Evaluation of the use of an artificial teat to measure the forces applied by a milking machine teatcup liner.

An artificial teat containing a force transducer was constructed to study the forces exerted by the liner on the teat during milking. The objective was to develop a method of comparing the action of different liners under a variety of different milking conditions. The rigid structure of the artificial teat did not provide an accurate representation of a real teat but deformable models used in the past have not proved practical. Initial tests of the teat showed that it gave repeatable results during calibration. When placed in a liner, however, repeatable results could not be obtained if the teat-liner interface was disturbed. The forces that were measured under simulated milking conditions varied with liner wall position and with time. There was a peak and trough prior to a stable asymptotic value being attained and a noticeable time lag behind pulsation chamber pressure. This technique can be used to compare liners when a reliable method of locating the artificial teat within the liner has been developed.