Transcript Research Topics in Agricultural Engineering and Related Area یاهن

‫مثالهايي از موضوعات تحقيقاتی در زمينه ماشينهای‬
‫کشاورزی و صنايع وابسته در تعدادی از دانشگاه ها‬
‫‪Research Topics in Agricultural‬‬
‫‪Engineering and Related Area‬‬
‫‪1‬‬
Agricultural Safety and Health
• Human Presence Sensors and Control
Systems to Prevent Machinery
Entanglement Injuries
• Modeling Agricultural Downtime Losses
Resulting from Injuries, Breakdowns, and
Other Lost Time
• Preventing Combine Fire Losses Through
Improved Design and Safe Operation
• Surveillance of Work-Related Deaths on
Minnesota Farms
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Objectives
•
To develop an effective prototype sensor-based human
presence detection system that prevents people from being
entangled in dangerous agricultural and industrial
equipment.
Project Description
Over the past 10 years, almost 300 Minnesota farmers, farm
employees, and children have died because of hazards in the
farm workplace. A significant percentage of these fatalities
result from entanglement with rotating power take-offs, drive
shafts, gears, belt drives, and other dangerous components
that are rotating at high speed and transmitting large amounts
of power. This project examines the application of existing
electronic sensor technologies to detect and protect people
who are working near dangerous, rotating agricultural and
industrial machinery.
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• Objectives of this project include:
Develop methods and engineering economics models to estimate
the cost of downtime in the food production industry.
Determine the key parameters that affect the magnitude of
downtime costs resulting from injuries, machinery fires,
mechanical breakdowns, and other downtime causes.
Project Description
In most complex industrial systems where income and profit are dependent
on timeliness of production operations, downtime can be a major cost. This
downtime can result from any factor including poor scheduling decisions,
mechanical breakdowns and malfunctions, personal injuries, or even the
need to cease harvesting or planting because of the demands of off-farm
jobs. In production agriculture, downtime from any cause can result in
reduced yields, increased processing costs, greater labor and replacement
equipment costs, and other major economic losses. Over the last several
years, a linear programming technique has been developed to estimate the
financial costs associated with downtime experienced by farmers during
critical cropping periods. This information is being used in educational
presentations about farm safety and also as a tool for helping producers
make better decisions about time management, machine sizing, and other
important decisions.
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• Project Description
Fires on grain combines and
other types of self-propelled
• Objective
farm equipment are a
significant problem, resulting in
property damage and
• Summarize currently
downtime. When a fire occurs
available information
in a combine, there is also risk
for personal injury to the
related to the magnitude
machine operator. These fires
and frequency of grain
tend to spread quickly and can
combine fire losses
be difficult to extinguish,
throughout the country
especially if they are not
detected in the early stages of
• Engage the insurance and
fire development. This project
agricultural equipment
involves collecting and
industries in cooperative
summarizing all available data
efforts to develop
that describe the nature and
recommendations for more
magnitude of the problem of
fires on grain combines and
fire resistant equipment
then communicating this
designs, operator safety
information to machinery
recommendations, and fire
manufacturers, insurers, and
control equipment
others with a risk in reducing
selection.
the incidence and magnitude
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of combine fire losses.
• Project Description
• Objective
A database is used to track and
Monitor farm work-related
analyze all fatalities that occur
fatality events and the
in the farm workplace.
circumstances that surround Currently, the database holds
these events.
fatality data from 1980 to the
• Analyze the characteristics of present. Data are obtained from
news clippings, death
the host, agent, and
environment for each fatality certificates, and case reports.
event and use summary data We use the fatality data to give
us a picture of the kinds of
to more effectively target
fatalities that occur in
extension education and
Minnesota. All deaths occurring
research-related prevention
in the farm work environment,
efforts.
• Provide current data on farm including those of children and
deaths and non-fatal injuries visitors, are included in the
database. This surveillance
(from other sources) to
helps us bring important
various agencies and
prevention information to the
individuals engaged in
prevention activities to assist attention of Minnesota residents
in program planning and goal so that they will be aware of
potential dangers in the farm6
setting.
work environment.
