Increase In Forward Speed Research Articles

Force and power requirement for development of cumin harvester: a dynamic approach

An experimental setup was developed for simulating the field conditions to determine the force and power required for cutting cumin crops in dynamic conditions. The effect of cutter bar speeds, forward speeds, and blade type on cutting force and power requirement for cutting cumin were also studied. Experiments were carried out at three levels: cutter bar speeds, forward speeds, and blade type. The results showed that all the factors significantly affected cutting force. The cutting force followed a decreasing trend with the increase in cutter bar speed. Whereas it followed an increasing trend with the increase in forward speed. The maximum cutting force for all three blades was observed at a cutter bar speed of 2.00 strokes.s-1 and forward speed of 0.46 m.s−1. The idle power and actual power required for cutting the cumin crop were also determined based on the cutting force. The results obtained were validated by the power drawn from the power source while operating the cutter bar blades. The R2 values for Blade-B1, Blade-B2, and Blade-B3 were 0.90, 0.82, and 0.88, respectively. The cutting force was primarily affected by the cutter bar speed, resulting in PCR values of 74.20%, 82.32%, and 81.75% for Blade-B1, Blade-B2, and Blade-B3, respectively, followed by the forward speed, which also had an impact on PCR values of 16.60%, 15.27%, and 18.25% for Blade-B1, Blade-B2, and Blade-B3, respectively. The cutting force for Blade-B1, Blade-B2, and Blade-B3 varied from 15.96 to 58.97 N, 21.08 to 76.64 N, and 30.22 to 85.31, respectively, for the selected range of cutter bar speed and forward speed. Blade-B1 had 18 and 30% less power consumption than Blade-B2 and Blade-B3, respectively.

Optimization and Accuracy Analysis of a Soil–Planter Model during the Sowing Period of Wheat after a Rice Stubble Based Discrete Element Method

The soil during the sowing period of wheat after rice stubble cannot be accurately described by existing models and parameters with DEM because of its high moisture content and strong viscosity. The purpose of this study is to conduct an overall simulation of high-viscosity paddy soil and to analyze the accuracy of the model. Based on the results of an unconfined compression test and shear test, the range of bond parameters is preliminarily determined by a simulation test. Through the P-BD test and RSM test, the parameters with significant influence are determined to be normal stiffness per unit area (SN), shear stiffness per unit area (SS), and critical shear stress (CS), and an optimized combination of these parameters is obtained. Based on the optimized model, the error range and error generation mechanism of the model are analyzed under different operating parameters. The results show that the optimal parameter combination is SN of 1.07 × 107 N/m3, SS of 0.70 × 107 N/m3, and CS of 0.35 × 105 Pa, corresponding to a compression force of 120.1 N and a shear force of 7.70 N. With an increase in forward speed or seeding quantity or a decrease in rotary plowing speed, the model accuracy tends to increase, and the range of relative errors was found to be from 8.8% to 28.4%. The results can provide a research basis for the study of the motion state of seeds under soil. It can also further enrich parameter data of soil discrete element simulation models and provide a reference for related research studies.

Effect of operational parameters on the performance of a kenaf harvester

Aim of study: To develop a kenaf harvesting technology, that will improve kenaf production efficiency. This study evaluated the effect of some operation parameters on the performance of a tractor-mounted kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) harvester. Area of study: The experiment was performed at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria. Material and methods: The experiment was initiated after 10 weeks of planting kenaf on the experimental field. The experimental design was a 3 × 4 × 5 experiment evaluating the effect of kenaf maturity (average stem diameter at week after planting (WAP) 10, 12, 14 and 16), kenaf varieties (‘Cuba 108’, ‘Ifeken 400’ and ‘Ifeken Di 400’) and forward speed of the tractor (2, 3.5, 5, 6.5 and 7.7 km/h) on effective field capacity, field efficiency, and operational loses of the machine. Main results: The effective field capacity of the machine decreased with increase in plant maturity and increased with increase in forward speed of the machine. The optimal value of the effective field capacity was 2.13 ha/day, when harvesting ‘Ifeken 400’, at crop maturity of 10 WAP, and forward speed was 5 km/h. The field efficiency of the machine was found to decrease with increase in crop maturity and forward speed of the machine. The field efficiency of the machine was 97%, with ‘Ifeken 400’ crop maturity of 10 WAP and forward speed of 2 km/h. Research highlights: The crop maturity, kenaf variety and forward speed of tractor have effect on the effective field capacity, field efficiency and the operational loss of the tractor-mounted kenaf harvester

