DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF BAMBOO CULM SPLITTING MACHINE

With the increasing awareness of the possible uses of bamboo for engineering application comes the need to find easier and faster ways of processing it into readily useable forms. A bamboo culm splitting machine (BCSM) that could be used in-situ for the splitting of bamboo culm was designed. The design processes included the surfing and collection of preliminary data and existing information on similar design, determination of machine parameters using design calculations, designing the basic components using SOLIDWORK software and simulating a performance model of the machine for analysis purposes using ANSYS Static Structural Software. The components of the designed BCSM was detailed and used to prepare the bill of quantity for the machine. The simulated model performed optimally. Results of analysis on the frame structure, cutting blade and slider showed acceptable stress, strain and deformation on components. The cost of manufacturing the BCSM was estimated at N223,100.00 (US$617.99) as at 2020. A downscaled prototype of the BCSM was fabricated using materials available within the study area. The cost of fabrication was N76,100 (US$211.39) as at 2020 with determined efficiency of about 64%. The BCSM is suitable for small scale operation at affordable cost to potential users in Nigeria and also serves as teaching aid in institutions and research facilities. It is recommended that the project be full-scaled during production for commercial use.