Virma Anne A.

Lim

ABE 2 T-1L

December 4, 2012

LABORATORY EXERCISE NO.1 Physical Properties of Common Grain Crops I. INTRODUCTION

The physical properties of grain crops are important because of its many uses. Grains, especially rice and corn have many uses in the Philippines. Rice is the staple food of the Filipinos. In some other parts of the country, corn serves also as the staple food. Aside from being the food of the people, these grains serve also as the food of the livestock animals. Upon having importance, the storability as well as the quality of grains is considered. The physical properties of these grains are of great help so that the people especially the farmers can improve their postharvest practices and gain benefits from doing so, by selling their produce price-wise.

Bulk density, angle of friction, angle of repose, and paddy grain dimension are the physical properties of grains that are usually determined. Bulk density is an indication of the quality of grain. It is measured in terms of standard weight divided by its volume. If the bulk density is known, the quantity of grain stored in a given volume can be determined. Angle of friction refers to the maximum angle at which the grain remains in equilibrium on an inclined plane. This is used in the design of hoppers and unloading devices in storage bins (Ramos, 2003). Angle of repose is the slope of the sides of the mass of grain when poured to rest by gravity on a flat surface. Lastly, paddy grain dimension are measured preferably according to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) standards. This includes length, width, as well as thickness in millimetres and diameter in case of round and spherical grains.

In this exercise, we determined the physical properties of common grain crops (rice and corn) to be able to classify grain types and varieties to be used as basis for designing storage structures and as guide for milling adjustments to obtain appropriate operational efficiencies.

II.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The materials and equipment/instruments used in this exercise are the following: 1000 grams paddy, 1000 grams yellow corn, bulk density scale, triple beam balance, wooden plate, steel plate, Vernier protractor, dial caliper, Boerner sample divider, and trier.

As for the methodology, the bulk density, angle of friction, angle of repose, and dimension of grains were determined. For the bulk density, a clean sample was provided. The hopper was adjusted to have a vertical clearance of three centimeters between the discharge and the kettle. The hopper of the apparatus was also filled so that enough grains overflow on all sides of the kettle. The grains were released and the apparatus was void jarred. The excess was removed with the use of a stroker held tightly on the kettle for three full-length zigzag motions. The grains in the kettle were weighed and the observation was repeated for three times. After that, the results are recorded on the data sheet provided.

For the determination of angle of friction, a layer of grain was placed on the steel board. One end of the board was slowly raised until the grains flow toward the unraised end. The angle was measured with the horizontal after the grains started to roll down. The steps were repeated for three times and were done also using the wooden plate (across and along the grain).

For the determination of the angle of repose, the bulk density apparatus was filled with grain. Then the kettle was replaced with a flat board. By opening the hopper, the grains were released. Then the angle of the pile was measured after it its equilibrium state. The observation was done for three times.

For the grain size determination, ten grains were randomly picked from a pile. The length, width, and thickness were measured using the dial caliper. All data are recorded in the data sheet.

III.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

A. Bulk Density The average bulk density of corn is higher than the average bulk density of rough rice. This may be due to the different moisture contents of the sample grains, as well as the variety of the corn and rice. There may be also presence of foreign matter in the sample. Table 1 shows the average bulk densities of rough rice and corn. (See appendix for more details about the computation of bulk density)

Table 1. Average Bulk Densities of Rough Rice and Corn Grain Rough Rice Corn B. Angle of Repose The average value of angle of repose for corn is higher than the average value of the angle of repose for rough rice. It is dependent on the grain moisture content and foreign matter present in the sample used. If the angle of repose of a certain type of grain ranges from 30 to 38, it can be characterized as very free flowing. If it falls in the range of 39 to 45, it is free flowing. Lastly, if it is greater than or equal to 46, it is cohesive or non-easy flowing. Table 2 shows that corn has an average of 28.7. Since it is less than the range of 30 to 39, therefore we can say that corn is very much free flowing. Rough rice, on the other hand, has an average of 37.3. Therefore, rough rice is very free flowing. (See appendix for raw data of angle of repose for corn and rice) Average bulk density (kg/m3) 0.556 0.779

