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Design of a Cocoa Pod Splitting Machine

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Research Journal of Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology 2(7): 622-634, 2010
ISSN: 2040-7467
© M axwell Scientific Organization, 2010
Submitted Date: May 21, 2010 Accepted Date: August 10, 2010 Published Date: October 25, 2010

Design of a Cocoa Pod Splitting Machine

1
S.K. Adzimah and 2 E.K. Asiam
1
Departm ent of Mechanical Engineering, Facu lty of Engineering,
2
Departm ent of Mineral Engineering, Facu lty of Mineral Resources Technolo gy,
University of Mines and Technology, Ghana

Abstract: This study outlines the design of a very efficient, highly productive, cost- effective, ergonomic and
environm entally friendly cocoa splitting machine that will be used by cocoa Farmers w orld - wide to increase
and boost pro ductivity and enhance the quality of coca products to the highest possible level devoid of any
hazards, dangers or perils. This machine can be manufactured from locally available scraps and assembled and
maintained at a relatively low cost. The knives which do the splitting are actuated by sim ple hy draulic
mechanisms devo id any major stresses, forces or moments acting on them. These mechanisms are powered by
simple low - powered lobe positive displacement or hydrostatic hydraulic pumps of power rating of 87.5 kW
(65.625 Hp). The machine can be assembled and/or disassembled easily and quickly, and, therefore can be
owned patronized by a gro up of coco a farmers w ho ca n easily bear the low cost of maintenance of the already
relative cheap machine.

Key w ords: Beans, cash crop, Cocoa, Cocoa Pods, foreign exchange earner, splitting machine

INTRODUCTION Table 1: World’s cocoa production for 2006/7 season

Co untry Amou nt produced W o rld pro du ctio n (% )
Co te d’Ivore 1.3 million tonnes 37 .4
Cocoa merits m uch econ omic significance in the
Ghana 720 thousand tonnes 20 .7
producing coun tries the w orld over. Cocoa beans contain Ind one sia 440 thousand tonnes 12 .7
about 50% fat. It is useful in the production of lightning Cameroon 175 thousand tonnes 5.0
oil, ointments, candles, soaps and medicines Nig eria 160 thousand tonnes 4.6
(Opeke, 1987). Cocoa butter, made from the fat extracted Bra zil 155 thousand tonnes 4.5
Ecuador 118 thousand tonnes 3.4
from the beans, is a stable fat used in the production of
Do min ican Re pub lic 47 thousand tonnes 1.4
cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. The beans are M alays ia 30 thousand tonnes 0.9
ground into powder for making beverages, chocolates, ice
cream, soft drinks, cakes, biscuits, flavouring agents and
Characteristics of varieties of Cocoa: There are m ainly
other confectionaries. Cocoa husks can be hydrolysed to
three varieties of cocoa, namely amezon ia, amelonado
produce fermentable sugar. Cocoa cake is used as part of
and the hybrid of the two . The characteristics of these
feed ingredients for poultry, pig, she ep, goat,
varieties of the cocoa are summarized in Table 2.
cattle and fish after removing the theobramine
(Adeyan ju et al., 1975). The shell (pod) is a good source
of potassium and can be used in the production of potash The Cocoa fruit: The cocoa fruit comprises of the pod or
fertilizer, local so ap, for b iogas and p article boards shell, beans or seeds, husk, placenta and mucilaginous
(Adeyan ju et al., 1975 ; Opeke, 1987). Con sidering all pulp which contains a sweet juice referred to as
these benefits, cocoa production and processing must be ‘sweating’. Generally, cocoa pods are oval-shaped and
mechanized and properly improved to aid profits and vary in size. The length is normally between 20 and 32
reduce losses. Hence the development of this concept o f cm. Its colour ranges from yellow or green to red or
designing such a cocoa pod splitting machine, which has violet. The surface texture is warty and dee p furrowed to
not been in existence in any part of the world. nearly smooth in most cases. The husks appear
appreciably in thickness. Each bean is surrounded by
W orld’s Cocoa production: Nine countries are reputed mucilaginous pulp. The number of beans per pod is
to be the world’s large st coco a bean producers. Table 1 usua lly between 30 and 40. Each bean consists of two
gives the production estimates for the 2006/7 seasons convoluted cotyledons and is enclosed in the testa. The
from the International Cocoa Organization. The cotyledon has its colour varying from white to purple.
percentage is the proportion of the world's total of 3.5 Figure 1 shows the cocoa fruit, beans with the pulp, as
million tonnes for the relevant period. well as the pod or the husk.

