Testing of Optimal Condition for a Young Coconut Peeling Machine with Oscillating Knives

Abstract

A young coconut peeling machine for force measurement of peeling was designed to use an oscillating knife with 4 cm of stroke for peeling body and shoulder of a coconut. The oscillating knife was attached to load cell to measure action force to the knife during peeling in feeding and normal to feeding directions. In experiments, the knives were set a cutting angle at 20 degree and thickness of peeling at 3 mm for peeling body and shoulder of the coconuts at 30 and 60 rpm of coconut rotational speed and oscillating speed of the knife at 0, 110 and 220 rpm to compare the action force to the knife and fibrous area after peeling. The results showed that most action force to the knife was in the normal to feeding direction for body and shoulder peeling and the action force to the knife was significantly reduced when the knife was oscillated at 110 or 220 rpm during peeling. The fibrous area was decreased when the action force to the knife was reduced. The optimal peeling condition, the coconut rotational speed at 60 rpm with the oscillating knife speed at 220 rpm, showed 28.29 and 40.16% in the action force to knife reduction and 1.78 and 0.00% in the fibrous area for body and shoulder peeling, respectively.