The mechanical characteristics of cassava tuber cutter were determined the
mechanical behaviour and its effect during shear cutting and evaluated variables (maximum
cutting shear force, maximum cutting shear stress, specific cutting energy and amount of postcutting
loss) using 4 cutting tilt angles (30°, 45°, 60° and 90°) and 4 cutting speeds (20, 40, 60
and 100 mm/min). These variables were set in order to provide basic information and
guidelines to design the cutting blade of the cutting machine to separate cassava tuber from its
rhizome. The cassava variety of Kasetsart 50 was tested with tuber ages of 10-12 months,
planted in the area of Mueang district, Khon Kaen province. A universal testing machine with
maximum force of 50 kN was operated. The test results indicated that the maximum cutting
shear force and the maximum cutting shear stress increased with increasing tuber age which
was due to the increase in density and starch content. The cutting tilt angle at 30° with the
cutting speed at 100 mm/min provided the least values for the maximum cutting shear force, the
maximum cutting shear stress and the specific cutting energy. For tubers aged 10, 11 and 12
months, the average maximum cutting shear forces were 1.61±0.61, 3.60±0.24 and 4.08±0.11
kN respectively, while the average maximum cutting shear stresses were 2.01±0.76, 7.20±0.12
and 8.17±2.97 MPa respectively and the average specific cutting energies were 24.74±15.56,
26.15±10.81 and 30.38±11.10 mJ/mm2 respectively. The amounts of post-cutting loss were
slightly different within the range of 0.5-1% for different tuber ages.
Keywords
Cutting cassava tuber from rhizome, maximum cutting shear force, maximum cutting shear stress, specific cutting energy
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY
Published by : Association of Agricultural Technology in Southeast Asia (AATSEA) Contributions welcome at : http://www.ijat-aatsea.com
By using our website, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.