Tag Archives: free air intake hole leakage

590–603 H. Unal and H. Erdogan
Determination of the physical properties of different types of milk claws and air leaks in the claw according to rotameter-milk bucket methods
Abstract |

Determination of the physical properties of different types of milk claws and air leaks in the claw according to rotameter-milk bucket methods

H. Unal* and H. Erdogan

University of Uludag, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Biosystems Engineering,
Bursa, Turkey; *Correspondence: hunal@uludag.edu.tr

Abstract:

In this study, physical properties (internal volumes, weight and the diameters of the hole in the milk and pulse tubes) of eighteen different types of milk claws which are one of the significant components of milking machine and the amount of air leaks in the claws were examined according to the flow meter (rotameter) and milk bucket experiment methods. ‘L’ type milking claw was 70 ml in volume which was lower than the standard minimum volume of 80 ml, however, others were higher. Five of the claws (‘C’, ‘D’, ‘E’, ‘H’ and ‘Q’ types of claws) were lower than 500 g, the minimum recommended standard for weight. Internal diameters of the short milk tube of the claws were between 5.5 and 10.8 mm. Internal diameters of all but one of the claws’ main milk output tubes (with a diameter of 11. 9 mm in ‘L’ type) were under the  minimum diameter (12.5 mm).
In experiments conducted with rotameter, the values of the leaking of the claw tap were between 0.0 and 11.0 l min-1. Air leakages of twelve claws (‘A’, ‘C’, ‘E’, ‘F’, ‘H’, ‘I’, ‘J’, ‘K’, ‘L’, ‘N’, ‘P’ and ‘R’ types of claws) were below the standard maximum level of 2 l min-1. The amounts of leaks in the tap of claws were between 0.0 and +14 l min-1. Ten milk claws in here (‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’, ‘F’, ‘G’, ‘M’, ‘O’, ‘P’ and ‘R’ types of claws) did not meet the minimum and maximum flow rates. The total amounts of air leak in the claws in the experiments performed with a milk bucket were between 4.1 and 33.9 l min-1. Although the calculated amount of total air leak in all the claws was above the recommended minimum amount (4 l min-1), eight claws (‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’, ‘E’, ‘H’, ‘J’, ‘K’, and ‘O’ types of claws) exceeded the maximum limit (12 l min-1).

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