DESIGN, FABRICATION, AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A WOOD

CHIPPER

GALLERON, GLENN JOHN

KINAKIN, JOHN LESTER
MABAZA, FERDINAND JR.
MORALES, ELTON JOHN
ZAYAS, JUSTIN CLEIN

UNDERGRADUATE THESIS PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY

OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, CENTRAL MINDANAO
UNIVERSITY, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

FEBRUARY 2020
 I. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Wood is one of the primary and important material given by nature. It

has many uses, primarily for building, production of materials such as paper,
in agriculture, and also used as fuel in heating, and cooking. The Philippines
is blessed in its diverse forests and natural resources which is the reason why
25-30 percent of its total labour force dwells in agriculture. In rural areas,
agriculture-dependent families rely their main source of income from raising
and selling crops, vegetables and fruits.

A widely-practiced technique in cultivating the soil which benefit the

plants is used in gardening. Mulching is the act to cover the soil with mulches,
in order to preserve the condition and add nutrients to the soil. Mulches can
be organic such as tree barks, leaves, wood chips, straws, etc., it can also be
inorganic such as plastic mulch, films, rocks etc.

Organic mulch provides more benefits than inorganic mulch. It

improves the structure, add nutrients, prevent corrosion and compaction to
the soil. It also helps prevent the growth of weeds and other unwanted plants.
It suppresses pollutants, increases biodiversity and enhance beneficial
organisms such as earthworms, etc. (Scott, 2017).

Wood chips are considered as high-quality mulch (Scott, 2017).

Garden wood chippers are used to cut wood into chips. But the locals in the
Philippines rarely used organic wood chips as mulch due to the additional
expense of manual labour due to the lack of wood chippers present in the
vicinity.

In this case, the researchers designed a reliable wood chipper to help

promote the use of organic mulch such as wood chips with the utilization of
fallen wood, branches, etc. that are left unused in the surroundings. This
study also aims to address waste management regarding of the excess twigs,
leaves and small branches that can be found on the ground. Because of this
process, the waste will be reduced by 1/10th of the original pile size.
 Classifications of wood chippers are compared based on the previous
studies of other researchers. There are two main types of chipper blades, the
disc-type and drum-type wood chippers. The disc chipper produces more
homogenous particles with minimal tree fines and oversized chips, and it is
more energy efficient than drum chippers (Spinelli et al., 2013) if the wood
stock is fed at the correct angle to the disc, according to Johannesson et al.,
2012. Drum chippers can provide a higher output; therefore, it can increase
productivity, and designed for heavy duration workloads (Spinelli et al., 2013).

Acceptable chip size range and uniformity of chip thickness constitute

performance challenge for chippers. A major chipper performance challenge
is to find an optimum combination of chipping speed and knife cutting angles
to produce the preferred compromise between pin chip generation and
overtrick generation. The performance of the designed chippers varies based
on the factors such as the knife and knife-holder designs, knife-chip relations
and dynamics, spout designs, etc.
This study is of great significance especially in rural areas, where main
livelihood of the locals is farming and food production. This would help them
to provide lower initial expense, higher quality products and at the same time
utilizing green wastes that are usually unattended. This is a win-win situation
for the people and at the same time for the environment.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Many farmers nowadays tend to use wood chips as their garden mulch,
it traps the moisture content of their soil and wood chips can produce nutrients
that can help grow their plants. Drum wood chipper is used to produce small
chipped woods that can be used as the garden mulch, using wood chipper is
a comfortable way or process in producing wood chips, using wood chipper is
the easiest and fastest process in producing wood chips. Farmers can
produce their desired size of wood chips with this wood chipper effectively
and no inconvenience.

In the Philippines, wood chipper was still not really introduced to the
community, this is one of the problems in this study due to the Filipino farmers
traditionally using plastic film as their garden mulch. Wood chipper nowadays
also suffer with such problems that the chip quality is unsatisfactory, the
desired size of wood chips is not obtained dealing big impact for the
application of wood chips for the farmers. Poor ejection from the spout can
also be a problem with wood chipper, lessen the wood chip production and
not obtaining the desired amount of wood chips produce. Poor ejection can
also cause clogging of wood chips inside the machine dealing big impact or
damage to the wood chipper. Engine failure might also be a problem with
wood chipper, there might instances that the engine will not start, or the
engine is unable to drive the machine dealing huge impact to produce wood
chips and also size of wood chips.

