Year: 2015 | Month: June | Volume 8 | Issue 2
Mechanical properties of onion seeds (Allium cepa variety aggregatum L.) under compression loading
DOI:10.5958/2230-732X.2015.00055.8
Abstract:
Some mechanical properties of onion seeds were investigated in this study. These properties are often required for the design of transportation, storage and grading/sorting machines and other post harvest machines for onion seeds. The seeds were compressed along three mutually perpendicular axes and the properties studied were initial rupture force, rupture force, deformation at rupture and energy consumed at rupture. The ranges of moisture content investigated were 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15% (db), respectively. The tests were carried out at a deformation rate of 70% strain energy. Onion seeds were compressed along major axes (length), intermediate axes (Breadth) and minor axes (thickness), respectively. Physical properties like dimensions, geometric mean diameter, sphericity and mass were also evaluated. It was observed from the results that rupture force, Peak force and energy consumed at rupture decreased with increase in moisture content and the deformation at rupture increased with increase moisture content.
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