Compacted Feed Block with Fat Coating for Transport Hydration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Livestock animals face challenges during transport due to separate feed and water troughs, leading to water spillage and reduced water intake, especially under stress conditions, and require bulky hay and grain for feeding, which is difficult to transport.
Innovation Solution
Development of feed blocks with compacted grass-based feed components coated with oils or fats that absorb liquid, breaking apart to provide simultaneous feed and water intake, using a high-pressure press to form the blocks and incorporating oils or fats at specific percentages for enhanced absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If feed and water are provided in separately arranged troughs, then animals can access both feed and water, but water spills during transport and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines feed and water into a single integrated feed block. The feed block is formed by compacting grass-based feed components and coating them with oils or fats that enable liquid absorption. This merging eliminates the need for separate water troughs during transport, preventing water spillage while ensuring both feed and water are delivered to the animal simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The feed block undergoes parameter changes from a dry compacted state to a hydrated state during liquid absorption. The coating of oils or fats modifies the feed block's properties to enable it to absorb liquid efficiently, transforming it from a space-efficient transport form into a palatable, hydrated feed that animals will consume.
2Quantity of substance
If hay and grain are used for feeding during travel, then animals receive adequate nutrition, but large amounts of space are required and transport becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention consolidates multiple feed components (grass, hay, grain) into a single compacted feed block. This merging reduces the volume required for transport while maintaining adequate nutritional quantity. The feed block can be efficiently transported in small trucks or trailers, eliminating the space requirements associated with separate hay and grain storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The feed components undergo compaction to transform from a loose, voluminous state to a dense, compact block. This parameter change in density and volume allows the same quantity of feed to be transported in significantly reduced space, making travel feeding practical and efficient.
3Productivity
If the feed block absorbs liquid quickly, then animals can ingest hydrated feed rapidly, but the feed block must break apart efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The feed block has non-uniform local properties due to the coating of oils or fats on the compacted feed components. This local quality difference creates zones of varying binding strength, allowing the block to maintain structural integrity during transport while enabling efficient breakdown into a hydrated mass during liquid absorption for rapid animal ingestion.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The feed blocks effectively absorb liquid, breaking apart to provide hydrated feed, ensuring animals can ingest both feed and water efficiently, reducing water loss and space requirements during transport, and improving water intake, especially under stress conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The coating improves water absorption by the feed block, which results in the feed block breaking apart into a hydrated mass
Implementation Method 2
Introducing liquid to the feed block during a treatment period causes liquid absorption such that the feed block absorbs the liquid
Implementation Method 3
The coated feed components are compacted using the high pressure press to form the feed block, and the resulting compacted feed block has a volume that is less than the initial volume due to the press compacting the coated feed components
Data Source
AI summary
A feed block is formed of compacted feed components with a coating of oils or fats that causes the compacted feed components to separate and the feed block to break apart during liquid absorption making the feed block accessible to the animals. Feed blocks have an initial weight that is substantially free of liquid. Liquid is then introduced to the feed block to cause the feed block to absorb liquid and break apart. After a treatment period during which liquid is absorbed into the feed block, a final resulting weight of the feed block is at least 100 percent greater than the initial weight. The feed block with the broken apart feed components and absorbed liquid is provided the to the animals for the simultaneous ingestion of feed and liquid. Feed blocks are formed by introducing feed components coated with the oils or fats in a high pressure press and compacting the coated feed components to form the feed block.