Assessment of undulation behaviour of rape and sunflower bulk oilseeds under compression loading

In this present study, a combination of compression forces and speeds were examined for the undulation or serration behaviour of bulk rapeseeds and sunflower seeds using the universal compression device and a pressing vessel of diameter 60 mm with a plunger. For bulk rapeseeds, the forces were from 80, 100 and 120 kN while sunflower seeds, the forces were from 100, 150 and 200 kN. The speed ranged from 5 to50 mm min⁻¹. The study revealed that at force 80 kN in relation to the different speeds, the force and deformation curves of rapeseeds were without the serration effect. This was similar to sunflower seeds at forces 100 and 150 kN. The undulation effect for rapeseed was noticed at forces 100 and 120 kN at speeds between 25 and 50 mm min⁻¹. On the other hand, a smooth curve characteristic was seen for sunflower seeds at force 200 kN and speeds of 5 and 10 mm min⁻¹ respectively. At a speed of 15mm min⁻¹, the serration effect was mild. From speeds 20 to 50 mm min⁻¹, the undulation effect was pronounced. In conclusion, increasing the compression force sand speeds demonstrated the undulation behaviour of both sunflower and rape bulk oilseeds. Energy efficiency for maximum oil recovery is realised under the area of the smooth curve behaviour.