Flow properties of components for dry compound feed

Abstract

Animal feed often consists of different components and is normally stored in tower silos as a mixture. The components differ in terms of their flow properties, which determine the flow out process. In this study a series of key components like crushed grain and crushed meals of native and imported oils and legumes were examined. To characterize the flow properties, shear strength measurements with the Jenike shear cell were carried out and the flowability ff c and the outlet diameter were calculated. The tensile strength was measured with a device according to Ashton. The results show the known tendency between the flowability ff c and the amount of fine components. Because of the different bulk materials the coefficient of determination is low. The flowability based on own investigations is lower than the flowability of Jenike. The evaluation of the results did not demonstrate any influence of the ingredients on the flow properties of the components examined. Fig. 2. Flowability for grains and dry compound feed (presented in the second table) as a function of the fine component. Grain material: wheat bran, rye bran, wheat meal, rye meal, barley meal, oat meal and maize meal. No grain material: dried grass, rapeseed meal, cotton meal, linseed meal, sunflower meal, tapioca meal, fodder yeast and soya bean meal. ► Components of animal feed differ in terms of shear strength and flowability. ► Bulk goods with a lower share of fines have better flow properties. ► An exponential connection is shown between flowability and fine share. ► The particle form seems to influence the flow properties. ► The flow properties are not influenced by the investigated ingredients.