Abstract
There are many types of agricultural water bowsers on the market, which vary in geometry and size. However, in all such bowsers there are “unused spaces” between the bottom of the tank and the axle. The objective of this research was to design an agricultural water bowser with improved capacity by exploiting the “unused spaces”. This would allow a sufficient amount of water to be supplied to wide areas in a short time. Each concept of agricultural water bowser was generated as an integrated chassis water tank to be hitched to a tractor, and the best concept was chosen using a multi-criteria decision-making methodology (house of quality matrix and Pugh selection matrix). The selected design consisted of an U-shaped angle bent bottom sheet welded to a top circular sheet. The Agreement Dangerous Road (ADR) European standard was used for the sizing of the bowser and the selected material was S275 steel. The resultant forces on the shell of the bowser were calculated using analytical methods. A 3-D model of the bowser was developed in SolidWorks 2015, and the static structural analysis tool was used to examine stresses on the body for various types of loading, roads, and driving maneuvers. The shape and size of the bottom part of the proposed bowser increased the capacity of the tank by 20.3%.
Highlights
Agricultural water bowsers are used to transport water for crop irrigation in agricultural lands that are situated in regions with insufficient rainfall, and which are restricted from water supply
Several factors should be taken into consideration during development of the bowser such as the height of the center of gravity, which causes constraints in design, and the cross section of the tank, which plays an important role in structural strength and stability
The agricultural water bowser discussed meets the requirements of the Agreement Dangerous
Summary
The mobility of water bowsers allows farmers to move water where and when the need arises. They are extremely beneficial to agriculturists as they can access hard to reach locations, such as in between planted crops. The capacity of water bowsers generally ranges from 1000 to 10,000 L, and are designed to be durable and meet international standards of production. In all existing agricultural water bowsers there are “unused spaces” between the bottom of the tank and the axle (Figure 1). The objective of this research is to design a tractor site-towable water bowser with improved capacity by exploiting these “unused spaces”. Several factors should be taken into consideration during development of the bowser such as the height of the center of gravity, which causes constraints in design, and the cross section of the tank, which plays an important role in structural strength and stability
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: 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.
