Operating conditions of extruder screws in livestock feed production

The quality of the forage affects the productivity of farm animals. Its preparation can be optimized with the use of extruders. Extruder screws are subject to abrasive and corrosive wear. Extruder screw wear is an important criterion in assessing the performance of the machine. The analysis of feed extruder production has shown that the majority of extruders and their spare parts are imported. To provide for domestic substitutes for expensive imported working tools having high wear resistance and serviceability, the authors considered the operating conditions of feed extruders and revealed the most significant causes of screw wear. They analyzed scientific publications on estimation of various parameters (structure of steels, content of foreign impurities in steel composition, steel density, temperature, heating, etc.) influencing wear resistance and corrosion resistance of feed extruder screws; particular attention was paid to the molecular structure changes of processed raw materials. As a result it is established that wear of screws is caused by the discrepancy of their geometrical and physical-mechanical parameters, increased acidity of processed mixture and peculiarities of the operation mode (increased values of the temperature of 100 to 180°C, the moisture content of fodder mixtures of 10 to 30%, and the extrusion pressure of 3 to 5 MPa). Depending on the type of fodder obtained, its chemical composition varies: protein content – from 20 to 40%, carbohydrates – from 50 to 80%, fats – from 10 to 35%. It is possible to increase the durability of extruder working tools by depositing wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant coatings on their working edges. It is necessary to develop domestic technologies and robotic means for strengthening of working tools of agricultural machines for livestock breeding. New materials and technologies are needed to solve this problem.

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