Thesis Abstract

Abstract
The design and fabrication of autonomous polymer-based materials have gained significant attention in recent years due to their potential applications in various fields such as robotics, healthcare, and environmental monitoring. This research project focuses on developing a novel approach to creating autonomous polymer-based materials that can exhibit self-regulating and self-healing properties. The design process involves incorporating responsive polymers that can undergo reversible changes in their properties in response to external stimuli. By carefully selecting the appropriate monomers and crosslinking agents, the material's responsiveness to specific stimuli such as temperature, pH, or mechanical stress can be controlled. This design strategy allows for the fabrication of materials that can autonomously adapt to changing environmental conditions. Fabrication techniques play a crucial role in determining the final properties of the autonomous polymer-based materials. In this project, advanced fabrication methods such as 3D printing and microfluidics are utilized to create complex structures with tailored functionalities. These techniques enable precise control over the material's microstructure, which is essential for achieving the desired autonomous behavior. The autonomous polymer-based materials are designed to exhibit self-regulating capabilities by incorporating feedback mechanisms that allow them to sense and respond to changes in their surroundings. For example, a material designed for environmental monitoring may change color in the presence of specific pollutants, providing a visual indication of the pollution levels. This self-regulating behavior enhances the material's utility in various applications where real-time monitoring is required. Furthermore, the materials are engineered to possess self-healing properties, allowing them to repair damage or defects autonomously. By incorporating dynamic chemical bonds or microcapsules containing healing agents, the materials can self-repair cracks or scratches when exposed to the appropriate stimulus. This self-healing capability extends the material's lifespan and reduces the need for manual maintenance or replacement. Overall, the design and fabrication of autonomous polymer-based materials represent a promising avenue for developing advanced functional materials with a wide range of applications. The combination of responsive polymers, advanced fabrication techniques, and self-regulating/self-healing properties opens up new possibilities for creating smart materials that can adapt to their environment and perform complex tasks autonomously.

Thesis Overview

INTRODUCTION
We have participated indeed in mass shelling of corn using the most primitive. Cumbersome and difficult method of hand shelling, which encourages time consuming, and human stressfulness. Corn otherwise known as “Oka” in Igbo tribe is mostly used seed across all the tribe in country today. It is widely used in homes, hotels and schools for eating and seeding process (when dried). It is therefore hardly to see any Nigerian who has not tested it in one way or the other.
Now, since it is very imperative for dieting inclusively, it can be refined to form varieties of food supplementary diet such as making of Akamu (pap), semuviter corn powder, corn mill etc.
Today, in our industrial sectors such as ceramics and biscuit industry, it is widely used for making of biscuit, flouring for baking of bread, and corn Mill. Infect to summers all these, junked food that are baked in supermarket today are mostly involves corn in making them.
In the light of this as technology advances forward, on introduction of this machine (Sheller) made manifest and come into existence which is more stressless, easy to operate, low costing and time reduction with high degree of production volume and efficiency modifications have also been made it possible to be manually and electro – mechanical operated types depending on the choice of design and the speed of shaft required
Today, with the aid of this, it has created availability of corn Sheller (steeling machine) even in the market which indeed removed our difficulties and impossibilities when using and engaging with the modern method of design.
1.1 PURPOSE OF CONSTRUCTION
This project is meant to achieve the following purpose
1) To design and fabricate corn sheller which easy to operate with high degree of efficiency
2) To design and fabricate a machine (corn Sheller) that would save time and cost, with high degree of production volume.
3) To design and construct a corn Sheller that would not have much breaking effect of grains, leaving the cob’s intact during the process.
4) To design and constrict a corn Sheller that is economical and have little or no complication in maintenance
5) To design and construct a corn Sheller with high percentage at local technology
6) To design and construct a machine that is cost effective and manual stress reduction
1.2 IMPORTANCE AND SPECIFICATION OF THE PROJECT
The importance attached to this design is the facilitation and the production of voluminous corn Sheller without much time and without recounting much breakage of the grains of the corn in shortest possible time
The specification was obtained considering the items or component used and the hopper and barrel dimensions put into consideration as well.
The sign parameter for corn Sheller machine are.
1.2.1 BARREL
a. Outer barrel – The barred do not rotates with the shaft rather stands on itself inside the shelling chambers. It is a half of cylindrical shaped perforated below to enable shelled corn to rush out to the conveyor to the outlet or basin. It is weld and tight at the endwise of the structure; they are flanges at end for the location of the bearings for the shaft. At the lower end of one is an open segments serving as outlet for the cobs and a hood is built covering it.
Entrance

Below is a complete drawing of the outer barch as show.
Out barrel with role below.

Spike

Fig 1

Outer for cobs

Vanes

b) Inner barrel – This cylindrical Barrel rotates with the shaft support by end-to-end bearings. The diameter of the shaft is ……………… mm and for the inner barrels diameter is 60…mm having 20 numbers of spikes measuring…mm from the barrel surface and also wounded varies that does the shelling process.
Diameter of inner barrel is …mm and its length is…mm and consequently the diameter of the shaft…mm and having a length of ….mm.
Below in the diagram of the inner barrel

Fig 2
HOPPER
This is similar to a port the different is that it is bigger and covered like the port. It is either trapezoid or rectangular in shape, each shape chose have its advantage and disadvantage. It has an entry through which the corn caters the shelling chamber and the inner engulfing the shaft. It is obtained after cutting a mild steel and welded it with guage 12 electrode and it is dimension as.. 260 x 250 mm x 260 mm.
The diagram is as follows

Fig 3
1.2.3 RECEPTACLE
This is the outer funnel that collect the shelled corn from the conveyor to the outside
1.2.4. SPIKES
This is the rod attached to the surface of inner barrel, which does the shelling process with the inner barrel and spring vanes. It is to 20 in number and measured …mm vertically up from the barrels surface each.
1.2.5 COB OUTLET.
This is an exit via which cobs goes out of the barrel after shelling process.
1.2.6 CONVEYOR
This is a carrier that carrys the cobs out of the barrel after shelling process
1.2.7 DISCHARGES CHAMBER
These are the holesperforatedbelow the outer barrel through which the shelled grain corn falls put to the conveyor.
1.2.8 COLLECTION / OUTLET BASIN
This is curved mild steel welded below the perforated outer barrel inclined to enable the falling out of the shelled corn to the receptacle.
1.2.9 `INLET
This is the particular place in the hopper through which the corn enters the shelling unit/chamber for shelling process it is measured as mm length mm width.
1.2.9.1 SPINNING VANES
This is made up flat tiny metal welded round the inner barrel together with the spikes it is the part of the machine where the corn are been shelled.
It is also placed and horizontally wound the inner barrel and should be capable of withstanding impact from the corn and possesses good chemical resistance, high working temperature (100%) and tensile strength.
Dimensionally, it is measured…. mm from the surface of the inner barrel wound horisontally.