ABSTRACT Earth dam failures could result in the loss of lives, damage to properties, health, environmental and social problems. Distressed dams cost a lot of resources and inconveniences to remediate. There is paucity of data on failures and distresses of many earth dams located in the north-eastern part of Nigeria. This study was designed to determine the geological, hydrometeorological, engineering factors and soil properties responsible for the failures and distresses of earth dams. A tota...
ABSTRACT Locally processed rice (Oryza sativa L.) is characterized with high percentage of broken grains and impurities which impair the quality and reduces the market value. Reducing the proportion of broken rice and impurities after milling remains a challenge. There is therefore a need to develop a machine which cleans and grades the rice kernels based on quality. The objective of this work was to develop a cleaner - grader to improve the quality of milled rice. The physical and aerodyna...
ABSTRACT Tomato (Lycoperscium spp.) is an important component of daily dietary intake with seasonal and geographical variation in its production. They are usually in short supply in the dry season and effective storage in the fresh state still poses a challenge. Pre-treatment methods have been reported to improve drying characteristics of fruits and vegetables but there is dearth of information on drying of indigenous variety of tomato despite its high nutritional value. Pre-treatment methods...
ABSTRACT Soilless farming of vegetables in greenhouse has become a profitable venture in some parts of the world. A high degree of competence in engineering skills, irrigation techniques and cost reduction is required for its successful operation. In Nigeria, the potential of soilless farming in greenhouses has not received adequate attention. The use of soilless media and appropriate irrigation system to produce marketable tomato in a greenhouse were investigated. Roma VF variety of tomato...
ABSTRACT Irvingia gabonensis and Irvingia wombolu are species of bush mango commonly found in Africa whose kernel are processed into soup. Literature generally abounds on the nutritional composition of the fruits and kernel but there is dearth of information on the engineering properties which are very important in the design of processing equipment and machines. This study was designed to investigate the influence of moisture on some engineering properties of seeds and kernels of I. gabonen...
ABSTRACT The increasing incidences of roof failures especially blow-off in recent times in Southwestern Nigeria has become worrisome in view of the damage done to adjacent structures and danger posed to building occupants and owners. There is the urgent need to devise methods to curtail failures and minimize the incidences of blow-off. This study was designed to investigate the causes and patterns of roof failures, recommend curtailment measures and develop a model to predict roof blow-off. ...
ABSTRACT Irvingia gabonensis and Irvingia wombolu are species of bush mango commonly found in Africa whose kernel are processed into soup. Literature generally abounds on the nutritional composition of the fruits and kernel but there is dearth of information on the engineering properties which are very important in the design of processing equipment and machines. This study was designed to investigate the influence of moisture on some engineering properties of seeds and kernels of I. gabonen...
ABSTRACT The presence of impurities in cowpea affects its economic value as well as industrial and domestic utilisation. This problem has persisted despite the use of various manual and mechanical cleaning methods. There exists a need to improve the efficiencies of existing cowpea cleaning devices. Literature is sparse on modelling of pneumatic separation of cowpea. This study was therefore designed to develop and validate a mathematical model for the efficient separation of impurities from...
ABSTRACT This study assessed dry season farming profitability and examines farming practices and their influence on the environment. Dry season farming practices identified from the literature were irrigation practices, land preparation, tillage practices and use of agrochemicals. A cross sectional design was adopted as quantitative data was collected from respondents. Five (5) communities along the White Volta River in the Bawku West District were purposively selected based on their p...