CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Weed control is one of the most difficult tasks in agriculture that accounts for a
considerable share of the cost involved in agriculture production. Farmers generally
expressed their concern for the effective weed control measures to arrest the growth
and propagation of weeds. In Indian agriculture, it’s a very difficult task to weed
out unwanted plants manually as well as using bullock operated equipment which
may further lead to damage of main crops. More than 33 percent of the cost
incurred in cultivation is diverted to weeding operations there by reducing the
profit share of farmers. A weed is essentially any plant which grows where it is
unwanted. A weed can be thought of as any plant growing in the wrong place at the
wrong time and doing more harm than good (Parish, 1990). It is a plant that
competes with crops for water, nutrients and light. This can reduce crop production.
Some weeds have beneficial uses but not usually when they are growing among
crops.Weeds decrease the value of land, particularly perennial weeds which tend to
accumulate on long fallows; increase cost of cleaning and drying crops. Weeds
waste excessive proportions of farmers’ time, thereby acting as a brake on
development.

1
1.2 EXISTING METHOD

Agriculture is the backbone of India, and weed removal being one of the primary
process in the field, there is a necessity for weed to be removed in all the fields to
increase the quality of crops and to decrease the effect of weeds on crops. A weed
may be defined as any plant or vegetation that interferes with the objectives of
farming or forestry, such as growing crops, grazing animals or cultivating forest
plantations. A weed may also be defined as any plant growing where it is not
wanted. For example, a plant may be valuable or useful in a garden, or on a farm or
plantation but if the same plant is growing where it reduces the value of agricultural
produce or spoils aesthetic or environmental values, then it is considered a weed.

1.3 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

Weed removal is one of the major activities in agriculture. Chemical method of

weed control is more prominent than manual and mechanical methods. However,
its adverse effects on the environment are making farmers to consider and accept
mechanical methods of weed control. Chemical weeding is the most extensively
used method of weed removal but these chemicals used for weeding are harmful to
living organisms and toxic in nature. The need of replace the use of herbicides with
more sustainable weed control techniques encouraged the definition of innovative
physical weed control strategies. Mechanical and thermal means were used to
control weeds and removal by mechanical method is one the methods frequently
used these to remove weeds from the agricultural fields.

2
1.4 BENEFITS FROM STUDY

1) Weeding maintained the yield by removing the unwanted grass from the yield.

2) By maintaining the yield it reduces the cost of weed control as well as it reduces
the pollution.

1.5 APPLICATION

• It is used to remove the trash.

• It is used as alternative weeder over animal drawn weeder.

• Private Lawns

• Labour Deficient Regions

3
 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE SURVEY

2.1 JOURNALS

“DEVELOPMENT OF MULTI USE MANUALLY OPERATED

WEED REMOVER”---BY SRIDHAR H.S

Decreasing income per acre of cultivation, and economic frustration are some of
the key factors hurting a farmer's confidence in continuing farming. It has always
been a problem to successfully and completely remove weeds and other innocuous
plants. This work involved the design and construction of mechanical weeder, after
discovering that tools such as cutlass and hoes require high time consuming and
high labour force. As a solution to these problems, mechanical(battery operated
type) weeder was designed and constructed.

“DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A ROTARY POWER

WEEDER”---BY J. O. OLAOYE

The use of mechanical weeder will reduce drudgery and ensure a comfortable
posture of the farmer or operator during weeding. This will resultantly increase
production. It is against this background that a rotary power weeder was developed.
Results of field performance evaluation showed that the field capacity and weeding
efficiency of the rotary power weeder were 0.0712 ha/hr and 73%.

4
 CHAPTER 3

OBJECTIVE

3.1 PROJECT OBJECTIVE

The objective of the project is to design, construct and test battery operated weeder,
to provide the best opportunity to farmer’s to easily control and removing the weed
from farm. Weeding with the use of tools like cutlass and hoe requires high labor
force in a commercial farming system hence mechanical weeder is necessary to
reduce the labor force. Environmental degradation and pollution caused by
chemical is reduced by the use of Mechanical weeder. Low effective operation,
high work effort and high time requirement for different types of hoe or cutlass, can
be overcome with the use of mechanical weeder. Presently in India, weeding with
simple tools such as cutlass, hoe etc. is labor intensive and intensive and time
consuming. Thus, there is a need for the design of manually operated weeder for
intensive and commercial farming system

5
 CHAPTER 4

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF MOTORIZED WEEDER

4.1 MAIN FRAME

The main frame is the skeletal structure of the machine. It acts

as the chassis for the system. All the loads applied are distributed over the frame.
Components and attachments are affixed to the main frame for support and balance.
The main frame is strong and rigid to withstand vibrations and tilts produced during
the operation. The main frame is manufactured by arc welding process.

