COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

AFE 211 (1+1), Engineering Properties of Agriculture Produce

Extended Syllabus / Lecture outline

NO. OF CONTENT
LECTURES
Introduction on Agricultural processing

a. Agricultural processing: definition

b. Sequence of agricultural processing operation: Cleaning (definition), grading
& sorting (definition), drying and dehydration (definition), storage
(definition), milling (definition), material handling (definition), waste and by
1 product utilisation.
c. Structure & composition of Wheat: Characteristics of wheat (average length
and equivalent diameter of wheat grains, shape of grain, per cent of pericarp
and outer endosperm (aleurone) layer in kernel weight, per cent of germ in
kernel, effect of presence of crease during milling operation)

d. Structure & composition of Paddy: characteristics of paddy grain (average

length and equivalent diameter of paddy grains, role of husk in paddy, per
2 cent of husk in paddy kernel, per cent of pericarp, what is bran layer, per cent
of bran layer in kernel weight, per cent of aleurone layer in kernel weight,
shape of endosperm, per cent of starchy endosperm in grain mass, per cent of
germ present rice grain).

e. Structure & composition of Maize: characteristics of maize grain (average

length and equivalent diameter of maize grain, shape of maize, different layer
in mature maize kernel (Hull or bran, germ, endosperm, tip cap), per cent of
aleurone layer in maize kernel weight, what is tip cap, per cent of tip cap in
kernel mass), germ per cent in total mass of maize gain, endosperm per cent
3 in matured maize grain).
f. Structure & composition of Sorghum: Shape of sorghum grain and different
layers of sorghum.
g. Structure & composition of Pulse: Different layers present in pulse grain,
external structure of pulse (hilum, microphyle& raphe), role of hilum,
mirophyle& raphe in pulse grain, Protein content in pulse by weight and other
characteristics of pulses.

2. Engineering properties of agricultural material

Uses and Classification of engineering properties of agricultural Produce:
Physical property, Frictional property, Aero dynamic property, Thermal
property, Rheological property, Mechanical property and Electrical property.
4 3. Physical Properties:
a. Importance of physical properties in agricultural processing.
b. Physical Properties: definition, and properties (Size, Shape, Volume,
Density, Porosity & Specific gravity).
c. Size: Measurement of size by micro meter / screw gauge and vernier
callipers.
 d. Shape: Roundness (definition and roundness expression with diagram),
Roundness ratio (definition and expression with diagram), Sphericity
(definition, expression by using diameter and volume), what is
geometric mean diameter.
5 e. Shape: Descriptive terms of standard shape of the products with
examples (Round, oblate, oblong, conic, ovate, obviate, elliptical,
truncate, unequal, ribbed, regular and irregular shape)
f. Describe shape of different grains, fruit & vegetables by using standard
shape.

g. Density: Definition, use of density

h. Different type of densities: Solid density (definition), apparent density
6 (definition), particle density (definition) and bulk density (definition).
i. Measurement of density of irregular shape grains or fruits & vegetables
by Liquid and solid displacement method.

j. Volume: definition, determination of volume by platform scale method

(used for large materials like fruits and vegetables).
k. Porosity: definition, measurement of porosity of the particles.
7 l. Specific gravity: Definition, measurement of specific gravity by
pycnometer method (step by step procedure for determination of
specific gravity of granular materials by using specific gravity bottle or
pycnometer and toluene)

4. Aerodynamic properties:
a. Importance of aero and hydro dynamic properties in designing of air and
8 water conveying systems and separation equipment.
b. Aerodynamic properties: Terminal velocity and its application
c. Drag coefficient and its uses

d. Terminal velocity: Definition and importance.

e. Measurement of terminal velocity by using relation of drag coefficient.
f. Relation of density of particle & fluid on terminal velocity under steady
9 state conditions.
g. Dependent factors of drag coefficient of material and its resistance to air
flow - 1.bed thickness of the material, 2.type, shape and size of grain,
3.the air velocity and 4.orientation and packing of the materials.
h. Density and terminal velocity of wheat, rye, oats, corn and soybean.

5. Frictional properties:
a. Importance of frictional properties in design of agricultural processing
10 equipment.
b. Frictional properties: coefficient of friction and angle of repose.
c. Static & kinetic friction: Definition.
d. Coefficient of friction: Definition

e. Rolling resistance: use of rolling resistance or maximum angle of

stability in rolling of round shape material.
f. Coefficient and angle of internal friction: definition, practical procedure
for measurement of angle of internal friction.
11 g. Coefficient of friction on material surface: definition, practical procedure
for measurement of angle of external friction or friction on material
surface.
h. Angle of repose: Definition, Importance of angle of repose for design of
agricultural processing equipment.
 i. Effect of grain size, shape, moisture content and orientation on angle of
repose.
j. Different angle of repose: static (definition) and dynamic angle of repose

k. Measurement of angle of repose

l. Measurement of angle of repose by using apparatus consists of a circular
platform immersed in a box filled with grain and with a glass window in on
side.
m. Angle of repose of some grains: wheat, paddy, maize, barley, millets and rye.
12 n. Effect of moisture content on the angle of repose.
o. Empirical equation to correlate the angle of repose and moisture content of
rice.
p. Types of moisture content: Dry basis moisture content and wet basis
moisture content.
q. Difference between angle of repose and angle of internal friction.