DEM-CFD simulation and seed orientation evaluation of a self-suction wheat shooting device

Planting performance is essential for wheat sowing and seedling germination. The seed motion and sowing posture also influenced the sowing performance. In this study, a DEM-CFD coupling simulation model was conducted to investigate the seed motion characteristics in a self-suction wheat shooting device. The seed orientation and shooting angle were selected to evaluate the seed motion characteristics. The seed orientation decreased with increasing rotational speeds and gradually decreased during the seed filling and cleaning. The orientation angle increases slightly in the seed acceleration process. Specifically, the orientation angles are 19.8°, 19.1° and 18.6°, respectively, under the rotational speeds of 800, 1000 and 1200 rpm at the end of the acceleration process. The shooting angle increases with the increase of the shooting device's forward speed and rotational speed. The increase in forward speed and rotational speed increases the seed velocity. Most seed particles with shooting angles from 60° to 90°, accounted for >90% of the seed number, which depicts that the seed-filling performance is promoted with the increasing rotational speed of the blade. A validation experiment was conducted to investigate the shooting performance of the self-suction shooting device Afterward. The shooting performance, including the coefficient of variation of the shooting depth (CVSD), coefficient of variation of the seed shooting amount (CVSA) and shooting depth (SD) were analyzed. The results showed that the shooting performance of the self-suction device could fully meet the shooting requirements of winter wheat in the North China plain. Specifically, the CVSD, CVSA and SD were 5.2%, 5.3% and 31.2 mm, respectively, under the rotational speed of 1200 rpm. The approach is providing a new sustainable and noncontact method for sowing wheat.

Performance evaluation of tractor drawn power harrow

Power harrow is the tillage implement, now being projected as important implement that results in production of fine tilth soil. The study was conducted to compare the performance of rotavator and power harrow taking forward speed (2, 2.5, 3 and 3.5 km/h) and operating depth (50, 80, 110 and140 mm) as independent parameters and theoretical field capacity (ha/h), effective field capacity (ha/h), field efficiency (per cent), fuel consumption (l/h), soil pulverization (mm) as dependent parameters.The maximum theoretical field capacity (0.42 ha/h), effective field capacity (0.36 ha/h) and field efficiency (85.71%) was found at forward speed of 3.5 km/h. Also, the results of this study proved that the fuel consumption and soil pulverization was greatly affected by tractor speed and working depth. Increase in forward speed and operating depth increases the fuel consumptionand decreases the soil pulverization.The minimum fuel consumption (4.33 l/h) and mean mass diameter of soil (5.80 mm) was recorded at 2 km/h forward speed at 50 mm operating depth of the power harrow.The cost of operation of the power harrow was found to be Rs. 3870per hectare.

Modal analysis of the influence of freestream on global rotor noise

The exact frequency domain solutions of the noise for rotating point sources are extended to acoustic modal domain. Moreover, the modal analysis method from the aerodynamic loading in the source modal domain to the aeroacoustic noise in the acoustic modal domain is established. A large amount of work has been done to directly predict the rotor noise at the observation points. However, there is very little work to consider the acoustic characteristics of the rotor contained in a large amount of data, such as the evolution of global noise in the space. In this study, the modal analysis method is used to quantify the acoustic characteristics of the rotor under different flight conditions. It is concluded that the acoustic modal components of the noise from the in-plane sources (mass source, radial force and circumferential force) are similar, but they are cross distributed with that from the out-of-plane source (axial force). The out-of-plane source becomes the main contribution source with the increase of forward speed, owning to the high radiation capacity of high-order harmonic components.