Corresponding Author: S.K. Adzimah, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Mines and
Technology, Ghana
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 Res. J. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol., 2(4): 622-634, 2010

Fig. 1: A Cocoa fruit showing its beans

Table 2: Characteristics of varieties of cocoa

Characteristics Crio llo Foreste ro Trin itario
Texture of Po d Hu sk Soft Hard M ostly hard and smo oth
Colou r of Pod H usk Red Green Variable or light
No. of Beans per Pod 20-30 30 o r more 40 o r more
Colour of Cotyledon W hite, iv ory o r very pale pur ple Pale to de ep p urp le Variable dark purple.
White beans rarely occur

Table 3: Average (Net) weight of the varieties of fresh Cocoa Pods Amelonado. For ex amp le, the av erage weight of the
Variety of cocoa Average weight of Cocoa Pods (Kg) Hyb rid is about 0.48 Kg while the Amezonia and the
Am ezo nia 0.40
Amelonado weigh about 0.40 and 0.37 Kg, respectively.
Amelonado 0.37
Hy brid 0.48 The reason may be due to the fact that the H ybrid variety
has more beans per po d. However, the husk of the Hybrid
Table 4: Percentage weight of various components of wet Cocoa Pods variety weighs lesser than those of other two varieties.
Variety of Cocoa C om po ne nts of w et C oc oa Po ds (% ) Furthermore, the Hybrid variety also continues bearing
Husk Be ans with Pu lp Plac enta fruits throughout the year while the Amelonado and the
Am ezo nia 70.00 27.00 3.00 Am ezon ia varieties bear fruits only in the pea k season . It
Amelonado 74.51 24.93 0.56
Hy brid 66.67 30.21 3.12
is therefore not surprising that farmers prefer cultivating
the Hybrid to the others (A ddy, 200 0).
Table 5: Percentage weight of various components of dry Cocoa Pods
Variety of Cocoa C om po ne nts of d ry Co co a P od s (% ) MATERIALS AND METHODS
--------------------------------------------------------------
Husk Beans Plac enta C Visits were paid to the farm s and farmers to ascertain
Am ezo nia 19.00 7.50 0.50
the way cocoa pods are split manually using
Amelonado 14.29 10.08 0.57
Hy brid 10.83 15.21 0.56
mac hetes, cutlasses and knives.
Average weight 14.71 10.93 0.54 C Research has been carried out to study w hat work has
been done so far in this area of mechanization of
An alysis of the Cocoa Pod: The whole of the cocoa pod cocoa pod splitting. (Ademosun, 1993; Adewumi and
Ayodele, 1997) This research was mainly conducted
was analyzed to find ou t some parameters of interest
over the last decade in Ghana, N igeria and C ote
including average weight of the types of cocoa and
d’Ivoire of the W est African sub-region. Figure 2
percentage weight of the varieties of wet and dry cocoa
shows a map of Ghana indicating areas where cocoa
pods, in order to determine the amount of waste generated is predo minantly cultivated. In this respect it has
with these varieties of the cocoa during the preparation of been discovered that other researchers came out w ith
the bean. The results are presented in Table 3 to 5. cocoa pod breaking machines. (Audu et al., 2004;
A fieldwork undertaken on the cocoa farms revealed Vejesit and S alohk he, 20 04; A dew umi et al., 2006;
that among the main varieties of co coa currently Jabagun, 1965; Are and Gwynne, 1974; Faborode
cultivated in Ghana, for example, the Amelonado (also and O ladosun, 1991).
known as Tetteh Quarshie) trees are the oldest, followed C Exp eriments have been conducted to determ ine to
by Amezonia and the Hybrid, which is a cross between what extent the broken cocoa pod pieces and the
the first two. Results in Table 3 show that the pods of the cocoa beans that mix up during the breaking can be
Hybrid variety weigh more than the Amezonia and the separated. (Adeyanju et al., 1975 )

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Fig. 2: Map of Ghana showing areas where cocoa is predominantly planted information on Cocoa Pod breaking machines

