scholarly journals A Novel Traction Mechanism Based on Retractable Crampons to Minimize Soil Compaction and Reduce Energy Consumption

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volker Nannen ◽  
Damian Bover ◽  
Dieter Zöbel
Keyword(s):  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Agricultural Soil ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Rake Angle ◽  
Inherent Limitation ◽  
Soil P ◽  
Mechanical Field ◽  
Motion Resistance ◽  
Reduce Energy Consumption ◽  
Tractive Efficiency

Tired and tracked tractors on agricultural soil have the inherent limitation of needing considerable ballast to gain traction and have low tractive efficiency due to slip and tire flexing. These limitations contribute to soil degradation and reduce the possibility to intensify mechanical field management. To address these disadvantages, we introduce a novel traction mechanism which combines inching or push-pull locomotion with retractable tines or crampons which penetrate the soil every few meters. Once inserted into the soil, relatively thin and short crampons provide sufficient motion resistance to pull tillage implements through the soil, with no need for additional ballast. Optimal crampon design depends on the width, depth in the soil, rake angle, and inter-crampon spacing. A hinged design allows for reliable crampon insertion and extraction. The pull/weight ratio of the vehicle can be controlled by placing the hinge low and by separating the crampon from the hinge by an arm. Travel reduction and tractive efficiency can be controlled through the actuation length of the push-pull mechanism. Experimental results show that crampons can achieve a high pull/weight ratio, travel reduction of less than 10%, and a tractive efficiency of over 90% on agricultural soil.

scholarly journals Reliability and Efficiency of Tractive Force Generation by the Interlock Drive System

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volker Nannen ◽  
Damian Bover ◽  
David Reiser ◽  
Dieter Zöbel
Keyword(s):  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Drive System ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Mechanical Field ◽  
System P ◽  
Draft Force ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Dry Soil ◽  
Tractive Efficiency ◽  
Wheeled Vehicles

Tractors and other wheeled vehicles need considerable ballast to gain traction and have low tractive efficiency due to slip and tire flexing. The resulting soil degradation and energy cost are limiting factors that hinder the intensification of mechanical field management. The interlock drive system overcomes these limitations through the use of articulated spikes which temporarily interlock with the soil to generate traction. Once inserted into the soil, relatively thin and short spikes provide sufficient motion resistance to pull implements through the soil, with no need for additional ballast. To better understand the interaction of a spike with the soil, we conducted a series of experiments where we controlled the draft force and measured the resulting motion of the spike as it penetrates the soil and interlocks with it. Results show that the interlock drive system can generate pull reliably even on wet soil, and that a pull/weight ratio of 2 and higher is possible. The tractive efficiency for a vehicle using the interlock drive system can reach a ratio as high as 0.96 for wet and 0.975 for dry soil, as calculated from the experimental results. Precise soil applications would benefit from further improvement in the horizontal precision of soil penetration.

scholarly journals Interlocking Spikes for Extreme Mobility

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volker Nannen ◽  
Damian Bover
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Penetration Resistance ◽  
Rake Angle ◽  
Vehicle Stability ◽  
Engineering Science ◽  
Critical Depth ◽  
Low Thrust ◽  
Penetration Force ◽  
Draft Force

The interlock drive system generates traction by penetrating articulated spikes into the ground and by using the natural strength of the ground for traction. A fundamental problem of traction by interlocking spikes is how to penetrate the ground such that the spike will withstand the draft force. The theory of critical depth suggests that a high rake angle reduces soil fragmentation, while vehicle stability and demand for a high pull/weight ratio require a low thrust angle. To satisfy both requirements, we connect an interlocking spike with a high rake angle via a lever arm to a hinge close to the ground for a low thrust angle. The resulting friction of the spike with the soil increases the vertical penetration force during penetration. Experimental data shows that such a spike penetrates soil of a much higher penetration resistance than predicted from an analysis of the forces involved, possibly because the spike follows the path of least resistance. To better understand and improve the potential of interlocking spikes for mobility in extreme terrain, we need a comprehensive experimental analysis. Accepted Paper in Proc. Earth & Space 2020: 17th Biennial ASCE International Conference on Engineering, Science, Construction and Operations in Challenging Environments, ASCE, Seattle WA.

scholarly journals Phosphorus Flows, Surpluses, and N/P Agronomic Balancing When Using Manure from Pig and Poultry Farms

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2228
Author(s):  
Arno Rosemarin ◽  
Nelson Ekane ◽  
Kim Andersson
Keyword(s):  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Chicken Manure ◽  
Meat Production ◽  
Pig Slurry ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Coastal Zones ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Soil P ◽  
Runoff Losses ◽  
The Eu