Due to this instance, the researchers will design a convenient and

reliable wood chipper, researchers will design the cutting blade and regulate
speed of drive to obtain the desired wood chip size. The researchers will also
design the ejection spout to avoid poor ejection of wood chips, clogging and
damage to the machine. The researchers will also be introduced wood
chipper to the community as their alternative to produce wood chip as their
garden mulch.

1.3 Significance of the Study

This study will benefit the locals of the community, this will provide
them to make use of their fallen tree branches and twigs to make use out of it
in producing wood chips. Fallen tree branches or twigs can also become the
source of pollution, community use to burn bio waste such as mowed grasses,
fallen tree branches or twigs adding to the greenhouse gases or pollution.
This act is now prohibited due to the new environmental concerns and laws
dealing against this. Due to this act, this will help the community use this
study as their guidelines on how important and on how to use wood chipper
as their bio waste management machine. This study also benefits the farmers
in their gardens, wood chips can be used as a garden mulch to their garden
plots. Wood chip mulch can help traps the moisture content of their plot
providing good and supply of water or soil moisture to their garden. Wood chip
mulching can also provide nutrients for their crops due to the properties of
wood chips that can be decompose and also act as an organic fertilizer for
their crops. This study also benefits the researchers in addition to their
knowledge on how a wood chipper actually uses for and on how to make a
wood chipper machine. It also benefits the researchers to have environmental
awareness, making use branches and twigs into a useful wood chip as mulch
for our farmers or gardeners.

1.4 Objective of the Study

General Objectives:

The main objective of this study is to design, fabricate and evaluate the
performance of a garden wood chipper.

Specifically, it aims to:

a. Fabricate a functional, convenient, and movable wood chipper.

b. Measure the performance of wood chipper in terms of litres of fuel per
kg of chips produced per hour.
c. Design a close-drum cutting blade.

1.5 Scope and Limitations

This project only covers the design and fabrication of a wood chipper
and evaluation its performance. It also includes determining output capacity in
kilograms per hour of wood chips. It will also cover the determination of the
average thickness of would chips per each type of wood. The machine is
limited only on chipping small branches and twigs. With a numerous type of
wood, the study will use available wood in the area at the time of testing.

The design and selection of material is limited as for the availability of

the materials in the local market is considered. The designed wood chipper is
to operate at a maximum in-feed diameter of wood which is 19 mm.
1.6 Location of the Study

The proposed study shall be tested and conducted in Central

Mindanao University, Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon on the month of April
2020 for performance analysis and gathering of data.
 II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Wood

Wood is a complex biological structure, a composite of many chemistry

and cell types acting together to serve the needs of a living plant
(Wiedenhoeft, 2003). Wood is also the source of some biomass energy that
provides power or fuel for some machines, it also the main source of
producing paper and other materials for medicine or for household purposes.

There are two types of woods; the softwoods and hardwoods. To define
them botanically, softwoods are those woods that come from gymnosperms
(mostly conifers), and hardwoods are woods that come from angiosperms
(flowering plants) (Wiedenhoeft, 2003). Softwoods and hardwoods not only
differ in terms of the types of trees from which they are derived, but they also
differ in terms of their component cells. Softwoods have a simpler basic
structure than do hardwoods because they have only two cell types and
relatively little variation in structure within these cell types. Hardwoods have
greater structural complexity because they have both a greater number of
basic cell types and a far greater degree of variability within the cell types
(Wiedenhoeft, 2003).

2.2 Wood Chipper

Wood chippers are machine that can be used to cut down wood into
smaller particles (Salter, 2020). These basically convert twigs, branches or
logs into wood chips. It can be used for landscaping and bedding at the
backyards. These will make the pile to one tenth (1/10) of its original size
making it easier for disposal (Schind Wood Chipper and Bio Shredder, 2018).

Wood chipper works in a way that it needs some type of power source.
The engine provides the power by making the crankshaft turn. The crankshaft
is connected to a clutch that makes the drive belt move. The drive belt turns
the impeller which has the chipper knife on it. As the wood enters the hopper,
it will hit the knives or blade of the chipper which will shred the wood into
wood chips. Lastly wood chips will be push to the discharge (Osmond, n.d.).
This is the basic mechanism of a wood chipper, however with the gradual
innovations some chipper machines vary in some respects and process also
vary depending in the type of chipper machine.

There are three types of wood chipper: the drum chipper, the disc
chipper and the screw chipper (Salter, 2020). In a drum chipper type, the
knives are attaches horizontally with the parallel sided drum. The chip breaker
is behind the rotating knives in a perpendicular direction to blades. . Disc
chipper has a flywheel, which comprises a disc. This disc is directed
perpendicularly. The blades slice the wood tips as it passes through the
chipper, which is placed on a roller plate. In screw chipper, the blade of the
interior of a screw chipper consists of a stretching, conical and screw-shaped
blade. The direction of the blade rotation is parallel to the opening of wood
refuse as it is being pulled by the spiral motion of the blade (Salter, 2020).

