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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Situation Analysis

The Philippines is still primarily an agricultural country despite the plan to turn it

an industrialized economy by 2000. Most citizens still live in rural areas and support

themselves through agriculture. The country's agriculture sector is made up of 4 sub-

sectors: farming, fisheries, livestock, and forestry (the latter 2 sectors are very small),

which together employ 39.8 percent of the labor force and contribute 20 percent of Gross

Domestic Product (GDP). The total area devoted to agricultural crops is 13 million

hectares. This is distributed among food grains, food crops and non-food crops. Food

grains occupied 31% (4.01 million hectares), food crops utilized 52% (8.33 million

hectares) while 17% (2.2 million hectares) were used for non-food crops.

(nationsencyclopedia.com) (11-26-19)

The Philippines is the world’s eighth-largest rice producer, its arable land totals

5.4 million hectares. Rice area harvested has expanded from nearly 3.8 million hectares

in 1995 to about 4.4 million hectares in 2010. However, the country’s rice area harvested

is still very small compared with that of the other major rice-producing countries in Asia.

More than two-thirds (69%) of its rice area is irrigated. The country’s production

increased by a third, from 10.5 million t in 1995 to 15.8 million t in 2010. Seventy-one

percent of rice production came from irrigated areas. Although yield improved from 2.8
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t/ha in 1995 to 3.6 t/ha in 2010, it was still way below the yield potential of modern

varieties. Rice is a staple food for most Filipinos across the country. The nation’s per

capita rice consumption rose from 93.2 kg per year in 1995 to 123.3 kg per year in 2009.

(ricepedia.org) (11-26-19)

Central Luzon continued to be the top producer of palay in the country

contributing 18.9 percent to the total volume of production in 2017. Annual volume of

palay production in the region was estimated at 3,634,807 metric tons. It accelerated to

8.7 percent compared to previous year’s level of 3,342,883 metric tons. The volume of

production of irrigated palay was posted at 3,342,794 metric tons, up by 7.3 percent in

2017 compared with that in 2016. For rain fed palay, the volume of production was

292,013 metric tons, a 28.1 percent increase from 228,043 metric tons in 2016. Of the

total volume of palay production in in Central Luzon in 2017, 92.0 percent were irrigated

and 8.0 percent were rain fed. In 2016, irrigated palay accounted for 93.2 percent to the

total production, and rain fed palay comprised the 6.8 percent. Among the seven (7)

provinces in the region, Nueva Ecija accounted more than half (51.8%) of the region’s

total volume of palay production in 2017. Nueva Ecija is the province with the highest

rice production in the Philippines and is widely referred to as the “rice bowl” of the

country. (psa.gov.ph) (11-26-19)

Rice is normally grown as an annual plant, although in tropical areas like in the

Philippines and it can survive as a perennial and can produce a ration crop for 30 years.

Rice cultivation is well-suited to regions with low labor costs and high rainfall, as it is

labor-intensive to cultivate. However, rice can be grown practically anywhere, even on a

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steep hill or mountain area with the use of water-controlling terrace systems. Corn, like

rice, has been extensively farmed in the Philippines for centuries.

Most of the products the country exports are agricultural products, among them

the maize, otherwise known as corn. Although it doesn’t belong in the top 10 of

agricultural products, it still accounts for 10 percent of the country’s top agricultural

exports. Maize production in the Philippines increased at an annual rate of 1.7% over a

20-year period (1980-2000). After production peaked in 1990 at 4.9 million metric tons, a

sharp decline was posted in 1998 when the El Niño phenomenon affected the region.

Total area planted to maize was also highest in 1990, at 3.8 million hectares, but was

observed to be on the decline at 1.9% per year from 1985 to 2001 (Gonzales and Lapiña,

2003).

The corn and rice are just two of the most widely produced grain crops in the

country, mung beans, peanuts, string beans, etc. are also popularly known. Mung bean

(Vignaradiata (L.) Wilczek) is one of the most important legume crops in South and

Southeast Asia. It is in the Legume family of plants and is closely related to adzuki and

cowpea (in the same genus but different species). It is a warm season annual, highly

branched having trifoliate leaves like the other legumes. The plant is upright and vine

types of growth habit occur in it, with plants varying from one to five feet in length.