C The concept of the design of the cocoa pod splitting first cocoa pod breaker in Nigeria was constructed at the
machine has been developed by designing or Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) as reported in
selecting each component of the entire machine. Jabagun (1965).
C Plans are underway to have the machine A similar machine built by M essers Christy and
manufactured and tested. Norris Limited of England was tested at Cadb ury Brothers
Cocoa Plantation at Ikiliwindi, Cameroon (Are and
Information gathered from the Internet and other Gwynne, 1974). Two people are required to operate the
sources have it that there has been a cocoa breaking machine; one feeds the cocoa pods into the m achin e while
machine designed, fabricated and tested which is a the other collects the beans. It breaks the pod by means of
simple, hand-operated and low cost impact type cocoa a revolv ing ribb ed w ooden co ne m ounted vertically inside
pod-breaking machine for the peasant farmers in the rural a ribbed cylindrical metal drum. The pods fed into the
area where there is no electrical source of power. It has hopper move to the shelling section by gravity. The beans
been claimed that the breaking of pods is a size reduction pass through the meshes into a collecting wooden box,
process, which aims at extracting the beans from the pod. while the shell fragments drop out at the open end of the
The forces involv ed in break ing the coco a pod s could be rotary sieve (A dew umi, 1997a, b, 1998 ).
compressive, impact or shearing forces depending on the Another earlier machine, the Zinke machine, uses
type of machine and process (Audu et al., 2004; several rotary jaws or toothed rollers (Faborode and
Vejesit and S alohk he, 20 04; A dew umi et al., 2006). The Oladosun, 1991). This machine has the problem of

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 Res. J. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol., 2(4): 622-634, 2010

Tab le 6: R esu lts for th e ex perim ent c arried out - v ariatio ns w eigh ts and volu mes of C oco a B ean s an d the ir respective broken husks with drying time
Days Husk Beans
------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight (g) Volume (mL) Weight (g) Volume (mL)
0 69.70 23 69.10 8.5
4 62.65 25 62.05 10
8 24.23 30 55.41 60
12 43.93 50 74.79 80
16 35.16 35 81.18 80

Table 7: Density variations between the Cocoa Beans and the respective Husk with drying time
Days Density of the beans Density of the H usk Dif feren ce in den sity
0 8.107 3.025 5.062
4 6.206 2.506 3.7
8 0.924 0.808 0.116
12 0.934 0.879 0.055
16 1.015 1.005 0.01

crushing the husks further into tiny portions, w hich m ix the experiment were a few (five) fresh ripen cocoa pods
with the w et beans, and this poses a problem during and water and the apparatus used to perform the
separation. Faborode and Oladosun (1991) designed, experiment were a two-litre measuring cylinder, an
fabricated and tested a machine to break cocoa pods and electronic balanc e and a knife (W ills, 1981).
extract the wet beans (Allen et al., 1998; Adewum i, 2000;
Adewumi and Fatusin, 2006 ). Procedure for the experimen t: Sam ple preparation: Five
It consists of hopper, meter plate, hammer and fresh ripen cocoa p ods w ere obtained from a nearby cocoa
reciprocating sieve .T he ha mm er breaks the pods wh ile farm, weighed and each allowed drying for some number
the vibrating sieve separa tes the h usk. T he be an is of days.
collected through the discharge chute. Cocoa beans
contain about 50% fat. It is useful in the production of Method of the experime nt carried out: One of the five
lightning oil, ointments, candles, soaps and medicines cocoa pods w as taken fresh a nd the other four,
(Opeke, 1987). Cocoa butter, made from the fat extracted consecutively, after every fou r days, split open to separate
from the beans, is a stable fat used in the production of the beans and the husk. The beans and the broken pieces
cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. The beans are of the pod (husk) were weighed separately to determine
ground into powder for making beverages, chocolates, ice
their respective masses, using an electronic balance. The
cream, soft drinks, cakes, biscuits, an d delicate flavouring
respective volume of the samples of the beans and husk
agen ts and other confectionaries. Cocoa husks can be
were determined using Archimedes principle. This was
hydrolysed to produce fermentable sugar. Cocoa cake is
done as follow s: A two-litre measuring cylinder was filled
used as part of feed ingredients for poultry, pig, sheep,
with water to about the 500 mL mark. Each sample was
goat, cattle and fish after removing the theobramine
(Adeyan ju et al., 1975). The shell (pod) is a good source dropped in the cylinder containing water and the increase
of potassium and can be used in the production of potash in volume noted and taken to be the volume of the
fertilizer, local soap, for biogas and particle boards sample. Thereafter, the densities of the respective samples
(Adeyan ju et al., 1975 ; Opeke, 1987). Con sidering all were determine d using the relations:
these bene fits, coco a prod uction and processing must be
mechanized and properly improved to aid profits and Density of the pod = Mass of the pod
reduce losses. However these machines have not and Volume of the pod
cannot achieve the desired results as intended for the
cocoa pod splitting machines as narrated above, and, Density of the beans = Mass of the beans
world over the harv esting and proc essing of the ve ry Volume of the beans
essential agricultural produce still remains a big problem
and cha llenge (Bam gboye , 2003; D ecabossage, 200 6). Determination of the differences in densities between
In spite of the above, design of a cocoa splitting the Cocoa Beans and the Husk: The results for the
machine as presented in this study was conceived to experiment carried out to determine the weights of the
provide a more user - friendly machine that will take care cocoa beans and their respective broken-pods (husk)
of the problems and bottlenecks encountered on the between an interval of four day s of drying time is
existing cocoa pod breaking machines. presented in Table 6 and the density variations between
the cocoa beans and the respective husk with the same
Experimental work on possible separation of broken- drying time is also presented in Table 7. In Fig. 7 these
up Cocoa P ods from the B eans: The materials used in results have been plotted.