Design Development and Evaluation of Mini Tractor Operated Trencher

The mechanization of Indian farms is imperative to enhance input use efficiency, reduce human drudgery, cost of production and to address issues of labour scarcity and timeliness of farm operations. Digging of trenches for laying pvc pipes in sprinkler and drip irrigation system has become drudgery by human labour, more expensive and time consuming. Commercially available machines are high capacity, more cost of operation and not affordable to the small and marginal farmers. To overcome this problems, a small tractor operated trencher was designed and developed. The developed trencher was evaluated in the field at a 1.5,2,2.5 km/h forward speeds. During field trails it was observed increase in forward speed from 1.5 to 2.5 km/h resulted in decrease in depth of trench, fuel consumption and capacity of auger. Increased in forward speed resulted in increase in length of trench.

Development of a Sensor System for Detection of Missing Seeds in a Tractor-operated Groundnut Planter

To minimize the missing seeds in groundnut planting, an Infra Red (IR) technology based sensor system was developed for a tractor drawn 9- row groundnut planter. This system could detect the number of groundnut seeds falling through a seed tube and provides visual and audible indications of missing drop(s). Laboratory evaluation of the planter with sensor system indicated that the variations of actual number of seeds dropped and display reading varied from 4.97% to 6.72% when operating speed varied from 2.5 km.h-1 to 3.5 km.h-1. The seed rates were 118.53 kg.ha-1 at 2.5 km.h-1, 100.10 kg.ha-1 at 3.0 km.h-1 and 93.20 kg.ha-1 at 3.5 km.h-1 operating speed. Under field condition, the planter without sensor system had lowest (22.60%) missing seeds at speed of 2.5 km.h-1, and highest (32.85%) missing seeds at higher speed of 3.5 km.h-1; while the planter with sensor system had 5.92% - 10.84% missing seeds with forward speed varying from 2.5 km.h-1 to 3.5 km.h1 . The missing index of seed thus, reduced by 16-22% with incorporation of the sensor device with the planter. With increase in forward speed, seed rate decreased irrespective of use of the sensor with the planter due to higher planter vibration as well as the seeds dropping back from the metering cells in the seed box before being discharged in seed tube. However, using the sensor system, no significant effect of speed on seed rate was observed.

Field evaluation of tractor-operated seeder for sowing mat type paddy nursery

Mat-type nursery having uniform growth is a prerequisite for mechanized paddy transplanting. Generally, this type of nursery is sown manually in the open field or in trays. It requires several simultaneous operations and hence is laborious and time-consuming. The performance of tractor-operated mat-type nursery seeder was evaluated at the Research Farm of Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab during 2019–20 with an objective to obtain the finest speed of operation to get the uniform seed and soil spread. Study was carried out on three different types of soil (sandy loam, loam and silt loam) for three different forward speeds (1.7, 2.2 and 2.7 km/h). Results have shown that the soil type had a non-significant effect on the performance of the machine, whereas forward speed had significant (P<0.05) effect. In overall, with an increase in forward speed of the machine, there was a reduction in uniformity for both seed and soil spread. The best results were obtained at a forward speed of 1.7 km/h with the overall seed spread of 90.93%, overall soil mat thickness 99.70%, fuel consumption 4.36 l/h and effective field capacity 0.092 ha/h. Therefore, the developed tractor-operated seeder can be operated on sandy loam to silt loam soils with a forward speed of 1.7 km/h with 59.5% saving in cost and 62.6% saving in labour for sowing mat type nursery as compared to manual method with MS frames.

