Abstract
This study aimed to design and fabricate the horizontal shear strain transducer (HST) for measuring the soil strain under the agricultural machinery traffic by using a rotary potentiometer which was an angular strain change detector. The angular movable mechanism was calibrated and evaluated the characteristics of the instrument in the laboratory, and found that the non-linearity and the hysteresis were 4.56 and 4.42%, respectively. Furthermore, the strain measurement device was buried in the field to compare the shear strain at varying tractor velocities (5, 6.5 and 8 km/h). For all vehicle speed at the first passage, the shear strain and soil bulk density obviously increased, whereas the final moisture content decreased; as a result, the lower velocity caused higher shear strain.
Highlights
Soil compaction from the heavyweight agricultural machinery is a necessary factor to take into consideration
The horizontal shear strain transducer (HST) as shown in Figure 1(a) was designed to operate with the stress state transducer (SST), in Figure 1(b), that was developed from the concept of Nichols et al [1]
The angular displacement detected by the HST – showed the analog output signal in a range of 0-5 VDC and was collected to the data acquisition (NI 9205, National Instrument) and the data was transmitted to the computer that associate with the SignalExpress 2014 software for processing, monitoring and recording via WI-FI
Summary
Soil compaction from the heavyweight agricultural machinery is a necessary factor to take into consideration. If the external force is greater than the soil strength or the load is applied over and over again, the soil structure deforms and leads compaction that causes the plant roots reduce the nutrient absorption. The soil bulk density, cone index and infiltration rate have preferred to measure the insitu soil compaction. These methods are only verified their effects, but the data are not backward analyzed to assess the external dynamic forces that affect the soil structure. For understanding this response, the dynamic stress-strain relationship is mentioned describing the internal structure of soil due to the external dynamic force
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.