EFFECT OF MACHINE DESIGN ON PERFORMANCE OF ORIGINAL EUCALYPTUS BARK CRUSHING MACHINE

Abstract

In Thailand, eucalyptus is used widely in pulp and paper industry since it grows fast and withstands a harsh and arid environment. Eucalyptus bark, the waste material, is used as a source of renewable energy by crushing it to smaller and shorter lengths. Then, the crushed bark is transferred to the next stage of energy production. As a renewable bio-fuel, eucalyptus bark has a low environmental footprint and low production cost. But the machinery used is a crushing device which is subjected to continuous loading and thus subjected to high levels of failure. In this study, analysis of the design of the crushing machine is conducted together with the determination of predicted failure levels, nature of failure which is wear of the active surfaces, hardness measurements, and microstructural observation using SEM. After that, recommendations for design improvement are proposed.