Design and construction of a wood-based modified yam pounder machine

Abstract

This study focused on the design and construction of a wood-based modified yam pounder machine. The high cost of producing yam pounder machine using stainless steel and other metals poses great challenges in terms of efficiency and affordability. In this study, a yam pounder was produced from hardwood obtained from Oak tree which is a locally sourced material with a view to eliminating the tedious and laborious process of preparing pounded yam. The hardwood log of 220 mm long was turned to a diameter of 240 mm using wood lathe machine. Other components were machined to their appropriate sizes based on designed specification before assembling. The designed yam pounder was used to pound 1.034 kg of cooked white yam for three minutes; the same were carried out with the existing yam pounder for three minutes under the same condition. The results obtained from performance tests showed that there was no yam seed from the designed yam pounder but there were few yam seeds in the existing yam pounder. This showed that the designed yam pounder pounds better than the existing one.