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 Res. J. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol., 2(4): 622-634, 2010

The result obtained on ‘Day 8’ is quite ironical if not

ambiguous: the weights of husk sharply declined from
62.65 to 24.23 g, rose to 43.93 g and dropped to 35.16 g
on ‘Day 12’ and ‘Day 16’ respectively. In the case of the
coco a beans the drop in we ight to 55.41 g from 69.1 and
62.05 g of ‘Day 0’ and ‘Day 4’ respectively a difference
about 7 g between these values shows some consistency
but the sharp rise to 79.79 g on ‘Day 12’ and at 81.18 g is
some phenomenon yet to be understood.
Similar thing can be said about the volumes: a sharp
increase in volume from 10 mL for ‘D ay 4’ (giving a v ery
high density of the beans on that day) to 60 mL
(exhibiting a sharp drop in den sity for ‘D ay 8’ is
inexplicable.
In the case of the husk the sharp increase in volume
from 30 mL of ‘Day 8’ to 50 mL on ‘Day 12’ and
Fig. 3: Graphs showing the influence of drying on densities of dropping again to 35 mL on ‘Day 16’ thus making the
Cocoa Beans and Husk
densities of the husk and that of the beans on the same
‘Day 1 6’ and ‘D ay 12’ virtually a “un ity” (1).
These analyses alone prove that separation of the
husk and the co coa bea ns wh en the ripe coc oa pods are
broken by such an d only kno wn method is not feasib le
and therefore cannot be recommended for anybody
especially the farmers or manufacturers in any
circumstance, let alone for commercial purposes or large
scale production for such an im portant crop as cocoa
which is undoubtedly the most useful cash crop of all the
agricu ltural produce the w orld ov er.
Moreover, if the separation is something to drive
home at all, then according to the results obtained and
presented graphically, the breaking of the cocoa pods and
Fig. 4: Graph showing the effects of number of drying days on the purported separation can only be done around ‘Day 5’
separation of the Cocoa Beans and the Husk before and after which the exercise is not possible or
feasible. For tha t reason a separation expe rimen t is
Discussion of the Results of the Experiment Carried deemed to be carried out for that particular day, but it can
out on the Cocoa Pod and H usks: The outcome or be predicted that no desirable results will be obtained.
results of the experiment carried out on the possibility of Another impo rtant feature about the method of the
separation of the broken-up pieces (husks) of the cocoa breaking of cocoa pods that needs to be noted is that if the
pods reveal a lot of uncertainties and discrepancies about pods are to be broken en masse by which ever method,
the feasibility of the processes, ev en if the best m ethod is there is the high likelihood that most of the cocoa beans
adopted; these are as follows: would be sm ashed toge ther w ith the husk (broken pieces
of the pods) which will definitely assume amorphous
C The ripe cocoa pods w ere “sp lit” not actually shapes and having the cocoa beans (whether smashed or
“broken” as suggested. not) stuck to them, and this will compound and
C The pods we re so “split one at a time” but not all put complicate the separation process.
together and broken” as proposed or premeditated.
Development of the concept of the design of the Cocoa
The results obtained in the experiment do not follow Pod splitting machine: A fieldwork was carried out by
any consistency: The weights of the husk and the beans way of pay ing visits to the cocoa farms and farmers in the
on ‘Day 0’, (the first day when the ripe cocoa pods are W assa W est District in the W estern Reg ion of G hana to
fresh) are virtually the same. The same can be said about ascertain how the cocoa is harvested: plucking and
that of ‘Day 4’ (having dried the pods for four days). splitting of the ripe cocoa pods manually. Figure 5 shows
Figure 3 and 4 show, respectively graphs of the influence farmers (sitting) and Fig. 6 show s a farmer (bending)
of drying on densities on cocoa beans and husks. splitting cocoa pods w ith knives and cutlasses.

