OHIO University Mechanical Engineering Project Proposal Report

GOOD EARTH BEAN SHELLER

Team Green Bean


Mark Hritz
Michael Seiser
Sean Mefferd
Dan Knuckles
Andrew Janosik
Chris Allen

11-16-2011


Abstract

Team Green Bean is comprised of six mechanical engineering seniors who have taken on
the task of addressing the needs of a local client as a year-long capstone project. This
teams chosen project is to design and build a dried bean sheller prototype for Good Earth
Farm, a local non-profit organization in Athens, Ohio. Due to the long processing time
involved when the beans are shelled by hand, the farm has a need to employ a mechanical
process to shell their annual harvest. This report includes a detailed description of the
client, the clients needs, the specifications determined by the team, and the reasoning
behind the determined specifications.


















> Very good overall work on problem
definition and specifications.
> Report content and quality meets or
exceeds all expectations.
> Specs are approved, under the
condition that the team verifies that all
customer requirements and standards
are included, and the source of the
values is more clearly defined.
> Please see comments throughout
report
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1.0 Introduction

The process of removing dried beans from their pods (also known as shelling or
dehulling) is an incredibly time consuming task when done by hand. Due to the fact that
there are few beans contained in each bean pod, the time required to process any
deliverable quantity of produce makes bean farming very costly for small farms. While
shelling machines are available commercially, the capacities of these systems only cover
very small or very large operations with no alternatives available for mid-sized
operations. Using a machine intended for small operations is hardly more efficient than
shelling the beans by hand and using an industrial machine intended for large operations
is not financially feasible.

There are typically two mechanical methods employed to shell beans. The first small
scale method forces the bean pod between parallel rollers and squeezes the beans out the
end. The second, more industrial scale method uses vibrations or impacts to shake the
beans from the pods and then separates the shelled beans from the pods using screens.
Large scale harvesting combines use this method by tumbling the bean pods inside of a
rotating screen. When used for their intended applications and scale both methods work
effectively and provide a favorable ratio of cost to productivity. However, for a medium-
sized farm neither application is appropriate. Machines that employ the roller method
typically require an operator to align the bean pods perpendicular to the rollers and feed
each pod into the machine by hand. This system works well for garden sized produce
yields but becomes inefficient when dealing with a more substantial volume. Larger
machines that employ the vibratory method require a large initial investment and
consume a huge footprint.

Across the United States, there are over 600,000 farms that operate in an average annual
sales class between $1,000 and $2,500. This sales class accounts for around 25% of all
U.S. farms, the average size of which are about 55 acres. Farms of this class would fall
under the category of medium-sized, where small farms can be tended to with hand tools
and large farms necessitate heavy machinery. Although these account for a large portion
of the total number of farms, they account for a much smaller portion of the overall
market (Agriculture, 2011). Equipment manufacturers tend to lean towards producing
machines for high-dollar operations, ensuring that they will have a customer base that can
afford the final product. This leaves medium-sized farms in need of mechanical solutions
that are not currently mass manufactured.

Good Earth Farm in Athens, Ohio, is an example of a medium-scale farm in need of a
machine to shell beans. A not-for-profit farm, Good Earth operates on approximately 10
acres of land, potentially placing them in the sales class mentioned above. Dedicated to
feeding the less fortunate, Good Earth relies heavily on volunteer work to perform daily
operations. Although employing volunteers keeps operating costs down it does not
guarantee a consistent workforce. For this reason, any sort of automation strengthens the
future of the farm in that it reduces the dependence on volunteers. According to Farm
Manager Paul Clever, it takes 24 man-hours of work to yield just 3 quarts of shelled
beans. The average annual harvest at Good Earth Farm is currently about 6 bushels, each
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weighing in at 30 lbs, resulting in a total of 180 lbs of in-shell beans. No currently
available shelling machine can efficiently and cost effectively process this amount
(Clever, 2011).

Team Green Bean (TGB) is a group of six mechanical engineering undergraduate seniors
who are required to specify, design, manufacture, and deliver a prototype to solve a
problem encountered by the teams partner, Good Earth Farm. The teams goal is to
create a machine that combines the financial feasibility of a small-scale application with
the automation of a large-scale application. This machine will accept dried bean pods as
input and produce shelled beans as output, requiring the operator to simply load the bean
pods and remove the shelled beans.

1.1 Initial Needs Statement

Good Earth Farms needs a machine that will automate the process of removing beans
from their pods. This process is currently being performed by hand as commercially
available machines are either too large or too small for the required scale of operation.
Figure 1.1 presents the bean pods as they are harvested, while Figure 1.2 presents the
beans as delivered to the consumer.


