Development of a tire testing machine for evaluating the performance of tractor tires based on the soil compaction

Abstract

Soil compaction, which is more effective than soil shear owing to the weight of tractor tires, reduces sugarcane cultivation. Instead of a field study, a single-wheel tester is more suitable for studying the tractor tire tracks on a soil bin in a laboratory. However, the soil compaction measurement is time consuming and analyzes the bulk density only at the sampling point of the track. In this study, a tire-testing machine (TTM) was developed to evaluate tractor tire performance based on soil compaction. A 3D scanner was employed to model the tractor tire track on a sandy clay loam soil, which is suitable for sugarcane planting in Thailand. Mathematical models for soil bulk density prediction were proposed and used to transform the 3D footprint model into a 3D color contour of the soil bulk density. The soil compaction effect of tractor tires at three different tread depths was evaluated. It was found that deeper treads caused higher soil bulk density than shallow treads. Static tires induce greater soil bulk density than rolling tires. This novel TTM with measurement techniques is a novel method for evaluating the tire-soil compaction in crop fields. It can also guide farmers to purchase suitable agricultural tires.