Effect of tractor forward speed on field performance of zero till seed-cum-fertilizer drill in tilth and un-tilth sandy loam soil

The zero till seed-cum-ferti-drill was assessed for field performance in sandy loam soil under tillage and no-tillage soil conditions at variable forward speed of tractor. With increase in forward speed of tractor, field capacity of the machine was in increasing order in all treatments, in tilth and un-tilth soil. Field efficiency of machine in tilth soil was initially increasing with tractor speed with maximum value 94.71% at 3.39 km/h. However, in un-tilth soil, it was highest (94.17%) at slowest speed i.e. 1.73 km/h and remained almost constant around 92% upon increase in tractor speed up to 4.32 km/h. The tractor wheel slip percentage started decreasing with increase in tractor speed and was in minimum range between 6.35-7.59% in tilth soil and between 16.03-15.55% in un-tilth soil in treatments at rated speed of the tractor between 3.62-4.77 km/h. Drive wheel skid in no-tillage condition of soil was found minimum at 5.69 km/h forward speed of tractor for zero till-seed-cum-ferti-drill and 188 the same was observed to be in decreasing order with increase in tractor forward speed. However, in tilth soil, drive wheel skid was remained in between 14.94%-19.05% with increase in tractor forward speed. Seeding efficiency of zero till-seed-cum-ferti-drill was observed to have been influenced by the drive wheel skid, and had direct as well as inverse co-relation with increase in tractor forward speed in un-tilth and tilth soil, respectively. Obviously, design characteristic of zero till-seed-cum-ferti-drill is better suited for its use in no-tillage soil condition to achieve higher seeding efficiency, field capacity and field efficiency.

Evaluation of Locally Fabricated Machine Attached to Tractor for Making Suitable Raised Bed for Vegetable Cultivation

Growing vegetable on a raised bed improves soil physical parameters, and irrigation drainage and prevent waterlogging which ultimately increase the yield of vegetables. Making raised bed manually is not only time consuming but also a tedious job that involves much labour. A bed-making implement to be attached to a tractor machine was designed and tested to determine the dimensions of the bed formed specifically to suit the available plastic mulch width for cultivation of vegetable crops. A 34HP tractor was used as a power source for the bed making implement. The machine was tested at three different tractor forward speeds of 1.89, 2.54 and 5.04 km/h to record the width and height of the bed formed at these corresponding forward speeds. The results indicate that although the bed width increased with an increase in forward speed (76.89, 80.11 and 87.22 cm for 1.89, 2.54 and 5.04 km/h, respectively), the optimum bed width suitable for vegetable cultivation using the available plastic mulch was 80.11 cm with a bed height of 25.33 cm formed at the forward speed of 2.54 km/h. The machine field capacity recorded at the forward speed of 2.54 km/h was 3.80 acre/day, while that of a person’s capacity to make the bed of the same dimension manually was 0.02 acre/day.

Integrisana Mašina za polaganje plastičnog malča - održiva tehnologija za održivu poljoprivrednu proizvodnju

A tractor drawn mulch laying machine was developed in order to integrate the operations and fix the anomalies in terms of labour associated with conventional mulch laying operations. The prototype integrates the operations of bed making, drip line laying, mulch laying, mulch covering and punching hole on mulch in one pass. The developed prototype was evaluated at three-levels of forward speed (3.0, 5.0, 7.0 kmh-1 ), two-levels of bed width (76.2, 91.4 cm) and two-levels of dibbling hole spacing (15.2, 20.3 cm). The results of evaluation experiment for the developed machine showed that the draft requirement decreased with the increase in forward speed (3.0 to 7.0 kmh-1 ), bed width (76.2 to 91.4 cm) and dibbling hole spacing (15.2 to 20.3 cm). Field efficiency increased with increase in forward speed, bed width and spacing of dibbling holes. Although at low speed (3.0 kmh-1 ), the actual field capacity and field efficiency decreased about 57% and 5.0%, respectively while draft increased about 36 %, compared to the speed of 7.0 kmh-1 . However, at a speed of 3.0 kmh-1 , the mulch damage, un-covered mulch percentage and missing of dibbling hole decreased about 65%, 64% and 7.0 %, respectively. The standardized value of draft requirement, effective filed capacity and field efficiency were observed as 63.27 kp, 0.40 ha.h-1 and 72.7% while as percentage uncovered mulch, percentage mulch damage and percentage missing number of holes were as 3.1 %, 3.4%, 6.25%, respectively. The man-hour requirement and cost of mulching operation with developed machine reduced about 97 % and 75 % as compared to conventional method of mulch laying. Therefore, the study recommends using the developed machine to install a raised-bed, laying of plastic mulch and drip irrigation pipes on the bed and making dibbling hole for vegetable seedling transplanting at a speed of 3 kmh-1 achieved the better efficiency.

