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Development and Performance Evaluation of a Mix-Kneader for Drying Soap

Article in International Journal Of Scientific Advances · July 2023

DOI: 10.51542/ijscia.v4i3.30

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 International Journal of Scientific
Advances ISSN: 2708-7972
Volume: 4 | Issue: 3 | May – Jun 2023 Available Online: www.ijscia.com
DOI: 10.51542/ijscia.v4i3.30

Development and performance evaluation

of a Mix-Kneader for drying soap
Kigozi, J.*, Kisuule, N. and Tumutegyereize, P.
Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
*Corresponding author details: Kigozi, J.; jbulyakigozi@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Soap is a salt of fatty acids obtained worldwide from mainly agricultural products and by-products such as
plant (vegetable) oils (Yahaya et al., 2012). Drying neat soap is one of the key steps in the process of
manufacturing bar soap. Currently, small and medium-scale local processors in Uganda rely entirely on
tarpaulins and buckets to dry neat soap. These methods are labor intensive and take a lot of time (about 24
hours) to dry soap from 29-35% (w.b.) to the required moisture content of 15% - 21% (w.b.). Therefore, the
aim of this research was to develop a Mix-kneader for drying soap in order to boost local production of bar
soap. First, the different parts of the machine were designed and sized with the help of Solid Edge ST9
mechanical computer-based software. Fabrication of the component parts was done and finally, performance
evaluation of the machine was carried out. At ‘No’ load test, the results indicated that the machine can run
freely without too much noise and there were no visual breakdowns. At ‘Full’ load test, the Mix-kneader was
able to dry 180 kg of neat soap in an average time of 15.5 minutes. The average machine capacity was
approximately 560 kg/hr with a drying efficiency of 83.4%. The drying rate of the machine was calculated as
2.13 kg of water per minute. The material wastage was calculated as 1.31% which can be attributed to the
fabrication errors. The developed Mix-kneader is affordable to processors and can be fabricated from any
workshop within the country since it was developed from locally available materials.

Keywords: mix-kneader; drying; soap; moisture content; kneading; kneading time

INTRODUCTION
Soap remains an essential ingredient in modern living, used Soap production in Uganda is a lucrative business that has
daily for medicinal, laundry purposes, household cleaning, attracted several business-minded individuals. This is due
and personal hygiene (Ajao et al., 2011; Chirani et al., 2021; to the ready availability of raw materials (mainly palm
Richardson and Collins, 2023). Soap is a salt of fatty acids oil) in most parts of the country. Much of the Ugandan
obtained worldwide from mainly agricultural products and palm oil is found in the islands of Lake Victoria
by-products such as plant (vegetable) oils (Yahaya et al., (Natawidjaja et al., 2015). Over 20,000 hectares in these
2012). If properly harnessed, majority of plant oils and fat areas are under the plantation of palm oil trees by
can be treated with strong alkaline solutions to obtain soap. Business and Industrial Development Corporations
Some of these materials include palm oil, coconut oil, cocoa, (BIDCO) and an increasing number of wealthier out-
olive oil, and laurel oil with a strong alkaline solution growers (Bigirwa, 2018; Ssemmanda and Opige, 2018).
(Aiwizea & Achebob, 2012; Aminadokiari Samuel, 2023;
Konkol & Rasmussen, 2015). Thus, soap processing activity is Bar soap is the most popular form of soap in Uganda
a vital activity to the agricultural sector in Uganda. The (Nakaweesi, 2018). It is a low-cost cleaning detergent that
process of making soap is called saponification or basic is found in most homes (UNBS, 2011). Mukwano
hydrolysis reaction of fat or oil. Presently, sodium hydroxide Industries and BIDCO Uganda are the main producers of
or sodium carbonate is used to neutralize the fatty acid and laundry bar soap supplying over 37 million consumers on
convert it to salt (Arasaretnam and Venujah, 2019). a daily basis (UBOS, 2016). This is because the majority of
the local investors are small and medium-scale
processors, employing mostly manual and semi-
Soap is manufactured in three forms which are; bar, mechanized production methods. For instance, the mixing
powder, and liquid (TI, 2019; Warra, 2016). In Africa, of ingredients is done manually with a wooden ladle, and
soap making falls into three different scales namely small, the drying of neat soap is done by pouring the material on
medium, and industrial (large) production (Nwankwojike, tarpaulins in still air. It takes about 24 hours to dry soap
2012). The industrial production of soap involves a from 29-35% (w.b.) to the required moisture content of
continuous process that requires the constant addition of 12-15 % (w.b.) for toilet soap and 15% - 21% for laundry
fat and the removal of products. Additionally, small and soap (Luis, 2016; Warra et al., 2011). This greatly slows
medium-scale production involves the traditional batch down the entire production process making it difficult for
manual and semi-mechanized processes respectively. processors to consistently meet their customers’
demands. These methods also involve strenuous human
In Uganda and Africa in general, soap is among the most efforts and time input making it unattractive and less
widely used consumer good besides salt and cooking oil productive for small and medium-scale processors.
(KPMG Africa, 2015).
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International Journal of Scientific Advances ISSN: 2708-7972