The pig and poultry industries continue to grow across the world and together they provide the majority of meat consumed. The European Union (EU) in particular has the highest global relative meat production by monogastrics (i.e., pig and poultry). The fate of phosphorus (P) in pig and poultry farming was studied, accounting for P content in feed, animals, manure, soil, and runoff. P input from manure, and P offtake in crops receiving manure, were plotted against each other to arrive at “safe” P loading rates, in order to minimize soil P surpluses along the lines of the EU Nitrogen Expert Panel in their work with nitrogen (N). However, it was observed that it is the N/P ratio and the background soil P levels that determine whether a certain manure will end up producing surplus levels of soil P. Critical N/P weight ratios were derived over different crop P offtake rates when applying stored manure to croplands. At spreading rates of 170 and 250 kgN/ha/year and a crop P offtake of 15 or 30 kgP/ha/year, stored pig and chicken manure result in soil P surpluses. An important factor in determining effective N/P ratios is the plant availability of N in stored manure, which runs at around 47%, estimated from previously published results. The minimization of N losses to the atmosphere and to groundwater in housing, storage, and spreading of manure has a major impact on the N/P weight ratio of the manure that ends up on fields. In most cases, half of the ex-animal N content has been lost in stored or degraded manure, with N/P weight ratios running at two and less. Following only the EU Nitrates Directive, which allows for a maximum of 170 kgN/ha/year in NVZs (Nitrate Vulnerable Zones), will often result in soil P surpluses leading to runoff losses to adjacent water bodies. Therefore, for the pig and poultry industries to continue thriving, measures are required to better manage manure, including improved storage and spreading techniques, acidification, separation, struvite extraction and ammonia stripping of pig slurry, and drying and pelleting of poultry litter. This way, excess manure and derived biofertilizers from animal farms can find their way back into the commercial market, instead of ending up as legacy P in watersheds and coastal zones.

scholarly journals Simulation of Soil Compaction by a Tractor Passing

2021 ◽  
Vol 906 (1) ◽  
pp. 012105
Author(s):  
Pavla Bukovská ◽  
Patrik Burg ◽  
Vladimir Masán ◽  
Alice Cížková
Keyword(s):  
Cyclic Loading ◽  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Agricultural Soil ◽  
Elastic Behaviour ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Vertical Deformation ◽  
Vertical Deflection ◽  
Loading Test ◽  
Final Level ◽  
Good Potential

Abstract Several methods for agricultural soil compaction evaluation are known. However, there is a lack of knowledge about a soil elasticity, which could be an important factor for final level of compaction. The paper deals with a possibility of evaluation of soil elasticity using automatic computerized oedometer. A simulation of tractor passing was performed as a part of research focused on the monitoring of soil conditions in vineyards. Cyclic loading test of five loading cycles (loading 300 kPa and un-loading 5 kPa) was performed and vertical deflection was observed, which changed in dependency on change of vertical stress. Course of vertical deformation indicates the ability of soil to relax when the load subsides. The paper presents pilot results, that show good potential of using oedometer for soil elasticity evaluating. Information on the elastic behaviour of soil will make it possible to design and apply means for improving soil elasticity and thus help to mitigate the effects of soil compaction.

scholarly journals Results From Recent Traffic Systems Research And The Implications For Future Work

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Godwin ◽  
Paula Misiewicz ◽  
David White ◽  
Emily Smith ◽  
Tim Chamen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Infiltration Rates ◽  
Ground Pressure ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Reduce Energy Consumption ◽  
Traffic Systems ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Wheel Track

Abstract This paper reviews the results of recent traffic systems research and concludes that the evidence shows that with sufficient ingenuity by farmers and their equipment suppliers to match operating and wheel track widths, the traffic management systems that reduce soil compaction should improve crop yield, reduce energy consumption and improve infiltration rates (which will reduce runoff, erosion and flooding). These together will improve agronomic, economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture. Low ground pressure alternatives may well be the option that best suits some farming enterprises and should not be discounted as viable traffic management methods. The paper also considers the implications for further work to improve the robustness of the experimental data.

scholarly journals Microarray analysis and real-time PCR assay developed to find biomarkers for mercury-contaminated soil

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1539-1547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Hou ◽  
Xinhui Liu ◽  
Baoshan Cui ◽  
Junhong Bai ◽  
Xiangke Wang
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Microarray Analysis ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Contaminated Soil ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Agricultural Soil ◽  
Pcr Assay ◽  
Soil P

