Wan-Soo Kim, Yong-Joo Kim, Seung-Yun Baek, Seung-Min Baek, Yeon-Soo Kim, Yong Choi, Young-Keun Kim, Il-Su Choi
Journal of Terramechanics, Volume 91, 2020, Pages 285-296, ISSN 0022-4898
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2020.08.005. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022489820300653)
Abstract: The cone index (CI), as an indicator of the soil strength, is closely related to the traction performance of tractors. This study evaluates the traction performance of a tractor in terms of the CI during tillage. To analyze the traction performance, a field site was selected and divided into grids, and the CI values at each grid were measured. The CI maps of the field sites were created using the measured CI. The traction performance was analyzed using the measured traction load. The traction performance was grouped at CI intervals of 400 kPa to classify it in terms of the CI. When the CI decreased, the engine speed and tractive efficiency (TE) decreased, while the engine torque, slip ratio, axle torque, traction force, and dynamic traction ratio (DTR) increased. Moreover, the DTR increased up to approximately 13%, and the TE decreased up to 9%. The maximum TE in the DTR range of 0.45–0.55 was higher than approximately 80% for CI values above 1500 kPa. The DTR and TE results obtained in terms of the CI can help efficiently design tractors considering the soil environmental conditions.
Keywords: Agricultural tractor; Traction performance; Traction force; Cone index; Tillage