IMPACT OF DRUM SPEEDS AND MOISTURE CONTENT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A COWPEA THRESHER

The evaluation of a previously designed and fabricated cowpea thresher was conducted at the Department of Agricultural and Bio-environmental Engineering Technology of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic in Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria. The evaluation focused on the impact of drum speed and moisture content on the performance of the machine. The experiment involved testing the thresher at different drum speeds of 250, 350, and 450 rpm and moisture content levels ranging from 8% to 20%. The evaluation considered various performance parameters, including the percentage of broken seeds, threshing efficiency, quality performance efficiency, and output capacity, which were found to be 4.5%, 97%, 88%, and 100 kg/h, respectively. The results of the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated that both drum speed and moisture content significantly influenced the machine parameters, with p-values ranging from 0.00161 to 0.00235. The interaction between drum speed and moisture content affected the threshing efficiency and quality performance efficiency of the thresher. These findings underscored the crucial roles played by drum speed and moisture content in optimizing the threshing process of the machine. The data generated from study is recommended for commercial production and use of the machine.