Figure 2.1 Drum Wood Chipper

 Figure 2.2 Disc Wood Chipper

Figure 2.3 Screw Wood Chipper

Depending on the work-piece material and the cutting conditions, the

following mechanisms of chip formation can be distinguished as continuous,
lamellar, segmented and discontinuous chips formation (Toenshoff and
Denkena, 2013). Different methods of cutting have been employed in the
wood products industry depending on the use of the wood chips (Sutherland,
1986). In all of these cutting methods, the quality of surface obtained because
of the process affected by factors related to the processed material (tree
species, quality and moisture contents of materials, etc.).
 The common construction of wood chipper machines that can produce
wood chips are the cone-screw wood chipper and the drum or the disc
chippers (Ebrahim, 2006.). Operators stated that disc chippers produce more
uniform chips than drum chippers, especially if fed with good quality raw
material. In contrast, flexible small branches may pass through the disc slots
uncomminuted resulting in low chip quality. For this reason, operators believe
that drum chippers are the best when dealing with small-size feed-stock such
as tops and branches (Svensson, 2007).

2.3 Woodchips

The cause that the humanity has done on the environment is becoming
ever more important. With some actions, people are slowly destroying the
lives of the future generations. The fact that our environment is changing from
better to its worst, many are unaware of the specific issues that have led to
these changes. Climate change, waste production, and global warming are
the common environmental problems. These problems are linked to each
other but more importantly is to examine these environmental problems for it
always matter. It may be safe to say that leaves, twigs, and those considered
green waste are not pollutants but disposing it may give trouble.

Green waste is a biodegradable waste that can be composed of park

waste. It includes things like grass, branches, wood, weed, wood chips and
shrub. Wood chips are considered to be a renewable resource by means of
simply planting trees (Ashwanden, 2017). The most common way of using
wood chips is in gardening to serve as mulch. Mulch is any material laid on
the soil as covering. This can be used to retain moisture, suppress weeds,
keeping the soil cool and for landscaping. This may also help or improve the
fertility of the soil as the mulches decompose. However, it needs to be used or
to be utilized in the right way or it can cause trouble in the gardening
(Vinskofski, n.d.).
2.4 Wood chips as Garden Mulch

Wood chips are easy to find if there have been trees growing
converting wood, logs and twigs into wood chips is never a problem. Mulch is
a layer of material added and spread to the surface of the soil as covering
(Iannotti, 2019). Mulch is usually organic in nature. It can be permanent such
as plastic sheets or temporary such as bark chips. Considering the availability
of bark chips or wood chips, it is then best recommended to be used as mulch
for regardless of its toxicity as it can tie up plant nutrients (McGrath, 2013).
Garden benefits from mulch which is easy to apply and remove, economical
and readily available. It also provides an attractive soil cover in flower
gardens.

Some says that wood chips should not be used as garden mulch,
which is not supported with study. Wood chips are the best mulches for trees
and shrubs but may not be the best for vegetables, but still can be applied
(Scott, 2015).

It is stated that wood chips come in three important categories:

moisture retention, temperature moderation, and weed control (Carroll, 2018).
Wood chips can retain moisture by means that it can lessen the rate of
evaporation as the soil is covered with wood chips. It can also moderate
temperature as the wood chips blocks the heat of the sun thus keeping the
soil cool. It also makes the weed difficult to grow beneath the wood chips
(Carroll, 2018).

2.5 Wood Properties

Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in stems and root
of the trees. It is an organic material (Ortiz, 2015). Wood is primarily
composed of hollow elongated, spindle-shaped cells that are arranged parallel
to each other along the trunk of a tree (Youngs, n.d.). Some of the properties
of wood are its appearance, thermal properties, electrical properties, sound
properties and, wood moisture and properties associated with its change.
 Wood shows to be viscoelastic and plastic behaviour. It means that it
depends on the moisture content and temperature. Thus, the formation of
wood chips will vary due to change of season as temperature and moisture
content changes from time to time (Hart, 2009). At times with lower
temperature, slender chips are formed which is also called the pin chips. This
kind of chips is larger in quantities when chipping frozen and very dry wood
(Hartler and Stade, 1979).

2.6 Operating Parameters

Operating parameters includes the different angle may affect the

thickness of the wood chip. The clearance angle, which controls the pulling of
the logs towards the chipper plate and it also, affects the cutting force.

