Testing and Analysis of a Small-scale Cricket Housing Model under Standard of Good Agricultural Practices

Abstract

This research aims to test and analyze a model of cricket housing units according to good agricultural practices standards. The study assessed the composite sandwich panels used for the walls of cricket housing units and analyzed five distinct materials mixed within the panels: (1) air space, (2) foam sheets, (3) a mixture of 50% sawdust and 50% polyurethane foam, (4) a mixture of 75% sawdust and 25% polyurethane foam, and (5) a mixture of 100% sawdust. The experimental results showed that the most suitable material was the sawdust material mixed with 25% foam, which provided a penetration resistance of 282.71 N, a water absorption capacity of 37.90%, and a thermal conductivity of 0.65 W/m.K. For the field test, the composite panel offered similar experimental results as industrial sandwich panels. Furthermore, when the internet of things was used to regulate the environment inside the housing unit, the mean absolute percentage error between the internet of things and the wired system was less than 4.20%. Therefore, the findings on the mixed material panels and the environmental control system can be implemented in real-world applications.