Manufacturing and Testing a Double Action Feed Pellet Durability Measuring Device

The experiment was aimed to evaluate a locally manufactured a dual-action device used for measuring feed pellets durability. The device performs dropping process in conventional devices, then sifting process to separate the pellets from the crumbles simultaneously, with a control the motor speed by using the pulse width modulation (PWM) Technique. The device performance was compared with the durability measuring device of a moving drop box. Rotational speed, diameter of the die holes of the machine was used in this study. The results showed that increasing the rotational speed of the die from 280 to 300 and to 320 rpm, increasing the die holes diameter from 3 to 4 and to 5 mm, led to a significant decrease in the feed pellets durability, for both devices. The lowest die speed of 280 rpm, the minimum diameter of the die holes of 3 mm, recorded the highest pellets durability of 94.45% with the test speed of 33 rpm for the dual action measuring device as well as 93.45% for the movable drop box device. A highly significant correlation was found between data of the both devices. Test device success was proven for measure feed pellets durability.


Introduction
Pellet quality is measured by means of pellet durability [1].The durability of feed pellets is defined as the ability of pellets to withstand mechanical handling without excessive breakage leading to developing fine particles.The pellet durability index is one of the most commonly used indicators to measure the quality of feed pellets, hence indicates the percentage of intact pellets remained after undergoing mechanical processing during manufacturing, transportation and delivery.When conducting feeding experiments.The durability of the pellets may be the most important indicator for the study.A study was conducted on the factors that affect the durability of the pellets, providing a focus on the speed along with the machine die holes [2].Physical quality enhancement of feed pellets of the biggest challenges within the production of high performance feed, there are several factors that affect pellet quality or pellet durability index, the die specification is one it [3].The economic importance becomes clear when it's obvious that 60-70% of the total cost of poultry production is 1259 (2023) 012126 IOP Publishing doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1259/1/012126 2 about feed.For this reason, the optimal use of feed is very important in feeding broiler chickens [4].The costs increasing in the manufacture of poultry feed led to the necessity of seeking to reduce production costs, by reducing wastage/lost in feed.Poultry feed is provided in various forms, including Mash, Crumble and Pellets.Using pellets is an important practice to reduce the loss of animal feed, which has proven to be beneficial [5,6].In order to improve feed handling and animal feeding methods, it is necessary to measure the physical properties of the feed pellets because it is very useful to effectively deal with it.Because of the lack of information about the physical properties of feed pellets, which are very important for understanding their behaviour during the process of forming, transporting, packing, storing and feeding, which calls for attention and the development of available necessary means [7].The improvement in the means of measuring the quality of feed pellets contributes greatly to the growth of this industry moreover its positive results for commercial handling after production, thus measuring the durability can greatly help to produce non friable (or resistant to crumbling) by regulating the conditions of the production of the machine [8].Handling feed pellets, by mechanical conveyors causes fragmentation of pellets in addition to their exposure to various causes of stress after production including handling.Thus there are many test devices to measure the durability of feed pellets in the market today, which are widely used to determine the physical quality of the pellet, there is a need for new means to test the quality of the physical properties of commercially traded feed pellets [9].The DC motor is widely used for its ease of speed -controlling moreover the load characteristics.It is efficient and provides accurate outputs, resulting in a wide application for commercial use.DC motor speed control is critical in terms of importance in applications that require large speed variance, for controlling the motor speed (DC) the pulse width modulation (PWM) Technique [10].This manuscript aimed at manufacturing and testing a dual-action device for measuring the durability of feed pellets which needing of develop a qualitative and regulatory control processes for pelletedtype feed, due to the rate of crumbling that accompanies its manufacturing.The need for a multi-speed measuring device that works at the same speed as the mechanical conveyors, that transfer the feed pellets from the feed tank to the automatic feeders which is the thing that did not take into account the pre-made devices that contained a single speed.