Soap drying machines have been developed and are The blades rotate towards each other at different speeds
commercially available on the international market (Anon, to produce shearing forces between the two blades and
2018). However, these machines are not easily accessible to between them and the trough walls. Each blade moves the
small and medium-scale processors due to high purchase material in opposite directions providing excellent cross-
prices. Therefore, there was a need to develop a machine for kneading of all raw materials. The kneading action is a
drying soap using locally available materials. combination of bulk movement, stretching, folding,
dividing, and recombining as the material is pulled and
In concern to this, a Mix-kneader machine was developed to squeezed against the blades and side walls. This action is
boost the daily production capacity of small and medium- accelerated by the water jacket for circulating cold water
scale processors. The machine is expected to have a strong around the side walls of the kneading trough. In this case,
impact on the soap industry as it tackles the issues heat is transferred by convection from the hot neat soap
encountered by the small and medium-scale processors in at a temperature between (60 0C – 70 0C) to the inside
Uganda. It also addresses the reduction of the workforce, trough surfaces. This heat is then transferred by
production hours, and energy consumption as well as the conduction through the steel walls and finally, the heat is
cost associated with the overall soap-making process. transferred by convection from the outside walls of the
trough to the cooling water at 20 0C.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Description, principle, and mode of operation of the During operation, neat soap material is loaded into a
Mix-kneader running machine through the top of the trough to
The Mix-kneader (Figure 1) essentially consists of four approximately three-quarters (¾) of its total volumetric
mechanisms namely; the power transmission, kneading, capacity. The tip speed of the Mix-kneader is limited to 45
cooling, and discharge mechanisms. The power rpm. During kneading cold water is poured into the water
transmission mechanism consists of an electric motor as a jacket to facilitate rapid cooling of neat soap. Since the
prime mover, a reduction gearbox, Pinion, and a Gear cooling process is not continuous, hot water is frequently
drive for transmitting motion from the gearbox to the taken out as more cold water is added in order to achieve
sigma blade shafts. The kneading mechanism consists of high heat transfer from the neat soap, hence achieving
basically counter-rotating sigma blades (2) mounted on faster drying. After the soap has achieved the required
horizontal axis shafts in a W-shaped trough and the moisture content (15% - 21% w.b), the exit cute is opened
discharge mechanism consists of the exit cute located while the machine is still running for the sigma blades to
below the trough. discharge the dried soap. The discharge of the material
from the trough is achieved through the bottom exit cute.
The machine uses the shearing and kneading mechanism
to dry neat soap during which the sigma blades create
high shear and kneading action.

FIGURE 1: Isometric view of the Mix-kneader.

Design of component parts Design of the kneading trough

Design considerations The kneading trough is a W-shaped trough having an
During the design phase, careful consideration was given upper rectangular section and the bottom half-cylindrical
to; the power required for kneading, physical properties section as shown in Fig. 2. The volume (VT) of the trough
of soap (like viscosity and density), required output per was calculated from Equation 1 where ρ (kg/m3) is the
hour per day (machine capacity), kneading time, and bulk density of neat soap and Q (kg/hr) is the target
desired moisture content of soap after kneading. Other production capacity required by the medium-scale
considerations were the cost of construction, labor processor. The design machine production capacity was 5
requirement for machine operation, and the ease of metric tonnes/day as required by the target processor.
replacement of component parts in case of damage or This is approximately 625 kg/hr considering eight
failure. working hours per day. The kneading time of 20 minutes
was considered (Connelly and Kokini, 2006). An average
bulk density of neat soap of 975 kg/m3 was considered as
suggested by Luis (2016).

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International Journal of Scientific Advances ISSN: 2708-7972
= ……………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………….(1)

FIGURE 1: Side view of a kneading trough.

Design of the sigma blades

Two blades of sigma shape were designed. As seen in Figure The blade width, Wb, and length, Lb were determined
3, the sigma blades are slightly curved to overcome the forces from the dimensions of the kneading trough. Equation 2
acting against them and also to allow for effective mixing and was used to calculate the blade width considering a
kneading of neat soap. The sigma shape enables a steady flow clearance, c of 2 mm. Other parameters of the blade like
of neat soap from the sidewalls of the kneading trough to the the curvature, tilt angle (β), neck width (wth), and rounds
middle of the trough. Major design parameters for the blades were determined graphically using geometrical tools.
included length, width, inside and outer curvature, tilt angle,
and thickness.
= 2 − …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………(2)

FIGURE 2: Sigma blade parameters.

