A brief history of cereal grain moisture measurement by sensing the electrical properties of grain is presented. The basic principles are also described for using radio-frequency (RF) and microwave dielectric properties, or permittivity, of grain for sensing moisture through their correlation with moisture content. The development of density-independent functions of the permittivity is explaine...

Moisture content of grain is one of the important parameters always considered when deciding the quality and price of grain, at the stage of harvesting, storage, processing and marketing. Grain having excess moisture content, if stored for long duration, will spoil due to insect/fungus infestation. Portable, field usable, and easy-to-use direct moisture (%) display Grain Moisture Meter is a nec...

The effect of moisture content and loading rate on mechanical strength of 12 brown rice grain varieties was determined. The results showed that the rupture force of brown rice grain decreased by increasing the moisture content and loading rate. The highest rupture force values was obtained at the moisture content of 8% (w.b.) and loading rate of 10 mm/min; while the lowest rupture force corresp...

Conventional techniques for the determination of moisture content in grain often use small static samples to represent several tons of material, A more desirable alternative would be a method which utilizes continuous dynamic moisture measurement of the grain. The potential for making density-independent moisture content measurements in both static and flowing grain using microwave frequencies ...

Contemporary engineering design practices in the United States require information on the strength of lumber for moisture contents as low as 4 percent. Efficient design of experimental studies on lumber properties at low moisture contents requires a better understanding of the basic mechanisms controlling moisture-property relationships. Studies were conducted on the effect of moisture content ...

The study examined the effect of moisture content on maize shelling speed using a manually operated hand Sheller (cone type). Twenty (20) unthreshed maize cob samples (A-J) were used for the study. The samples were analysed in the laboratory for parameters such as weight of samples before and after drying, moisture content and shelling speed. The result indicated that sample J, after sixty nine...

Moisture content of shelled maize, Zea mays L., was correlated with the attenuation and phase shift of electromagnetic waves travelling through a layer of grain. Several calibration equations are presented in the paper that are based on measurements taken at 15)2 GHz for various grain densities, moisture contents and temperatures. Validation of the calibration equations indicated that moisture ...

Grain storage managers could improve the quality of stored grain if they could directly monitor stored grain moisture content, which is a key indicator of stored grain quality and an early indicator of deterioration. However, currently available sensors are too expensive and lack the necessary reliability in that harsh environment. A new fringing field capacitive (FFC) sensor was tested to dete...

Simple but reliable methods for the determination of the physicochemical properties of gari were evaluated for the parameters, such as grain size, bulk density, swelling index, moisture content, gross calorific value, cyanide content, and acidity content. The grain sizes were between 525 and 928 μm (weighted means), the bulk densities between 0.541 and 0.699 g/cm³, and the swelling indices betw...

The importance of moisture measurement in grain and seed is discussed, and a brief history of the development of moisture sensing instruments, based on sensing of dielectric properties of these materials, is presented. Data are presented graphically on the permittivities or dielectric properties of grain and seed showing their variation with frequency, moisture content, temperature, and bulk de...