In the Philippines, data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics show that the

highest volume of production for the past five years in the Philippines was achieved in

2011, with 45,283 metric tons from the total production area of 32, 960 hectares. In 2012,
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area planted to mung bean was 44, 324 hectares and total volume of production was

32,364 metric tons with the province of Isabela as the top mung bean producer

contributing 26% to the country’s production. However, national average yield per

hectare remains quite low at 0.73 metric ton. The Philippines imported 30,736 mt of dried

mung bean worth US$5.4M in 2006; up by 0.13% in tonnage and by 11.7% in value than

in 2005. In 2006, the country exported 20 mt of dried mung bean worth US$27,553;

down by 86% in tonnage and by 45% in export earnings compared to 2005. San Mateo,

Isabela is the biggest producer of mung beans in the Philippines with a production of 800

to 1,000 kilos/ha at the prevailing price of P32 per kilo. This translates to incomes

ranging from P25, 600 to P32, 000 per hectare. This means a P224-million additional

income for local farmers during summer. The town has more than 7,000 hectares of farms

planted to mung beans during the dry season and it is now declared as the “Mung bean

Capital of the Philippines”. (bpi.da.gov.ph/) (11-26-19)

Behind the increasing crop production of the Philippines is the technology used in

agriculture. Agricultural technology refers to technology for the production of machines

used on a farm to help with farming. Agricultural machines have been designed for

practically every stage of the agricultural process.

The sad reality is evident in the market shelves and the crop fields. Most

Philippine crops, notably rice, still cost more than Thailand or Vietnam rice primarily

because of high production cost. Filipino farmers spend around P11 ($ 0.25) to produce

one kilogram of rice while their Thai and Vietnamese counterparts spend the equivalent
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of P8.40 ($0.19) and P5.60 ($0.13), respectively, according to the Philippines'

Department of Agriculture (DA).

Rice fields in other Southeast Asian countries are better irrigated. Farmers receive

subsidies to cover costs of buying fertilizer and seeds. Machines used for all levels of

agricultural production decrease their production cost and lead to better harvest.

Cost of labor – the hiring of extra hands to harvest crops and prepare them for the

market – is the biggest factor in jacking up production cost for rice farmers. Reducing the

cost of labor is where mechanization comes in.

Mechanization, or the use of machines in farming, can bring down the cost of

labor particularly for labor-intensive crops like rice, mung beans and corn. But the

Philippines is lagging behind in terms of mechanization. (rappler.com) (11-29-19)

As the production of these crops that are being produced increases because of the

different technology that is being applied or used, likewise giving birth for new

challenges on how to deal or handle tons of grains of rice and corn during the postharvest

process which is the drying and storing the grains. Grains must be dried to maintain good

quality, storability and high commercial value. The moisture content of paddy is

important from the time it is harvested until it is milled. Many farmers and quite a few of

the smaller rice mills dry the paddy in the sun on woven mats or on concrete floors.

Although this method increases the percentage of broken grains during milling, it is

inexpensive and will continue to be a major drying procedure. (International Rice

Research Institute 2013)

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When the rice grain is harvested, it is unusable as human food until the inedible

hull is removed. Since the grain is usually consumed as white rice, the bran layer must

also be removed (through a process called polishing or milling). Thus, the normal

sequence in the handling of a rice crop after it matures is harvesting, cleaning, drying,

storage, milling, and distribution to the market (or retention for farm family

consumption). Parboiling, if done, occurs sometime before milling. Severe loss can occur

when traditional methods of handling are used. Studies conducted in several South and

Southeast Asian countries reveal that 13 to 34 percent of the crop is lost during harvest

and postharvest operations: during harvesting and threshing, 5 to 15 percent; in cleaning

and drying, 2 to 3 percent; in storage, 2 to 6 percent; in processing (parboiling and

milling), 3 to 7 percent; and during handling and transport, 1 to 3 percent. Other

important losses are grain quality deterioration, under-utilization of by-products, and

financial losses due to inefficient postharvest operations. (Chandler 1979)

Sun drying is going to be practiced as long as there is a market for low quality

paddy, because it is the cheapest drying method. As long as there is no quality-incentive

for better quality rice it will be the preferred method whenever the weather allows.

Traditional sun drying can be improved using simple tools and monitoring equipment.