Design of the transmission gear drive system Determination of the center distance, C
In the design of a gear drive, the following were The center distance was determined from the width, WT
considered as discussed by Shiva (2022); 1) the power to of the kneading trough as shown in Equation 3.
be transmitted, 2) the speed of the driving gear (pinion) = 2 …………………………………………………………………….(3)

and the driven gear (big gear), 3) diameter and number of

teeth of the pinion and gear, 4) mass and weight of the
pinion and gear, and 5) the center distance.

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International Journal of Scientific Advances ISSN: 2708-7972

Determination of the diameter of the Pinion and Gear Selection of the reduction gearbox
The diameters of the pinion (driver gear) and the driven The purpose of the reduction gearbox is to reduce the
gear were calculated from the velocity ratio Equation 4. speed (rpm) of the electric motor. A reduction gearbox
This was done by considering a velocity ratio of 3:2 and a with a speed reduction ratio of 30:1 was procured to
maximum tip speed of 45 rpm as recommended by reduce the speed of the electric motor to the required
Connelly & Kokini (2006) and Dickey & Fasano (2004). operating speed.

Design of the shaft

= = ……………………………………………(4)

The shaft was designed based on two factors; (1) Strength

basis and (2) Rigidity. The strength factor was based on
Where;
permissible stresses whereas the rigidity was based on
ѠG is the speed of the gear, D G the pitch circle diameter of
the deformation caused in the shaft. In the design of the
the gear, and TG is the number of teeth of the gear. Ѡ P, DP,
shaft, its length and diameter, the weight of the
and TP is the speed, pitch circle diameter, and the number
components it carries, the forces, torque, and bending
of teeth of the pinion.
moments acting on it, and the total deflection caused by
the forces were considered.
Determination of the number of teeth of the gear and
pinion
Calculation of the tangential (F t) and normal (FN)
The number of teeth for the pinion and gear was
forces acting on the pinion
calculated from the relationship between diametral pitch
The forces acting on the shaft are; 1) the weight of the
(P), Number of teeth (N), and pitch diameter (D) as shown
blade, 2) the resultant force (reaction) acting at the
by Equation 5. A standard diametral pitch of 2 was
support bearing, 3) the weight of the gear and the
considered (Feng et al., 2019; Khurmi and Gupta, 2005).
= …………………………………………………………(5) centrifugal force (tangential and radial/normal
components) generated due to rotation of the pinion and
the reaction at the coupling (both vertical and horizontal
Standard proportions of gear systems as discussed by
components). The tangential force was calculated using
Khurmi & Gupta (2005) were used to specify other design
Equation 11, where T is the torque on the pinion and rp is
parameters for the gear and pinion, considering a
the radius of the pinion.
pressure angle of 200 and a full-depth involute system. = …………………….………………………………..(11)

Calculation of mass and weight of the gear

The mass of the gear, mG was analytically calculated using The torque on the pinion is the ratio of power transmitted
Equation 6. through the shaft to the rotational speed (rps) of the
= …………………..………………………………(6)
pinion as given by Equation 12.
× 60
=2 × ……………………………………………….(12)

Where b is the face width of the gear, r is the radius of the

gear, ρ and is the density of the material from which the The normal/radial component was calculated using
gear was made (Aluminium material). Also, the standard Equation 13 where φ is the pressure angle of the pinion
face width of 65 mm corresponding to a diametral pitch of (equal to 20o).
= . ………………………………………………(13)

2 was used.
Determination of the resultant force acting on the shaft To
Power required for kneading determine the resultant force, the loading on the shaft
The power required for mixing and kneading operation was resolved into both horizontal and vertical planes. The
was determined according to; 1) the amount and viscosity horizontal and vertical bending moment and shear force
of neat soap in the kneading trough and 2) the position, diagrams were then constructed and the resultant
type, speed, and size of the sigma blades using Equation 7.
3 5 maximum bending moment, Mmax calculated using
= × …………………………………...…………………..(7)

Equation 14.
Where Po is the power number which is a function of
2 2
= √( + )……………………………………(14)