Measuring System Design and Experiment for Ground Pressure on Seeding Skateboard of Rice Direct Seeding Machine

Acquiring real-time ground pressure measurements from the surface of the soil in working parts of paddy fields is a challenging task. The real-time data can be used to monitor the changing state of the ground pressure of the working parts in a paddy field. To effectively reduce the accumulation of choked mud at the front end of the seeding skateboard and the contact adhesion between the skateboard and the paddy soil, a ground pressure measuring device suitable for paddy fields was designed. The device uses an Arduino controller, combined with Internet of things technology and wireless measurement technology. It can measure the pressure from 16 measuring points at the same time and transmit the measurement data to the computer remotely through the Internet of things technology, which greatly reduces the labor intensity of measuring personnel in the muddy paddy field. Analysis of the data showed that the forward tilt angle, ground pressure, and forward resistance of the seeding skateboard also increased with the increase of forward speed and vertical load. In addition, the distribution law of the ground pressure between the skateboard and the paddy soil was obtained. The conclusions show that the ground pressure measurement system can work stably in the paddy field and the measured data can be wirelessly transmitted to the computer and mobile phone.

Design and development of paddy straw bale shredder

A tractor operated paddy straw bale shredder cum mulcher was designed and developed at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during 2018-19 to use baled paddy straw as mulch. Mulching reduces weed emergence, increases available water capacity and improves soil properties that results in yield increment. Paddy straw size is generally more than row to row and plant to plant spacing of vegetable crops. Its size was reduced using developed machine. Theoretical design of the machine was followed by development of 3D model and fabrication. The developed machine comprised a shredding rotor for shredding paddy straw bales, a bale drum to handle the bales, a concave grate to control the feeding of bales, a deflector unit for uniform spreading of shredded paddy straw bales and power transmission unit. It has overall dimensions of 1800×1300×1400 mm. The developed machine was run in lab to select operational parameters of the machine. It was further evaluated for mat thickness and uniformity of spread. Effect of forward speed and rotor speed was significant on mat thickness as well as uniformity of spread at 5% level of significance. However, effect of deflector angle on both dependent parameters was non-significant. Mat thickness decreased with increase in forward speed and decrease in rotor speed. Its maximum value was 64 mm for forward speed of 2.7 km/h, rotor speed of 30.7 m/s and deflector angle of 25°. Uniformity of spread was determined using coefficient of variation and its minimum value was 34.38% for forward speed of 2.7 km/h, rotor speed of 30.7 m/s and deflector angle of 25°.

Effect of tractor forward speed on field performance of zero till seed-cum-fertilizer drill in tilth and un-tilth sandy loam soil

The zero till seed-cum-ferti-drill was assessed for field performance in sandy loam soil under tillage and no-tillage soil conditions at variable forward speed of tractor. With increase in forward speed of tractor, field capacity of the machine was in increasing order in all treatments, in tilth and un-tilth soil. Field efficiency of machine in tilth soil was initially increasing with tractor speed with maximum value 94.71% at 3.39 km/h. However, in un-tilth soil, it was highest (94.17%) at slowest speed i.e. 1.73 km/h and remained almost constant around 92% upon increase in tractor speed upto 4.32 km/h. The tractor wheel slip percentage started decreasing with increase in tractor speed and was in minimum range between 6.35-7.59% in tilth soil and between 16.03-15.55% in un-tilth soil in treatments at rated speed of the tractor between 3.62-4.77 km/h. Drive wheel skid in no-tillage condition of soil was found minimum at 5.69 km/h forward speed of tractor for zero till-seed-cum-ferti-drill and the same was observed to be in decreasing order with increase in tractor forward speed. However, in tilth soil, drive wheel skid was remained in between 14.94%-19.05% with increase in tractor forward speed. Seeding efficiency of zero till-seed-cum-ferti-drill was observed to have been influenced by the drive wheel skid, and had direct as well as inverse co-relation with increase in tractor forward speed in un-tilth and tilth soil, respectively. Obviously, design characteristic of zero till-seed-cum-ferti-drill is better suited for its use in no-tillage soil condition to achieve higher seeding efficiency, field capacity and field efficiency.

