African locust beans (Parkia biglobosa) have a rich nutritional content and distinctive flavour, which makes it useful as a food condiment. However, its traditional processing is inefficient and labour-intensive. Hence, this study aims to design and simulate a locust bean processing plant to address challenges posed by conventional methods of locust bean production, including low production, poor packaging, seed degradation, and waste. By designing and modelling components of a processing plant using SolidWorks 2016, the study sought to modernise locust bean production techniques and create a high-quality product that can compete with other food condiments. The plant is designed to have a throughput capacity of 250 kg/hr, with the cubing blade containing 10 square cubing holes, each 20 mm × 20 mm in cross section. The finite element analysis (FEA) technique and the Von Mises stress criterion were employed to assess the structural stability of the plant’s components against the functional requirements. The simulation results show that the various stresses induced in the components were below the yield strength of the selected materials, with minimal strain and displacement, and a factor of safety greater than 1. This implies that the various components will likely meet the service requirements without failing under normal operating conditions. This study presents empirical data that can help improve the design of locust bean production plants to promote high-quality production.
Keywords: Food condiment, Locust beans, Modelling, Processing plant, Simulation