Some options for sun drying includes panicle drying, drying on Nets/Mats and pavement

drying which holds a common problem, it is labor intensive and time consuming which

may affect the productivity and quality of the harvest (e.g. when an unexpected rainfall

comes). (IRRI 2013)

Thus, this problem encourages the researchers to create new technology for the

farmer which is the Mechanized Grain Collector. As the Mechanized Grain Collector
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passes through the scattered grains, it brushes them towards a suction tube wherein they

are sucked in quickly. The impeller creates a vacuum which lifts the grains to the

discharge. This machine has the same principle with the vacuum cleaners used in homes

and offices. It creates a negative pressure inside the impeller and suck in ambient air. The

ambient air being sucked lifts the grain into the tube to the impeller and discharges it to

the container.

The previous study conducted recently by _____ also utilized the same principle.

However, their main problem was the discontinuous suction and discharge of the

machine causing interference in the process, time consumption and needs a couple of

operators.

A research entitled Design Implementation of a Tedding Mechanism for Grain

Sun Drying, which aimed to determine the best mechanical design that can effectively

turn over grains on the pavement as well as collecting them based on the needs of farmers

and millers. One of the designs for the selection is vacuum pump design makes use of a

cyclone separator to stir and collect the paddy instead of driving a mechanism on the

field. This design is composed of a vacuum nozzle, a cyclone separator, and a ring

blower. It uses the same principle as an ordinary cyclone separator but once it is

separated from the air, it stores the paddy in a cylinder and decides whether it dispenses

the grains in a bag or back to the pavement. It, is an efficient design as it no longer uses a

mechanism that directly handles the paddy or is in contact with the floor which means it

will not be greatly affected by environmental factors. It will also be able to rapidly collect

the paddy with the power of the cyclone but this speed may also damage the paddy. The

speed of the vacuum will cause the paddy to stir and toss hitting the walls inside the
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cyclone before it passes the separator. The paddy may also be damaged by the separator

as it is a turbine that spins below the cyclone. These factors can affect both wet and dry

paddy. Furthermore, this design has high power requirements especially for the ring

blower. (Subido, Jr. et al., 2017)

Based from the said researches, vacuum collection of grains provides a safe

handling of the grains as it is only carried by the drawn air avoiding contact with the

mechanism and in effect lessens the losses caused by breakage. It also gives the benefit of

reducing the time and effort needed in grain collection. However, one of the flaws

encountered by the previous researchers is the intermittent operation of the machine.

Using an impeller to create vacuum pressure requires isolation from the atmosphere

which creates a challenge as to where to install a discharge port without affecting the

vacuum pressure created for drawing in the grains.

The researchers are aiming to address these problems by changing the design of

the machine mainly on the impeller’s chamber where the grains are delivered. After the

completion of the machine it is expected that it would be beneficial to the farmers

especially to those who cultivate mainly on grains. And it is also expected to hasten the

collection of grains especially on rainy season at very cheap cost.

Statement of Objectives
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This study aims to develop a Mechanized Grain Collector that aids in collecting

the grain during the process of drying.

Specifically, it seeks to achieve the following objectives:

1. To design a Mechanized Grain Collector.

2. To fabricate a Mechanized Grain Collector.

3. To test and evaluate the technicality and functionality of the Mechanized Grain

Collector.

4. To determine the cost benefit analysis of the Mechanized Grain Collector.

Time and Place of the Study

This study will be conducted during the school year 2019-2020 at Brgy. Guerrero,

Bauang, La Union and will be evaluated at Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State

University-Mid La Union Campus, Catbangen, City of San Fernando, La Union.

Definition of Terms

The following terms were defined according to their use in the study:

Collector is a device use to suck grains that will be assimilated inside the

machine.
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Fabricate is to build or form physical product based on the design.

Cost Benefit the cost of an undertaking and the value of the resulting benefits.

Design means the plan for the machine structure and parts based from engineering

formulas and drawings.

Drying is the process of removing the moisture content of the palay.

Grains are the seeds of rice, corn and mung beans that will be used for testing the

Mechanized Grain Collector.

Labor is the manpower that will be used to fabricate the Mechanized Grain

Collector.

Mechanize is using a machine to collect the sun dried grains instead of doing it by

hand

Mechanized Grain Collector is the machine that will be designed and fabricated

to collect grains.

