Performance Evaluation of Trenchless Subsurface Drainage Piping Machine

Abstract

Subsurface pipe drainage can ensure consistent and profitable crop production in poorly drained agricultural regions to remove excess water from the agriculture field. However, improvement is needed in the drainage pipe installation method for the stable production of field crops. The objective of this research was to conduct a performance evaluation of a trenchless subsurface drainage piping machine in terms of pulling force requirement and pipe laying depth uniformity to facilitate the maintenance of soil water control with minimum labor. Two experiment fields were selected considering the physical properties of soil, i.e., silty loam and silty clay loam fields. A load cell and a distance-measuring sensor were used to measure the pulling force and pipe burial depth uniformity, respectively, at two operation depths (40 cm and 45 cm) in both fields. The soil properties (bulk density, cone index, porosity, and soil water content) were measured at various depths (up to 55 cm) from the soil surface. The average pulling forces were found to be 6.78 ± 1.35 kN and 7.36 ± 1.55 kN at a depth of 40 cm and 10.07 ± 1.17 kN and 15.49 ± 1.09 kN at a depth of 45 cm for silty loam field and silty clay loam field, respectively. The average laying depths at the laying depth of 40 cm were 40.07 ± 0.30 cm and 40.34 ± 0.33 cm and those at the laying depth of 45 cm were 45.5 ± 0.22 cm and 45.24 ± 0.22 cm for silty loam field and silty clay loam field, respectively. The laying depth condition of 45 cm showed relatively better uniformity than the condition of 40 cm. The outcomes of the research can provide a useful reference for the subsurface pipe installation guidelines of a trenchless subsurface drainage piping machine for the pipe drainage network.