Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version.


If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options.

Measurement of Corn Mechanical Damage using Dielectric properties

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

Citation:  Paper number  011073,  2001 ASAE Annual Meeting. (doi: 10.13031/2013.7341) @2001
Authors:   Majdi Ali Al-Mahasneh, Stuart J. Birrell, Carl J. Bern, Kamal Adam
Keywords:   Mechanical grain damage, Dielectric properties, Dielectric sensor

Dielectric measurements between 10 Hz to 13 MHz were obtained using an HP 4192A Impedance Analyzer for two types of artificially damaged corn samples: medium and severe damage. For each damage type, the measurements were obtained at two moisture content levels (11 and 19 percent, W.B.) and five damage levels (0, 10, 25, 50, and 100 percent). Each sample was also compressed to produce another bulk density. The results showed that dielectric properties were able to measure moisture content, bulk density, and mechanical damage level. Using dielectric variables only, medium damaged level was predicted with R 2 = 0.95 and RMSE =8.8 percent, while severe damage level was predicted with R 2 = 0.97 and RMSE = 6.96 percent. However, when the actual moisture content and bulk density were used along with dielectric variables, the severe damage level prediction was slightly improved with R 2 = 0.98 and RMSE = 5.97percent, and medium damage was also improved with R 2 = 0.98 and RMSE = 5.77 percent. The results showed that dielectric measurements had a good potential for measuring corn mechanical damage. However, further investigation is required to test combine- damaged corn using the same technique.

(Download PDF)    (Export to EndNotes)