626
 Res. J. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol., 2(4): 622-634, 2010

Fig. 5: Farmers (Sitting) Splitting Cocoa Pods with Cutlasses and Knives

Fig. 6: A Farmer (Standing) Splitting Cocoa Pods with a Knife (http/www.etawu.com/HTML/ Cocoa/CcoaTree/ CocoaVillage)

Fig. 7: Getting the Cocoa Beans out of the Cocoa Pod

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 Res. J. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol., 2(4): 622-634, 2010

Fig. 8: Array of five tentative Cocoa Pod placenta slashing (“chopping - off”) knives (with dimensions)

Fig. 9: Assembly of the Cocoa Pod Placenta Slashing (“Chopping-off”) Knives with the Frame

The components of the cocoa pod spitting machine, their pods. The height of the partitions is about 15 cm lower
functions and operations have been designed on the basis than that of the container. The container is also inclined at
of the information gathered on the splitting of the cocoa about 30º to the horizontal. This is so because when the
pod man ually. cocoa pods are dumped into the container they should find
After plucking, the pods are allowed to stay or cure their ways into the various partitions and align themselves
for abou t five days before they are transferred to the in these partitions. They then move gradually under
splitting machine. This will enable the beans to free gravity along the inclined paths into corresponding
themselves and ease their separation from the pods after cavities (3) placed just below the level of that end of the
the splitting container towards which the pods move.
To facilitate this downward movement of the cocoa
Com ponents and operation of the Cocoa Pod splitting pods a light vibration mechanism is attached to the
machine: The machine comprises a rectangular container container to give it intermittent vibrations. The inside of
(1) constructed with simple material of light plywood or these cavities are provided with some sharp projections to
thin galvanized plates. The tentative size of the container hold the cocoa p ods in position and in check. The w idth
is 4 m wide by 6 m long and 2 m high. T he co ntainer is of the frame of the cavities is shorter than the full leng th
partitioned into five (5) tentative compartments (2), the of the pods. This is so because both ends of the pods,
width of which is just about 2 cm larger than the average whe re the placentas of the cocoa pods are located, will be
diameter of the cross-se ction of the middle part of the projected outwards along these cavities. At that position

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 Res. J. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol., 2(4): 622-634, 2010

Fig. 10: Assembly of the Cocoa Pod slashing (“chopping-off”) knives ready to “chop-off” the ends of the Cocoa Pods

Fig. 11: Array of Cocoa Pod splitting knives (with dimensions)

the placentas of the cocoa pods, by the action of the each side of the pod). Figure 12 shows the cocoa pod
hydraulic mechanism (4), are slashed simultaneously by splitting knives with the frame. After the splitting
a pair of knives (7) fixed at the positions at the end of the sideways the bottom parts of the half-split pods are turned
pods where the placentas are located. Figure 8 shows an dow nwa rd through an obtuse angle (not less than 90º), by
array of five tentative cocoa pod placenta slashing means of spring mechanism (hidden) for the beans to drop
(chopping - off) knives, and Fig. 9 shows a com plete by gravity into another container (9), linked to the other
assem bly of these knives with the frame. Also Fig. 10 container (6) by a middle container (10) to serve as a
shows the knives “chopping - off” the ends of the cocoa buffer and which has been shifted by a lever mechanism
pods. (11) to the position formerly occupied by the previous
The slashed placentas fall into another container (6) container (6), while the other half parts are he ld in
placed below these c avities, the long itudinal ends of position by the splitting knives. The empty half pieces of
which are left open to let the slashed placentas drop. After the cocoa pods are then brought together again by means
slashing the placentas the knives will move up from the of the same spring mechanism (that turned them through
pods by means of the hyd raulic mechanism (4), acting in the obtuse angle) and are also let to drop into container
the opposite direction of that of the slashing. By the action (6), which is no w pushe d bac k to occupy its former
of another hydraulic m echanism (5) the pods are now split position, from where the container (9) for the beans has
open along the sides by another pair of knives (8) (one on just withdrawn. The container (6) w ill remain at this

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 Res. J. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol., 2(4): 622-634, 2010

Fig. 12: Cocoa Pod Splitting Knives (with the Frame)

