Abstract

This study analyses the design of a simple, efficient, cheap and affordable cassava uprooting device for local cassava growing farmers. Processes involved in uprooting cassava were found out from local farmers, studied and mechanized using bevel gears, cams and followers, chain and sprockets. The principle of moments was used as a basis for the design. The effort applied by the foot of the operator is significantly magnified to overcome the load (cassava in the ground) at the extreme end of the device .The free body diagram of the frame helped to determine the average force needed to press the pedal by the foot. From the analysis, a little effort of 334.49 N can overcome about 2000 N of force and this gives a mechanical advantage of about 6. The bending moment diagram and the shear force diagrams helped to determine the part of the device which is subjected to greater force and where shear and bending can easily take place. Mild steel is used as the material for the device because it is cheap and easily available. Advantages of this design include faster uprooting with high productivity, less energy expended, reduction in the risk of health hazards of developing blisters in the palms, callus palms, arched spinal cord and waste pains over time.

Keywords:

Bending moment, bevel gears, cassava, effort, mechanical advantage, shear force,

References

Competing interests

The authors have no competing interests.

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Copyright

The authors have no competing interests.