Durability Assessment of Wooden Pellets in Relation with Vibrations Occurring in a Logistic Process of the Final Product

Vibrations occurring during road transport can vary in a wide spectrum and they can lead to losses in quality of transported materials. However, the vibrations are definitely different than the loads experienced by pellet samples in the tester used for durability tests according to the standard ISO 17831-1. The aim of the study was to evaluate the durability of wood biomass pellets available for sale in large-area stores, in terms of loads occurring in transport. The durability of the pellets was tested by subjecting them to vertical and horizontal vibrations similar to those occurring during local transport of this type of fuel for the needs of households. Durability tests were also carried out in accordance with ISO 17831-1. The results were analyzed statistically. Among other, it was found that the vibration time impact on the tested pellet durability was significantly lower in case of horizontal vibrations than in vertical. Moreover, pellets with a diameter of 8 mm showed lower durability than pellets with a diameter of 6 mm. Durability tests carried out in accordance with ISO 17831-1 showed lower pellet strength results compared to the test methods based on lateral and vertical vibrations.