FABRICATION OF HAMMER MILL FOR CASSAVA FLOUR PRODUCTION
2nd Biennial Conference
Authors
Abstract
The use of hammer mill is one of the simplest methods of processing agricultural raw materials, alternative to
the traditional methods of using stone, mortar and pestle. Crushing process reduces the size of solid materials by
mechanical action, and this can be achieved by breaking them into smaller particles. This research aimed at
developing a hammer mill that will be faster, user-friendly and more convenient for use by agro-processors in
solving the challenges of high product loss and drudgery experienced in the use of traditional methods. The dried
cassava grinding machine is made up of the following component parts; hopper, frame, pulley, transmission belt
(V-belt), shaft, bearing, hammers and sieve. The equipment was fabricated in the workshop of the Agricultural
and Bio-Environmental Engineering Department, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora,
Nigeria. The frame was fabricated using mild steel angle iron (3mm); the hopper was made of stainless steel. The
main shaft was made of stainless steel and supported at both ends by ball bearings. A beater shaft which
suspended the hammers was fabricated from a stainless steel rod of 12 mm in diameter. The machine was powered
by a 5.5 hp gasoline engine. The machine was tested using dried cassava tubers. The following parameters
throughput capacity, crushing capacity, crushing efficiency and % losses) were determined. The results obtained
from the study showed that the machine has an average crushing capacity and efficiency of 359.34 kghr and 95.62
% respectively. The results obtained from the fabricated machine in terms of performance indices confirmed that
it performed its intended function effectively and can be deployed for small and medium scale milling operation
of dried cassava tubers.
Keywords
Fabrication, hammer mill, cassava, flour, size reduction
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