Modelling of chicken breast fillets for advanced poultry process automation
Matthias Vink (Student TU Delft)
Hao Shi (TU Delft - Transport Engineering and Logistics)
Jovana Jovanova (TU Delft - Machines & Materials Interactions)
Jan Willem Kortlever (Technisch Buro Kortlever)
Dingena Schott (TU Delft - Machines & Materials Interactions)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
This study introduces a computational framework for modelling raw chicken breast fillets using the Discrete Element Method (DEM), aimed at providing a baseline efficient simulation model for large-scale poultry handling processes. A bonded multi-sphere meta-particle representation was developed and calibrated through mechanical testing of raw fillets. Compression experiments yielded a Young’s modulus of approximately 48.6 kPa, which informed the stiffness properties of the DEM sub-particle assembly. Numerical Design of Experiments (DoEs) highlighted the need for an unbalanced ratio between normal and shear bond stiffness to ensure correct damping behaviour and preserve realistic flexibility. The framework was validated using a full-scale hopper–conveyor discharge experiment, demonstrating the model’s ability to reproduce key physical behaviours such as large deformations, curling during discharge, and the transition between jammed and free-flow regimes. The simulation closely matched the measured discharge rate, with all chicken fillets discharged within 4 s at a 6 cm gate opening height. The proposed model required approximately 9 mins to simulate a 10-second industrial-scale process, underscoring the model’s practical suitability for simulation-aided design and optimisation of poultry processing equipment.
help_outline