NAME: Tuiza, Roma Felice D.

Date Performed: August 14, 2019

SAIS no.: 10058564 Date Submitted: August 22, 2019

Exercise No. 1
Physical Properties of Common Grain Crops

I. MATERIALS AND METHODS

Several materials and equipments were used to identify the physical properties of common grain crops.
The common grain crops that we used as working sample are 1000 grams of paddy and 1000 grams of
yellow corn. To measure their physical properties, series of procedures were taken using the following
equipments:

 Bates aspirator- its main function is for separation.

 Bulk Density Scale-to estimate the weight of an object.

 Wooden Plate-to measure the angle of friction in wood that is needed to design machineries

 Steel Plate- to measure the angle of friction in metal needed that is needed to design
machineries

 Vernier Protractor-to measure the angle formed in an inclined plane

Picture taken from: https://www.globaltestsupply.com/product/starrett-c359bz-bevel-vernier-protractor-7-blade

  Dial Calliper-to measure the width, length and thickness of a sample grain.

Other materials were also used such as protractor, wooden stroker, metal plate, wooden block and etc.

There are four major physical properties in grain crops; the bulk density, angle of friction, angle of repose,
and lastly the grain dimension. The laboratory guide states that it is essential to verify the accurate physical
properties of grain crops. The objectives of this exercise will help in determining the proper design for
storage structures and also to use the resulting measurements to be used in adjusting milling machinery for
the efficiency of the operations.

The procedures below were performed to determine the physical properties of paddy and yellow corn:

A. Bulk Density
Using a metal plate, we transferred the grains, paddy and corn, in the aspirator and allowed it to
overflow in the cylindrical container. A wooden stroker was used to remove the excess grain. Using the
bulk density scale attached to the aspirator, weight was measured and recorded afterwards.

B. Angle of Repose
A flat board was placed below the apparatus. Grain was again added to the apparatus with the hopper
locked. The hopper was quickly opened and the grain was suddenly released. The grains formed a
triangular shape and a protractor was used to measure the angle formed.

C. Angle of Friction
Wooden plate and metal plate were used to determine the angle of friction formed by an inclined plane.
Grains were placed horizontally in one layer. The inclined plane was raised slowly until more than 50%
of the grains start to slide down. Using a Vernier protractor, the angle was measured and recorded.

D. Grain Size Determination

10 grains were selected to measure their dimension. Length, thickness and width were observed and
recorded using he dial calliper. Rice grains were dehulled and its dimensions were measured again.
II. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

A. Bulk Density of Rice and Corn

Ρb = M/V RICE CORN

AVE RAGE 525kg/𝑚3 773.33kg/𝑚3

Three trials were performed to measure the bulk density of the sample grains. Both of them were
placed in a cylindrical container having 1 L in volume. To compute for the bulk density(𝜌𝐵 ), the mass of the
grains were divided by its volume. The lower mass of rice than the corn resulted in a lower bulk density as
well.

B. Angle of Repose of Rice and Corn

Angle of Repose RICE CORN

AVERAGE 35 degrees 25 degrees

Three trials were performed to measure the angle of repose of rice and corn. It can be seen in the
laboratory that the size of the grain is a factor that directly affects the slope formed after being poured to
rest. Corn was observed to be more scattered than that of rice. Rice was observed to be more uniform and
compacted with each other.

C. Angle of Friction of Rice and Corn

RICE CORN
Wood along Wood Metal Sheet Wood along Wood across Metal Sheet
grain across grain grain grain
30.33 degrees 33 degrees 22 degrees 16 degrees 17 degrees 16 degrees

Resulting values from the three plates varies as observed and measured. It can be seen that the
wood along grains made the layer of grains easier to slide down rather than that of the wood across. It has
been observed also that the smallest angle of friction formed by the three plates is exhibited by the metal
sheet, allowing the layer of grains flow easily among the three.

D. Dimensions of Rice and Corn

CORN ROUGH RICE DEHULLED RICE
L W H L W H L W H
10.51mm 9.61mm 5.43mm 10.16mm 2.74mm 1.97mm 6.90mm 2.36mm 1.72mm

Ten trails were performed in getting the dimensions of the 10 selected grains from a pile.
We can already assume that corn has the largest dimensions than rice because of its structure. Comparing
the measured values in rough rice and dehulled rice, the dimensions in dehulled rice was lighter since we
have removed the rice hulls.
 III. CONCLUSION

Physical properties such as size, density and dimensions, are essential in agricultural
engineering since it would allow us to design machineries using the obtained measurements as the
basis for efficient operations. The function of these characteristics includes the optimization of
design parameters that would be used in certain processes such as production, handling and
storage. (Isik, E., 2007) These physical properties were obtained with the aid of instruments and
equipments.

Bulk density as we learned in lecture is mass divided by its volume including its pore
spaces. Since the mass of the corn is more heavier than that of the rice, its bulk density is also
higher given the same amount of volume. We can conclude that the mass will directly affect the
bulk density.

The structure of the material used would affect the angle of repose. If the mass of the
material is heavy, the tendency is that it would bounce and slide from each other making it
scattered and if the material is light-weighted, it will form more unified and equal structure. The corn
has a lower angle of repose since it is scattered while the rice has higher angle of repose since it
formed a uniform triangular shaped arrangement. Shallower pile having smaller angle is formed
by fine grained material rather than that of the coarser grains. (Breslin, 2017)

Steel plates obtained the lowest angle of friction since its surface is smooth rather than
that of the wooden plate. Comparing the wood along and wood across the grain, half of the
materials in the layer easily slide in the wood along since its design matches the direction of the
gravity rather that the of the wood across that opposes the downward direction.

Lastly, corn by just looking at its structure tells us that it has larger dimensions than rice.
As we dehull the rice, we remove it hull manually, thus making it lighter. Length, width and
thickness is also being used in quality grading.

IV. REFERENCES

Isik, E. (2007). Some Physical and Mechanical Properties of Round Red Lentil Grains. Applied Engineering in
Agriculture, 23(4), 503-509. doi:10.13031/2013.23474

Breslin, A. (2019, March 02). Methods of Determining the Angle of Repose. Retrieved from
https://sciencing.com/methods-determining-angle-repose-8380160.html

V. APPENDIX