The edge angle used is normally between 30 and 37 degrees

(McLauchlan, 1979). On the other hand, Kivimaa and Murto (1949) showed
that a decrease in the knife angle from 40 to 30 degrees reduces the chip
thickness, the cutting force and chip damage. Buchanan and Duchnicki()
identified at least two chip formation processes, an opening mode and a
forward shear mode. The 20- and 30-degrees knife angle produced chips by
opening. The 40 degrees knife angle formed chips by forward shearing in a
small percentage of cases and the 50 degrees knife angel formed chips by
forward shearing in most instances.

A study states that the chip length is the most important parameter in
determining chip thickness (Hartler, 1986. Uhmeier, 1995. Twaddle, 1997.).
Another study states that the cutting tool wear is the main factor to be
considered that will influence the efficiency as well as the productivity of the
chipper machine (Zurich, 2014). The cut length adoption will affect the
performance of the chipper machine and also its efficiency. These parameter
will affect the final size of the wood chips (Zurich, 2014).
 Figure 2.4 Cutting Angles

where

α = clearance / pulling angle

β = knife angle

λ = complementary angle

ε = cutting angle

α + β + λ + ε = 90o
 Figure 2.5 Geometry of cutting angles and force components
(where the angle notations in the figure are defined as
follows: α = Tool rake angle. φ = Shear angle)

Figure 2.6. Knife cutting forces and chipping diagram

2.7 Process flow of a wood chipper

A wood chipper is often portable, being mounted on wheels on frames

suitable for towing behind truck or van. Power is generally provided by an
internal combustion engine from 3 horsepower (2.2 kW) to 1,000 horsepower
(750 kW). There are also high-power chipper models mounted on trucks and
powered by a separate engine. These models usually have a hydraulic crane
(Gado, 1986).

Wood chippers are typically made of a hopper with a collar, the chipper
bin for the chips. A tree limb is inserted into the hopper (the collar serving as a
partial safety mechanism to keep human body parts away from the chipping
blades) and started into chipping mechanism (Haldane, 2007). The chips exit
through a chute and can be directed into a truck-mounted container or onto
the ground. Typical output is chips on the order of 1 inch (2.5 cm) to 2 inches
(5.1 cm) across the size. The resulting wood chips have various uses such as
being spread as a ground cover or being fed into a digester during paper
making (The Wood Chipper in Fargo, 2019).

Most wood chippers rely on energy stored in a heavy flywheel to do their

work (although some use drums). The chipping blades are mounted on the
face of the flywheel, and the flywheel is accelerated by an electric motor or
internal combustion engine (Gado, 1986).

Large wood chippers are frequently equipped with grooved rollers in the
throat of their feed tunnels. Once a branch has been gripped by the rollers,
the rollers transport the branch to the chipping blades at a steady rate. These
rollers are a safety feature and are generally reversible for situations where a
branch gets caught on clothing (Haldane, 2007).

2.8 Drum Wood Chipper and Disc Wood Chipper

There are several types of wood chipper, but drum wood chipper and
disc wood chipper are the far most common used. Disc chipper basically
features a disc, usually steel with attached cutting blades on it. Material is
being drawn from the hopper and then move to the spinning disc. The wood
will then be sliced into chips as it encounters the rotating disc. Drum wood
chipper on the other hand is type of wood chipper with a motor or engine
powered drum located at the centre of the machine. The drum draws the
material in like a feeder and chips material while moving towards the output
chute. This process is fast and loud that may bring serious safety risk. Disc
chipper is usually used for production of pulp chips and is common in North
America while drum chipper is commonly used for brush disposal (Goldstein
and Diaz, 2005). According to Spinelli and Hartsough (2001), small branches
will pass the disc slots uncomminuted which will lead to a lower quality of
chips; on the other hand, drum chipper can deal with small branches with
small size feed-stock.
 Comparing the efficiency of drum and disk chipper, drum chipper is on
the edge with the disc chipper in terms of productivity by 8.3 percent (Spinelli,
et.al, 2013). It was stated that the productivity may vary by the feed-stock
type, that small branches are harder to chip compared to logs. In terms of fuel
consumption, the drum chipper needed more power compared to disc chipper
and the fuel consumption of the machine also depends on the materials to be
chipped, thus making the disc chipper have higher energy efficiency and less
fuel consumption (Spinelli, et al, 2013).

