AM498
FINAL PROJECT I
DESIGN AND FABRICATION
OF
MULTI-TASK FORAGE
CHOPPER MACHINE
Project Members
i. Odassy, Japhet Emmanuel. 2020-04-10118
ii. Wambura, Stephano James. 2020-04-12349
iii. Nkurlu, Meshack J. 2020-04-09799
Presentation Overview
Introduction
Problem statement
Objectives
Significance of the Project
Research Design Plan
Methodology Flow Chart
Methodology
Budget of our project
Time plan
Introduction
What is Forage Chopper Machine?
A Forage Chopper Machine is an agricultural machine designed to cut and process
forage like Corn/Maize stalk, Sorghum stalk, Millet stalk, Napier grass, or Alfalfa
into small pieces, offer a promising solution to perennial challenge of providing
nutritious and easily digestible feed to livestock such as cattle, sheep, pigs,
goats, chickens and or others.
Chopping Unit Mechanism
Rotary drum Mechanism
Chopping..
Shear Blade
Playback 1: A Video Illustrates how Manual Forage Chopper Operate
Playback 2: A Video Illustrates how powered Forage Chopper Operate
Problem Statement
Current Situation
Currently available machines for chopping in agricultural practices, whether
locally made or imported, are limited in functionality, typically designed for a
single operation. However, many pastoralists engage in diverse activities, not
only keeping animals but also maintaining poultry, such as chickens.
Figure 1: A Picture Illustrates Forage Chopper Found at CoET TDTC Workshop
Figure 2: A Picture shows Forage Chopper Machine Found at CoET TDTC
Figure 3: A picture show Forage Chopper Machine Found at CoET Design Laboratory
Figure 4: A picture show Forage Chopper found at TEMDO
Problem Statement…
The Gap
The existing machinery fails to address the comprehensive needs of pastoralists,
particularly the lack of multitasking capabilities. This creates a notable gap, as
there is no efficient solution that integrates both chopping and grinding
processes. The absence of a versatile machine that can handle both tasks,
specifically chopping for animal forage and grinding dried maize cobs,
underscores the need for an innovative approach to agricultural machinery.
Problem Statement…
Proposed Solution
To address this gap, our final year project aims to design a multitasking forage
chopper machine. This device will incorporate a chopping mechanism with
attached hammers, facilitating not only the traditional forage chopping process
but also seamlessly transitioning to grinding dried maize cobs. By developing a
versatile machine that caters to the varied needs of pastoralists, we seek to
enhance efficiency and productivity in agricultural practices, providing a
sustainable solution that aligns with the multifaceted activities of those engaged
in animal husbandry and poultry farming.
Cont..
OTHER AVAILABLE FORAGE CHOPPER
MACHINE
SIF CHOPPER COMBINE GRINDING MACHINE
It is used in cutting both fresh and dry corn straw, wheat straw
Cont..
Self-propelled forage choppers: These are large, self-contained machines that can chop
and load forage into a wagon or truck.
Cont..
Flail choppers: These are smaller machines that use a flail rotor to chop forage. They
are often used for chopping pasture or forages that will be grazed directly by livestock.
Cont..
Hammer mills: These are stationary machines that use hammers to grind forage into a
fine powder. They are often used to grind dry forages, such as hay or corn cobs.
Value chain of Maize (Case Study)
Maize plant
Stem and Leaves Maize Corn
Hay Soil Mulching Grains Cob
Fire Wood Ingridients
(eg in
Poultry diet)
Objectives
Main Objectives
To design and Fabricate Multi- task Forage Chopping Machine
Objectives...
Specific Objectives
-To analyze different chopping machine working principles.
-To Design Multi-task Forage Chopper Machine.
-To Fabricate Multi-task Forage chopper.
-To Examine the performance of the Fabricated Machine (Test)
Significance of Forage Chopper
1. Enhanced Digestibility
2. Time and Labor Savings
3. improved growth, milk production, and overall livestock performance.
[Link] Production for Year-Round Feeding
5. Reduced Feed Waste
6. Lower Post Harvest Loss
RESEARCH DESIGN PLAN
Methodology Flow Chart
The flow chart showing the methodology procedure of the design
Methodology
S/N Objectives Methodology Activities
1. To analyze different i. Literature i. Intensive reading and study about different
chopping Machine review existing chopping types in general
working principles ii. Observation
iii. Interviews ii. Visiting different Workshops areas Such as
IPI, Design Lab, Forging Workshop for asking
different experts such as engineers and
technicians concerning forage choppers
material components, strength, capacity,
durability and others
iii. Deep diving through our team group on
analyzing various parameters and coming up
with best concept to be further designed
Methodology…
S/N Objective Methodology Activities
2. To design the i. Interviews i. Concept selection of the best concept after
forage chopper ii. Literature review compilation of different wild ideas from our
machine. iii. Surveying team
ii. Selection of the materials to be purchased
and materials to be used in the next stages
of designing.
iii. Proceeding with the design phase which will
include the design analysis of machine
components
iv. Obtaining the final drawing of machine
including the detail drawings ready for
going to next fabrication stage.
Methodology…
S/N Objectives Methodology Activities
3. To fabricate the i. Literature i. Manufacturing of the required
forage chopper review components with the desired
machine. ii. Experimentati dimensions.
on
ii. Buying the other non-fabricated
parts such as bearings, prime
mover, belts and other per
specifications.
iii. Finally, assembling each
component to obtain the final
machine ready for testing.
Methodology…
S/N Objectives Methodology Activities
4. To examine the i. Experimentation. i. Collection of various samples of crop
performance of the ii. Observation. residues for testing.
fabricated machine (Test) iii. Literature
review. ii. Testing of a prototype to examine the
iv. Surveying. performance of machine in general.
iii. Examine the machine in various
aspects such as vibrations, noise, fuel
usage, chopping or hammering
duration for various samples.
PROJECT BUDGET
TIME PLAN
No of week/ Activities 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Literature reviewing
Product Design Specicification
Conceptual Designing
Concept Selection
Embodiment Designing
Detail Drawing
Design Analysis and Calculation
Materials Purchasing
Fabrication of Our Machine
Assembling, Finishing & Painting
Testing of the Machine
THANK YOU!
