Design and development of a prototype of a mobile rubber wood shredder system
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Abstract
The purpose of this research is designing and establishing a prototype of a mobile rubber wood shredding system. The study involved examining the characteristics of a set of chopper blades in a squirrel cage wood shredding system and testing various factors of the machine. These factors included the chopping speeds, which were tested at four levels: 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 revolutions per minute (representing linear speeds of 20.9, 41.9, 62.8, and 83.7 metres per second) respectively. Rubber trees obtained from pruning and leftover wood in the plantation area were used as raw materials. The physical characteristics of the rubber wood were recorded, including a diameter of 4.41±0.53 cm and a wood moisture content of 30.00±1.76 percent (wet base). After testing the various factors of the machine, it is determined that the maximum efficiency achieved was 94.52 percent, representing a maximum capacity of the machine equal to 3.51 tonnes per hour (with an average of 2.65 tons per hour). The energy consumption rate is measured at 28.33 Thailand Baht per tonne (diesel fuel at 32.94 Thailand Baht per litre). The average particle size obtained from the sieve analysis was 4.03 ± 1.01 mm, which was the test data for the optimal chopping speed factor of the machine at 3000 rpm. This speed is found to be suitable for handling wood chips from fallen or pruned rubber trees in rubber plantations. The system works in conjunction with a lorry to pack and transport the wood chips to factories requiring fuel from shredded rubber wood in a timely manner.
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