Determination of mechanical characteristics of barley grain under static force load

In the mechanized processing of barley lots, as a result of the interaction of separate grains with the working tools of machines, stresses exceeding the allowable ones occur in them, as a result of which grains are destroyed. The article is devoted to the actual problem of increasing the efficiency of barley production by reducing mechanical damages during the technical processes of harvesting, post-harvesting and pre-sowing treatment. It is suggested to estimate the magnitude of occurring stresses under a force load in barley grains by methods of elasticity theory. For this purpose, the barley grain is modeled in the form of a toroid, which allows determining the magnitude of the stresses occurring in grains. It is found that this magnitude of stresses under mechanized processing depends on the curvature of contacting bodies, their elasticity modulus, Poisson's ratios, grain material moisture, as well as the speed of grain collision with the working tool. The model adequacy to a real grain by the volume at 85-90% is experimentally proved, the value of the elasticity modulus of barley grain and the limiting compressive force and the contact area depending on the grain moisture with a sufficiently high value of the approximation certainty factor are determined...