The frame is supporting member of the machine. The prime

mover is mounted on this body at front side. The handle is attached to this frame at
backside. The blade shaft is also attached at front back side of this frame.

6
4.2 BLADE

Soil preparation can be time consuming. However, with the right

tools and equipment you can increase the efficiency of your business. A rotavator is
a useful piece of machinery when it comes to soil preparation. These versatile
pieces of farming equipment is a motorised machine which uses rotating blades to
turn soil.

The blades are the equipment which eradicates the unwanted

weed out of the soil. The blades are arranged in series with a number of 4 blades
attached on a shaft. The blades cumulated are altogether called as rotavator. The
blades are also called tines. Angle of the blade is about 45degree.

7
4.3 DC MOTOR

Fig 4.3 DC Motor

DC motors consist of rotor-mounted windings (armature) and

stationary windings (field poles). In all DC motors, except permanent magnet
motors, current must be conducted to the armature windings by passing current
through carbon brushes that slide over a set of copper surfaces called a
commutator, which is mounted on the rotor. The commutator bars are soldered to
armature coils. The brush/commutator combination makes a sliding switch that
energizes particular portions of the armature, based on the position of the rotor.
This process creates north and south magnetic poles on the rotor that are attracted
to or repelled by north and south poles on the stator, which are formed by passing
direct current through the field windings. It's this magnetic attraction and repulsion
that causes the rotor to rotate.

8
4.3.1 SPECIFICATION OF DC MOTOR

Voltage 12V
Current 4.5A

Table 4.3.1

4.3.2 PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION

In any electric motor, operation is based on simple

electromagnetism. A current-carrying conductor generates a magnetic field; when
this is then placed in an external magnetic field, it will experience a force
proportional to the current in the conductor, and to the strength of the external
magnetic field. As you are well aware of from playing with magnets as a kid,
opposite (North and South) polarities attract, while like polarities (North and North,
South and South) repel. The internal configuration of a DC motor is designed to
harness the magnetic interaction between a current-carrying conductor and an
external magnetic field to generate rotational motion.

The geometry of the brushes, commutator contacts, and rotor

windings are such that when power is applied, the polarities of the energized
winding and the stator magnet(s) are misaligned, and the rotor will rotate until it is
almost aligned with the stator's field magnets. As the rotor reaches alignment, the
brushes move to the next commutator contacts, and energize the next winding.
Given our example two-pole motor, the rotation reverses the direction of current
through the rotor winding, leading to a "flip" of the rotor's magnetic field, driving it
to continue rotating.

9
Fig 4.3.2(a) Principles Of Operation

Fig 4.3.2(b) Principles Of Operation

10
4.3.3 TYPES OF DC MOTOR

There are five types of brushed DC motor:

A. DC shunt-wound motor

B. DC series-wound motor

C. DC compound motor (two configurations):

 Cumulative compound
 Differentially compounded

D. Permanent magnet DC motor

E. Separately excited (sepex)

4.3.4 ADVANTAGES

The greatest advantage of DC motors may be speed control.

Since speed is directly proportional to armature voltage and inversely proportional
to the magnetic flux produced by the poles, adjusting the armature voltage and/or
the field current will change the rotor speed. Today, adjustable frequency drives
can provide precise speed control for AC motors, but they do so at the expense of
power quality, as the solid-state switching devices in the drives produce a rich
harmonic spectrum. The DC motor has no adverse effects on power quality.