Table 2. Average Angle of Repose of Rough Rice and Corn Grain Rough Rice Corn C. Angle of Friction The average values of angle of friction for rough rice and corn in wood and metal plates are shown in Table 3. The average angle of friction for corn in wood plate, for both along the grain and across the grain is the same. This can be due to the moisture content of the grain and the smoothness of the surface. For the rice, it is higher in the wood across grain. In terms of metal plate, corn has lower angle of friction than rice. The values of angle of friction for both rice and corn vary because metal has smoother surface than wood. Average Angle of Repose () 37.3 28.7

Table 3. Average Angle of Friction of Rough Rice and Corn Grain Rough Rice Corn Average Angle of Friction () Wood along Grain Wood across Grain 42.7 44.7 30.7 30.7

Metal Plate 24.7 19.7

D. Paddy Grain Dimension The dimensions of rough rice are can be classified as Type I, Type II, and Type III. Type I means that the rough rice is a long grain in which it has length of greater than 6.5 mm. Type II is the medium type of grain. It has length of between 5.5 and 6.5 mm. Type III is the type of short grain. It has a length of less than 5.5 mm. Table 4 shows the average length of the sample rough rice. It can be observed that it belongs to the Type I or the long type of grain. This is due to its variety that usually produces long type of grain. The grain is of high value when sold to market, thus, an incentive to farmers.

Table 4. Average Dimensions of Rough Rice Average Dimensions Rough Rice Length, mm 10.92 Width, mm 3.63 Thickness, mm 2.92

IV.

CONCLUSION The physical properties such as bulk density, angle of repose, angle of friction, and paddy grain dimension were determined.

Bulk density is dependent on the grain moisture content, foreign matter present, and variety of the grain. The higher the moisture content, the higher the bulk density.

Angle of repose is dependent on grain moisture content and foreign matter present. This angle differs from each type of grain and depends much on the smoothness of the surface (Ramos, 2003).

Angle of friction is dependent on grain moisture content and type of surface. The higher the moisture content, the higher the angle of friction.

Paddy grain dimension is greatly influenced by the variety of the grain.

V.

REFERENCES

Ramos, C.L., et al. (ed). 2003. Rice Postproduction Technology: A Technical Reference Guide. Philippine Rice POSTPRODUCTION CONSORTIUM, NFA.QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES.

ABE 2 Lecture and Laboratory Discussions APPENDIX

Data Sheet on Physical Properties of Common Grains A. Bulk Density Table 1. Bulk Density of Rough Rice Trial 1 2 3 Average Weight, gms 556 556 556 556 Volume, liters 1 1 1 1 Bulk density, kg/m3 0.556 0.556 0.556 0.556

Table 2. Bulk Density of Corn Trial 1 2 3 Average Weight, gms 779 780 779 779.3 Volume, liters 1 1 1 1 Formula used: Since 1m3= 1000cm3, Bulk density, kg/m3 0.779 0.780 0.779 0.779

Weight

in grams 1000

Example:

556 = 0.556 1000

B. Angle of Repose of Rice and Corn

Table 3. Angle of Repose of Rice and Corn Trial 1 2 3 Average Angle of repose of rice () 35 40 37 37.3 Angle of repose of corn () 29 27 30 28.7

C. Angle of Friction of Rice and Corn

Table 5. Angle of Friction of Rice, () Trial 1 2 3 Average Wood along grain, () 43 41 44 42.7 Wood across grain () 45 46 43 44.7 Metal sheet () 25 26 23 24.7

Table 5. Angle of Friction of Corn, () Trial 1 2 Wood along grain, () 31 32 Wood across grain () 32 29 Metal sheet () 18 20

3 Average

29 30.7

31 30.7

21 19.7

D. Dimensions of Rough Rice

Table 6. Dimensions of Rough Rice Trial 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Average Length, mm 11.64 10.29 11.27 11.27 11.05 11.59 10.36 10.61 10.82 10.30 10.92 Width, mm 3.59 3.51 3.43 3.92 3.56 3.72 3.49 3.62 3.49 4.01 3.63 Thickness, mm 2.95 2.63 2.83 3.11 2.91 3.12 3.08 2.84 2.89 2.84 2.92