Reynolds number (Re) and Froude number (Fr), ρ s is the

density of neat soap in kg/m3, Db is the diameter of the Determination of the shaft diameter
blade and N is the speed of the blade in rps.
= ( ) ( ) ………………………………………….(8) The determination of the shaft diameter was based on the
Maximum Shear Stress Theory (MSST) since it is subjected
Where K, n, and m are factors related to the geometry of to the combined effect of both bending and
the agitator, which is found by experiment (Fellows, twisting/torsional moments. The equivalent twisting
2004). Reynolds Number is given by Equation 9. moment Equation 15 and the permissible design shear
stress Equation 16 were used in this case (Saradava et al.,
2016; Sule et al., 2018; TI, 2019).
2

……………………………………………………………..(9)
=

16
= √( )2 +( )2………………………..(15)

= ……………………….…………………….(16)
3

2 . .
Where µs is the viscosity of soap in Pa. An average
viscosity of 400 cp was used as provided by Luis (2016).
Froude Number2
is given by Equation 10.
= ……………………………………………….…………..(10)

Where g is the acceleration due to gravity.

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Where max is the maximum shear stress on the shaft, d is Where hh is the convective heat-transfer coefficient of
neat soap.
the shaft diameter, per is the permissible shear stress for
the shaft material, Syt is the yield strength under tension, Heat conduction through the trough surface
F.O.S is the factor of safety, Km and Kt are the combined
shock and fatigue factors for bending and torsional
−

= ( − )= …………………………..(20)
moments respectively. The allowable/permissible shear /( )

stress was calculated considering a factor of safety of 2 as

recommended by (Pedersen, 2018). To account for shock
and fatigue in rotating shaft with gradually applied loads where k is the thermal conductivity of the steel, e is the
operating condition, = 1.5 and = 1 (suggested by ASME thickness of the sheet plate used for making the trough,
shaft design code (Babu, 2009; Bhandari, 2010; Ejiko et and Aml is the logarithmic mean area, defined by
− ℎ

al., 2018; Saradava et al., 2016).

= …………………………………………….(21)
( )
ℎ

Heat convection on the side of the cold water in the water

Calculation of the maximum deflection caused in the jacket.
shaft ……………………………………(22) −

The bending moment Equation 17 was obtained using

=ℎ ( − ) =

Macaulay’s method (Egelhoff and Odom, 2014; Fadare 1/(ℎℎ ℎ)

and Akanbi, 2010; Stephen, 2007). The double integration

technique as discussed by Fadare & Akanbi (2010) was In which hc is the individual convective heat-transfer
applied to obtain the general deflection Equation 18. coefficient of the cold water.
2
1
2 = (979.58 − 166.67)……………………..……(17)

= 1 [979.58 3 − 166.67 2]…………………………….(18) The universal heat transfer coefficient UC, was calculated
by
62

Where ‘E’ is the Modulus of Elasticity of the material of ………..………………..(23)

the shaft (stainless steel 304) and is equal to 195.199 GPa,
1 1 1
= + +
‘I’ is the moment of inertial, and ‘x’ is the distance at any ℎ ( / ) ( / ) ℎ

point along the shaft from point A. The moment of inertial

ℎ ℎ

was calculated considering a circular cross-section for the Design of the frame
shaft. The frame is a structure that supports all the machine
components i.e., the Kneading trough, electric motor and gear
Design of the water jacket box, the gear drive arrangement and the sigma blades. Hence,
Generally, in the design of the water jacket, it was it must be strong enough to carry the weight of all these
desirable to calculate the area of heat exchange required components and as well as withstand the vibration that may
to perform the cooling operation and the outlet arise from the operation of the machine. Also, the machine
temperature of hot water. It was also desired to cool neat must be comfortable in operation for the human operator.
soap from the temperature range of 60 0C – 70 0C to Design for average was adopted to determine the dimensions
around room temperature (25 0C– 28 0C). of the frame as well as the location of the various component
of the machine with respect to the frame. This was to ensure
The cooling process involves hot neat soap at temperature T the comfort of the operators.
(60 0C – 70 0C) which transfers heat to circulating cold water
at temperature t (20 0C), through a steel surface of thickness Material selection
of 3 mm. Heat transfer is carried out from the hot neat soap During material selection, materials which are cheap,
to the cooling water. Initially, heat is transferred by corrosion resistant, chemically stable with soap and locally
convection from the hot neat soap at temperature T to the available were selected. Mild steel (MS) was used for the
inside trough surfaces at temperature TW. This heat is then fabrication of the kneading trough, frame, shafts, and all other
transferred by conduction through the steel walls, so there is protective guards for the exposed machine components
a temperature drop from TW to tW (temperature of the because of its good physical properties such as strength and
outside wall of the trough). Then heat is transferred by hardness. Mild steel also has good workability properties
convection from the outside walls of the trough to the cooling such as easy fabrication. The electric motor was purchased
water at temperature t. The area of the trough inside surface according to the power requirement of the machine. Gears,
in contact with the hot neat soap is called AH, while that in gearbox, and pillow block bearings were also purchased in
contact with the cold water is AC. Since the trough surfaces accordance with the design specifications. Standard items
are flat, these areas coincide, and therefore AH = AC. (nuts, bolts, washers, etc.) were purchased to march the
design specifications.

