Stability and vibration analysis of a tractor-mounted Chinese cabbage collector

Abstract

Korean farms for dryland crops are usually disordered and uneven. Thus, 43.4% of major farm machinery accidents occur due to instability and sharp turning conditions. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze the stability of a tractor-mounted Chinese cabbage collector using a simulation program and validate it via experiments. In the static condition, the ground slope angle was increased by 1° to obtain the overturning angle. In the dynamic condition, 10 cm high rigid obstacles were located to investigate the stability of the equipment with an approach angle of 135°. The simulation was conducted at four tractor forward speeds (0.15 m/s, 0.20 m/s, 0.25 m/s and 0.30 m/s). Additionally, the motion trajectory of the front wheel and rear axle were predicted for loaded and unloaded conditions. Furthermore, vibration sensors were placed at four locations to determine the vibration level of the Chinese cabbage collector, and the load condition and conveyor speed were considered the factors affecting the vibration level. The static overturning simulation suggested that the collector could reach critical angles of 45.6° and 33.2° and overturn at 52° and 36.1° on the right and left sides, respectively. In dynamic stability analysis, it was observed that the center of gravity could change and separate from the ground when the forward speed was more than 0.30 m/s. Apart from the first point, the maximum vibration level exceeded 1.15 m/s2 at the remaining three points. Furthermore, the vibration level increased with an increase in the speed of the conveyor.