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Cotton Module Cover Standardization

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  Paper number  051096,  2005 ASAE Annual Meeting . (doi: 10.13031/2013.20058) @2005
Authors:   Shay L. Simpson, Stephen W. Searcy
Keywords:   Cotton, seed cotton, cotton gins, module, cover, tarpaulin, standards, moisture, preservation, apparatus

The ANSI/ASAE S392.1 Cotton Module Builder and Transporter Standard underwent revision in 2005, in which the section entitled Canvas Module Cover Specifications was deleted. This deletion was warranted since canvas module covers, now obsolete, have been replaced by synthetic covers. Standardization of synthetic covers has not been determined scientifically. Past studies have resulted in recommendations of certain physical properties that are thought important for module cover performance. However, no minimum criteria have been determined nor correlation of physical properties to real world performance. Standardized tests performed on synthetic covers in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M University provide data and information to begin writing a new section on synthetic covers for the ANSI/ASAE S392.2 Standard. Standard testing methods used at Texas A&M University included 1) AATCC standard TM 42-2000 Water Resistance: Impact Penetration Test that was used for simulating rainfall, 2) ASTM standard D 751-98 Standard Test Methods for Coated Fabrics, Section 37 Hydrostatic Resistance, Procedure B that was followed to simulate water ponding and 3) ASTM Designation D 1435-99 Standard Practice for Outdoor Weathering of Plastics for testing UV-light exposure. The results of the standardized testing are used to suggest performance standards that could aid manufacturers in supplying covers with improved performance in the protection of seed cotton.

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