Device Manufacture
The experiment was conducted in the feed lab of the department of animal production and the mechanical workshop of the department of agricultural machines and equipment / Faculty of agricultural engineering / University of Baghdad for the period from 9/12/2021 to 19/1/2022.A dualacting device for measuring the durability of feed pellets is made of the following components:  An electric motor (DC Motor) that operates on direct current and voltage (3 -9 volts).Equipped with Gear Motor, connected to the motor.Its number of revolutions is 77 rpm.The gear set helps to increase the rotational torque and reduce the speed with the correct combination of gears, its speed can be reduced to any desired number. An electronic device for controlling the motor speed (DC) by using the pulse width modulation (PWM) Technique of a Motor Speed Controller with Digital Display.It operates at a voltage of 6 -60 volts with a digital display to display the control range from 0 -100%.It is possible to control the output voltage from zero to the highest value, which is the voltage entered into the device, which does not exceed 60 volts.The speed of the motor can be controlled with a current of up to 30 amperes. A voltmeter (100v 100A voltmeter ammeter with shunt) a device that reads DC voltage and current then displays it directly on a digital display, measures voltages up to 100V and current up to 100A with a crossbar. Hollow hexagonal frame made of reinforced plastic that is configured to be able to install sieves to separate complete grains from the crumbled after the end of the testing process. Rotating shaft supporting hexagonal structure.
 Slots for placing the samples along with the ability to install the sieves, and replaced with other sieves. Start and shutdown button, by pressing it, the engine works, and by pressing it again, the electric motor is turned off and the device stops working. Wires for electrical connections among the various components of the device, in red for the anode (+) and black for the cathode (-). LED lamps powered by a 1.5 volt battery (3 batteries), or with a USP charger, to illuminate in the event of a power outage inside the laboratory.They are energy-saving and work for a long time if the charger or batteries of a good type are used. A base to hold the components of the device, the upper side of which is hollow plastic that holds the wires of LED lights and the side touching the ground is a base made up of wood for the brackets of the plastic base. Dual armrests right and left of the device structure, carrying the electric motor and facilitating the rotational movement of the device's work.The rotating structure is connected to the motor shaft on the right armrest and it is linked to a sliding chair on the left armrest.These armrests can be connected and separated. Cooling Fan used for the speed controller of the motor.Its specifications are made of plastic, dimensions 80 * 80 * 25 mm, voltage 12 volts, current 0.32 amperes, attached to the back of the speed controller by four screws. AC to DC 12V converter (v EU Plug Adapter12) and 2 amps to power the speed-controlledcooling fan. A converter of AC to DC 6 volts (v EU Plug Adapter6) and 2 amperes to power the speed controller and electrical motor. Box Plastic where the speed controller of the motor was placed, to protect it from dust.The dimensions of the box are length x width x height equal to 14.3 * 8.8 * 4 cm.an opening was made in the wall of the container to install the cooling fan then the case/container was perforated to install the motor-speed increasing / decreasing button on the right of the box.The on and off button were installed for the speed controller on the right side, with other openings/ perforations on the left side for the track of the electrical wires. Electrical socket -slots for connecting the wires to gather and connect the electric chargerwires with the both of speed control-wires and the electric motor-wires. The electrical control circuit of the device the speed controller, voltmeter, and their connections were assembled, forming the electrical control circuit of the device on a separate wooden base connected to the device by electric motor wires. Sieves, by 6 sieves for each measurement that can be replaced with others in proportion to the diameters of the feed pellet to be tested.The specifications of the sieves are shown in

Determining the Speed of the Device test by PWM Technique
Three speeds were added to the work of the device, 33 and 66 rpm, simulating what is happening inside the conveyors and automatic feeders, in addition to the average speeds of 50 rpm, with a test time of 10 minutes.The method of calculating the rotational speed will be according to [11]

Feed Pellet Manufacturing
The grains were crushed individually, then all the components of the feed were thoroughly mixed using a mechanical mixer, which was used for the manufacture of feed pellets According to [13] whom mentioned that it is necessary to adopt modern equipment to work in experimental projects, (Feed Pellet Machine), which is a Modern machine of Chinese origin imported specifically to carry out the experiment from a Chinese Company: (Shandong Jie Siming Precision Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd.Trading Company) Specifications: Model 125, productivity 80-100 kg/hour, voltage 220 volts, engine capacity 4 kW, dimensions (length * width * height) 10 * 27 * 78 cm, weight of the machine 70 kg.The feed was steam conditioned at 60°C for approximately 20-30 seconds.The evaporation temperature was measured at the outlet of the conditioner.Feed pellets were cooled by airflow from a fan for 10 minutes according to [14].

Test of the Device Function
Dual important variables in the feed pellet industry were controlled according to [15] who indicted in the study of the use of different engineering parameters such as the speed of the forming mechanism, the perforations of the forming die of different diameters for the production of pellets, and found that they affected the performance of the machine moreover the quality of the produced pellets.The variables were the speed of the machine die in three levels 280, 300 and 320 rpm, the diameter of the die holes of the machine in three levels of 3, 4 and 5 mm.The test parameters were organized according to a complete random design (CRD) of three replications, thus that the number of experimental units reached 27.The differences between the treatments were tested using the least significant difference (LCD) test at the 0.05 level.Stander program [16] was used to perform the statistical analysis.The durability of feed pellets was calculated using the new device (dual action) after weighing a sample of pellets of 100 g by using a digital scale , hence placing it in the cylinder of the manufactured device along with a tighten closure.Afterwards the device operated to rotate according to the specified speed for a period of 10 minutes, finally the sample was unloaded to be weighed again in order to determine the durability according to [3] by applying the following equation: Durability of pellets (%) = Remained weight after testing (g) / Initial sample weight (g) * 100 As for the device of a movable drop box, a sample of pellets of the amount of 500 g is taken and placed in the device box with the gate tightly closed to enable it to rotate on its axis through an electric motor for 10 minutes at a fixed number of 50 rpm.Then the sample is emptied to be placed in a sieve whose perforation are proportional to the diameter of the pellets placed in it to be sieved according to the [17] method.Durability was expressed as the percent ratio of the mass of pellets retained on the sieve after tumbling to mass of pellet before tumbling.Durability is high when the measured value is above 80%, medium when between 70 and 80% and low when below 70% [18].

