Authors : S.I. Manuwa and A.A. Ajisafe
Abstract: The facility for teaching and research in the nations Universities has been overstretched due to the increase in students enrollment, obsolescence of equipment and unaffordable high cost of imported equipment due to improper funding of education. This has negatively affected teaching and research in engineering generally and agricultural engineering in particular and by extension, sustainable agricultural productivity. An attempt has been made at FUTA to develop indoor soil bin facility that enabled studies in soil-machinery systems and interaction. This study reports the development of an overhead gantry for the indoor soil bin using locally sourced materials. The gantry has enhanced the versatility of the indoor soil bin by saving time and labour (about 33%) required for soil preparation and experimentation. It has also created working space as equipment can be suspended in the air above the soil bin. The features of the overhead gantry are the stand, consisting of four legs; the runway; the rails; rack and pinion; reduction gear box; pulleys; chain hoist; electric motors (two) the trolley and the electrical system control unit.
S.I. Manuwa and A.A. Ajisafe, 2010. Development of Overhead Gantry as Complementary Equipment to Indoor Soil Bin Facility. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, 5: 92-95.