position to collect another set of the slashed placentas engineering com ponents. H owever, these steels are not
before withd rawing for the con tainer (9) to also m ove in suitable for shafts and parts working in contact with non-
again to collect another set of the cocoa bean s. These two ferrous metals (i.e., brass, bronze or gun metal bearings)
containers, (6) and (9) are linked together in such a way and with graphite packings, because electrolytic corrosion
that as one is withdrawing from the position the other is likely to occur. After hardening and light tempering,
comes to occupy the sam e position for the alternate these steels develop good cutting properties. Therefore,
collection of the cocoa beans and the em pty pods to repeat they are used for cutlery, springs and surgical and dental
the process. The empty cocoa pods are collected and used instruments (K hurmi and Gu pta, 2005).
as raw material for generation of po wer, for the
production of other byproducts of cocoa, and the soot of Size and shape of the chopping - off knives of the cocoa
the burnt husks can be used for the preparation of soap. pods: All the pair of the tentative five chop ping - off
knives of the machine are made integral each of which is
Design of the Cocoa Pods slashing (“chopping-off”) perpendicular to the axis of revolution of the pods. The
knives: sizes are obvious the same and have a width about 20 mm
M aterial of the cocoa pods chop ping - off knives: larger than the average diameter of the cross section of the
Chromium steels containing 12 to 14% chromium and ends of the pods they are supposed to strike in to chop
0.12 to 0.35% carbon, which are first stainless steels, are them off completely. The length of each of these knives
the types of material selected for the chopp ing-off knives. is 600 mm and a thickness of 80 mm. A gap of 80 mm
Since these steels possess martensitic structure, they are separates these knives in the longitudinal array, having a
called martensitic stainless steels. These steels are total length of 3320 mm. The gap between the pair of the
mag netic and may be hardened by suitable heat treatment longitudinally arrayed chopping - knives are 630 mm
and the hardness obtainable depends upon the carbon corresponding to the length of the cocoa. The cutting edge
content. These steels can be easily welded and machined. of the knive s is formed from a right-angled triangle with
W hen formability softness etc., are required in the hypotenuse and the ordinate co nverging at a very
fabrication, steel having 0.12% maximum carbon is often acute angle about 18o to make the cutting edge very sharp.
used in soft condition. With increasing carb on, it is Since no tear and wear of the knives is anticipated they
possible by hardening and tempe ring to obtain ten sile can hardly become blunt and for that matter the knives
strength in the range of 600 to 900 N/mm2 , combined with can work for a decade and can be sharpened if need be.
reasonable toughness and ductility. In this condition, these
steels find many useful gene ral applications w here Design of the Coc oa Pod splitting knives:
corrosion resistance is required. Also, with high carbon C Material for the cocoa pod splitting knives: The same
range in the hardened and lightly tempered condition, as that for the chopping - off knives.
tensile strength of about 1600 N/mm 2 may be developed C Size and shape of the cocoa pod splitting knives.
with lowered ductility. These steels may be used w here
the corrosion conditions are not too severe, such as for Though the only significant force acting on the set of
hydraulic, steam and oil pumps, valves and other the splitting knives is longitudinal and effected by a

630
 Res. J. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol., 2(4): 622-634, 2010

hydraulic mechanism (8) devoid of any stresses or Size and shape of the cavities holding the cocoa pods:
torsional or bending moments, the sharp 90º angle at The cavities are designed to take the size and shape of that
whe re the blade itself connects the frame of the splitting of half of the average of the pods.
knives is filleted with a radius of about 20 mm to forestall
or avoid any unforeseeable stresses that might be induced The prime mover for the Cocoa splitting machine: The
at the critical lines or points of the splitting knives. Each simple hydraulic and sp ring mecha nisms of the machine
of these knives is actually made of two identical blades, are driven by electric power from a simp le portable
200 mm in length, with a gap o f 300 mm , bringing its generator whose average consumption of fuel is between
total length to 700 mm . These blad es are mad e integral 1 gallon (4.5 L) to 2 gallons (9 L), depending on the
with a frame of 100 mm in cross-section. Tentatively the length of time the machine is supposed to work.
knives are six in a longitudinal array of a gap of 500 mm
in between them. The middle four of the splitting knives Selection of the hydraulic mechanisms for the Cocoa
have mirror symmetry of the knives on the opposite sides: Pod splitting machine: A lobe, positive displacement or
this means the left hand - side of a knife will split the right hydrostatic hydraulic pump, the cross-sectional view of
– hand side of a pod while the right-hand side of the same which is shown in Fig. 13 has been selected for this
knife will split the left-hand side of another pod (Fig. 11). project because of the following reasons:
The longitudinal length of these integrated blades is 300 Hydraulic pumps are generally driven at constant
mm, bringing the total length of the array of these knives speed by a three phase AC induction motor rotating at
to 3000 mm. Figure 12 shows the cocoa pod splitting 1500 rpm in the UK (with a 50 Hz supply) and at 1200 or
knives made integral with the frame. The shape and the 1800 rpm in the a 60 Hz supp ly) or w ith a simple po rtable
sizes of these similar splitting knives are so determined generator or suitable internal com bustion (IC) engine.
that they not only split the cocoa pods open into two Often pump and motor (requiring som e form of a starter,
halves but also hold the upp er halves of the split pods in are supplied as one combined unit (Parr, 2005).
position to enable the cocoa beans to drop by gra vity into Leakages on the pump are minimal whether the pump
the container placed beneath it (as described above) stops or not and, therefore, exit pressure is m aintained.
having let the lower split halves of the pods to tilt at an The pump delivers a fixed volume of fluid from inlet
obtuse angle. After so letting the beans drop (into the to outlet each cycle regardless of pressure at the outlet
container (9)), the lower half-split pods are ma de to return port. As a piston pump, it has no inherent maximum
to their original position by means of a spring mecha nism pressure determ ined by pump leakag e: if it drives in to a
(hidden). The splitting knive s are then withdrawn and the dead end load w ith no return rou te (as can easily o ccur in
half- split pods pushed forward by means of another set of an inactive hydraulic system with all valves closed) the
spring mechanism (also hidde n) to drop into container (6) pressure rises continuously with each pump stroke until
(as also described), which must have been moved to its either piping o r the pipe itself fails.
initial position wh ere the placen tas were collected), by the Allowance is made for high efficiency of about 95%
lever mechanism (11). for the pump by specifying its capacity and/or choosing a
In the course of the splitting of the cocoa pods, there suitable drive motor by determining its power rating).
is the tendency that a few of the cocoa beans, especially This is done as follows:
those near the middle portion of the pods could be cut by
the splitting knives since they are intended to j sink Maximum working pressure (rating) of the pump = 175
enough into the p ods to cut through the thickness of the bar
pod; but this would not pose any problem. Maximum flow (rate) through the pump = 300 l/min