Bio processing and Food
• Improvement in Thermal Processes for
Foods
• Ohmic Heating of Particulate Foods
• Application of Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI) and Polymer Science to the Study of
Storage Stability in Food Systems
• Ozone Treatment To Reduce or Remove
Pesticides in Fruits and Vegetables
• Maintaining Grain Quality During Drying and
Storage
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•Objective
The objective of this research is to evaluate rheological behavior and
constitutive equations for food products. These constitutive
equations can be used in simulations during various processing
operations.
•Project Description
The formation of foams, such as bread dough, involves bubble
nucleation and growth, microphase separation, rupture of thin films,
and finally gelling. The reaction and buildup of mechanical properties
will be monitored using flooded parallel plate geometry in a rheometer.
In order to simulate the bread baking process, the temperature as a
function of time was monitored. The dough was placed in an oven and
temperature at several points was recorded in a computer as a
function of time. A self-tuning temperature controller was used to
control the temperature of the rheometer in the exact rate as the
baking process. A previously recorded temperature profile for the
formulation to be studied, with data spaced every 0.5 seconds, was
used as a moving set point for the heaters. The rheometer was
operated in the dynamic mode; the measurements of storage and loss
moduli were obtained at different frequencies and strains to obtain the
maximum differences between measurements of samples of differing
compositions (gluten content, gluten/starch ratio, and water content).
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•Objective
The objective of the project is to develop a technique that enables
process developers to determine the level of thermal sterility rendered
on foods during ohmic heating. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
technique will be used to non-destructively produce temperature
maps of particulate foods undergoing ohmic heating.
•Project Description
The application of ohmic energy in heating low-acid food products is
producing considerable interest in the food industry. When electric
current passes through a multiphase system consisting of food
particles suspended in liquid, uniform heating of the system cannot
be expected due to the inhomogeneity of electrical properties and
particle distribution and orientation. It is essential to know the
temperature distribution in the system, especially the particles, in
order to calculate the lethal treatment delivered to potentially harmful
microorganisms during the ohmic heating process. In this study,
hardware and software are being developed for rapid and reliable
temperature mapping. The key issues to be addressed are (1)
structural dependence of MRI parameters, (2) imaging artifacts, (3) fat
interference, (4) data acquisition time, and (5) reliable mathematical
modeling.
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•
Objective
•
The goal of the project is to
use new approaches to
improve understanding of
physiochemical and biological
stability of food systems. The
specific objectives are to:
•
Develop novel nuclear
magnetic resonance
techniques (NMR and MRI) for
the study of the relationships
between the glass transition
process, state of water, and
physiochemical and biological
stability of food systems.
Investigate the effects of food
constituents (such as starch,
gluten, fat, and water) and
processing techniques
(baking, for example) on the
physical structure, texture,
and chemical reactivity of food
systems.
•
•
Project Description
Instability of foods is a major concern in
the development and maintenance of
combat ration systems. Foods can
deteriorate during storage or
transportation and develop undesirable
or even unacceptable flavor, texture, and
color. Water plays an essential role in the
stability of foods. Both the state and the
amount of water in a food material are
important. These are influenced by the
initial conditions, which are affected by
formulation and processing conditions,
and by physical and chemical changes
during storage and transportation.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and
polymer science techniques can be used
to determine the initial water and
structure conditions and to monitor the
changes in these conditions during
storage and transportation.
Results from this project will be used to
develop better formulation, processing
technology, packaging, and storage
conditions for combat ration systems.
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• Objective
• Project Description
• The objectives of the
present study are to
determine the
susceptibility of the
organophosphrous
pesticides such as
malathion to
ozonation, evaluate
the effectiveness of
ozonation on
pesticides
degradation
compared with the
commonly used
chlorination, and
apply the method to
fruit and vegetable
treatment.
