Study of the physical and mechanical characteristics of patchouli plants.

Patchouli plant characteristics are the basis that must be ascertain to design a patchouli harvester machine. The objective of this study was to determine the physical and mechanical characteristics of patchouli plants that can be used in the design of patchouli harvester machines. The data were collected by doing observation and measurement in the field and laboratory. Patchouli plants used with water content from 30 to 40% at the age of harvest 8 months after planting. Various physical characteristics of patchouli indicated the average value of plant height 112.7 cm, clump circumference 1.67 m, main stem diameter 9.88 mm, the clump diameter at a height of 20 cm from the surface of the land 16.5 cm, mass/clump 1.48 kg, and bulk density 0.11 kg/L. Physical characteristics play an important role in choosing equipment and the main dimension in designing a harvester machine. Determination of mechanical characteristics showed that the tensile strength value of patchouli was from 5.7 to 17.15 MPa with a modulus of elasticity from 0.12 to 0.5 GPa. The forces required for the design of the harvester machine such as the laying force, the retraction force and patchouli's cutting resistance achieved an average value of 6.19 N, 68.89 N, 108.47 N, respectively. The mean angle of repose was 48° at 32 % moisture content and friction coefficient was 0.71. The results obtained about the physical and mechanical characteristics of patchouli plants can be useful in providing information that helps in designing patchouli harvesting machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]