Drum chipper would be best in making wood chips as garden mulch

since it is more productive compared to disc chipper and the uniform sizes of
wood chips may have a less effect on plants. The unlikely uniform sizes of
wood chips may cause the vary on decomposition rate that will make a
diverse environment that may house the diversity of microbes, and other
organisms thus making it more resistant to disturbance of environment, and
support a healthy plant population (Scott, 2015).

2.9 Chipping Mechanism of Drum Wood Chipper

Drum wood chipper is the first marketed type of chipper. Even with the
constant innovations, drum chipper is still produced and available in the
market. Wood chipper is typically made of hopper with a collar, its chipping
mechanism and bins for the chips. A part of a tree is inserted into the hopper
having the collar that serves as the safety mechanism. Even though it’s not a
hundred percent assurance of safety but it lessens the possibility of accident
to occur. The way drum chipper works is that a large steel drum which is
powered by a motor or an internal combustion engine, usually by a belt. It is
set parallel to the hopper and then spins towards the output chute. The drum
also serves as the feeding mechanism as it draws the material while chipping
it. This makes the material to move quickly as it draws contact with the drum.
 Figure 2.7 Drum chipper

The cutting speed of the machine mainly depends on the rotor

diameter and revolution count (Zarins, 2012). Depending on the design, either
the diameter, the revolution count may be altered. Cutting speed may also be
varied between 28 and 36 m/s depending on the production rate.

2.10 Effect of Drum Design on Chipper Performance

Drum design can affect the production efficiency of the machine. The
common designs of drum wood chipper are closed and open drum. In most
cases the usual number of blades for closed drum is 2 to 4 but for some study
the blade design, the number of blades is increase as it may affect the sizes
of wood chips.

Figure 2.8 Number of blade and its corresponding wood chip thickness
Figure 2.9 Two main drum chipper design: closed drum with full-length knife
(A) and open drum with staggered short knives (B).

2.11 Internal Combustion Engine

An Internal Combustion Engine is a heat engine where the combustion of

fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an
integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combustion engine,
the expansion of the high temperature and high-pressure gases produced by
combustion applies direct force to some component of the engine, the force is
applied typically to pistons, turbine blades, rotor or a nozzle. This force moves
the component over a distance, transforming chemical energy into useful
mechanical energy.
2.12 Belt Design

A belt is a loop of flexible material used to link two or more rotating shafts
mechanically, most often parallel. Belts may be used as a source of motion, to
transmit power efficiently or to track relative movement. Belts are looped over
pulleys and may be have a twist between the pulleys, and the shafts need not
be parallel. Transmission of power through belt will cost losses, thus taking
consideration the efficiency of the belt. V belt has the peak efficiency of 95%
to 98% peak efficiency and a nominal belt efficiency of 93% and a reduction of
5% over time if slippage occur (Grainger.com)

T2 N2
ηbelt = from (GateFacts Technical Information Library)
T1 N1

Power transmitted between a belt and pulley is expressed as the product

of difference of tension and belt velocity:

P  (T 1  T 2)v1

where, T1 and T2 are tension in the tight side and slack side of the belt
respectively.

2.13 Shaft Design

A shaft is a rotating machine element, usually circular in cross section,

which is used to transmit power from one part to another, or from a machine
which produces power to a machine which absorbs power. The various
members such as pulleys and gears are mounted on it.

Shaft is mainly classified into two types: Transmission shaft and Machine
shaft. Transmission shaft are used to transmit power between the source and
the machine absorbing power; e.g. counter shafts and line shafts. However,
machine shaft is the integral part of the machine itself; e.g. crankshaft.

Standard sizes of machine shafts are up to 25mm steps of 0.5mm. In

transmission shafts may vary with its standard sizes of 25mm to 60mm with
5mm steps, 60mm to 110mm with 10mm steps up to 140mm to 500mm with
20mm steps

Stresses can be induced within the shaft, these stresses are shear stress
due to the transmission of torque, bending stress due to the forces acting
upon the machine elements like gears and pulleys as well as the self-weight
of the shaft and lastly the stress due to the combined torsional and bending
stress.
 III. METHODOLOGY

The machine to be designed and fabricated is for chipping branches

and twigs. Its product (wood chips) will be used as garden mulch. It is
designed simple and the selection of material is based on the availability in
the local market.

Procedural Framework of the study:

No
Modification

Yes

Figure 3.1 Procedural framework of the study

1. Preliminary Design and Calculation

This phase of research includes gathering of data for designing

and preliminary calculation. This cover the research of related studies
as basis for the mechanism of wood chipper and for design and
calculation for the dimensions of the part of machine.

2. Selection of Material

The selection of material will be based on the availability of

materials in the local market. The materials to be selected will be
based on the designed and calculated dimensions of the parts of
machine.

