International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET)
e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 12 Issue: 07 | Jul 2025
p-ISSN: 2395-0072
www.irjet.net
DEVELOPMENT OF A FOUR – HOPPER PLANTAIN SLICING MACHINE David Atadious1, Ikechukwu Patrick Onwuamaeze2, Onyekachi Tochukwu Dennar3, Anthony Chijioke Aneke4 1,2,3,4Mechanical Engineering Department, Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, Delta State, Nigeria.
---------------------------------------------------------------------***--------------------------------------------------------------------ripe plantain is fried, which is generally called dodo (doughAbstract - This study involves the design and fabrication of a dough) [4][6][7].
four – hopper (4-H) feed, horizontally inclined system (HIS) plantain slicing machine in order to optimize throughput capacity and efficiency at low cost, reduce total time of slicing and produce hygienic and quality chips for small scale plantain chips producers. The materials for the machine include stainless steel plates and mild steel angle iron. The machine consists of a cutting disc having two cutting blades, cutting chamber, 4-H plantain feed, the main frame and a 750W electric motor power transmission unit. The machine was evaluated for performance using raw plantain with an average diameter of 50mm and length 150mm, which sourced from markets in the vicinity of Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, Nigeria. The results obtained from the fabricated plantain slicing machine gave a cutting force of 37.67N, and velocity of the cutting disc of 4.2m/s. It is not totally free of noise and vibration, the slicing method is continuous with two slicing blades provided inside the cutting chamber and the energy for loading and unloading is reduced since four feed hoppers and a large discharged outlet were provided. The performance evaluation gave the efficiency for a single hopper feed (1-H), double (2-H) , triple (3-H) and quadruple (4-H) hopper feeds, as 89.66%, 91.67%, 91.21% and 90.98% respectively, and their throughput capacities were 50.52g/s, 100.13g/s, 141.85g/s and 183.00g/s respectively. The maximum slicing time obtained was 3.6m/s.
Plantain is important food stuff with the following constituents: water 10.62% protein 3.55% calcium 1.15% carbohydrates 81.67% [1][4]. The process of manual peeling and slicing using the knife can be injurious, time consuming and does not produce uniform size of sliced chips, possibility of food contamination and inevitably leads to low output by farmers with little or no income margin [3][8][9][10][11]. Provision of a motorized slicing machine will contribute to food security, export earnings and economic growth and reduction in the slicing time [5][8][9]. Farmers are faced with post-harvest losses since the plantain perish or get rotten easily when ripe [5]. For this reason many methods of processing are being introduced like (roasting and frying) after harvest [5][12]. In this design a 4-H horizontally inclined slicer (HIS) machine was constructed with the aim of increasing total throughput and performance of the design as compared with other designs with three or less feed hoppers.
Keywords:
Plantain chips, Hopper, Cutting disc, throughput capacity, Efficiency and Cutting Chamber.
The slicing equipment consists of rotating blades driven by centrifugal force provided by an electric motor that performs the cutting action as the plantain is fed through the hoppers under gravity.
1. INTRODUCTION
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Plantain is a basic staple food crop in developing countries, especially Africa and South America [1]. The harvested crop when processed provides a variety of food and raw materials for fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) factories and for over 70 million people in Nigeria [2][1]. Plantain is a semiperishable crop and large quantity is wasted due to deterioration during the peak of harvest [3][4]. To ensure food security and to reduce wastage, the adoption of an effective processing into chips for preservation and availability throughout the year is necessary [3][4]. Modern methods of slicing have greatly improved production rates and reduced slicing time [3][4][5]. The plantain belongs to the family MUSA SPP, and the species in some parts of Africa such as Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin and Ghana plantains are also dried and made into flour (banana meals forms), when
2.1
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Materials
The materials employed in the construction were carefully selected to ensure proper hygiene of sliced plantain, durability, reliability, safety, portability and efficiency of the machine. Other materials include the motor selection and angle iron for the frame and stand. The plantain chips are produced in a chamber fabricated from stainless steel plate while the frame was constructed using mild steel. 2.2
Method of Construction
The modifications introduced in this design involved incorporating an additional hopper to have a 4-H design as
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