Design and Performance Evaluation of Self-propelled Intra-Canopy Boom Spraying System

A self-propelled intra-canopy boom spraying system was designed for spraying chemicals in small height row crops. The performance of the spraying system was evaluated both under laboratory and field conditions to assess the efficacy and minimize the loss of spray liquid. Flat fan and hollow cone nozzles were tested to determine the boom volumetric distribution, swath and spray angle at different combinations of pressure and height. The flat fan nozzle gave better volumetric distribution at 2.5 kgf.cm-2, while the hollow cone nozzle gave at 2.0 kgf.cm-2 pressure corresponding to 300 mm nozzle height. The spraying system was tested on soybean crop at forwarding speeds of 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 km.h-1. With an increase in forwarding speed, the mean percentage of coverage decreased significantly (30.30 - 15.37 % for top and 20.01- 4.12 % for bottom part of the leaves), and the mean droplet density varied significantly (277.35 - 243.40 no.cm-2 for top and 262.87 - 78.44 no.cm-2 for the bottom part of the leaves) at 5 % level of significance. A good percentage of leaf area coverage (30.30 % and 20.01 % for top and bottom of the plant) was obtained at low forward speed (1.5 km.h-1) while compromising more spray volume and less field capacity as compared to higher forward travel speeds. The effect of forwarding travel speed, position of tags and nozzle types were significant (p<0.05) for mean droplet size, number median diameter, percentage coverage of leaf area and droplet density. The field capacity of the spraying system ranged between 0.22 and 0.36 ha.h-1 with an increase in forward travel speed from 1.50 km.h-1 to 2.50 km.h-1 at an average swath of 1.8 m.

Design and Performance Evaluation of Self-propelled Intra-Canopy Boom Spraying System

A self-propelled intra-canopy boom spraying system was designed for spraying chemicals in small height row crops. The performance of the spraying system was evaluated both under laboratory and field conditions to assess the efficacy and minimize the loss of spray liquid. Flat fan and hollow cone nozzles were tested to determine the boom volumetric distribution, swath and spray angle at different combinations of pressure and height. The flat fan nozzle gave better volumetric distribution at 2.5 kgf.cm-2, while the hollow cone nozzle gave at 2.0 kgf.cm-2 pressure corresponding to 300 mm nozzle height. The spraying system was tested on soybean crop at forwarding speeds of 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 km.h-1. With an increase in forwarding speed, the mean percentage of coverage decreased significantly (30.30 - 15.37 % for top and 20.01- 4.12 % for bottom part of the leaves), and the mean droplet density varied significantly (277.35 - 243.40 no.cm-2 for top and 262.87 - 78.44 no.cm-2 for the bottom part of the leaves) at 5 % level of significance. A good percentage of leaf area coverage (30.30 % and 20.01 % for top and bottom of the plant) was obtained at low forward speed (1.5 km.h-1) while compromising more spray volume and less field capacity as compared to higher forward travel speeds. The effect of forwarding travel speed, position of tags and nozzle types were significant (p<0.05) for mean droplet size, number median diameter, percentage coverage of leaf area and droplet density. The field capacity of the spraying system ranged between 0.22 and 0.36 ha.h-1 with an increase in forward travel speed from 1.50 km.h-1 to 2.50 km.h-1 at an average swath of 1.8 m.

