Studies of sound transmission in various types of stored grain for acoustic detection of insects
1997
Hickling, Robert | Wei, W. | Hagstrum, D.W.
In developing passive acoustic systems for detecting insect infestations in bulk-stored grain, it is advantageous to understand the transmission of sound in the grain between the insects and the sensors. In the work presented here grain is shown to be a strong acoustical absorber, the attenuation coefficient increasing roughly as the square root of the frequency. Tests with soft wheat immersed in three different gases: air, argon and carbon dioxide, support an earlier conclusion that sound is transmitted principally through the gas in the passageways between the grain kernels. The speed of sound and the attenuation coefficient were measured as a function of frequency for six different types of grain: hard and soft wheat, brown rice, soybeans, corn and sorghum. It was determined that sound is transmitted over longer distances in grains with a larger inter-kernel spacing, such as corn and soybeans. Grain depth, up to several meters, appears to have little effect on sound transmission.
Show more [+] Less [-]AGROVOC Keywords
Bibliographic information
This bibliographic record has been provided by National Agricultural Library