Figure 1.1: Harvested Bean Pods

Figure 1.2: Processed (Shelled) Beans
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2.0 Customer Needs Assessment and Revised Needs Statement

TGB initially approached Good Earth to see if the farm had a need to implement a
mechanical solution to make a farming operation easier. Good Earth Farm then identified
three manual farming tasks that could be more efficiently completed using a machine.
The tasks of spreading compost, milling grain, and shelling beans were all cited as
inefficient processes that consumed a significant amount of resources, with the task of
shelling beans further emphasized as the most labor-intensive task. Designing and
manufacturing a mechanical prototype to efficiently and cost effectively shell dried beans
was therefore chosen as TGBs capstone project.

Further communication with Good Earth clarified additional process conditions: the
beans are allowed to dry on the vine and then harvested, they must remain dry during the
shelling process, and all commercially available machines are either too large or too
small to meet Good Earths needs.

2.1 Evaluation / Weighting of Customer Needs

After meeting with Good Earth, Team Green Bean identified the needs of the project
partner which are presented in Table 2.1. Team Green Bean determined many of the
customer needs after performing hands-on experimentation with the bean pods, which
determined the hierarchy of needs which is presented in Table 2.2. Client Good Earth
currently harvests approximately an acre of beans in-pod which yields approximately 6
bushels of produce. This yield will then determine the capacity and design of the
prototype.


Table 2.1: Initial Communicated and Observed Customer Needs List
Safe
3 Bushels/Hour
Size and portability
Able to fit through a standard 36 door
Adjustable for different beans/pods/foods
Adaptable to different power sources
Operated by one person
Operator maintained
Standardized parts
Easy to clean
Separate pods from beans






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Table 2.2: Hierarchal customer needs list with weighting factors
1. Follows Industry standards (0.18)
1.1 Safe
1.2 Easy to clean
2. Efficiency (0.34)
2.1 10 lbs pods/hour
2.2 Operated by One person
2.3 Separates Beans from Pods
3. Versatility (0.17)
3.1 Adjustable for different beans
3.2 Size and portability
3.3 Fit through a standard 36 door
3.4 Adaptable to different power sources
4. Operation (0.31)
4.1 Operator Maintained
4.2 Standardized Parts


Table 2.3: AHP pair wise comparison chart to determine weighting factors

Follows Industry
Standards Efficiency Versatility Operation Total Weight
Follows Industry
Standards 1.00 0.50 1.00 0.67 3.17 0.18
Efficiency 2.00 1.00 2.00 1.00 6.00 0.34
Versatility 1.00 0.50 1.00 0.50 3.00 0.17
Operation 1.50 1.00 2.00 1.00 5.50 0.31



2.2 Revised Needs Statement

There is a need for a bean processing machine capable of shelling a minimum of 3
bushels of bean pods per hour, for a wide variety of bean types that include Jacobs Cattle
and Painted Pony. The machine will greatly increase the rate of bean processing; the
current rate is 8 man-hours per quart of shelled beans. The machine will be designed to
meet FDA and OSHA standards. An effort will also be made to design the machine to fit
within a standard 36 door to accommodate other potential customers needs.






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3.0 Benchmarking, Standards and Target Specifications

3.1 Benchmarking

Through team research several existing methods to shell beans have been discovered.
Most commercial or store bought machinery that could be applicable to the clients needs
are either too large or small, or are designed to process the wrong type of pods. Team
Green Bean has found three different methods for shelling beans which use either a roller
method, a tumbling method, or a shearing method.

3.1.1 Roller Method

The roller method of bean shelling can be found in several readily available hand crank
and/or table top models; these machines are designed to shell fresh peas in the pod. The
pea pods are fed into two very closely spaced rotating rollers which squeeze the peas out
of the pod and then pull the empty pods through the roller mechanism to be collected and
discarded. Most of these devices are too small for our needs and are designed
specifically for fresh peas. Figure 3.1 is an example of a small table top pea sheller.


Figure 3.1: Representative Table Top Pea Sheller
(Homesteader's Supply)







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3.1.2 Tumbler Method

Shelling machines that use the tumbler method consist of a slowly rotating inner mesh
cylinder which contains a quickly rotating shaft with attached paddles, and an external
wall. The pods are loaded into the inner cylinder which rotates and directs the pods to
fall into the spinning shaft which breaks up the pods through contact with the rotating
paddles. The shelled beans then fall through the inner cylinder mesh and are collected
from the external wall, while the empty pods remain within the inner cylinder to be later
collected and discarded. The only commercially available tumbler style machines are
designed for an industrial scale and therefore are both too large and expensive. To put
this into perspective, a tumbling shelling machine with an appropriate capacity for the
clients needs representative price point was quoted at $4,200 (Clever, 2011), which is
too expensive for a nonprofit farm. Figure 3.2 is an example of a commercial grade
tumbler.