Three assumptions were made during the design of the water Fabrication of major components and assembling
jacket 1) heat losses to the surroundings are negligible 2) no The prototype of the Mix-kneader was fabricated based
airbags are formed inside the water jacket and 3) the on dimensions obtained from the design calculations.
universal heat-transfer coefficient is constant. Fabrication of the machine parts was done at Waysai
Agricultural Machinery Workshop in Kawempe, Kampala.
The overall heat transfer area and the associated The general fabrication steps were followed that is;
temperatures were calculated through simultaneous measuring and marking out, cutting out, welding, boring,
solving of Equations 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23. Heat filler process, assembling, and then surface finishing.
convection on the side of hot neat soap
Unlike other machine components, the two sigma blades
−
=ℎ ( − )
ℎ ℎ = 1/(ℎℎ ℎ)……………….……….(19)

were manufactured through the process of sand casting

following the procedure recommended by Murguia et al.
(2016).

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The basic steps for casting process were followed that is; Uniformity of dried soap in the different regions of the
pattern making, core making, molding, melting and kneading trough
pouring and surface finishing. The kneading trough was To determine the uniformity of the dry soap produced by
fabricated from MS sheet metal plate of 3 mm thickness. the Mix-kneader, the kneading trough was divided into six
The support frame was fabricated using a 75 mm U – regions. A, B, and C correspond to the left, middle, and
section bar. The fixed type end connection was used in right part of the half cylindrical section of the kneading
holding the frame members together as members were to trough where the high-speed blade (45 rpm) rotates from.
be eventually welded together to give adequate rigidity. D, E, and F correspond to the left, middle, and right part of
the half cylindrical section of the kneading trough where
The frame was adequately loaded at appropriate the slow-moving blade (30 rpm) rotates from. Using the
locations according to the weights of the various optimum operating mass of 180 kg and average kneading
components of the machine it is intended to carry at these time of 15.5 minutes, the moisture content of the dry soap
locations. And finally, all the protective guards and covers from all six sections of the machine was recorded using
were fabricated from Mild Steel plates of 1.5 mm the moisture meter before discharging it. The experiment
thickness. The guards were fabricated to protect delicate was repeated four times using the same operating
and moving components such as the gear drive system, conditions in order to determine the uniformity of dry
gearbox, electric motor, and bearings. soap in the kneading trough.

Performance evaluation of the developed Mix-kneader Mix-kneader efficiency parameters

This was an important step in the development of the The efficiency of the machine was determined in terms of
Mix-kneader as it helped in determining the efficiency its machine capacity, drying efficiency, discharge
and optimal operating conditions of the developed Mix- efficiency, and drying rate using Equations 24, 25, 26, and
kneader. The evaluation was carried out at Tamam Home 27 respectively. Neat soap samples of 180 kg at different
Care Limited, a medium- scale bar soap processing facility initial moisture content ranging from 29% - 35% (w.b)
in Wakiso district. First, the machine was test run for 30 were used to determine the machine efficiency.
minutes without loading. This was done to study the For each trial, the machine was run for 15.5 minutes which is
unloading behavior of the machine. The machine was the optimum kneading time, and the discharged (output)
then tested when loaded to determine its optimum soap from the machine, the undischarged soap, and the final
operating conditions as well as its efficiency. average moisture content of dry soap were recorded.
Machine capacity = 0 × 60 (kghr) … … … … … … … … … … (24)
Optimum feed capacity Drying efficiency, = 1− 2 … … … … … … … … … … … . . (25)

To determine the optimum machine feed capacity, the Drying rate, = … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . (26) Where mx is the mass of
1−

water/moisture removed.
machine was loaded with 60 kg of neat soap (which is
almost ¼ of the total machine volume) of 32% (w.b) Discharge efficiency= 0
×100(%)………………..(27)
moisture content at a fixed blade speed of 45 rpm and 30 +

rpm for the high and low-speed blades respectively. The

0

time taken for the soap material to reach a moisture RESULTS

content of about 15% (w.b) was recorded. The Design calculation results of Mix-kneader components
experiment was repeated four times by using 100 kg, 120 The results for calculated design parameters are
kg, 150 kg, and 180 kg batches. summarized in Table 1. Figure 4 shows the bending
moment and shear force diagrams of the shaft loading
Optimum kneading time condition for both the horizontal and vertical plane.
The optimum feed capacity was used to determine the
optimum time required for the machine to dry soap to the
appropriate moisture content. Nine recordings were
made using 180 kg batches of neat soap of varying
moisture content while varying the kneading time from
12 – 20 minutes.