• Ozonation has been shown to be an
effective technique to degrade
pesticides and deactivate a very large
number of microorganisms.
Compared to chlorination, ozonation
is more powerful in pesticide residue
degradation without leaving any
hazardous chemicals. Its application
also includes increasing storage life
and sanitizing the surfaces of fruit,
vegetables, and other agricultural
products. Since ozone does not
remain in the water and surface
matrix very long, there is no concern
about consumption of ozone residue
in food products. In this study, we will
test our hypothesis using aqueous
model systems first and then further
evaluate the feasibility using fruits
and vegetables with surface
pesticides residues.
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• Objective
The overall purpose of our research is to reduce use of chemical
insecticides for managing insects (specifically Indian meal moth) in
stored grain.
• Project Description
Alternatives to chemical insecticides are needed for managing
stored grain insects. Insects have become resistant to some
traditional stored grain chemical insecticides and there is
growing concern about the impact of insecticides on the
environment and on human health. It is well known that insect
activity slows as temperature decreases. Most insects
become dormant below certain critical temperatures and
many insects die if held at a low enough temperature for a
long enough time. In the northern parts of the U.S. grain
growing areas, it should be possible to manage stored grain
insect populations by using aeration with outdoor air to
control temperatures inside bins of stored grain at levels that
limit insect activity and possibly even kill insects. More
information is needed on the specific time-temperature
relationships needed to kill insects and on the typical number
of hours available at various outdoor temperatures in order to
develop recommendations that can be used to limit stored
grain insect populations and reduce the need for chemical
insecticides.
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Only topics!
• Development of Machinery Systems and
Sensors for Site-Specific Farming
• Biosensor Development
• Controlled Environments for Animal and
Plant Production and Commodity Storages
• Mechanical and Structural Systems
• Natural Resources Conservation and
Management
• Processing for Adding Value to Biological
Materials
• Safety and Systems Engineering
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• Objective
To investigate the precision needed for sensing biological
parameters in the landscape including crop residues, soil nutrients,
crop yield (for grain crops and root crops), and soil moisture.
To develop machines and assist others in developing machines for
use in precision farming activities.
To investigate the economics of using variable-rate technologies.
• Project Description
Interest in site-specific farming over the past few years has been
driven by newly developed agricultural technology. Equipment is
now available that can locate machinery on the field and vary the
inputs being applied, or record the yield of the crop being
harvested. This equipment will help farmers improve economic
competitiveness.
We have developed techniques for computer-enhanced rapid
measuring and mapping of crop residue. We have also developed a
sensor that determines the effect of tillage on the soil. This sensor
should help farmers reduce erosion and select machinery, crops,
and husbandry methods. We have developed an automatic soil
sampler for use in precision farming and soil mapping. We have
also initiated research on the use of nuclear magnetic resonance
as a possible method for measuring soil nutrients, texture, and
moisture content.
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•Objective
To investigate the use of a multifrequency RF sensor in measuring
physical and chemical properties of granular materials including grains,
soil, and fertilizer.
•Project Description
The value of newly developed row crop varieties, such as high oil corn or soy
beans, maintain their added value only if their identity can be maintained as
they are moved from the farm to the end user. At this time there are
essentially no methods for on-line monitoring of these crops. Their assay is
confirmed and identity is maintained by physical sampling and time
consuming and labor intensive laboratory procedures.
An on-line sensor capable of accurately monitoring specific value adding
traits would certainly simplify and expedite tracking commodities moving
from the producer toward their ultimate use. Such a sensor would allow
automated sorting at bulk receiving areas, which in turn could allow the
present transportation and storage infrastructure to function largely as is.
