Research and development of a combined unit for tillage with a layer turnover

Boris Tarasenko, Viktor Drobot, Irina Troyanovskaya, Alexandra Orekhovskaya, Sergey Voinash, Viktoriia Sokolova, Kirill Maksimovich, Rufan Galimov, Svetlana Lopareva

Journal of Terramechanics, Volume 99, 2022, Pages 29-33, ISSN 0022-4898

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2021.11.002.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022489821000859)

Abstract: The article deals with the issue of mechanization of the process of ecological and meliorative tillage with the turnover of the reservoir, improving the quality and reducing the energy intensity of the arable unit. The state of modern research of ecological and meliorative methods of soil treatment is studied. The modernization of the plow was carried out and a variant of a new design was proposed in the form of chisel working bodies instead of pre-lugs to the coulter plow. At the same time, the improvement of the methods of dump plowing does not violate the main principle of the plow body – falling off and turning the formation into an uncovered neighboring furrow. A review of the theoretical prerequisites for the substantiation of the design parameters of chisel working bodies is carried out. The optimal parameters of the chisel chisel working bodies operation process are determined, depending on the type of chisel and its surface area. Scientific research was carried out according to the strategy of machine-technological modernization of agriculture in Russia, aimed at increasing labor productivity growth, which does not exclude technological re-equipment of agriculture.

Keywords: Coulter plough; Plates with perforation; Tubular dividers; Cylindrical chisels; Flat-cut paw; Soil; Traction resistance; Plowing quality

A practical quantification of longitudinal slippage of robot platform wheels traversing on solid balls based uneven terrain

S.M. Shafaei, H. Mousazadeh

Journal of Terramechanics, Volume 99, 2022, Pages 17-28, ISSN 0022-4898

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2021.11.003.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022489821000860)

Abstract: This research is spearhead for longitudinal slippage of robot platform wheels traversing on solid balls based uneven terrain. For this purpose, effects of solid ball diameter (0.0127–0.0508 m) accompanying with tire inflation pressure (20.68–55.16 kPa) and platform forward speed (0.17–0.50 m/s) on the slippage were practically quantified. Robotic experiments were executed in controlled test bed prepared by solid ceramic balls. Tentative data collected from the experiments indicate that the wheels experienced low (<30%), moderate (30–60%) and high slippage (>60%) under effects of independent variables. Results demonstrated that the increasing effect of the dominant variable of solid ball diameter on the slippage was 3.6 and 2.6 times greater than that of platform forward speed and tire inflation pressure, respectively. Meanwhile, the increasing linear effect of tire inflation pressure on the slippage was prevailed (1.4 times) than the decreasing linear effect of platform forward speed. Hence, to minimize the slippage as well as power loss of the platform traversing on each solid ball diameter, adjustment of tire inflation pressure should be enumerated as first priority. Overall, analytical results obtained in this research lead to open a new prospection for comprehending the slippage trends of off-road wheeled robots traversing on an uneven terrain composed of solid balls. Practicability of this type of the robots is remark in various industrial robotic operations, especially for process towers and reactors of oil, gas, petrochemical, and chemical industries. Hence, quantitative and qualitative information of this research are a rich source for relevant industrial investigators and experts who involved in this realm.

Keywords: Off-road robot; Wheeled robot; Wheel slippage; Solid ball

Experimental evaluation of cone index gradient as a metric for the prediction of wheel performance in reduced gravity

Adriana Daca, Dominique Tremblay, Krzysztof Skonieczny

Journal of Terramechanics, Volume 99, 2022, Pages 1-16, ISSN 0022-4898

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2021.09.003.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022489821000720)

Abstract: Traversing granular regolith in reduced gravity remains a challenge for wheeled rovers. Earth-based testing cannot fully predict rover mobility as it precludes gravity’s effects on the soil. The simulant GRC-1 was designed to account for this by matching cone penetrometer readings from Apollo; the assumption is that replicating the cone penetrometer response of lunar soil will also replicate its response to vehicle loading. Cone penetrations were performed in GRC-1 at three densities in 1-g and 1/6-g aboard parabolic flights producing effective lunar-g. A fourfold decrease in cone index gradient (G) was seen in 1/6-g, indicating significantly reduced shear strength. Wheel experiments in GRC-1 in 1/6-g at one density and two slip values were compared to 1-g experiments at a lower density producing the same G value. In 1-g, drawbar pull was 44% higher and sinkage was 13.5% lower, indicating that the assumption made during the creation of GRC-1 was not quite correct, and that caution should be exercised when interpreting results obtained with this simulant. At the loosest possible density in 1-g, drawbar pull was still 24% higher than in lunar-g; sinkage was 76% higher. Future experiments utilizing a stronger simulant in lunar-g are outlined to elaborate upon these findings.