FIGURE 4: Shear force and bending moment diagrams, (a) horizontal plane and (b) vertical plane.

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TABLE 1: Results for calculated design parameters.

No. Parameter Value Units

Kneading trough design
1 Machine Capacity 625 Kg/h
2 Volume 300 Litres
3 Width 650 mm
4 Length 760 mm
5 Height 500 mm
6 Mass 50.7 kg
Sigma blades design
7 Length 760 mm
8 Width 321 mm
9 Mass 27 kg
10 Clearance 2 mm
Pinion and Gear Design
11 Gear diameter 390 mm
12 Pinion diameter 260 mm
13 Center distance 325 mm
14 Gear speed 30 rpm
15 Pinion sped 45 rpm
16 Mass of the gear 21 kg
17 Mass of the pinion 9.32 kg
18 No. teeth of the pinion 21
19 No. teeth of the gear 31
20 Face width 65 mm
Shaft design
21 Motor capacity 4 kW
22 Shaft diameter 50 mm
23 Length of the shaft 425 mm
24 Tangential force 8161.77 N
25 Normal force 2970.64 N
26 Torque 1061.03 Nm
27 Maximum Bending Moment 471.7872 Nm
28 Permissible shear stress 51.75 MPa
29 Maximum deflection caused 0.00005328 mm
Frame design
30 Height 600 mm
31 Length 1200 mm
32 Width 700 mm

Fabrication and assembling of the Mix-kneader Protective guards were fabricated from 1.5 mm thick
Error! Reference source not found. (a) shows the final sheet plates to cover all the delicate machine parts like
assembled prototype of the Mix-kneader developed. The the electric motor, bearings, gears, and the gearbox
volume of the kneading trough was 300 L. A rectangular reducer. Error! Reference source not found. (b) shows
opening of 200 mm x 100 mm was provided at the bottom a pair of surface finished sigma blades which were casted
of the trough. This opening connects to the discharge/exit from Aluminium metal. The mass of each sigma blade was
cute. The water jacket of volume 40 L was attached to the measured as 28.3 kg, making a total mass of 56.6 kg. The
walls of the kneading trough through permanent weld mass of the gearbox and the electric motor was 68 kg and
joints. A water inlet of diameter 32 mm and outlet of 43 kg respectively and the overall weight of the Mix-
diameter 40 mm were attached. kneader with all components assembled was 234 kg.
Rubber rollers of diameter 8” were finally bolted on the
frame for easy moving of the machine.

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 International Journal of Scientific Advances ISSN: 2708-7972

FIGURE 5: (a) Final fabricated prototype of the Mix-kneader fully assembled (b) Surface finished sigma blades.

Performance evaluation Optimum machine feed capacity

results Test at ‘No’ load Figure 6 shows the average time for the machine to
Performance evaluation results of the developed Mix- adequately knead each quantity of neat soap. It can be
kneader at ‘No’ load test showed that, the it can run freely seen that the more the machine is loaded, the longer it
without too much noise and there were no visual takes to dry neat soap. To avoid neat soap from splashing
breakdowns. off from the kneading trough, it was found out that the
Mix-kneader should not be loaded with more than three-
quarters of the trough’s total volume. Therefore, for
smooth running and maximization of the Mix-kneader, it
should be loaded with about 150 kg – 180 kg of neat soap.

1100
105
0
100
Kneading time (s) 0
950
900
850
800
750
700
650
600
60 110 160 210
Feed mass (kg)

FIGURE 3: A graph of feed capacity (mass, kg of neat soap) vs kneading time of soap.

Optimum kneading time for drying soap Optimum (desired) moisture content of 15% w.b was
The initial moisture content prior to kneading was 32% achieved after 15 minutes of kneading. Prolongation of the
w.b for the sample used. Error! Reference source not kneading time up to 17 minutes continued to extract
found. shows the percent average moisture content of moisture from soap up to about 13% at a nearly constant
dry soap obtained at different times of kneading from 12 drying rate. However, after 20 minutes of kneading, the
– 20 minutes using a feed mass of 180 kg. Generally, it can moisture content of soap remained almost constant at 11%
be seen that the moisture content of neat soap gradually level. At this level, it was no longer necessary to continue the
decreased with respect to time. This means that, as kneading process since the machine was unable to extract
kneading proceeds, the machine is able to extract water any more moisture. Therefore, the optimum kneading time
from neat soap and hence soap is able to dry. was between 15-16 minutes as shown by the graph in Error!
Reference source not found..
Available Online at www.ijscia.com | Volume 4 | Issue 3 | May-Jun 2023 488
 International Journal of Scientific Advances ISSN: 2708-7972
24

( 22
%
20
)
co
18
nt
en 16
t
M
oi 14
st 12
ur
e
10
12 14 16 18 20 22 24
Kneading time (min)
FIGURE 7: A graph of moisture content (%) vs kneading/drying time (min).

