Soybean compressibility and bulk density

The objective of this project was to study the influence of surcharge press ure and moisture content on the compressive behavior and bulk density of so ybeans. Three varieties were selected with varying dimensions and shapes. M oisture contents of 10.5, 15.0, and 20% were tested at nine surcharge press ures in the range from 0 to 82.8 kPa. Results indicated that the bulk densi ties of different soybean varieties have similar behavior with respect to p ressure level and moisture content but that the magnitude of bulk density w as influenced by variety, Bulk density was influenced by both pressure leve l and moisture content. The four-element Burger model was found to adequate ly describe the bulk density of soybeans as a function of pressure for all varieties and moisture levels.