Vol. 11, Special Issue 7 (2022)

Author(s):
Ritu Kukde, AA Sawant and KG Dhande

Abstract:
The physical properties depend on moisture content of agricultural grains are important to design post harvest equipments. Physical and engineering properties are important in many problem associated with the design of machines and the analysis of the behavior of the product during agricultural process operations such as handling, planting, harvesting, threshing, cleaning, sorting and drying. In the current study, various physical properties of paddy Ratnagiri-7 was determined at three moisture content levels of 10, 15 and 20%. The physical properties were found to increase from 10% to 20% M.C. The average length, width and thickness were increased from 8.26mm, 2.38 mm and 1.81 mm to 8.32 mm, 2.60 mm and 1.95 mm. Also size, surface area, volume, sphericity and equivalent diameter were increased from 35.86 mm³, 36.13 mm², 19.14 mm³, 0.40 and 3.31 mm to 42.09 mm³, 40.25 mm², 22.53 mm³,0.42 and 3.50 mm respectively. The gravimetric and frictional properties of paddy were also found to increase with increase in moisture content from 10% to 20% moisture content. The bulk density, true density, porosity, angle of repose and thousand grain weight were found to increase from 527.20 kg/m3, 1085.24 kg/m3, 50.17%, 34.37° and 19.46 g to 537.80 kg/m3, 1220.40 kg/m3, 56%, 37.23° and 21.67 g respectively. Static coefficient of friction of paddy against various surfaces namely GI sheet, MS sheet, glass and wooden surface were found to increase from 0.45, 0.62, 0.42 and 0.49 to 0.64, 0.73, 0.50 and 0.64 respectively.