Chapter 2

METHODOLOGY
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Research Design

The researchers are planning to utilize the project development type of research

which involves a cyclical process of small-scale in-depth development and evaluation,

at a content-specific level, of exemplary teaching-learning sequences. This research

design will be used to determine the effectiveness of the Mechanized Grain Collector

towards the manual collecting of the grains scattered on the street for drying purposes and

on time rate in the long run.

Project innovation design and developmental research design will be applied to

the study. Ritchey (2000), stated that project innovation design implies value system

which sought to derive a positive outcome from the inventive act. The researchers

conceived the design and assembled the parts of the machine. Observations must be done

to assure the accuracy of the alignments and assembly of the machine taking also into

consideration the safety and functionality of the Mechanized Grain Collector. The

machine will, of course, be subjected into trials by collecting the grains to ensure its

functionality and to allow the researchers to have a better view on the machine’s defects

and limitations. Any errors on the system will be noted and necessary modifications will

be initiated until the design is deemed functional and acceptable.

Materials and Procedures

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Materials. The materials which will be used in the assembly and construction of

the Mechanized Grain Collector are listed in Table 1 with its corresponding quantity and

prices.

Table 1. Materials

Quantity Unit Description Unit Cost (Php) Total Cost (Php)

2 pc angle bar, 1.5” 494.00 988.00
1 pc Galvanized Iron Sheet, 1mm 500.00 500.00
Flange and Coupling, 1.5”
4 pc 125.00 500.00
Diameter
4 pc Rollers, 4” Diameter 156.00 624.00
3 kg Welding Rods, Type 7018 80.00 240.00
Bolts and Nuts, 2” Fine
20 pair 40.00 800.00
Thread
1 pc Belt, B-60 160.00 160.00
1 pc Pulley, 5”Diameter 225.00 225.00
Pulley, 2” Diameter 120.00 120.00
1 pc Motor, 2 HP 3000.00 3,000.00
Impeller Fabrication,
1 pc 5”x4.5” Blade(4 pc.) and 1” 3,600.00 3,600.00
Shaft
Total 10,757.00

Tools and Equipment. Table 2 shows the tools and equipment which will be

used in the construction of the machine with their corresponding functions.

Table 2. Tools and Equipment

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Tools and Equipment Function

Hacksaw blade Used for cutting metals into workable

sizes.

Wrench Used for loosening and tightening bolts

in all areas of the machine.

Pliers Used to cut, twist and hold wires.

Hammer Used to hammer metal plates.

Circular Drill Bit Used to drill holes of different sizes.

Grinder Used to cut or grind the metal sheet and

the angle bars.

Welding Machine It is a machine used to connect joints of

metal pieces using welding rods.

Riveter It is a tool used to interlocked metal

sheets with a rivet.

Bar Level Used as an indicator that establish the

horizontal with a spirit bubble in it.

Procedures. The mechanism of the Mechanized Grain Collector is similar to the

vacuum cleaner. These machines were based from the theory of an Induced Draft Fan

which is used to generate vacuum or negative pressure in the machine. According to

home.howstuffworks.com, this pressure drop behind the fan is just like the pressure drop

in the straw when you sip from your drink. The pressure level in the area behind the fan
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drops below the pressure level outside the vacuum cleaner (the ambient air pressure).

This creates suction, a partial vacuum, inside the vacuum cleaner. The ambient air pushes

itself into the vacuum cleaner through the intake port because air pressure inside the

vacuum cleaner is lower than the pressure outside.

To construct the impeller, the researchers are planning to imitate the design of an

electric fan impeller, which will have 4 blades, to improve the production of vacuum. It

will be installed so as to draw in air instead of blowing it. The impeller and the prime

mover shall be directly connected by a shaft. The casing of the impeller will be

cylindrical in shape. Inside the casing, the researchers will also provide a screen before

the impeller, it will be shaped based on the casing and angled at 30° to deflect the grains

separating it from the drawn air. The deflected grains will be led into a discharge port or a

tube leading to an attached sack. Meanwhile, the exhaust air will enter a pipe leading

downwards where it will be discharged.

