Simplified Measurement of Stem Moisture Content and Evaluation of Harvest Timing in Soybean Using the MR55 Resistance Moisture Meter

Determining correct moisture content of wetted building materials and analysis of corresponding locations, orientations, and patterns is of imminent value to Forensic Engineers and building scientists. As many building damages relate to insurance claims and construction defect/ subrogation lawsuits, legal challenges to the accuracy of measured moisture content have arisen. The objective of this study was to independently establish the level of precision of common moisture meters used to quantify and measure moisture content in building components. The study tested four different brand moisture meters in gypsum and wood substrates at normal, high, and saturated moisture contents. The results were compared against laboratory obtained moisture content to assess the accuracy of each meter in the substrate and at which moisture content range.The study wetted wood and gypsum specimens to moderate and saturated conditions and measured the resulting moisture content with the four different brands of meters. Control wood and gypsum specimens were not exposed to water and their moisture content was measured as is. All of the wood and gypsum specimens were subsequently sent to a laboratory and moisture content was calculated by the oven-dry method. The moisture content results measured by moisture meters were compared against the laboratory obtained data. Data was averaged and plotted with moisture content of various specimens and visually analysed to determine which meters deviated from the laboratory data and at which moisture contents. Data was also numerically analysed and graphed to quantify meter moisture content accuracy as compared to laboratory obtained moisture content.Moisture meters should be used within the manufacturer specified range of moisture content and price may not be the best indicator of moisture meter accuracy. At low ranges of moisture content in wood and gypsum, all meters exhibited relatively small deviation from laboratory calculated values, while moderate and saturated conditions presented larger variations from laboratory moisture content. Composite materials such as gypsum may be difficult to establish moisture content, as different materials such as the gypsum core and paper facing absorb and distribute moisture differently. All meters were successful in detecting wet conditions, but exhibited a lack of precision in determining exact values in moderate and saturated conditions. In this regard, meters may be improved as the industry demands not only detecting wet conditions but determining precise values at a full range of moisture contents. Future studies may be limited to monolithic materials as oven dry method returns an average value of the respective paper and gypsum components in gypsum board specimens, and thus contained an inherent margin of error.

The amount of recovered and treated oil is determined in accordance with the requirements of regulatory documents with the application of various methods and instruments. One of the monitored parameters at the stages of oil production, gathering, treatment and transportation is the moisture content which can be determined with the use of laboratory and in-flow methods. In-flow measuring instruments with high accuracy characteristics operating within the flow range of up to 100% of volumetric moisture content have become widely spread in the oil production and processing industry. A system of standards has been established in the Russian Federation in order to provide the required accuracy of in-flow moisture meters, which allows conducting testing, standardization and monitoring the metrological characteristics of in-flow moisture meters. The article features a description of the State primary special standard of oil and oil product volumetric moisture content unit GET 87-2011, the results of its metrological characteristics study, and the definitions of factors influencing the accuracy of the volumetric moisture content unit’s reproduction. An international standard describing the procedure of transferring the unit size from the State special standard to working instruments has been developed in order to improve the the procedure of volumetric moisture content unit transfer. The establishment of the standard and the development of the state verification schedule resolves the issue of ensuring the uniformity of measurements of oil and oil product volumetric moisture content, and provides traceability of working instruments (in-flow moisture meters) to the superior standard.