11
4.4 BATTERY

The battery used is lead acid battery. It provides the necessary power to drive the
motor, and the battery acts as the power source for the machine. Lead acid batteries
are more affordable and has a better efficiency of about 80-85%. Amount of heat
generated is also less and the capacities of the batteries available are also wide. The
battery is of constant 12V. The amps rating selected is 50AH. A battery is a device
consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for
powering electrical devices such as flashlights, mobile phones, and electric cars.
When a battery is supplying electric power, its positive terminal is the cathode and
its negative terminal is the anode. The terminal marked negative is the source of
electrons that will flow through an external electric circuit to the positive terminal.
When a battery is connected to an external electric load, a redox reaction converts
high-energy reactants to lower-energy products, and the free-energy difference is
delivered to the external circuit as electrical energy. Historically the term "battery"
specifically referred to a device composed of multiple cells, however the usage has
evolved to include devices composed of a single cell. Primary (single-use or
"disposable") batteries are used once and discarded, as the electrode materials are
irreversibly changed during discharge; a common example is the alkaline battery
used for flashlights and a multitude of portable electronic devices. Secondary
(rechargeable) batteries can be discharged and recharged multiple times using an
applied electric current; the original composition of the electrodes can be restored
by reverse current. Examples include the lead-acid batteries used in vehicles and
lithium-ion batteries used for portable electronics such as laptops and mobile
phones, wristwatches to small, thin cells used in smart phone and large lead acid
batteries or lithium-ion batteries in vehicles.

12
 Fig 4.5 Battery

4.4.1 BASIC LEAD ACID BATTERY FUNCTION

Lead acid batteries are by far the most common type of power storage battery in
use today. A fully charged lead acid battery undergoes a chemical reaction when
attached to an electrical load, which releases stored energy from the battery. All
lead acid batteries consist of the following components:

A positive plate, composed of lead dioxide (PbO2)

A negative plate, composed of "sponge" lead (Pb)
An electrolyte solution of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and distilled water (H2O)

13
4.4.2 BATTERY CHARGING & MAINTENANCE

In an alternative energy system, battery charging is usually accomplished through

charge controllers attached to the various power generators. A good quality charge
controller will use a three stage, pulse width modulated charging system. This
allows the battery to receive the highest charging current during the bulk stage of
charging, with a second lower absorption level to bring the charge to maximum
voltage, and a third "float" charging current to maintain the battery charge. A good
quality charge controller will maximize charging efficiency and minimize lead
sulfate build up, increasing the battery's useable lifespan.

14
4.5 WHEELS

A wheel is a circular block of a hard and durable material at whose center has
been bored a circular hole through which is placed an axle bearing about
which the wheel rotates when a moment is appliedby gravity or torque to the
wheel about its axis, thereby making together one of the six simple machines.
When placed vertically under a load-bearing platform or case, the wheel
turning on the horizontal axle makes it possible to transport heavy loads; when
placed horizontally, the wheel turning on its vertical axle makes it possible to
control the spinning motion used to shape materials (e.g. a potter's wheel);
when mounted on a column connected to a rudder or a chassis mounted on
other wheels, one can control the direction of a vessel or vehicle

Fig 4.5 Wheels

15
4.6 TOGGLE SWITCH

Fig 4.6 Toggle Switch

A toggle switch is a class of electrical switches that are actuated

by a mechanical lever, handle, or rocking mechanism.

Toggle switches are available in many different styles and sizes,

and are used in countless applications. Many are designed to provide, e.g., the
simultaneous actuation of multiple sets of electrical contacts, or the control of large
amounts of electric current or mains voltages.

The word "toggle" is a reference to a kind of mechanism or joint

consisting of two arms, which are almost in line with each other, connected with an
elbow-like pivot. In the phrase "toggle switch" it specifically refers to one kind of
mechanism that can be used to implement a positive "snap-action." However, the
word "toggle switch" has come to mean any kind of switch with a short handle and
a positive snap-action, whether it actually contains a toggle mechanism or not.

16
4.7 CHARGER

The charger is used to recharge the lead acid batteries. The

charger used is of 48V and 20-25amps capacity. The charging method is constant
current type, which is an efficient method and quick process. The charging process
does not overheat the battery. By using this type of charger the life of the batteries
is also to be longer. Time taken by the charger to charge 4 batteries connected in
series is estimated to be 4-5 hours.

Fig 4.7 Charger

17
4.8 MOUNTS & JOINTS

Fig 4.8 Joints

A mechanical joint is a section of a machine which is used to

connect one or more mechanical part to another. Mechanical joints may be
temporary or permanent most types are designed to be disassembled. Most
mechanical joints are designed to allow relative movement of these mechanical
parts of the machine in one degree of freedom, and restrict movement in one or
more others. Mechanical joints are much cheaper and are usually bought ready
assembled.

18
4.8.1 SCREWS

A screw is a type of fastener, in some ways similar to a bolt (see

Differentiation between bolt and screw below), typically made of metal, and
characterized by a helical ridge, known as a male thread (external thread). Screws
are used to fasten materials by digging in and wedging into a material when turned,
while the thread cuts grooves in the fastened material that may help pull fastened
materials together and prevent pull-out. There are many screws for a variety of
materials; those commonly fastened by screws include wood, sheet metal, and
plastic.