Uniformity of MC of the dried soap in different regions Descriptive statistics of moisture content data series by
of the kneading trough at 15.5 minutes of kneading regions of the kneading trough are summarized in TABLE
From FIGURE 4 and TABLE 2, it can be seen that for each The mean moisture content of the dried soap varies
trial, the moisture content of dry soap in region B and E is between 15.5% and 18.5% with the lowest and highest
low compared to other region as defined in sub-section experienced in regions B and C respectively. The co-
2.5.3 of this manuscript. It can also be seen that the efficient of variation varies between 3.17% and 8.33%.
moisture content of dried soap varies across each region Moisture content values across all regions have standard
for each trial experiment made. deviation varying from ±0.8% to ±1.7%.

TABLE 2: Test results for determining the uniformity of dry soap in different regions of the kneading trough.

Trial No. Mass (kg) Moisture content (%) in different regions of the trough Average moisture
A B C D E F content (%)
1 180 17 15 19 19 16 18 17.2±1.6
2 180 15 14 18 16 15 18 15.8±1.7
3 180 17 16 18 17 16 17 16.5±0.8
4 180 18 17 19 18 16 19 17.8±1.2

20

Mo 18
istu 16
re
14
con
tent 12
(%) 10
A B C D E F
Regions of the kneading trough

Trial_1 Trial_2 Trial_3 Trial_4

FIGURE 4: A bar graph showing moisture content of dried soap inside the different regions of the kneading trough.
TABLE 3: Summary of descriptive statistics of moisture content of dried soap in different regions of the kneading trough.
Region Mean Min Max StDev CV
A 16.75 15 18 1.258 7.51
B 15.50 14 17 1.291 8.33
C 18.5 16 19 0.577 3.12
D 17.5 16 19 1.291 7.38
E 15.75 15 16 0.5 3.17
F 18 17 19 0.816 4.54
StDev: Standard Deviation; CV: Coefficient of Variation.
Available Online at www.ijscia.com | Volume 4 | Issue 3 | May-Jun 2023 489
International Journal of Scientific Advances ISSN: 2708-7972

Mix-kneader efficiency parameters at 15.5 minutes of

kneading
The Mix-kneader efficiency parameters were calculated During this kneading period, the soap was able to cool
based on the results in Table 4. The mix-kneader has an from an average temperature of 64.9 OC to 33.3 OC. The
average machine capacity of approximately 560 kg/hr amount of water used to cool each 180 kg batch of neat
(calculated using Equation 24) and is able to operate soap was 100 L. since the cooling process is a batch
continuously for eight hours each day. The Mix-kneader system, the water in the jacket was changed at the rate of
was able to dry soap in the with a drying efficiency of 20 L every after three minutes. The ease and efficiency of
83.4% according to Equation 25. When loaded at full exiting/discharging the dry soap from the machine was
capacity (180 kg), the machine was able to extract 32.97 also tested. The machine has a discharge efficiency of
kg of water from neat soap in an average time of 15.5 77.1%, which was calculated from Equation 27. The
minutes. This means that neat soap is able to dry at a undischarged dry soap was also recovered easily by hand
nearly constant rate of 2.13 kg of water per minute using without any injuries. The material wastage by the
the developed mix-kneader. developed Mix-kneader was calculated as 1.31%.

TABLE 4: Set up table for determining the Mix-kneader efficiency parameters.

Initial Final
average
Mass of Output Undischarged Moisture Initial Final
Moisture
Trial No Neat Soap, mass Qo soap Content, Temp of Temp of
Content,
Qf (kg) (kg) Qr (kg) mci neat soap neat soap
mcf
(% w.b.)
(% w.b.)
1 180 114.9 31.6 31 17 66.5 35.9
2 180 105.3 30.5 35 16 64.2 32.3
3 180 109.3 34.9 33 18 63.1 31.6
4 180 116.5 35.7 29 16 65.7 33.5
Average 180 111.5 33.18 32 16.75 64.9 33.3