Figure 3.2: Representative commercial grade pea & bean tumbler (Alibaba JX)
(Alibaba, Zhecheng Jingxin Manufacturing)















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3.1.3 Shearing Method

The only device in production that our research uncovered that employs the shearing
method is found in a rice huller. In this method the rice is fed onto a stationary table
with an oscillating or reciprocating surface just above the table. The friction and shearing
forces applied by the table split the rice hulls open and then separate the chaff and grains
of rice. The chaff and rice grains are then separated using an additional device or process.
Alternate Rice huller designs employ a rotating drum that shears the rice against a curved
surface. Figure 3.3 and Figure 3.4 present an example of a rice huller.


Figure 3.3: Representative Rice
Huller


Figure 3.4: Rotary Rice Huller (AMS-9)
(Alibaba, Zhengzhou Amisy Trading
Company site)



Table 3.1: Product Benchmarking
Feature Roller Tumbler Shearing
Name Taylor Little Sheller Alibaba JX Amisy AMS-9 Rice
Huller (rotary)
Size 14 x 16.5 x 27.5 47 x 23.6 x 43.3 Not listed
Weight 35 lbs 330 lbs Not listed
Cost $475 $3,000 $1,500
Adaptability All Beans Castor Beans Rice
Portability Carry Rollers Stationary
Rate 3 bushels/hr 14 bushels/hr Not Listed
Operation 1 Person, Electric 1-2 People, Electric 1 Person, Electric

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3.2 Standards

The following organizations have established standards that must be followed:
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), and National Electric Code (NEC) standards if the project design utilizes an
electric motor. OSHA standards might include operation height and mechanical
safeguards. FDA standards might influence the types of materials that can be used for
parts that come into contact with the beans. NEC standards might include grounding
requirements, secured electrical connections, and load limitations.

3.3 Target Specifications, Constraints and Design Criteria

By examining the results of the benchmarking research and the standards research, a set
of target design specifications was created to ensure that the clients needs and national
standards are met. As the clients list of requirements is short, many of the design
specifications listed below in Table 3.2 were determined by the design team to best
accommodate the current client with additional consideration for future potential
customers. Marginal Values represent minimum metrics which must be met and Ideal
Values represent more ambitious metrics that would improve the quality and usefulness
of the product but are not vital for project success.

Table 3.2: Target design specifications
Metric # Metric Units Marginal
Value
Ideal
Value
1 Length ft <8 <6
2 Width in <36 <30
3 Load Height in <60 <54
4 Operation Height in 32-42 34-38
5 Weight lbs <300 <200
6 Material Cost USD 2,000 1,000
7 Processing Rate bushels/hr >1 >3
8 Bean Versatility variety heirloom All
9 Portability people 3 1
10 Separation Yield % >90 >98
11 Damage Yield % >90 >98
12 Operators people 2 1
13 Safe Operation standards OSHA OSHA/UL

The length and width dimensions refer to the overall dimensions of the machine, while
load height refers to the height at which the bean pods are loaded into the machine.
Operation height, then, refers to the height of any controls or operator inputs. Weight
refers to the overall weight of the machine, while portability refers to the difficulty of
moving the machine (wheels, disassembly, etc.). Separation yield refers to the beans
successfully removed from pods, while damage yield refers to beans remaining intact.

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4.0 Conclusion

Market research into currently available automated bean shelling machines indicates that
a medium, not-for-profit farm would be unable to acquire such a device. These devices
are either too small or too large for the proposed application, and cost is typically
prohibitive in both cases. Due to the fact that most of these farms operate on a volunteer
basis, it is important that manpower be used efficiently. The consumption of 24 man-
hours to accumulate only 3 quarts of beans is inefficient, and therefore necessitates such
an automated system. The implementation of a fully-automated bean desheller that
functions on the appropriate scale can greatly reduce the amount of wasted manpower in
a medium farm environment. This system would be of great help to not-for-profits like
Good Earth, as well as independent farmers working to earn a living. Given the
requirement for such a system, Team Green Bean has effectively established a set of
specifications, constraints, and design criteria to effectively guide the conceptual design
process.






























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Works Cited

(n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2011, from Homesteader's Supply:
http://www.homesteadersupply.com/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=1
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Agriculture, U. S. (2011). Farms, Land in Farms, and Livestock Operations 2010
Summary. National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Alibaba. (n.d.). Zhecheng Jingxin Manufacturing. Retrieved October 15, 2011, from
Caster Bean Sheller: http://jingangshi.en.alibaba.com/product/265897288-
200410475/castor_bean_shelling_machine_0086_15238020786.html
Alibaba. (n.d.). Zhengzhou Amisy Trading Company site. Retrieved 10 15, 2011, from
Rice hulling machine: http://www.alibaba.com/product-
gs/241333057/Rice_husking_machine_rice_huller.html
Clever, P. (2011, September 29). Farm Manager. (T. G. Bean, Interviewer)