Mateusz Stasiak

Mechanical properties of potato starch modified by moisture content and addition of lubricant

Abstract Laboratory testing was conducted to deliver a set of characteristics of structure and mechanical properties of pure starch and starch with an addition of a lubricant - magnesium stearate. Considerable influence of moisture content of potato starch was found in the case of density, parameters of internal friction, coefficients of wall friction and flowability. Elasticity was found to be strongly influenced by water content of the material. Addition of magnesium stearate affected density and parameters of flowability, internal friction and elasticity. Bulk density increased from 604 to 774 kg m-3 with decrease in moisture content of potato starch from 17 to for 6%. Addition of magnesium stearate resulted in approximately 10% decrease in bulk density. Angle of internal friction obtained for 10 kPa of consolidation stress decreased from 33 to 24º with increase in moisture content, and to approximately 22º with addition of the lubricant. With an increase of moisture content from 6 to 18% and with addition of the lubricant, the modulus of elasticity during loading decreased from approximately 1.0 to 0.1 MPa. Modulus of elasticity during unloading was found in the range from 19 to 42 MPa and increased with increase of moisture content and amount of lubricant.

The Mechanical Parameters of Rapeseed Cake

Abstract The objective of the reported project was to investigate the mechanical properties of rapeseed cake and its mixture with wheat meal obtained under various conditions of extrusion. The density, the angle of internal friction, the effective angle of internal friction, the cohesion, the flow function, and the modulus of elasticity were determined.

Breaking tester for examining strength of consolidated starch

Abstract A new method based on the measurement of force required to break by bending a vertical column of consolidated powder was elaborated, and its results were compared with the ones obtained from the Jenike shear test. A new apparatus was built based on a vertical cylindrical chamber divided into two cylinders connected with a horizontal hinge. The apparatus was tested with samples of potato, maize and wheat starches with moisture content of 6, 12 and 17% and with the addition of a lubricant. Results of testing revealed significant differences in measured force required to rotate the upper part of the cylinder away from the lower one. The average force varied from 0.138 N for maize starch to 0.143 N for potato starch, while, for various moisture contents, the measured force varied from 0.135 N for 6% to 0.143 N for 17% mc. The results were compared with the results of a direct shear test.

Geometrical and friction properties of perennial grasses and their weeds in view of an electro-separation method

Abstract Many seed mixtures of herbs are difficult to separate. This is confirmed by studies determining the basic geometrical and friction properties of the seeds of perennial grasses and seeds of their weeds. The results show that in most cases the value of their geometrical parameters (length, thickness, and width) and friction properties (friction coefficients for different external surfaces of internal friction coefficients) are substantially similar and differ slightly among each other. This is the evidence that these properties are impractical to use in the process of separation as signs of divisibility. In the paper, a method for electro-separation of seed mixtures of herbs based on the use of complex physical, mechanical properties and electrical components in the separation are presented. The electric field that acts as an additional working body allows considering the surface conditions and biological status of seed mixtures of particles and significantly expands the functionality of the separators. Confirmation of the effectiveness of the proposed method for separation can be seen in the example of purification of red clover and sorrel seeds. By imposition of an electric field on an inclined moving separating plane, we can completely separate weed seeds from the main crop. The results confirm the effectiveness of the electro-separating method.