Fig 4.8.1 Screws

19
4.9 GEARS

A gear is a rotating machine part having cut teeth, or cogs,

which mesh with another toothed part in order to transmit torque. Two or more
gears working in tandem are called a transmission and can produce a mechanical
advantage through a gear ratio and thus may be considered a simple machine.
Geared devices can change the speed, magnitude, and direction of a power source.
The most common situation is for a gear to mesh with another gear, however a gear
can also mesh a non-rotating toothed part, called a rack, thereby producing
translation instead of rotation.

When two gears of unequal number of teeth are combined a

mechanical advantage is produced, with both the rotational speeds and the torques
of the two gears differing in a simple relationship.

In transmissions which offer multiple gear ratios, such as

bicycles and cars, the term gear, as in first gear, refers to a gear ratio rather than an
actual physical gear. The term is used to describe similar devices even when gear
ratio is continuous rather than discrete, or when the device does not actually
contain any gears, as in a continuously variable transmission.

20
 Fig
4.9 Gear Nomenclature

In this motorized weeder, two types of gears are used they are

i. Spur gear
ii. Worm gear

21
 Fig 4.9 Gear

4.9.1 SPUR GEAR

Fig 4.9.1 Spur Gear

Spur gears or straight-cut gears are the simplest type of gear. They
consist of a cylinder or disk, and with the teeth projecting radially, and although
they are not straight-sided in form, the edge of each tooth thus is straight and
aligned parallel to the axis of rotation. These gears can be meshed together
correctly only if they are fitted to parallel axles.

22
4.9.2 WORM GEAR

Fig 4.9.2 Worm Gear

Worm gears resemble screws. A worm gear is usually meshed

with an ordinary looking, disk-shaped gear, which is called the gear, wheel, or
worm wheel.

Worm-and-gear sets are a simple and compact way to achieve a

high gear ratio. For example, helical gears are normally limited to gear ratios of
less than 10:1 while worm-and-gear sets vary from 10:1 to 500:1. A disadvantage is
the potential for considerable sliding action, leading to low efficiency.

23
 Worm gears can be considered a species of helical gear, but its
helix angle is usually somewhat large (close to 90 degrees) and its body is usually
fairly long in the axial direction; and it is these attributes which give it its screw
like qualities. The distinction between a worm and a helical gear is made when at
least one tooth persists for a full rotation around the helix. If this occurs, it is a
'worm'; if not, it is a 'helical gear'. A worm may have as few as one tooth. If that
tooth persists for several turns around the helix, the worm will appear, superficially,
to have more than one tooth, but what one in fact sees is the same tooth reappearing
at intervals along the length of the worm. The usual screw nomenclature applies: a
one-toothed worm is called single thread or single start; a worm with more than one
tooth is called multiple thread or multiple start.

In a worm-and-gear set, the worm can always drive the gear.

However, if the gear attempts to drive the worm, it may or may not succeed.
Particularly if the lead angle is small, the gear's teeth may simply lock against the
worm's teeth, because the force component circumferential to the worm is not
sufficient to overcome friction. Worm-and-gear sets that do lock are called self
locking, which can be used to advantage, as for instance when it is desired to set
the position of a mechanism by turning the worm and then have the mechanism
hold that position.

24
 CHAPTER 5

EXPERIMENTAL WORK

5.1 CONSTRUCTION OF WEEDER MACHINE

• Assembly of machine consist the mounting of motor on the frame & chassis
is mounted on wheel. Then the motor is assembled on chassis by using nut,
bolt & somewhere by weld.

• Manufacturing of motor includes following procedure Blades are cut by

grinding cutter & Bending of blade is done manually. These blades are
attached with the frame by adjusting setting.

• Two wheels are fitted below the DC motor. Fitted by nut & bolt

• Square pipe is used for the handles with required dimensions & switch is
fitted on handle & connected to battery by using wire.

• Switch & electrical connections are made for on/off the engine & Switch is
mounted on handle of machine.

5.2 DESIGN
25
 Fig 5.2 Design

The above CAD model is drawn using Catia software.