DISCUSSION It further guarantees continuous smooth operation of the

Design calculation of Mix-kneader components machine without degradation of the gears and causing
From TABLE 1, the volume of the kneading trough was noise and vibrations in the moving components.
determined as 300 L with the length, width, and height as
760 mm, 650 mm, and 500 mm respectively for the Fabrication and assembling of the Mix-kneader
rectangular section by considering Equation 1. The length component
and width were related by L = 1.2W. The basis for the The ease of transportation, dismantling and assembling
calculation of these kneading trough dimensions was the was purposely considered during the fabrication of the
target design production capacity of 625 kg/hr. Assuming machine. The kneading trough, frame, discharge/exit cute,
the motor efficiency of 70%, the electric motor capacity bearings, sigma blades, gear box, drive shafts and gears,
required to power the kneading operation was electric motor and the rollers can be separated and
determined as 3.71 kW. Therefore, a 4-kW (5.5 Hp) single carried with ease to the location where the machine is to
-phase AC induction motor was selected since most of the be used in such a manner that the heaviest single
small and medium-scale processors in Uganda operate component is the gear box (68 kg) followed by the sigma
with a single-phase power supply. A gearbox reducer of blades. The assembly can be done by two people. The
speed ratio 30:1 was fixed so as to reduce the speed of the procedure for assembly is by starting with the frame then
motor to the operating tip speed of 45 rpm (Connelly and fix the kneading trough in which the sigma blades are
Kokini, 2006). The diameter of the main shaft of the Mix- mounted and fastened by the pillow block bearings, then
kneader was calculated as 50 mm. This was based on the followed by the drive shafts and gears, and finally connect
Maximum Shear Stress Theory of failure employing the the gear box and electric motor to the main power
equivalent twisting moment Equation 15 and considering transmission shaft. For operational safety, the protective
a factor of safety of 2 as recommended by (Pedersen, covers are mounted to avoid injuries and clogging of
2018). In order to ensure the comfort of all the machine moving parts. The assembling of the machine can be done
operators, the design for average was adopted to within 20 – 30 minutes. Compared to other commercially
determine the dimensions of the frame as well as the available soap dryers, the machine is portal and mobile
location of the various component of the machine with since most the dryers discussed by Luis (2016) weigh 850
respect to the frame. Hence, based on measurements and kg and above. This makes it easier to transport the
proportions of the average human body discussed by machine from one processor to another.
(Singh and Mehta, 2010) and the dimensions for the
different parts of the machine, the overall dimensions of Performance evaluation of the developed Mix-kneader
the frame were sized as 600 mm, 700 mm, and 1200 mm The kneading/drying time increases with increasing feed
for the height, width, and length respectively. mass of neat soap (FIGURE 3). This is because the cooling
water in the water jacket facilitates higher mass and heat
Fig.4 shows that the maximum bending moment occurred transfer of moisture from the neat soap with small
at point C (x = 0.35 m), the position of the gear drive quantities of neat soap than with the big quantities. With
system (pinion and big gear). This means that maximum big quantities, more cool water is required to circulate
deformation on the shaft occurs at this point due to the through the water jacket for a longer period in order to
overall weight of the gear drive system. The value of the extract more heat from the neat soap. The Feed capacity
calculated deformation caused on the shaft was 0.005328 of the Mix-kneader is relatively small compared to the
which does not exceed the maximum allowable deflection dryers used by large-scale processors as discussed by Luis
0.01 mm recommended by API Standard. This indicates (2016). These commercially available dryers have
that failure cannot occur in the shaft and therefore shaft capacities ranging from 500 L – 2000 L by volume.
design was safe.
Available Online at www.ijscia.com | Volume 4 | Issue 3 | May-Jun 2023 490
International Journal of Scientific Advances ISSN: 2708-7972

The optimum time of 15.5 minutes was in the range of 2 –

20 minutes for most commercially available soap drying The machine is affordable in terms of cost and
machines discussed by Luis (2016). Compared to the maintenance since it was fabricated out of locally
current methods used by the small and medium scale available materials. Also, it is reliable and will facilitate
processors in Uganda, the Mix-kneader achieves drying at and encourage domestic bar soap production at both
a faster rate. With the current methods used, drying of small and medium production levels.
neat soap to the desired moisture content of 15% is
achieved within 24 – 48 hours. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors are grateful to the African Center of
There is fast drying in region B and E (TABLE 2) because Excellence in Materials, Product Development and Nano-
they occupy the central part of the kneading trough with Technology, (MAPRONANO ACE), CEDAT Makerere
high-stress concentration due to the action and shape of university, Kampala for funding this research.
the sigma blades. As such, neat soap is sheared, folded,
and compressed with greater magnitude in between the CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
two counter -rotating sigma blades compared with other The authors declare no conflict of interest for this research.
regions in the kneading trough. For each trial experiment
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