Crushing Characteristics of Sorghum Grains Subjected to Compression and Impact Loading at Different Moisture Contents

Shujin Qiu (), Yao Yu, Yu Feng, Zhong Tang (), Qingliang Cui and Xiangyang Yuan
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Shujin Qiu: College of Agricultural Engineering, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, China
Yao Yu: School of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Yu Feng: College of Agricultural Engineering, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, China
Zhong Tang: School of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Qingliang Cui: College of Agricultural Engineering, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, China
Xiangyang Yuan: College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-17

Abstract: Sorghum is an important grain crop in many countries worldwide, yet it often suffers from high levels of fragmentation during harvest due to varying maturity. To this end, a study was conducted to investigate the crushing characteristics of sorghum grains subjected to compression and impact loading at different moisture contents. By configuring sorghum kernels with varying ranges of water and determining their physical parameters, such as length, width, etc., the geometric mean diameter of sorghum kernels was 3.105–3.550 mm, and the sphericity was above 75%. Compression tests were conducted on sorghum kernels in the triaxial direction. The compression energy was calculated to be 13.409–19.229 J on the X -axis, 16.313–21.409 J on the Y -axis, and 17.609–24.741 J on the Z -axis. In contrast, the apparent contact modulus of elasticity was calculated, with the maximum modulus of elasticity up to 72 MPa in the Z -axis direction, and the variations in the X -axis and Y -axis were approximate. Finally, mechanical impact tests were conducted to measure the critical angle of seed breakage, and a mathematical model was established to predict the impact of mechanical breakage force. The error between the predicted and experimental values was within 3%. This paper conducted compression and impact mechanics tests on sorghum seeds at different moisture contents to provide a design basis for sorghum harvesting and processing and other harvesting equipment.

Keywords: modulus of elasticity; compression properties; impact; seed breakage; moisture content (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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