3. Assembly and Fabrication

The assembly and fabrication of machine will be done at the machine

shop.

4. Run Tests of Machine

The testing of machine is done to gather data for evaluation of

the machine. The machine will be tested if the parts are properly
working and to identify the faults in fabrication

5. Data Analysis and Performance Evaluation

The gathered data will then be analysed and tabulated. The

performance of wood chipper will be evaluated base on the quality of
the product. It will determine the average thickness of the product
(woodchips), the chipping capacity and fuel consumption.
3.1 Description of the Machine

The wood chipping machine cuts wood in chips using an engine as its
source of power. Diesel engine will be used to power this machine. From the
engine, belt and pulleys will be used to transmit the power produced by the
engine to the shaft which is connected to the drum where the blades are
attached.

Figure 3.2 Isometric view of the machine

Feeder Assembly

The feeder assembly serves as an entrance of woods before it enters

the chipping unit. The feeder assembly is composed of the hopper and the
feeding chute. The hopper is a pyramidal shaped device that is used to safely
move the wood into the feeding chute, it is made from plain sheet and has a
dimension of 100x50x50 cm. The feeding chute is 33 cm long and 10 cm
wide, it is designed narrow to enclose the woods to the chipping unit.

Figure 3.3

Figure 3.4 Feeder Assembly (Top view)

Machine Frame

The machine frame support and carries the chipping unit and the
power unit of the machine. It is made from 1x1 in square tubing welded
together. The machine frame is 50 in. The frame has 3 legs to form a machine
stand. The machine frame is installed with 2 wheels to make the machine
movable.

Figure 3.5 Isometric view of the frame

Figure 3.6 Top view of the frame

 Figure 3.7 Frame wheel

Chipping Unit

Drum, blades, anvil, discharge chute and the shell of the chipping unit
is the main component of the chipping unit. There are two numbers of blades,
each blade is made up of hardened steel that is 30x5 cm with a thickness of 1
cm. It is attached to a 5 mm steel plate drum that has a diameter of 15.54 cm.
The blades cut the wood in rotational motion that is produced from the shaft.
The anvil serves as the stopper of the wood when the chipping process is
conducted. The discharge chute is where the chipped woods exits during the
chipping process, it is connected into the frame. The shell has a dimension of
10.79 x 7.78 in.
Figure 3.8 Chipping Blade

Figure 3.9 Blade

Figure 3.10 Drum (closed type)

Figure 3.11 Drum (side view)

 Figure 3.13 Chipper (shell)

Figure 3.14 Discharge chute (front view) Figure 3.15 Discharge chute (top
view)

Cutting tool
Power Unit (Engine, Belt and Pulleys)

The engine used is diesel engine, for diesel engine costs are lower
than gasoline engine over the life of the machine (Bjornstad, 2016). The type
of belt used is a v-belt with a calculated belt length of 80 in. The desired
output rpm is 785 rpm. The size of the pulleys affects the chipping speed of
the chipper.

Figure 3.16 Diesel Engine (front view)

Figure 3.17 Diesel engine (side view)

Figure 3.18 sheave (driven)

Figure 3.19 sheave (driver)

Figure 3.20 belt (v-type)

3.2 Design Considerations and Calculations

Engine Power Requirement

The estimated normal force that is required to cut wood is 34.7 N/mm
according to (Goncalves R., Neri A.C., 1970).

Calculation

Fc = Fn x t

Where,

Fc = Cutting force required for cutting

t = The average size of thickness

Fn = Normal force required to cut a wood.

The average size of thickness needed for garden mulch is 19 mm according

to (Moray N., 1991).

Then,

Fc = 34.7 N/mm x 19 mm

Fc = 659.3 N

Taking account, the factor of safety

Table General Recommendations Factor of Safety by Applications

(engineeringtoolbox.com)

Applications Factor of Safety

(FoS)
For use with highly reliable materials where loading and 1.3 – 1.5
environmental conditions are not severe and where weight
is an important consideration
For use with reliable materials where loading and 1.5 – 2
environmental conditions are not severe
For use with ordinary material where loading and 2 – 2.5
environmental conditions are not severe
For use with less tried and for brittle materials where 2.5 – 3
loading and environmental conditions are not severe
For use with materials where properties are not reliable 3-4
and where loading and environmental conditions are not
severe, or where reliable materials are used under difficult
and environmental conditions

The cutting force required is Fc = 659.3 N and taking Factor of Safety (FoS) =
1.75