Design of the cavities holding the Cocoa Pod s: The electric motor power required to drive the pump
Material of the cavities holding the Coco a Pods: These is determined by the pump capacity and working press
cavities are cast from aluminium (because of its lightness)
to allow some metallic thorns, just about 5 mm longer This is given by the expression:
than the thickness of the pods to hold the pods in position
in the course of the splitting of the cocoa pods and
especially during the tilting of the lower half-split pods to
give way to the bean s to drop by gravity into the container
placed beneath them. The prickling of the pods is actuated But is flow rate, hence
or effected by another spring mechanism (also hidden)
(Khurmi and G upta, 2005 ).

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 Res. J. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol., 2(4): 622-634, 2010

Fig. 13: A cross-sectional view through the Lobe Pump (Source: Parr, 2005)

Fig. 14: The Cocoa Pod splitting machine

The pump will force fluid along a pipe of area A against

a pressure P, moving the fluid a distance d in time T. The
force is PA, which, when substituted in the above
expression, gives:
For Impe rial systems (pressure in psig, flow rate in
gallons per mm), the expression becomes:
is flow rate, hence

Pow er = Pressure x flow rate

The expression above is specified in impractical SI

For fully Imperial systems, motor power in horsepower
units (pressu re in Pascal, time in sec onds, and flow in
can be found from:
cubic metres). We m ay adapt the expression to use mo re
practical units (pressure in bar, flow ra te in L/m in) with Horsepower = 0.75 x power in kW
the expression: = 0.75 x 87.5 = 65.625 Hp

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 Res. J. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol., 2(4): 622-634, 2010

Table 8: Estimated cost of the Cocoa Pod splitting machine

No. Component Qu antity Estimated unitcost ($) Total cost ($)
1 Frame of the machine 1 250 250
2 Co coa P ods a nd B eans c ollecting c ontaine rs 3 12 36
3 Cocoa Beans placenta chopping-off knives 1 80 80
4 Cocoa Pod splitting knives 1 60 60
5 Hydraulic system 2 180 360
6 Prime mover 1 200 200
7 Miscellaneous 200
Total 1186

