Design and fabrication of an engine-operated banana stem chopping machine.

Abstract

The banana plantain is a semi perishable crop and large quantity of the stem is wasted due to deterioration during the peak of harvest.The farmers dealing in the rearing of the animals use manual methods to chop the banana stems in order to supplement feeds to the animals but these methods produce low production of the chopped feeds, in addition, the methods is time consuming. The main objective is to design and fabricate the banana stem chopping machine and this design will focus on the capacity, material selection, maintenance and the cost must be considered. The banana stem chopping machine when fabricated, will consist of Notched Rammed shaft, cutting blades, Main shaft, Belts, Pulley, Engine, Frame, Top cover, Carrie, Blade cover, Wheels, a rectangular frame made of angle iron bar welded together, grooved pulley, V-belt connected to both pulleys for power transmission and the performance will be evaluated.