Results and Discussion
Tables 3 and 4 are shown effect of the speed and diameter of the die holes in feed pellet durability (%).This was measured using the new double action measuring device and the movable drop box device (for comparison).Increasing the speed of the die from 280 to 300 and to 320 rpm led to a significant decrease in the durability of feed pellets measured by the new device with the development of three speeds for the test starting from 33 to 50, and to 66 rpm, accompanied by a decrease in the durability of the pellets from 93.00 to 91.46, then to 90.09%.From 90.39 to 88.70, and to 87.46%.from 88.24 to 87.36, then to 83.74%, respectively for the new dual-action device.Likewise, from 91.62 to 89.64 then 88.92 %, for the comparison device with the movable drop box.The reason is the change in the duration of the feed in remaining during formation furthermore its exposure to pressure and heat with the change in the speed of the machine die, moreover to the fact that speed is one of the main factors that affect the performance of the pellet machine, this was explained by [19].
Increasing diameter of the die holes from 3 to 4 and to 5 mm, the durability of the feed pellets also decreased from 92.75 to 91.96, and to 89.85, and from 90.16 to 88.88, and to 87.51, and from 88.22 to 86.80 and to 84.33% with the change in the speed of the dual-acting measuring device from 33 to 50 and to 66 rpm, respectively.Also decreasing from 92.06 to 89.87, and to 88.25% was recorded.The reason is the exposure of the feed to pressure for a shorter period inside the machine, along with an increase in the diameter of the die, which leads to an acceleration of its exit, which results in a lack of tightness of the cohesion of its components, that resulted in a decrease in the durability of the manufactured pellet , this is consistent with the study conducted by [20] whereby The statistical analysis showed (L.S.D. 0.05) that the diameter of the die has a significant effect on the durability of feed pellets.
As for the interaction between the effect of the speed and diameter of the die holes showed that the lowest forming speed of 280 rpm and the minimum diameter of the die holes of 3 mm, recorded the highest durability of the pellets of 94.45% with a test speed of 33 rpm for the new double action measuring device and 93.45% for the movable drop box device, respectively.The lowest durability of the pellets was recorded 80.94% at the highest die speed of 320 rpm and the highest diameter of the die of 5 mm for the double action measuring device and 87.00% for the movable drop box device respectively.
process in conventional devices, and then sifting process to separate the pellets from the crumbs).It was distinguished by conducting the testing process with more than speed, simulating what is happening inside the conveyers, automatic feeders.It also the possibility of determining the test speed directly from an electronic speed controller equipped with a digital screen.Test device success was proven by make feed pellets.With the increase in the speed of the die, the durability of the feed pellets for both devices decreased significantly.Increasing the diameter of the die led to a significant decrease in the durability of feed pellets for both devices.The lowest die speed and the smallest diameter of the die recorded the highest durability of the pellets at the lowest speed of the test for the dual-acting measuring device.The increasing in the testing speed led the durability of the feed pellets decreased.We recommend studying the effect of the speed of feeders and mechanical feed conveyors on the durability of feed pellets, however choosing the best speed that achieves the least fragmentation r crumbles of feed pellets before them its reach to the poultry birds.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.The device design diagram, Side view Front view.1-An electrical motor 4-A hollow cylindrical structure with a hexagonal shape 5-A rotating shaft that holds the cylinder 6-Slots for placing samples 7-On and off button 8-Electrical wires 9-LED lights 10-The base of the device 11-The device standers/shanks.

Table ( 1
(1)the experiment used 6 sieves with perforation diameter of 2 mm, 6 sieves with perforation diameter of 3 mm and 6 sieves with perforation diameter of 4 mm).Other specifications of the device are also shown in Table(1), Fig.1and 2 included the device design diagram, the electrical control circuit of the device.

Table 1 .
Specifications of the manufactured durability device.

Table 2 .
(2)] pellets made from a special feed were used in the testing of the device according to the basic nutritional requirements of the feed for broiler chicken, according to the National Research Council[12].Its components were purchased from the local market.It's made up of a certain number of feed materials in the proportions specified in Table(2).Composition and calculated analysis of the diet used in the experiment.