Grain-Stream Velocity Measurements

Abstract

P grain damage is a common problem in the grain industry. The technological changes in grain production and harvesting, especially the recent shift to field shelling of corn, have added to this problem. Either field-shelled or artificially dried corn is often brittle and easily broken. With the repeated handling common in commercial marketing channels, breakage of the brittle grain frequently is extensive enough to lower its value. A study was conductedi to determine the cause and extent of grain damage by various commercial handling techniques (4)*. In the course of this study, it appeared that velocity was a common denominator of grain breakage. The project was extended to include the measurement of grain velocities produced by the handling methods tested, and to correlate these with grain breakage. High-speed photography was used to measure grain velocity. Reported in this paper are the stream velocities measured for yellow corn, yellow soybeans, and hard, red winter wheat in freefall drop and when handled by a grain thrower and a bucket elevator.