5.3 PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION

26
 The previous problem of agriculture weeds are that they can’t be
easily eliminated in the cultivated land. Because there is no special machines
available in the field. The weed elimination is done by human effort. It can be
reduced in our design of machine, it will minimize the human effort at low cost.
The design of distance between the two wheels are adjustable with respect to our
requirements. The horizontal adjustments are mainly provided for placing the
blades in certain distance with one another. The blade distance mainly depends on
plant size and age. In the top of the wheel shaft, a DC motor is provided for rotating
the blades. The distance can be adjustable but the DC motor is fixed at that same
point of contact. The selection of DC motor is only for load purpose, because the
rotary blades are rotated with respect to given power and speed. The soil level also
decides the speed of the machine. The rotary power is directly connected to the
slider crank mechanism and the slider crank are connected with the blades. The
rotary motion of slider crank is transmitted to blades by using worm and spur gears.
The handles are provided for turning the direction of the machine. The forward
direction movement of the machine is done on the wheel shaft pushing forward.
The blades are rotated in clockwise direction and the weed is removed perfect to
near the plant. In the design totally minimize the time of weed elimination in the
field of agriculture. The small thickness of the wheels can be rotated at any plants
between the cultivated lands and it is not affected the plants.

5.4 WORKING OF WEEDER MACHINE:

27
• Initially start the motor with the help of on/off switch mounted on handle.
• The blades are used for the forward movement of the machine.
• Battery is used to transmit power from motor to intermediate shaft.
• It works by converting the rotational motion of motor to the linear access to
the linkages that were connected to the motor
• The blades are mounted on the front side of the machine. When blades start
rotating forward motion occurs.
• Hence weeding is done with less effort and less cost.

Fig 5.4 Working

CHAPTER 6

28
ABSOLUTE ASSEMBLY OF MOTORIZED WEEDER

Fig 6.1 Side View

29
Fig 6.2 Front View

CHAPTER 7

30
 ADVANTAGES

7.1 ADVANTAGES

• It requires less time for weeding.

• Labour wages are completely neglected.
• It also reduces human and animal efforts.
• More land can be weeded than conventional method.
• Less noise and vibration.
• No pollution problem.
• It is eco-friendly and hence will not cause any health problems to the person
operating the machine.
• By maintaining the yield it reduces the cost of weed control as well as no
pollution

CHAPTER 8

31
 MATERIAL COST ESTIMATE

8.1 BILL OF MATERIALS

COST ESTIMATION

S.NO PART NAME MATERIAL QTY COST (Rs.)

1  DC motor - 1  1350

2 Gear  Mild Steel  3 900 

10
3  Frame Mild Steel 800
Feet

4 Battery Lead Acid 1 750

5 Switch - 1 100

6 Weeder Mechanism Mild Steel - 2100

 WELDING,CUTTIN
7 - -  500
G OF METALS

TOTAL COST 6500

Table 8.1 Bill Of Materials

CHAPTER 9

32
 FUTURE SCOPE

• The approach of treating crop and soil selectively according to their needs by
small autonomous machines is the natural next step in the development of
precision farming.

• By taking a system approach, we can develop a new mechanization system

that collectively deals with all crops agronomic needs in a better way.

• The agricultural chemical revolution have the ability to selectively manage

weeds in cropping system with contact or movement within the plant.

• If we use new material then performance will be high.

• The farmers need alternatives for weed control due to the desire to reduce
chemical use and production costs.

• Currently no such system exists for removing weeds located in the seed line
between crop plants.

CHAPTER 10

33
 CONCLUSION

Agricultural development plays important role as a driver of rural

poverty reduction. The effort required to develop a weeder will meet the demand of
farmers. The efficiency of weeder should be satisfactory and it is easy to operate. It
was faster than the traditional method of removing weed. Less labor needed and it
is more economical than hand weeding. Here do not use any fuel and power. Hence
maintenance cost is very less. Cost of weeding by this machine comes to only one-
third of the corresponding cost by manual laborers. The fabrication of Low cost
Weeder is done with locally available material. The overall performance of the
weeder was satisfactory.

REFERENCES

34
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Tractor” United states Patent , Patent Number: US 7828,099 B2

3) Tharoon T (2017) “Design and fabrication of rotary tiller blade” IRJET

volume:04 Issue:1 e-ISSN:2395-0056 ,p-ISSN: 2395-0072.

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5) Laukik P. Raut, “Development and fabrication of agricultural pesticides

sprayer with weeder,” International Journal of Applied Research and Studies,
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6) S. Madhusudhana, “Development of Double wheeled multipurpose weed

remover,”

7) Nagesh Kumar, “Performance evaluation of weeders,” International Journal

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