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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Hydraulic Conditions Required To Move Unanchored Residue Materials, John E. Gilley, E. R. Kottwitz, G. A. Wieman Jun 1994

Hydraulic Conditions Required To Move Unanchored Residue Materials, John E. Gilley, E. R. Kottwitz, G. A. Wieman

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Hydraulic conditions required to initiate movement of unanchored residue materials are identified in the present study. Selected amounts of corn, cotton, pine needles, sorghum, soybean, sunflower, and wheat residue are placed in a flume on a sand surface, and flow is then introduced at the top of the flume in progressive increments. The discharge rate and flow velocity necessary to cause residue movement are determined. The ratio of critical flow depth to residue diameter, critical Reynolds number, critical shear stress, dimensionless shear stress, and boundary Reynolds number are calculated from hydraulic measurements. Regression equations are developed to relate dimensionless shear …


Maximum Surface Storage Provided By Crop Residue, John E. Gilley, Eugene R. Kottwitz Jun 1994

Maximum Surface Storage Provided By Crop Residue, John E. Gilley, Eugene R. Kottwitz

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Small ponds created by crop residue serve to store water on upland areas. The present study is conducted to identify the maximum surface storage provided by crop residue. Equations for estimating surface storage are derived assuming that residue elements were oriented end to end, at uniform intervals, in a direction perpendicular to flow. Separate equations are developed for conditions where average slope was greater than or equal to residue cover, or less than residue cover. Both equations relate average surface-storage depth to residue cover, residue diameter, and average slope. Data to test the reliability of the equations are obtained in …


Method And Apparatus For Objective Evaluation Of Patent Ambulation, Balance And Weight Bearng Status, Eric B. Lancaster, Michael F. Kocher May 1994

Method And Apparatus For Objective Evaluation Of Patent Ambulation, Balance And Weight Bearng Status, Eric B. Lancaster, Michael F. Kocher

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

A walker is provided which is equipped with detectors for measuring various loads and torques placed thereon by a user including right side and left side loads as well as torque loads on the handles of the walker and having time and distance detectors to allow the ambulation status of a user to be progressively monitored by medical personnel.


Water Vapor Permeability And Mechanical Properties Of Grain Protein-Based Films As Effected By Mixtures Of Polyethylene Glycol Amd Glycerin Plasticizers, H. J. Park, J. M. Bunn, Curtis L. Weller, P. J. Vergano, R. F. Testin Jan 1994

Water Vapor Permeability And Mechanical Properties Of Grain Protein-Based Films As Effected By Mixtures Of Polyethylene Glycol Amd Glycerin Plasticizers, H. J. Park, J. M. Bunn, Curtis L. Weller, P. J. Vergano, R. F. Testin

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Grain protein-based films containing mixtures of glycerin and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as plasticizers were prepared and evaluated for water vapor permeability (WVP), tensile strength (TS), and elongation (E). Changes in mechanical properties during storage were also studied. The PEG produced opposite trends in E of wheat gluten and corn-zein films. The TS of wheat gluten films increased and E of the films decreased as the ratio of glycerin/PEG decreased. Corn-zein films containing only glycerin were very brittle (E of 4%), and E of the films improved to 94% when the ratio of mL PEG/g protein was 0.39. The WVP of …


Tillage And Planting System, Stalk Chopper, And Knife Applicator Influences On Corn Residue Cover, David P. Shelton, Stephen D. Kachman, Elbert C. Dickey, K.T. Fairbanks, Paul J. Jasa Jan 1994

Tillage And Planting System, Stalk Chopper, And Knife Applicator Influences On Corn Residue Cover, David P. Shelton, Stephen D. Kachman, Elbert C. Dickey, K.T. Fairbanks, Paul J. Jasa

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Percent corn (Zea mays L.) residue cover remaining on the soil surface after planting was measured for 11 tillage and planting systems that included combinations of the use, and timing, of a stalk chopper and/or a knife-type fertilizer applicator. Tillage, as well as use of a stalk chopper or knife applicator, significantly reduced residue cover. Only 27 of the 69 stalk chopper/knife applicator/tillage and planting system treatment combinations that were evaluated could be classified as conservation tillage by having at least 30% residue cover remaining after planting.


Monte Carlo Calculation Of Effective Diffusivities In Two- And Three-Dimensional Heterogeneous Materials Of Variable Structure, Mark R. Riley, Fernando J. Muzzio, Helen M. Buettner, Sebastian C. Reyes Jan 1994

Monte Carlo Calculation Of Effective Diffusivities In Two- And Three-Dimensional Heterogeneous Materials Of Variable Structure, Mark R. Riley, Fernando J. Muzzio, Helen M. Buettner, Sebastian C. Reyes

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

A Monte Carlo technique that simulates tracer diffusion in multiphase materials of arbitrary complexity has been developed. Effective diffusivities are calculated for structures consisting of either overlapping or nonoverlapping inclusions with diffusivity Dc, distributed in a continuous phase with diffusivity D0>Dc. Two-dimensional simulations for various values of D0/Dc generate normalized diffusivities that correspond closely to their three-dimensional counterparts; they nearly collapse to a common curve when a simple scaling relation is applied.


Darcy-Weisbach Roughness Coefficients For Selected Crops, John E. Gilley, E. R. Kottwitz Jan 1994

Darcy-Weisbach Roughness Coefficients For Selected Crops, John E. Gilley, E. R. Kottwitz

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Total hydraulic resistance on an upland agricultural site may be influenced by several factors including standing vegetation. In this laboratory study, Darcy-Weisbach roughness coefficients were measured for corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, sunflower, and wheat vegetation. Experimental variables used in this investigation in addition to crop type included plant population, row spacing, row orientation, and flow rate. For some of the experimental tests, a single row of vegetation was oriented within a flume parallel to the principal flow direction. For the remainder of the tests, rows of vegetation were placed perpendicular to the flow using row spacings and plant populations recommended …


Moisture Adsorption By Grain Protein Films, A. Gennadios, Curtis L. Weller Jan 1994

Moisture Adsorption By Grain Protein Films, A. Gennadios, Curtis L. Weller

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Grain protein films plasticized with glycerol were prepared from corn zein (CZ), wheat gluten (WG), and a 2.3:1 mixture of wheat gluten and soy protein isolate (WG/SPI). Moisture adsorption curves of the three types of protein films at 25° C and within an approximate water activity range of 0.11 to 0.84 were obtained using a static gravimetric method. The Smith, Oswin, Halsey, and Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) models were applied to collected data. For all protein films, the GAB model showed the best fit over the entire studied water activity range yielding mean deviation modulus values (P) of 4.69, 3.44, and …


Long Term Tillage Effects On Grain Yield And Soil Properties In A Soybean/Grain Sorghum Rotation, Elbert C. Dickey, Paul J. Jasa, Robert Grisso Jan 1994

Long Term Tillage Effects On Grain Yield And Soil Properties In A Soybean/Grain Sorghum Rotation, Elbert C. Dickey, Paul J. Jasa, Robert Grisso

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

In Nebraska, early adopters of conservation tillage, especially those using no-till planting, had some concerns regarding planter performance, early season weed control, and possible yield reductions. Selected tillage and planting systems were used long term to evaluate effects on soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] yield, soil properties, and residue cover in a non-irrigated rotation. The six tillage and planting systems selected for evaluation were: no-till, no-till with row-crop cultivation, disk, double disk, chisel, and plow. In 1981, two sets of field plots were established near Lincoln, NE, on a Sharpsburg silty …