The evaluation of mercury (Hg) toxicity in agricultural soil is of great concern because its bioavailability and bioaccumulation in organisms through the food chain can have adverse effects on human health.

scholarly journals Research of soil compaction process in area of contact with a wheel mover

2021 ◽  
Vol 2094 (4) ◽  
pp. 042003
Author(s):  
G E Kokieva ◽  
I P Troyanovskaya ◽  
A A Orekhovskaya ◽  
M N Kalimullin ◽  
A-M S Dzjasheev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Contact Surface ◽  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Agricultural Technology ◽  
Compaction Process ◽  
Wheel Load ◽  
Radial Stiffness ◽  
Reduce Energy Consumption ◽  
Agricultural Machines

Abstract Practice of operating heavy wheeled machines (T-150K, K-700, K-701) and experimental data show that even if the average pressure of a wheel on soil is maintained, degree of its compaction increases. To explain this phenomenon, in our opinion, it is necessary to develop a mathematical model of interaction process of a deformable pneumatic with an elastic-plastic medium, which is considered to be soil subject to modern processing. Working parts of agricultural machines process a wide variety of materials, number of which is increasing, in addition, method of processing the same material is often changed in an effort to improve agricultural technology. This forces us to create new mechanisms for agriculture that were known before. Use of replaceable toothed working parts on flat-cut cultivators helps to reduce energy consumption and improve quality of non-moldboard soil cultivation. Article proposes a method for mathematical description of distribution of machine load over contact surface of a wheeled mover with deformable soil. At the same time, several assumptions and conditions were adopted, namely: volume of skeletal part of deformable soil element remains constant, independent of deformation; contact surface is a curve of two radii - in the load zone (Rl) and in the unloading zone (Ru), tire operating in driven mode has no skids; deformable soil is uniform in depth; wheel load is constant; tire radial stiffness along tread portion width is also constant in magnitude and direction; lateral pressure along deformable soil depth is small and is not taken into account in calculation.

scholarly journals Effects of soil fertility and compaction on root dynamics in a perennial ryegrass-white clover pasture

2013 ◽  
pp. 185-190
Author(s):  
M.B. Dodd ◽  
A.D. Mackay
Keyword(s):  
Soil Compaction ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Root Production ◽  
Soil Core ◽  
Root Mass ◽  
Root Dynamics ◽  
Soil P ◽  
Lower Root ◽  
One Year ◽  
Nitrogen Phosphorus

Pasture root mass and production were measured in two experiments in the Manawatu region. The first examined the effects of nitrogen (N) inputs and soil phosphorus (P) status over one year (2008/9) and the second examined the interacting effects of soil P status and artificial soil compaction over one year (2011/12). Root mass was measured by soil core sampling and root production was measured by an in-growth core technique, to 120 mm depth. Over most of the two periods studied there were no significant differences in root mass or production between treatments. However, higher N+P fertility resulted in 20% lower root mass but 32% higher root production during September and November 2008. In 2011/12, soil compaction reduced root production by approximately 22% yearround. Increased soil P fertility did not compensate for this effect. Fertility effects on root growth seem more influenced by N than P in this system. Keywords: nitrogen, phosphorus, root production, soil compaction

scholarly journals Dimensional Analysis of the Tractor Tractive Efficiency Parameters

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 94-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdol Majid Moinfar ◽  
Gholamhossein Shahgholi
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Dimensional Analysis ◽  
Rake Angle ◽  
Soil Bulk Density ◽  
Engineering Properties ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Tillage Depth ◽  
Tractive Efficiency ◽  
Drawbar Pull

Abstract One of the important parameters of the tractor’s performance - tractive efficiency - should be improved during agricultural operation; this paper observes this parameter using the Arvid 354 tractor with a chisel plough. Parameters taken into account included the tillage parameters, such as tillage depth, travel velocity, rake angle, tine width and tractor weight, as well as soil engineering properties, including cohesion and soil bulk density. Experimental results indicated that the tractor tractive efficiency increased with increasing of the tillage depth and rake angle, whereas travel velocity did not show any specific impact on it. Theoretical equations were extracted for drawbar pull, tyre slip and gross traction using dimensional analysis and experimental data. Finally, by combining these equations, the tractive efficiency was estimated. Obtained model was evaluated by means of obtained experimental data. Results showed that the proposed model is capable of predicting tractive efficiency as a function of soil parameters, tractor weight and tillage parameters of the chisel plough.

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