A rectangular waveguide antenna was tested for eucalyptus wood moisture content (MC) measurement before being used. To improve the moisture content measurement of the rectangular waveguide antenna, a woodpile-shaped Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) was installed by Transverse Electric (TE) arrangement. This antenna is responsible for receiving and transmitting signals which are converted from electrical energy into radio frequency energy transmitted through the air. In this research, we take advantage of the wave propagation of antennas in the air and use them to propagate waves through wood materials. To compare signal transmission power to determine moisture content in wood and the benefit of the EBG is that it acts like a convex lens to increase the strength of the waves so that they can penetrate the wood more efficiently. The results showed that woodpile-shaped EBG could increase the efficiency of receiving and transmitting signals, reduce working hours for farmers and reduce costs by about 90 %. When this antenna was tested and actually used, it was found that the frequency band that responded best to the moisture content value was 2.20 GHz. This antenna was built with an aluminum material of size 9×4×15 cm3 and 2×6 units woodpile EBG on a 9.54×4 cm2 Polyester Mylar base plate. There was a gain of 7.81 dBi from the original structure, or by 20 %. At a radius of 4 cm, the values ​​of moisture content ranged from –9.46 to –42.19 dBm. At a radius of 6 cm, the values ​​were –9.41 to –42.89 dBm. At a radius of 8 cm, the values ​​ranged from –9.39 to –43.01 dBm, respectively. All 3 values ​​were found to be efficient. The size was not less than 84 % compared to the general standard meter. HIGHLIGHTS A rectangular waveguide antenna was tested for eucalyptus wood moisture content (MC) measurement before being used. To improve the moisture content measurement of the rectangular waveguide antenna, a woodpile-shaped Electromagnetic Band Gap (EBG) was installed by Transverse Electric (TE) arrangement. This antenna is responsible for receiving and transmitting signals which are converted from electrical energy into radio frequency energy transmitted through the air. In this research, we take advantage of the wave propagation of antennas in the air and use them to propagate waves through wood materials. To compare signal transmission power to determine moisture content in wood and the benefit of the EBG is that it acts like a convex lens to increase the strength of the waves so that they can penetrate the wood more efficiently. The results showed that woodpile-shaped EBG could increase the efficiency of receiving and transmitting signals, reduce working hours for farmers and reduce costs by about 90 %. When this antenna was tested and actually used, it was found that the frequency band that responded best to the moisture content value was 2.20 GHz. This antenna was built with an aluminum material of size 9×4×15 cm3 and 2×6 units woodpile EBG on a 9.54×4 cm2 Polyester Mylar base plate. There was a gain of 7.81 dBi from the original structure, or by 20 %. At a radius of 4 cm, the values of moisture content ranged from –9.46 to –42.19 dBm. At a radius of 6 cm, the values were –9.41 to –42.89 dBm. At a radius of 8 cm, the values ranged from –9.39 to –43.01 dBm, respectively. All 3 values were found to be efficient. The size was not less than 84 % compared to the general standard meter. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Moisture content is a grain quality factor, a parameter which changes during the processes of storage and processing and determines consumer properties of different food products. OIML organization in its international recommendation OIML R59 “Moisture Meters for Cereal Grain and Oilseeds” restricts maximal permissible value of moisture meters uncertainty to not more than 3% of relative full scale error. Main task of the research is in receiving linear static function for the grain moisture meter with four capacitive sensors. Method of Least Squares and general linear regression instruments had been used for that purpose. Analyzing the graphs of modified static function for different moist substances it was possible to say that it happened to be far more effective than initial static function and the static function received from a first-order polynomial after the LS method implementation. Root mean estimator was calculated for initial static function, the static function received with the LS method and static function, received after general linear regression implementation as an integral difference between nominal and calculated values of moisture content. Corresponding root mean estimator values were 1.3062%, 1.1616% and 0.4158%, that proves the effectiveness of a static function modified with the general linear regression instruments. Keywords: moisture content measurement; capacitive moisture meter; reference channel; capacitive sensor; linear static function

Appropriateness of on-combine moisture measurement for the management of harvesting and postharvest operations and capacity planning in grain harvest

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of density, temperature, size, and grain direction on measurement of moisture contents (MC) of wood materials non-destructively. The MC of different sizes of solid wood, glulam, and CLT from larch (larix kaempferi, 560 kg/m3) and pine (pinus koraiensis, 430 kg/m3) were measured using the dielectric type and resistance type meters. The specimens were conditioned in the environmental chamber to be equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of 12 % and 19 %. When density setting in dielectric type meter was increased from 400 kg/m3 to 600 kg/m3, the MCs of specimen (S-L-100-E) were decreased from 13.4 % to 11.3 %. However, when wood group (WG) setting in resistance type meter was changed from WG1 to WG4, the measured MCs were increased from 9.2 % to 12.3 %. When temperature setting in resistance type meters was changed from 0 to 35 °C, the MC was decreased from 17.0 % to 13.0 %. The MCs measured by dielectric type meter for larger specimens (S-L-100-E_11.3 %, G-L-240-E_11.7 % and C-L-120-E_12.8 %) were higher than those of small size specimens (S-L-30-E_8.7 %, G-L-150-E_10.3 %, and C-L-90-E_9.7 %). The MCs measured by resistance type meter for larger specimens (G-L-240-E_11.6 % and C-L-120-E_13.3 %) were also higher than those of small size specimens (G-L-150-E_10.4 %, and C-L-90-E_11.8 %). The resistance type meter was not affected by the grain direction but the dielectric type meter were affected by the grain direction. The MC measured by resistance type meter for G-L-120–E perpendicular to grain direction was 11.5 % and the measured MC parallel to grain direction was 11.3 %. The MC measured by dielectric type meter parallel to grain direction (12.1 %) was higher than that measured perpendicular to grain direction (10.7 %).

The dielectric properties of Korean short-grain rough rice, brown rice and barley with moisture content ranges of 11% to 27%, 11% to 18%, and 11 to 21%, wet basis, respectively, were characterized to develop a prototype grain moisture meter using microwave attenuation at 10.5 GHz and moisture density. A third-order polynomial regression model was proposed to describe the relationship between dielectric properties and moisture density. The prototype grain moisture meter consisted of a dielectric resonator type oscillator of 10.5 GHz, horn antenna, rectangular sample holder, load cell, temperature sensor, detector, and digital voltmeter. The calibration equation for measurement of grain moisture content was developed and estimated with Korean short-grain rough rice (12% to 26%). The coefficient of determination, standard error of prediction (SEP), and bias were 0.986, 0.52% moisture content and 0.07% moisture content, respectively.

