| Shear Strength Ranges of shear strengths from in-house measurements and from literature are shown below. Shear strength values are less than tensile strengths. Additional tests are being conducted to identify optimum cutting conditions for a range of biomass selections. This will help guide size reduction equipment design.
Switchgrass shear strength
Switchgrass Variety |
Range of Ultimate Shear Strength (MPa) |
Range of Moisture Content
(% w.b.) |
Alamo |
7.0-39.9 |
10-60 |
Kanlow |
6.9-38 |
10-60 |
Comparison with published biomass value |
Source |
Biomass Varity |
Range of Ultimate Shear Strength (MPa) |
Range of Moisture Content
(% w.b.) |
O'Dogherty (1989) |
Wheat Straw |
5.39-6.98 |
10-15 |
Kushwaha et al.
(1983) |
Wheat Straw |
7-22
7-8 |
5-30
8-10 |
O'Dogherty et al.
(1995) |
Wheat Straw |
5.14-6.55 |
8-22 |
|