F = Fc x FoS

F = 659.3 N x 1.75

F = 1153.775 N

From the equation,

T=Fxr

Where,

T = torque

F = force required

r = radius of the drum

then,

T=Fxr

T = (1153.775 N) (0.0762 m)

T = 87.918 N-m = T2

Nominal Belt Efficiency = 93 % (Grainger.com)

T2 N2
ηbelt = from (GateFacts Technical Information Library)
T1 N1

T2 N2
T1 =
η belt N 1

87.918 N −m 750rpm
T1 =
0.93 1750rpm
T1 = 40.515 N-m

From the equation

P = 2πNT

Where,

P = power required

N = required speed for cutting in rpm

T = torque

P1 = 2πN1T1

P1 = 2 π ¿) (40.515 N-m)

P1 = 7424.761 W ≈ 7.425 Kw

P1 = 7.425 kW ≈ 9.957 hp

Commercially available Diesel engine = 10 hp with a rated rotational speed of

3600 rpm

Belt and Sheave Selection

1.) Design Power (DP)

Service factor from table 7-1, Machine Elements (Mott, 2004)

Service factor = 1.5 for circular saws and crushers operated by internal
combustion engine.

DP = (Transmitted Power) x (Service Factor)

DP = (10 hp) (1.5)

DP = 15 hp

2.) Belt Type

From the table 7-9, for a design power of 15 hp and speed of 3600 rpm, a
3VX type of belt is suitable.

3.) Speed Ratio (SR)

N1
SR =
N2

1750
SR = =2.33
750

4.) Selection of standard Pulley sizes

Selecting trial sizes for input and output sheave.

Standard size D2 = D1(2.33) Standard (D2) Actual output Speed

(D1) inches inches speed (rpm) Difference
4.07 9.48 10.55 675.12 74.88

4.45 10.37 10.55 738.15 11.85

5.55 12.93 13.95 696.24 53.76

5.95 13.86 13.95 746.42 3.58

6.45 15.03 13.95 809.14 -59.14

Driving Sheave Diameter (D1) = 5.95 in

Driven Sheave Diameter (D2) = 13.95 in

5.) Rated power per belt

Rated power = 7.56 hp

Nominal acceptable range for center distance, C from equation obtained from
Machine Elements in Mechanical Design (Mott, 1999).

6.) Trial center to center distance

D2 < C < 3(D2 + D1)

13.95 in < C < 3(5.95 in + 13.95 in)

13.95 in < C < 59.7 in

Taking C = 24 in

7.) Designing the length of belts

L = 2C + 1.57(D1 + D2) + (D2 – D1)2/4C

( 13.95−5.95 )2
L = 2(24) + 1.57(13.95 + 5.95) +
4 (24)
 L = 79.91 in

8.) Standard belt length

The nearest standard belt length is 80 in.

Therefore, we select L = 80 in

Calculating the actual center to center distance

B = 4L – 6.28(D2 + D1)

B = 4(80) – 6.28(13.95 + 5.95)

B = 195.028 in

B+ √ B2−32(D 2 – D 1)2
C=
16

2
195.028+ √( 195.028 ) −32(13.95−5.95)2
C=
16

C = 24.045 in

9.) Computing the angle of wrap

D 2−D 1
Θ = 180°-2sin-1( )
2C

13.95−5.95
Θ = 180°-2sin-1( )
2(24.045)

Θ = 160.85°

10.) Correction factor (CL) and angle of wrap correction factor (CΘ)
From figure 7-15 (Mott, 2004) for a 3V having a length of 80 in

CL = 1.03

from figure 7-14 (Mott, 2004) for a 3Vbelt with an angle of wrap of 160.85°

CΘ = 0.95

11.) Calculating the corrected power

Corrected power = CΘCLP

Corrected power = (0.95) (1.03) (15)

 Corrected power = 14.67 hp

12.) Calculating the no. belts

design power
No. of belts =
rated power

14.67
No. of belts =
7.56

No. of belts = 1.94 or 2 belts

Summary:

Engine, 10 hp

Service Factor = 1.5

Design Power = 15 hp

Belt: 3V, 80 inches in length, 2 belts

Sheave: Driver: 5.95 in. pitch diameter, 2 grooves

Driven: 13.95 in. pitch diameter, 2 grooves

Actual Output Speed = 750 rpm

Center to center distance(C) = 24.045 inches

Shaft Design

The shaft is use to transmit power from one part to another or from one
machine to another. The drum is mounted on the shaft, it is used to transmit
power from the engine to the drum.

