DESIGN, FABRICATION AND TESTING OF MULONDO CRASHING MACHINE

Mondia whitei (omulondo) is one of the most consumed herbs in and around Kampala city, this is attributed to its many uses such as enhancing of cerebral and peripheral blood circulation, treatment for anorexia, treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, stomach ailments and impotence, treatment of hypertension and many others. Currently, the root is processed into other products like; mulondo liqueur and mulondo powder. However, the processes (washing and smashing/size reduction) involved in making these products are manually done which results to drudgery leading to low output, poor hygiene and loss of root sap among others. To address the challenges, a mulondo crashing machine was designed and constructed to enable the increased output. The construction of the prototype was executed using stainless steel grade 316 and tested to determine the workability and time variation as compared to local methods. The machine is designed to be operated by the electric motor of size 5Hp. The machine gave a maximum output of 121.8 kg/hr, a size reduction efficiency of 100% and an average output efficiency 78% for mixed roots. This machine should meet the needs of the needs of small or medium scale mulondo enterprises.