Comparação das velocidades terminais para grãos de milho em secção de coluna de queda circular e quadrada de diferentes tamanhos.

Abstract

The objective of this research was to determine the terminal speed of maize grain with 11.58% of moisture. This parameter was determined with an equipment of circular and square section of fall column of 60, 50, 40, 30 and 20 mm measure (diameter and side), measuring it terminal speed with a anemometer, meeting 10.42 ± 0.577; 7.28 ± 0.312; 3.77 ± 0.226; 2.19 ± 0.145 and 1.29 ± 0.223 m s-1, in circular column and 10.77 ± 0.408; 8.96 ± 0.417; 5.8 ± 0.330; 4.16 ± 0.206; e 1.75 ± 0.143 m s-1 in square shaped column. Concluded that: a) it cannot affirm that it has gotten terminal speed in free fall for the maize. It was evidenced the wall effect, also in the square shaped section of 60 mm; b) the bigger terminal speed with the column of square shaped section; c) the maize grain, when submitted the air flow in columns whose relation b (DP /DC) ³ 0.3520, changes its orientation, beginning to adopt a position whose lesser projected area remains perpendicular to the direction of the flow.