Abstract:
The aim of this research was to investigate into the qualities of both locally manufactured (from
Suame Magazine in Kumasi) and foreign (India) corn mill grinding plates and to recommend if
there are new technologies that could be employed to further enhance their qualities.
The researcher made a brief description of the different forms of casting with more emphasis on
sand casting. This was followed with an in-depth literature review of relevant material related to
the subject matter. Five (5) corn mill grinding plates, three local and two foreign plates were
randomly selected for investigation. The researcher limited the number to five because of
financial constraints – the cost of testing and secondly most of the plates had similar qualities.
The microstructure of each plate was observed using optical microscope attached to a computer.
The qualities of corn mill grinding plates depend on the chemical composition and the casting
process used, therefore, the chemical composition of the plates were determined using an
emission mass spectrometer.
Additionally, the hardness of each plate was determined using the Leeb hardness tester. It was
observed from the results obtained through the various tests on the specimen that the locally
produced corn mill grinding plates have a better quality as compared to the foreign (India) in
terms of chemical composition and hardness. One significant observation made was that, even
samples from the same foundry shop varied in terms of qualities and this was attributed to the
uncontrolled charging of raw materials into the furnaces. The researcher strongly recommends
capacity building in terms of training from the ITTU to artisans engaged in casting to improve
their skills. Further to the above, a concerted effort should be made to ensure that only white cast
iron is sorted and fed into the furnaces.
Description:
A THESIS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION,
FACULTY OF VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION
SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF
EDUCATION, WINNEBA IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR
THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY (MECHANICAL
TECHNOLOGY) OF THE UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA
JULY, 2013