A tube will be used as the suction port connected at the center of the casing, it

will be bent to allow the other end of the tube to draw grains from the ground. To

increase the machine’s efficiency in collecting, the researchers decided to add a

mechanism to assist the suction port to easily draw in grains faster. Two rotating shafts

with brushes will be installed next to each other in front of the suction port, rotating in

such a way that it brushes the grains towards the center where the fixed suction port will

be located drawing in the stacked grains, this will be linked to the motor of the impeller.

To prevent the grains from scattering during the process, a railing will be placed at the

edges of the mechanism.

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Angle bars will be used to construct the frame of the machine. The machine will

be attached with swivel type wheels for portability and will also be given a handle to

provide easier steering of the machine.

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Figure 1 shows the Process Flow Diagram illustrating the procedure for the development

of Mechanized Grain Collector.

DESIGNING

MATERIALS AND PROCUREMENT OF

SUPPLIES

ASSEMBLY

TESTING/ PRE- EVALUATION

REVISION

EVALUATION

REVISED AND VALIDATED MECHANIZED

GRAIN COLLECTOR

Figure 1. Flowchart for the Development of the Mechanized Grain Collector.

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Designing. This stage involves designing mechanical and physical features of the

machine through engineering formulas. With the help of subjects such as Machine

Design and Machine Elements, proper solution will be obtained.

Materials and Supplies Procurement. Listing, canvassing, and purchasing of

materials that are essential for the machine will be done in this stage. The materials used

will be bought in City of San Fernando and Bauang, La Union.

Assembly. This stage involves the fabrication of the impeller, assembly of frame

and construction of the whole machine. The assembly of machine will be done in Brgy.

Guerrero, Bauang, La Union and will be constructed by the researchers.

Testing. This stage involves the testing of the machine.

Revision. Revision stage will be done obtaining errors during the evaluation and

validation stage. The problems encountered will be solved by reconstructing the machine.

Evaluation. This stage is where the evaluators determine whether the machine

has passed the standards. The machine will be evaluated on 2020 by Mechanical

Engineers and accredited expert evaluator.

Revised and Validated Mechanized Grain Collector. This will be the final

output of the research study.

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Activity Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May

Researching

Planning

Designing

Material
Purchase
Fabrication
Assembly
Testing

Revision

Evaluation

Fig. 2 Gantt chart in the Development of the Mechanized Grain Collector

The process of developing the Mechanized Grain Collector is shown in the Gantt

chart in Figure 2. In gathering sufficient data regarding the study, the researchers have

been consulting various sources and of course with the guidance of their adviser,

allowing them to understand the mechanism of the projected machine and giving them

ideas for its fabrication.

Instrumentation and Data Gathering

During the descriptive evaluation stage of the study, the researchers are planning

to devise a simple questionnaire to gather data from the evaluators in which the level of

technical performance, functionality, potential acceptability and financial viability of the

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Mechanized Grain Collector shall be assessed. The constructed questionnaire consists of

a five point scale and will be the lone data gathering tool.

Possible reviewers for the evaluation of the Mechanized Grain Collector shall be

end users and selected farmers. Answers will be educed from the respondents using the

Questionnaire. Personal interviews were done and observations were also made during

the course of the study to extrapolate and verify the results of the study.

Under Technical Feasibility, the variables durability of parts, simplicity of

mechanism, precision of design and portability will be considered. Potential acceptability

and social acceptability of the evaluators with regards to the prototype must also be

evaluated as this determines whether or not end users will purchase and utilize the said

design. Lastly, cost benefit analysis will also be computed for the economic aspect of the

prototype. This can be calculated by considering the cost of utilizing the Mechanized

Grain Collector, including its price, as well as the rate of return for the farmers and

respective customers.

Data Analysis

To answer the objectives on the level of technical performance, functionality,

potential acceptability and financial viability of the Mechanized Grain Collector, the

gathered feedbacks will be tabulated. Arithmetic Mean shall be the lone statistical tool

used for the treatment of the gathered data.

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Categorization of Data.

The scale which will be used is composed of a five-point scale that ranges from

Fair to excellent. The following are the ranges and descriptive equivalent of each of the

following numerical scales.

Point Value Rating Scale Descriptive Equivalent

5 4.20 – 5.00 Excellent

4 3.40 – 4.19 Very Good

3 2.60 – 3.39 Good

2 1.80 – 2.59 Fair

1 1.00 – 1.79 Poor