The effect of the calibration of the spiral feeder and the type of feed pellets on the precision of its dosing
¹Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Biosystems Engineering, Nowoursynowska str. 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
² Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Production Engineering, Nowoursynowska str. 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
*Correspondence: jaroslaw_chlebowski@sggw.edu.pl
Abstract:
When feeding dairy cows, there is a need for precise dosing of concentrate feed. The quality of the feed dosing process is influenced by the physical properties of the feed material and the accuracy of the feeder calibration. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of the accuracy of calibration of the spiral feeder and the type of granulated feed on the precision of dosing feed material at the feeding station. The study used a feeding station intended for feeding cattle, equipped with a spiral feeder with a feed rates of up to 1 kg min-1. Three types of feed material with different granule diameters were used for the tests. The characteristics of the feed pellets included their bulk density, diameter and length of the pellets. In the study, the accuracy of the feeder calibration was related to the number of feed mass measurements obtained in the calibration procedure. Options for three and six mass measurements were included. The tests were performed for two feed rates, i.e. 0.3 and 0.4 kg min-1. In order to determine the accuracy of feed dosing by the spiral feeder, the dosing accuracy index was calculated. The research results were subjected to statistical analysis. A statistically significant impact of calibration on the accuracy of feed dosing was found. In the study, increasing the diameter of the granules was accompanied by an increase in the accuracy of its dosing.
Key words:
dosing accuracy, feeder calibration, feeding station, granulated feed properties, mechanical engineering