1Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria
2Department of Agricultural and Bio-Environmental Engineering, Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, Nasarawa State, Nigeria
*Corresponding author's Email: Dakogolaudu@gmail.com
Online published on 28 March, 2017.
Local variety of lime (Lemun tsami) was subjected to quasi-static compressive loading using Instron Universal Testing Machine at three levels of time after harvest; freshly harvested, one and two weeks after harvest. Creep parameters were determined by fitting the experimental data to the Burger's Model and the obtained model equation for freshly harvested was: , R2 =0.98. The instantaneous creep compliance (Jo) was; 1.843, 3.137 and 4.116 1/MPa for freshly harvested, one and two weeks after harvest respectively while the Corresponding instantaneous elasticity (Eo) was 0.543, 0.319 and 0.243 MPa respectively. Compliance increased with increase in time after harvest while elasticity decreased with time after harvest. The obtained free viscosity (η0) was 1160.093, 808.407 and 808.859 MPas for freshly harvested, one and two weeks after harvest respectively. This was found to decrease with increase in time after harvest.
Lime (Lemun tsami), Creep, compliance function, Retardation time, Instantaneous Viscosity