The project is to examine the spectral response of a commercially available
sensor (MoisturePLUS™On-Line Sensor) to various types of cereal grain,
soils and granular fertilizers, with varying physical properties. The
demonstrated use of the sensor has been to measure sample moisture
content and sample density. The proposed work will examine specific sensor
response to starch, oil, and protein content in grain samples. Additionally we
will investigate using the sensor on other bio-related granular products. If we
can use the sensor to determine the mass flow and bulk density of granular
fertilizer, then it will be advantageous to use the device in controlling the
application of fertilizer in precision farming. Other work may include
measuring soil moisture in real time. Traditionally this has been an invasive
procedure, however the RF device being investigated may have the ability to
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measure soil moisture in the seed layer during planting.
• topics include:
Drying with desiccants for food processing
operations; optimal sizes and/or environments for
grain bins or other commodity storage facilities;
greenhouse irrigation systems; nutrient
management in greenhouses; greenhouse wetland
systems; greenhouse heating; animal housing
systems; behavior, safety and comfort of animals
and workers; heat stress relief for animals; air
quality/animal performance interactions; air
quality/human respiratory responses; modeling air
quality in buildings; environmental control for
plant systems; mushroom production systems;
and use of enthalpy wheels in ventilation systems.
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research includes:
Pesticide application systems (variable rate, draft control, air-blast);
design of agricultural machinery systems; evaluation and
improvement of animal feeding systems; forage harvesting and
storage; feeding systems to optimize animal performance;
optimizing the use of forages and other ruminant feed resources;
automation in existing food processing plants; computer vision
systems for non-destructive evaluation of food products; robotics
applications in fruit and vegetable mechanization; radiotelemetry for
predicting damage during mechanical handling; vehicle tracking
systems; sensor development for precision agriculture; remote
sensing for crop assessment; GPS and GIS development and
applications in agriculture; fuel cells and microturbines for on-site
electricity generation; wood engineering; analysis/design of post
frame structures; hardwood glue-laminated design; wood bridge
design; bulk solids storage dynamic loads; load deformation
behavior of feeds, grains, fertilizers, and pesticides; finite element
and boundary element modeling of structural systems; interactions
between structural materials and granular media; and alternative
structural systems for housing.
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projects include:
Agricultural mapping systems; tillage system effects on runoff,
erosion, and pollutant transport; erosion processes; hydrology
of quality turfgrass areas; drinking water quality and treatment
for domestic and livestock use; numerical modeling of water
and pollutant transport processes; methods for identifying
critical nutrient contributing areas in watersheds; GIS-based
evaluation of non-point pollution from agricultural lands;
modeling the physical and economic aspects of conservation
and nutrient management practices; water quality under
greenhouse systems; utilization of sludge on forest and nonagricultural land; utilization of recyclable materials in
agricultural systems; decontamination of polluted soils;
transformation, uptake, and movement of wastes and
chemicals applied to soils; on-site wastewater treatment and
management; milking center wastewater disposal systems;
composting and refeeding residues from agricultural
production, food processing, and dining facilities; biogas
production from animal manures and other biological
materials; biogas utilization for generation and vehicle power;
and odor control for mushroom and animal production
facilities.
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projects include:
Agricultural mapping systems; sedimentation basin design; tillage
system effects on runoff, erosion, and pollutant transport; erosion
processes; hydrology of quality turfgrass areas; drinking water quality
and treatment for domestic and livestock use; numerical modeling of
water and pollutant transport processes; methods for identifying
critical nutrient contributing areas in watersheds; GIS-based
evaluation of non-point pollution from agricultural lands; modeling the
physical and economic aspects of conservation and nutrient
management practices; water quality under greenhouse systems;
utilization of sludge on forest and non-agricultural land; utilization of
recyclable materials in agricultural systems; decontamination of
polluted soils; transformation, uptake, and movement of wastes and
chemicals applied to soils; on-site wastewater treatment and
management; milking center wastewater disposal systems;
composting and refeeding residues from agricultural production, food
processing, and dining facilities; biogas production from animal
manures and other biological materials; biogas utilization for
generation and vehicle power; and odor control for mushroom and
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animal production facilities.
research includes:
Flow behavior of powder and granular food products; aseptic
processing of food products; food biosensors; on-line computer
control of food processing operations; modeling heat transfer
mechanisms during thermal processing of foods; food automation
and control; smart food systems; storage reaction kinetics of
biotechnology-derived products; mechanical properties of food and
other biological materials; dielectric properties of food and other
biological materials; new technologies in food processing;
constitutive models for bulk foods; microscopic approach for load
response of granular materials; thermophysical properties of
freezing and frozen foods; failure mechanisms of food and other
biological materials; computer models of food products during
microwave heating; numerical modeling of food processing
operations; microwave processing of foods; food safety during
minimal and added-value processing; industrial
microbiology/fermentation.