Material: AISI 1040 Hot rolled

The properties of the material from appendix 3 in Machine Elements in

Mechanical Design (Mott R. L., 1999) are the following:

Sy = 42 ksi = 42000 psi

 % elongation = 18%

Endurance Strength of the material, from figure 5-8 page 175 Machine
Elements in Mechanical Design (Mott R. L., 1999)

Sn = 24 ksi = 24000 psi

Size Factor from from figure 5-2 page 175 Machine Elements in Mechanical
Design (Mott R. L., 1999)

Cs = 0.88

Taking the design reliability is 0.9 then reliability factor from table 5-1 page
175 Machine Elements in Mechanical Design (Mott R. L., 1999)

CR = 0.81

Modified Endurance Strength, using the equation from page 544 Machine
Elements in Mechanical Design (Mott R. L., 1999)

S’n = SnCsCf

S’n = (24000 psi) (0.88) (0.81)

S’n = 17107.2 psi

Shaft Diameter,

From equation 12-24, page 544 Machine Elements in Mechanical Design

(Mott R. L., 1999)

Taking the design factor N = 2,

D=
[ √
32 n
π S'n
+ ( )]
K t ( M )2 3 T
4 Sy
2 3

Where,

D = Diameter of the shaft

Sy = Yield strength

T = Torque

N = Design factor
 M = Moment

Kt = Stress concentration factor

S’n = Endurance Strength

Computing the torque, using the equation 12-1 page 535 Machine Elements
in Mechanical Design (Mott R. L., 1999)

63000(P)
T A=
n

Where,

TA = Torque from the sheave

P = Power = 10 hp

n = Rotational speed = 750 rpm

Then,

63000(10 hp)
T A=
750 rpm

TA = 840 lb in.

Solving for bending moment, M

M = Fb x a

Where,

Fb = 1.5(Fn)

From equation 12-12, page 542 Machine Elements in Mechanical Design

(Mott R. L., 1999) for V Belt
Solving the net driving force, from equation 12-7, page 538 Machine Elements
in Mechanical Design (Mott R. L., 1999)

TA
FN=
rp

Where,

rp = radius of the sheave

Fn = Net Driving Force

Ta = Torque

Solving for Fn

rp = 13.95/2 in

F n=840 lb.∈ ¿ ¿
13.95
∈¿ ¿
2

Fn = 120.43 lb

Then,

Fb = 1.5 Fn

Fb = 1.5 (120.43 lb)

Fb = 180. 645 lb

Thus,

M = Fb x a

M = 180. 645 lb x 3.03 in

M = 547.35 lb in
Then computing the required diameter of shaft from equation (12-24) (Mott,
1999)

Where Kt = 2

D=
[ √
32 n
π S'n
+ ( )]
K t ( M )2 3 T
4 Sy
2 3

D=¿¿

D = 1.105 in ≈ 1.250 in (Standard size)

Bill of materials and cost estimation

Materials Quantity Specification Unit Price Total

 (Php) Amount
(Php)
Diesel Engine 1 10 HP 32,000 32,000
G.I. steel 1 sheet GA10 1,500 1,500
sheet
G.I. steel 1 sheet GA5 1,500 1,500
sheet
Square tubing 2 650 1,300
Blade 2 1000 2000
Shaft 1 700 700
Sheave driver 1 350 350
Sheave driven 1 500 500
Belt 2 450 900
Wheels 2 600 1,200
Angle Bar 4 500 2,500
Pillow Block 2 300 600
Bolts & Nuts 30 15 450
Paint Thinner 2 bottles (500 60 120
ml)
Red lead paint 1 Liter 750 750
Paint primer 1 Liter 550 550
Paint brush 2 20 40
Labor cost 15,000 15,000
Total Cost: 63,460

Testing of Machine

The performance of wood chipper varies from the type of wood

that is to be chipped. The testing of machine is done to gather data for
evaluation of the machine. The machine will be tested if the parts are
properly working and to identify the faults in fabrication.

The gathered data will then be analysed and tabulated. The

performance of wood chipper will be evaluated base on the quality of
 the product. It will determine the average thickness of the product
(woodchips), the chipping capacity and fuel consumption.

Capacity of Wood chipper

For Wood 1

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

Time of
Operation (min)
Actual chipping
capacity (kg/hr)

Fuel
Consumption

For Wood 2

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

Time of Operation
(min)
Actual chipping
capacity (kg/hr.)
Fuel
Consumption

For Wood 3

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

Time of Operation
(min)
Actual chipping
capacity (kg/hr.)
Fuel
Consumption
Average thickness of produced wood chips

Wood 1 Wood 2 Wood 3

Sample 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3

Thickness
(mm)

Average
Thickness
(mm)