Article Sidebar
Article Details
NAJ supports free online communication and exchange of knowledge as the most effective way of ensuring that the fruits of research and development practice are made widely available. It is therefore committed to open access, which, for authors, enables the widest possible dissemination of their findings and, for readers, increases their ability to discover pertinent information. The Journal adopts and uses the CC: BY license and is open access. This license lets others distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the Journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Copyright for articles published in this Journal is retained by the Journal.
Main Article Content
An Innovative Design and Development of A Cassava Peeling Machine
Abstract
The study was the design and development of a cassava peeling machine to reduce drudgery and improve the productivity of cassava processing into various foods. The cassava peeling machine consists of the peeling drum (with both knife and abrasive embedded), conveyor, electric motor, and speed reducer. The machine was designed using solid work software. The peeler was evaluated with cassava root length of about 300mm. The speed range of 90-120rpm was used to test the performance of the peeler. The average capacity of the developed machine was 450kg/h, with a peeling efficiency of 90%. The root loss of 5% and peel retention of 5% were obtained during machine test. The various shapes of cassava roots do not affect the machine's functionality as it functions well on the different shapes and sizes of cassava roots. Results also show that the machine is affordable and efficient and is recommended to improve the processing productivity of cassava food products. It is therefore, recommended that further research be carried out on cassava roots geometry and thickness to further improve the peeling efficiency of the machine. Modelling of the cassava peeling process should be studied, taking into consideration the physical parameters; towards identifying any flaw that needs improvement in the present design. More research should be carried on the utilization of alternative sources of energy like solar to power the machine at a minimal energy cost.