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projects include:
Expert systems for food process engineering; machine
design and systems management; structural and
environmental modification; natural resources
engineering and management; precision agriculture
applications; tractor stability information processing;
agricultural accident analysis; simulation of pasture
utilization and other forage-animal systems; human
factors engineering for safety; machinery safety
demonstration program development; hazard reduction
for youthful and aged workers; agricultural occupational
health; manure storage and handling safety; animal
handling safety; energy management systems; nondestructive evaluation of quality; strategies for optimal
use of energy in food production and processing
systems; and impacts of deregulation of electricity
generation on food production and processing systems.
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‫عناوين مربوط به ميوه ها‬
‫‪Fruits & Vegetables‬‬
‫‪22‬‬
Subject: Non-destructive Firmness Measuring Device for the
Quality Assessment of Apples.
•
•
•
The firmness of an apple is a key attribute to knowing the quality, maturity, and
value of the crop. The current industry standard for measuring the firmness
(Magness-Taylor test) punctures the apple, greatly reducing its value. Methods
that measure firmness without damage to the apple could lead to improved
prediction of harvest time, online quality inspection, improved storage
conditions and handling, and general improvement of consumer satisfaction.
The research involves the measurement of the bioyield point to determine the
firmness of an apple. The measurement procedure of the bioyield point is
similar to that of a Stress-Strain test except the test stops at an initial stress
peak. This peak correlates to the apple’s structure compressing and the
cellular structure beginning to burst. The key element to performing a
successful test is the use of a specifically designed rubber tip. This maximizes
the contact area with the apple, providing a uniform stress distribution. A
successful measurement of the bioyield point incurs minimal damage the
apple’s appearance and structure.
The bioyield probe I have constructed was designed for field use. It operates
on battery power and runs on a stand-alone programmable microchip. This
allows the collection of data without the need of a power source or computer
connection to control the probe. After data collection has occurred, I can
download the data to a computer for further analysis and record keeping. I
intend to verify the design with several apple varieties by comparing results
with the Magness-Taylor test. In addition, I may correlate the bioyield firmness
to the maturity of the apple and moisture loss of the upper cellular layers. I
hope that my results will provide accurate information about the quality of the
apple and that my bioyield probe will become a useful tool for the industry.
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Subject: Imaging Spectroscopy for Determining the Optical
Properties of Apple Fruit
• The overall objective of this research is to investigate a new
optical sensing technique for determining the optical properties
of apple fruit. Imaging spectroscopy will be used to determine
the absorption and scattering coefficients of fruit tissue. The
relationship between these two coefficients and fruit sugar
content and firmness will also be established.
• Hyperspectral images from apple fruit will be acquired in the
visible and near-infrared region. Analytical methods (diffusion
equation and multiple light scattering theory) will be used to
extract the absorption and scattering coefficients from the
hyperspectral image data of apple fruit, and numerical methods
(finite element analysis and Monte Carlo simulation) will be
used to study light scattering and absorption in apple fruit and
their relationship with fruit sugar content and firmness.
• This research will provide an approach of directly extracting
fundamental optical information from apple fruit, and the
results can be used to develop a new nondestructive sensing
method for fruit internal quality based on the principle of direct
measurement, which will hopefully improve the accuracy of the
current research based on the principle of indirect
measurement. The technique will help the industry provide
consistent, superior quality fruit for the consumer and improve24
industry competitiveness and profitability.
• Organic Farming
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