The object of the work reported here is to study some properties of detachment of processing tomatoes suspended on a vibrating base.
The vibrating apparatus had a crank mechanism which imparted to the fixed base of a holder a sinusoidal motion in the horizontal direction. Forces experienced by the holder during motion were sensed by a strain gage, and relative motion of the tomatoes was recorded by a camera fixed on the vibrating base. From these records, the maximum relative amplitude and total number of cycles to tomato detachment were determined.
The kinds of processing tomatoes used were the chico and H 1370.
The main results were as follows ;
1. Assuming that the stem has approximately a cylindrical shape, the modulus of elasticity has the value of about 20000g/<mm>^2 to the greater part of stem, and only the value of about 100～200 g/<mm>^2 at the end of stem, using the bending test method.
2. The constant of viscosity ranged of about 0～1.0 may be seen from the value on which it expresses the system with viscous damping property.
3. Energy of absorption per cycle is proportinal to the n th power of the maximum relative amplitude X_r in following.
E_n = aX^n_r
E_n : energy of absorption per cycle
X_r : maximum relative amplitude of tomato
a, n : constant
It is shown that there seems to be a definite relationship between relative amplitude and energy absorption per cycle.
4. The relationship between frequency and the total number of cycls to detachment is given by the exponential function in following.
T_D = ae<-bN>
T_D : total number of cycles to detachment
N : frequency
a, b : constant
and, from the stand point of view of the total number of cycle to detachment, it is clear that there is an optimum frequency range for the kinds of tomatoes.