Anti-blocking performance of ultrahigh-pressure waterjet assisted furrow opener for no-till seeder

No-till planting method is widely used for maize-wheat two-crops-a-year area in the North China Plain. However, cruel soil conditions, especially the large number of maize stalks which are hard to cutoff covering, often cause an unsatisfying planting quality. Based on the authors’ previous investigation, ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) waterjet is capable to solve this problem and obtain qualified seedbeds. Thus, a UHP waterjet assisted furrow opener for no-till seeder was designed. Field tests showed that double-disc furrow openers worked well with UHP waterjet, since the sharpened disc blades could help to cut soil and residue, meanwhile, minimize soil disturbance. Response surface method (RSM) was used to investigate the relationship among forward speed, waterjet pressure, jet impingement angle and anti-blocking performance (stalks cutoff ratio and depth of soil cutting), and a Box-Behnken three-factor design was used to identify the optional operation parameters. A total of 17 combinations were conducted, and the results showed all three operation parameters significantly affected anti-blocking performance. Stalks cutoff ratio and depth of soil cutting increased with the increase of waterjet pressure, jet impingement angle, and decreased with the increase of forward speed. The optimization analysis indicated that when waterjet pressure was 267-280 MPa, jet impingement angle was 80.2° to 90.0° and forward speed was 4.00-4.42 km/h, the overall performance of UHP waterjet assisted double-disc furrow opener for no-till seeder was maximized. Stalks cutoff ratio could be above 95% and no blockage occurred. This study may provide a new approach and reference for the anti-blocking technology of no-tillage seeding. Keywords: waterjet, ultrahigh-pressure, conservation tillage, maize stalks, cutting, no-till, anti-blocking DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20201302.5630 Citation: Hu H N, Li H W, Wang Q J, He J, Lu C Y, Wang Y B, et al. Anti-blocking performance of ultrahigh-pressure waterjet assisted furrow opener for no-till seeder. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2020; 13(2): 64–70.

半喂入式花生联合收获机自动对行试验装置的设计与研究

For the caused harvesting loss problem by inaccurate alignment of the semi-feeding peanut harvester, an automatic alignment system on the control core of the single chip microcomputer μPD78F0525 was designed. The system adopts a four-bar detection mechanism to transmit the offset to the controller through the sensor and to adjust the excavator in time. On this basis, a peanut automatic alignment test device is developed, which is composed of conveying platform, ridge ditch, hydraulic execution system, signal detection mechanism, signal processing and control system, etc. The influence effect of the main factors of the system is tested through the test bench. The results show: the reaction time increases with the increase of spring preload and deviation distance, gradually decreases and tends to remain unchanged with the increase of forward speed, and first decreases and then increases with the increase of hydraulic flow. The unqualified rate first decreases and then increases with the increase of spring preload, gradually increases with the increase of forward speed and deviation distance, and gradually decreases with the increase of hydraulic flow. The effectiveness and stability of the automatic alignment system can meet the operation requirements. It effectively solved the problem of automatic alignment of the semi-feeding peanut harvester and provided a technical reference for the research and development of the automatic alignment system for harvesting the fruits under the soil.

Development of an auger conveyor type metering device for transplanting of vegetable seedlings raised in paper pots

An auger type metering mechanism which consisted of an auger type metering device, a seedling delivery tube, a furrow opener, a furrow closer, a power transmission system and a frame was developed for metering of paper pot seedlings for transplanting. The setup was evaluated in simulated field conditions (soil bin) in order to select the operating parameters of the metering device. Evaluation was carried out with pot seedlings of 10-15 cm height at five forward speeds i.e. 1.6, 1.8, 2.0, 2.2 and 2.4 km/h. Data on intra row spacing, angle of inclination of seedling, soil coverage and conveying efficiency (CE), feeding efficiency (FE), transplanting efficiency (TE) and overall efficiency (OE) were determined. The CE, FE, TE and OE were found to be higher than 90% for forward speeds up to 1.6 to 2.0 km/h. Further, the increase in forward speed above 2.0 km/h resulted the FE higher than 90%, however, the TE and OE reduced below 55%. Moreover, increase in the seedling tilting greater than 15% (angle of inclination of seedling >30o from vertical plane) was observed beyond the forward speed of 2.0 km/h. The developed auger type metering mechanism was found to be suitable for metering of vegetable pot seedlings up to the forward speed of 1.6 to 2.0 km/h effectively at a planting rate of 53 to 65 seedlings/min.