this purpose, a 3D-CAD model of sisal decorticator raspador was developed using the Creo Parametric design software and a static structural test using the FEA technique was performed in the ANSYS version 15.0 workbench software. To compute the force required to scrap the pulpy material of the leaves in the Universal Testing Machine, a special fixture has been developed. The simulated results predicted that maximum deformation was observed as 8.09e⁻⁷ m while maximum shear stress and Von-Mises equivalent stress were found to be 1.30e⁵ Pa and 2.48e⁵ Pa, respectively at 250 N scraping forces. It was also observed that stress values are within the yield strength of the material. Hence, FEA technique was found to be a scientific and very effective approach for design and simulating the sisal decorticator raspador.