Fabrication and Performance Evaluation of a Pedal Driven Pulverizing and Sieving Machine for Dewatered Grated Cassava

Abstract

The traditional method of pulverizing and sieving cassava lump in garri production is very tedious, time consuming, unhygienic and consequently with low efficiency. The need to eliminate drudgery in the traditional method, will involves the mechanization of pulverizing and sieving process. This paper presents the fabrication and performance evaluation of a pedal driven pulverizing and sieving machine for dewatered grated cassava. The machine was designed to be driven like a bicycle, which sends rotary motion to the system. It was made to accept cassava lumps through the hopper to the pulveriser, which rotates at a speed greater than that of the lump, thereby breaking it into smaller particles. The performance of the machine increases with increase in the amount of cassava lump inserted into the machine. The efficiency of the machine shows that as the cassava lump inserted into the machine increases, the efficiency increases from 80% and 83% to 86% and 85% for the TMS 82/00058 and TMS 82/00661 varieties respectively.