3-Blade Cassava Stem Cutting Machine

Abstract

A three blades cassava stem cutter was designed and fabricated in the Federal University of Technology, Owerri with the aim of reducing time expended and drudgery involved in cutting cassava stem for asexual propagation of the root plant. The developed machine has a dimension of 100cm×73.5cm×70cm with three cutting circular blades rotating in an anti-clockwise motion against the cassava stem bundle pushed towards it by a human operator. The machine was evaluated at varying speeds of 515rpm, 578rpm, 610rpm, and 652 rpm with cassava bundles holding 5, 10, 15, and 20 stems in a bundle. The machine maintained an average rating of 99.8% efficiency. The stem cutter was further analyzed for maximum capacity per hour and the result obtained was 19,000stems per hour.