W ith these specifications o r powe r ratings the lobe frames which are moved by hydraulic mechanisms.
positive displacement or hydrostatic hydraulic pump has These frames do not rotate on any bearings and the
been selected to actuate the knives for the cutting off of sharp bends of the knives and the frames are
the placentas an d sub sequ ent splitting of the cocoa pods “rounded - off” with smooth fillets.
as described above. C The machine itself can be easily and q uickly mounted
or assembled and/or disassembled. This situation aids
Estimated cost of the Cocoa Pod splitting machine: its move ment from one spo t or place, and for that
The total estimated cost of the cocoa splitting machine the matter, from one form to the other. This implies that
assem bly of the components of which is shown in Fig. 14 a machine can be owned, used, maintained and
was been arrived at after estimating the cost of each of the patronized by a group of cocoa farmers who can
major components of the machine. This comprises the easily bear the cost of the machine as well as the cost
cost of the material of which the com ponent is made, the of running and maintenance.
cost of its con struction or fabrication and other items C The machine is rum on a simple two-stroke internal
necessary to make the componen t complete. These combustion (IC) engine w ith very low fuel
components are the cocoa pods and the beans/collecting consumption.
containers, the cocoa beans placenta cho pping-off knives,
and the cocoa pod splitting knives. The costs of the other Observ ations: The following observations, among many
com ponents as the prime m over and the hydraulic others, were made during this research work:
systems, consisting of the selec ted pu mps and their A lot of the cocoa farmers contacted to gather
accessories have been gotten in the mark et. A information about the idea of having such a cocoa pod
miscellaneous amount of about 20% of the total cost so splitting machine in place were enthused about the
far has been added to take care of the contingencie s. conception of this idea, since it will go a long way of
These values have been summarized in the Table 8. cutting down the cost they incur, the intensive labour they
endure, the risk and danger they are exposed to in the
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION process of splitting the cocoa pod s during harv est time.
They also realized that productivity will also be
The design concept, of a very efficient, hig hly immensely increased with the use of the machine in a
productive, cost-effective. ergonomic and more con ducive environmen t.
environm entally friendly cocoa pod splitting machine has Manufacture, assembly and disassembly, operation,
been deve loped . This has been a result disproving, maintenance of the machine will be very easy and co st -
through conduction of experiments, the claims and effective.
assertions of some earlier designers and researchers who Reco very of by -pro ducts of the cocoa beans like the
worked on a cocoa pod breaking machines. This research emp ty cocoa pods or husks, which are also useful
work on a coco a pod splitting machine brought out most materials for other purposes like preparation of soda, an
of the lapsed ad inefficiencies embedded in the concept of essential ingredient in the production of soap and other
the cocoa pod breaking machines paramount among them products, will be greatly enhanced.
is the difficulties inevitab ly encounted in the separation of
the coco beans from the broken pieces of cocoa husks, CONCLUSION
which can be further used as by - products for soap
making, in particular, and other allied products in gen eral. This study has intensively and extensively dilated on
Other advantages the coco a pod splitting m achin e will the dire need to have an efficient, cost-effective, highly
have over the cocoa pod breaking machines are: ergonomic, environmentally friendly cocoa splitting
C Absence of stresses, forces and moments on the machine that will be used by cocoa farmers to increase
com ponents of the cocoa pod splitting machine such and boost productivity and enhance the quality of cocoa
as the knives during the cutting and splitting of the products to the highest possible level, devoid of any
cocoa pods as these knives are mad e integral with the hazards, dangers, perils or risks.

633
 Res. J. Appl. Sci. Eng. Technol., 2(4): 622-634, 2010

RECOMMENDATION Adewumi, B.A., 2000. Design and testing of a manually

operated cashew deco rticator. Nigerian J. Tree Crop
W e strongly recommend the manufacture of this Res., 4(2): 10-17.
cocoa pod splitting m achin e to manufacturers, Adewumi, B.A ., O.C . Ademosun and A.S. Ogunlowo,
industrialists, entrepreneurs and all the other stake 2006. Design, fabrication and preliminary testing of
holders, with the believ e that the y will reap the full a thresher-cleaner for legume. J. Food Sci. Te chnol.,
benefit for the purpose for which the machine has been
44(3).
designed.
Adewumi, B.A. and A.B. Fatusin, 2006. Design,
W e also recommend any m odifications to any part(s)
of the mach ine by any designer, manufacturer, Fabrication and testing of an impact-type hand
industrialist, entrepreneur or any stake holder, if the need operated Cocoa P od breake r. Agr. Eng. Int. CIGR
be. Ejournal M anuscript PM 06 02 2, Vol: 8.
Addy, M.M., 2000 . Tow ards m anag ing co coa w aste in
ACKNOWLEDGMENT Ghana, pp: 5-50.
Allen, S.H., R.H. Alfred and G.L. Herna n, 1988. T heory
W e hereby acknowledge the contributions of M essrs and Problems of M achin e Design. S.I. (M etric) Ed n.,
Benjamin Anderson and Daniel Kawa Ghansah for Schaum’s Outline Series. McGraw H ill Book
assisting us with the drawing of the diagrams using the Company, New Y ork.
AUTOCAD Software. We are equa lly grateful to Mr. Are, L.A . and J.D.P.G. G wynne, 1974 . Coc oa in W est
Emmanuel Coomson for the roll he played in conducting African. Oxford University Press, London, pp:
the experime nts for this research w ork. Professor A.I.
102-103.
Adetunde, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the
Audu, I., A.O. Oloso and B. Umar, 2004. Development of
University of Mines and Technology (UM aT), is also
highly acknowledged for his advice and sugg estions in a concentric cylinder locust dehuller. CIGR-Ejournal
making this article published. PM 04 003, Vol: 6.
Bamgboye, A.I., 2003. Effect of some physical properties
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