6. Mechanical properties: Definition

13 a. Mechanical properties: hardness (definition), compressive strength
(definition), impact and shear resistance (definition).

7. Thermal properties:
a. Importance of thermal properties in agricultural processing.
b. Thermal properties: Specific heat, thermal conductivity, thermal
14 diffusivity, enthalpy, surface heat transfer coefficient, emissivity.
c. Other thermal properties: freezing points, latent heats, heat of adsorption,
heat of respiration etc.
d. Sensible heat (definition) and latent heat (definition).
e. Specific heat: Definition

a. Thermal conductivity: Definition, Expression of thermal conductivity.

b. Thermal conductivity expression for wheat grain with the moisture
content range of 10-20%(db)
c. Thermal conductivity expression for sorghum.
d. Thermal conductivity expression for fruits and vegetables
e. Thermal conductivity value for single grain, bulk grain and air.
15 f. Determination of thermal conductivity of grains and food material by
using thermal conductivity probe: Diagram, device consist of constantan
heater wire (wire diameter), chromel constantan thermocouples wire
(diameter of wire), measuring procedure, logarithm equation of thermal
conductivity of the material.
g. Enthalpy: Definition, Enthalpy expression for moist material.
h. Thermal diffusivity: Definition, expression, importance of thermal
diffusivity.

8. Rheological properties:
a. Introduction to Rheology, Definition.
b. Importance of rheological properties in design of mechanical handling
systems.
c. Important parameter of rheology: force, deformation and time.
16 d. Deformation classification: elastic deformation and flow.
e. Flow classification: plastic flow and viscous flow
f. Basic properties describe the rheological behaviour of the material;
elasticity, plasticity and viscosity.
g. Viscosity (definition and dependent factor of viscosity), elasticity
(definition), plasticity (definition), stress (definition), strain (definition).
 h. Classical ideal bodies represents the rheological properties: Hookean
body, St.Venant body and Newtonian body.
i. Ideal elastic behaviour or Hookean body of the material: Represent
linear elastic behaviour for steel and non-linear elasticity in rubber by
using stress strain diagram.
j. Ideal Plastic behaviour or St. Venant body or pure plastic behaviour of
17 the material: explain the ideal plastic behaviour of the material by using
friction block, yield stress (definition).
k. Pure viscous behaviour or Newtonian liquid: Relationship between shear
rate and shear stress for Newtonian liquid, coefficient of viscosity
(definition),
l. By using spring and dashpot represent the behaviour of Newtonian
liquid.
m. Examples for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids.

9. Flow of material: Introduction on Newton’s Law of Viscosity

a. Viscosity: definition, kinetic viscosity (definition) and dynamic
viscosity (definition).
b. Viscous fluid: categories (Newtonian Fluids and Non-Newtonian fluid)
c. Newtonian fluid: definition, examples for Newtonian fluids.
d. Non-Newtonian fluid: definition, examples for non-Newtonian fluid,
apparent viscosity (definition), categories of non-Newtonian fluid (time
independent fluid, time dependent fluid and viscoelastic).
18 e. Non Newtonian time independent fluids: Shear thinning or
Pseudoplastic fluids, Shear thickening or Dilatant fluids and Bingham
plastic or viscoplastic fluid
f. Bingham plastic or viscoplastic fluids: definition and example for
viscoplastic fluid.
g. Non-Newtonian time dependent fluids: Thixotropic (shear thinning with
time), Rheopectic fluids (shear thickening with time).
h. Thixotropic fluid: definition and example for thixotropic fluid
i. Rheopectic fluid: definition and example for rheopectic fluid

Electrical property:

j. Importance of electrical properties in agricultural processing.

19 k. Electrical properties: Electrical Conductivity and Permittivity

Application of engineering properties in handling, processing machine and

storage structure:
20 Revision and discussion

Course Teacher
Dr. V. Kumargouda
Assistant Professor of Agril. Engg.

References:
A. Unit Operations of Agricultural Engineering
K.M. SAHAY and K.M. SINGH
B. Principles of Agricultural Processing-A Text Book
P.H.PANDEY