Development of a prototype infrared reflectance moisture meter for milled peat

A new technique for rapid and non-destructive measurement of rock-surface moisture content; preliminary application to weathering studies of sandstone blocks

A new technique for rapid and non-destructive measurement of rock-surface moisture content; preliminary application to weathering studies of sandstone blocks

Measurements have been made that link moisture content to the degradation of a bioabsorbable polymeric material, poly (dl-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA). Bioabsorbable polymers used in medical implants degrade and are absorbed into the body. In the course of degradation, these polymers absorb water. Progressive non-destructive laboratory measurements of moisture content can be used as a means of tracking changes in these materials over the course of their degradation. Measurements of moisture content were made using a non-destructive microwave resonance instrument. The measurement approach, more usually applied to granular materials, was adapted to measure small, individual solid samples that do not fill the conventional sample volume of the resonator. Using the microwave resonance technique, gains in moisture content were measurable in increasingly degraded samples. The results were confirmed using alternative (destructive) measurements of sample moisture content. The microwave resonance technique offers a non-destructive measurement that can be used to study the degradation characteristics of PLGA. Better understanding of the degradation process can enable the polymer break-down rate to be tailored to match the healing rate of tissue. Non-destructive measurement allows effective study using single rather than multiple samples. This is a strong advantage when novel materials under study may be either expensive or in strictly limited availability.

The in-line moisture meter at the planer measures the moisture content of every board. This information is often not used for process improvement because of difficulty in linking the moisture information to a point in the process and reliable statistical methods for analyzing the data. Test programs in which the moisture contents measured at the planer were used to create process charts for kilns and to identify kilns or zones within kilns with high moisture content or moisture content variability were established in four mills. Tagging units, either with bar codes or with alphanumeric tags, to identify their location in a kiln was a practical and effective way to diagnose kiln performance when the moisture content information collected at the planer was associated with location. Wet areas and dry areas could be identified, and the consistency of moisture content from charge to charge could be evaluated, as could the variability within charges. The latter items can be accomplished without knowing the location of a unit in the kiln if the kiln from which the lumber came is known at the time of planing. The methods developed also allow other factors, such as operator decisions and the performance of in-kiln moisture meters, to be evaluated.

Accurate and rapid measurement of the moisture content of the grain is one of the most important factors for agricultural production and industry. Until today, many capacitance-based grain moisture meters have been commercially developed to measure grain moisture samples to an accuracy of ±0.1% w.b. However, several factors such as moisture content, bulk density, temperature, and varieties of grain samples significantly affect the accuracy and the precision of moisture meters. Therefore, a study was conducted to evaluate the effects of moisture content, temperature, variety of grain samples on the measurement accuracy of a capacitive moisture meter for corn. For this purpose, three experiments were carried out by considering different moisture content, temperature and varieties of grain corn. The results of the experiments showed that moisture content, temperature and variety of corn significantly affected the accuracy of the capacitive moisture meter. The difference between the moisture values determined by the meter and the oven was the lowest at the 23-24% moisture level of corn samples. The meter reading was progressively higher and lower than the oven at the lower and higher moisture content levels than 23-24%, respectively. The difference between the meter and the oven was the lowest at the 24-25°C temperature of corn samples. These results suggest that commercial moisture meters need to be optimized in the future to improve their accuracy by considering the grain variety, moisture content, bulk density, and temperature.

Accuracy in moisture content measurement is of great importance in the assurance of wood product quality and isnecessary to meet administrative and normative requirements. Improving the accuracy of resistance-type moisture meters,and meeting the normative demands of their annual calibration, requires the use of optimised curves relating electricalresistance to moisture content for the most commercially important wood types. The Samuelsson model, adjusted bylinear regression techniques, was used to describe the relationship between the electrical resistance and moisture contentof seven boreal and three tropical hardwoods available on the Spanish market. The curves produced can be used to predictthe moisture contents of these hardwoods via the measurement of their electrical resistance with an error of just ± 1.0%.These curves should also prove of great use in the calibration of wood resistance-type moisture meters.

This study investigates the effects of alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ) preservative treatment and of plywood glue lines on resistance-based moisture content (MC) measurements. Moisture meter readings using stainless steel screws as electrodes were acquired over a range of moisture conditions in Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) lumber and plywood. Calibration equations are presented for predicting gravimetric MC from meter readings taken in SYP lumber and SYP plywood with or without ACQ treatment. These corrections assume that the meter has been set for SYP. Correlation equations are also presented for directly relating resistance to gravimetric MC, which may be useful for automated data collection systems employed in monitoring moisture levels in buildings. The conductance of SYP lumber was raised by treatment with ACQ, particularly at higher moisture contents, but was unaffected by vacuum-pressure treatment with water. The conductance of untreated SYP plywood, measured with electrodes penetrating the glue lines, exceeded that of untreated SYP lumber. The conductance of SYP plywood was lowered by treatment with ACQ, by vacuum-pressure soaking with water, and by exposure to rain. We suggest that electrolytes in the plywood glue lines increase the conductance of untreated plywood relative to that of untreated lumber, and that the concentration of these electrolytes is lowered by the (aqueous) preservative treatment process, thereby lowering the conductance of these high-conductance pathways.