Abstract
ABSTRACT The need for accuracy in sugarcane machine traffic has boosted the adoption of automatic steering systems. These have been used in tractors pulling transhipment trailers. Such sets are long and articulated, which hinders their performance and benefits due to alignments in curved and laterally sloped paths. In this sense, this study aimed to quantify shifts in direction to which tractors and transshipment trailers are subjected while traveling straight and curved paths on different terrain slopes. We evaluated an internal transport system composed of one tractor and two three-axle transshipment trailers, equipped with GNSS receivers and RTK correction system, for their respective positioning. Pass-to-pass errors were evaluated by differences in orthogonal distance between antenna positioning and a reference line. Results showed that misalignment errors of tractor and trailer sets are strongly associated with path type and terrain lateral slope, besides being increasingly affected between set parts. Trailer path errors were above acceptable limits, thereby complementary solutions are needed regarding tractor automatic steering.
Highlights
Agricultural mechanization has been an essential technological advance, and its use in sugarcane crops has promoted system gains, mainly in terms of labor efficiency
Combine harvesters were operated by an activated automatic steering system, and the operators of tractors pulling transshipment trailers were maintained throughout the entire evaluation time
If compared to the path projected in A1.1, for example, the alignment errors in the tractor front axle resulted in 2σ values of 0.09 m above the acceptable limit (Table 2)
Summary
Agricultural mechanization has been an essential technological advance, and its use in sugarcane crops has promoted system gains, mainly in terms of labor efficiency. Intense vehicle traffic in crop areas causes some problems such as soil compaction and sugarcane ratoon damages. When traveling over newly harvested areas, machinery wheels must follow crop rows straightly. Such process is increasingly challenging given its restricted margin of allowed misalignment to prevent root system damages (Spekken et al, 2014). Such a gap can be estimated by distance between the end of wheelset and the beginning of crop development area but changing according to equipment size
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