Analysis of the influence of the outlet clearance in the oscillating metering device on the process of seeding sesame seeds

There is a globally increasing demand for both its seed and sesame oil. It has led many countries to produce sesame and export, as it is one of the major foreign currency earners for many countries. The conventional method of sowing sesame, such as hand planting, is still prevalent in many countries. It is considered one of the most determinants for increasing the sesame area cultivated and low production. This research intended to evaluate and investigate the effect of seed outlet clearance in the oscillating metering device during the laboratory tests on sowing sesame seeds. Oscillating metering device has significant advantages compared to traditional mechanical and pneumatic seed metering technology since it simplifies the maintenance by eliminating the parts such as drive chains, clutches, driveshaft, and sprockets as in mechanical metering system. The result of the research showed that the operating factors, such as clearance (cl), opening time (t), oscillation angle (α), and idle time have a significant effect on the seeds sowing with an oscillating metering device. The development of a control system for these factors and the laboratory bench let to conduct laboratory tests for the oscillating seed meter and obtain a new experimental dependence of the effect of the clearance on the seeding rate. Sesame seed model with 28 multi-sphere overlapping spheres, a solid model of an oscillating seed meter device, parameters of opening and idle times enabled simulation modeling and obtained a new theoretical dependence of the effect of the clearance on the seeding rate. The performed test showed the adequacy of the new dependences obtained. The dependencies obtained let to determine the required seed rate during the operation of the oscillating metering device and correlate it with the agricultural requirements for the sowing rate and the working speeds of the seeder.