Bale Weight Changes Related to Bale Bagging -Testing and Modeling

摘要

Traditionally bale bagging used for cotton bales has been permeable to moisture but more recently relatively impermeable material has been adopted by the industry. This impermeable bagging has significantly affected the moisture changes which occurredduring storage. In many cases holes have been punched in the bagging in an effort to increase the permeability. To better understand the effect of the different bagging materials on bale weight changes, Universal Density cotton bales were formed with relatively dry lint. They were then covered with different types of bale bagging materials, and the bales stored in a humid environment for more than two months. The bale coverings included coated woven polypropylene with micro-perf holes, linear low density polyethylene film with different hole patterns, woven cotton, woven buriap, and no bale bagging. The bales were weighed periodically during storage. The bale weights were modeled with a nonlinear model exponential temporally. Different bales in the same bagging type changed weight at the same rate. The rate of bale weight change obtained from the regression was used to calculate a half time to equilibrium, in days, for each bagging type. This weight change half time will allow simplified communication of the effect bale bagging has on the rate of change of cotton bale weight during storage.