INVESTIGATION ON ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF MAIZE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF MAIZE DEHUSKER CUM SHELLER

CHILUR RUDRAGOUDA¹*, SUSHILENDRA^2
1ICAR - Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering (CIAE), Bhopal, 462038, Madhya Pradesh
²College of Agricultural Engineering, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, 584 104 Karnataka, India
* Corresponding Author : rschilur@gmail.com

Received : 19-04-2016     Accepted : 30-04-2016     Published : 01-09-2016
Volume : 8     Issue : 31       Pages : 1661 - 1665
Int J Agr Sci 8.31 (2016):1661-1665

Keywords : Maize properties, Maize de-husking, Maize shelling
Academic Editor : Srigiri Mallikarjuna
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Author Thanks to Head, Dept. of Farm Machinery and Power and Dean, College of Agricultural Engineering, Raichur [Karnataka, India) for providing necessary arrangements, instrumentation and work force to conduct the study.
Author Contribution : None declared

The study has been conducted to investigate the engineering properties of popular varieties of maize grown in Karnataka viz.; Mahyco [Hero 550], Hema variety, Ganga Kaveri [GK 3090] and CP 818 were selected in Karnataka. The engineering properties such as mean linear dimensions such as length, width and thickness of maize grain were found as 10.99 mm, 8.18 mm and 5.15 mm, respectively. The mean length, diameter and weight of un-dehusked cob were 179.36 mm, 53.88 mm and 212.76 g, respectively, with a Standard Deviation [SD] of 29.56 mm, 4.37 mm and 13.56 mm, respectively. The Physical properties viz., roundness, arithmetic mean diameter, geometric mean diameter, sphericity, surface area, bulk density, true density, bulk density, true density, moisture content, test weight of grains [W1000] and grain to straw [husk and grainfree cob] ratio were observed as 0.28, 8.15 mm, 7.69 mm, 0.69, 209.17 mm2, 0.74 g cc-1, 1.03 g cc-1, 276.58 g and 3.30, respectively. The aerodynamic property, i.e. terminal velocity of grain varied from 14.56 to 15.6 m s-1 with 0.43 m s-1 SD, whereas the mean terminal velocity of husk was 1.2 m s-1. The frictional properties such as angle of repose was found 22.76Ëš and coefficient of friction was 0.31 [grain-grain], 0.35 [grain-fly wood], 0.44 [grain-MS sheet] and 0.50 [grain to wood].