Keywords: planetary rovers; reduced gravity; cone index gradient; wheel-soil interactions; parabolic flights; GRC-1; soil simulants; mobility

Fundamental study on underwater trafficability for tracked vehicle

Mitsuru Yamada, Genki Yamauchi, Takeshi Hashimoto

Journal of Terramechanics, Volume 98, 2021, Pages 42-49, ISSN 0022-4898,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2021.07.001.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022489821000598)

Abstract: In recent years, water disasters have increased in Japan. In water disaster, remote controlled vehicles which work for disaster recovery must run in water environment. Since underwater ground is likely to be soft, the vehicle has a risk of stuck. If a vehicle gets stuck at disaster sites, rescue work is difficult because it is not easily to access to that area. We must make a method for judging whether to run or not. For this purpose, we must quantitatively clarify the relationship between the trafficability and the strength, bearing capacity, etc. of underwater ground. We measured the cone index of underwater ground. From results, we confirmed that fragile layer was formed on the surface layer in underwater ground. We measured drawbar pull of a tracked carrier in test field. As a result, maximum drawbar pull of underwater ground was lower than on the ground. After slip occurs, drawbar pull of underwater ground was smaller than ground significantly.

Keywords: Underwater ground; Trafficability; Cone index; Drawbar pull

Validation of two reconfigurable wheel-track testbeds for military vehicles

Hannah Lyness, Dimitrios Apostolopoulos

Journal of Terramechanics, Volume 98, 2021, Pages 34-41, ISSN 0022-4898

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2021.03.004.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022489821000264)

Abstract: The National Robotics Engineering Center has conceived a novel system that is able to reconfigure from a track to a wheel while in motion. The purpose of this device is to combine the benefits of wheels and tracks to provide performance optimization on a variety of terrain. The first stage of development resulted in two benchtop prototypes: one to test a transition from rotating hub to rotating tread and another to test a constantly-oriented shape transition from circle to triangle. This paper documents the testing of these devices including current draw, temperature change, and braking characteristics. Through experimentation with the first testbed, desired speed was shown to be consistent within +/−6% when transitioning between wheel and track modes at an approximated ground speed between 5 and 35 km/h while transitioning in 5 to 60 seconds. Testing on the second system identified asymmetry in testbed construction and showed consistent loading patterns throughout a 42 mm-change in sprocket position between wheel and track mode while transitioning between 10 and 50 mm/s. The evaluation of these testbeds informed the design of the next process of the reconfigurable wheel-track project, which resulted in a larger prototype capable of propelling a small ground vehicle.

Keywords: Mobility; Reconfigurability; Robotics; Terramechanics

Research in mechanical model of bionic foot intruding into sands with different physical characteristics

Dianlei Han, Rui Zhang, Qingqiu Cao, Lei Jiang, Jianqiao Li

Journal of Terramechanics, Volume 98, 2021, Pages 25-33, ISSN 0022-4898

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2021.06.002.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022489821000550)

Abstract: In this study, a bionic foot with sand fixation and fluidization limitation functions was designed. Also a rectangular foot with the same sizes, named the common foot, was designed for comparison. Three kinds of quartz sands were selected to study how particle size, shape and compactness affected the intrusion performances of mechanical feet. The intrusion resistive forces and pressures of the bionic foot on these three kinds of quartz sands were all smaller compared with the common foot. Discrete element simulations showed particle disturbance areas were smaller and particle motion trends were more consistent under the bionic foot versus the common foot. The intrusion resistive forces of these two kinds of mechanical feet firstly increased and then decreased with the increasing particle sizes of quartz sands. Moreover, the intrusion resistive force on spherical particles was less than that of irregular particles for both the bionic foot and the common foot. The corresponding resistive forces of mechanical feet were characterized based on quartz sand compactness. The classic pressure-sinkage model was modified based on the intrusion tests, and the relationships between intrusion resistive force and mechanical foot depth were obtained.

Keywords: Quartz sands; Physical characteristics; Bionic foot; Intrusion resistive force; Mechanical model; Discrete Element Method

Vehicle mobility on highly organic soils

Michael Parker, Alexander Stott, Mark Bodie, Susan Frankenstein, Sally Shoop

Journal of Terramechanics, Volume 98, 2021, Pages 16-24, ISSN 0022-4898

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2021.09.001.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022489821000628)

Abstract: Current political climates have generated a renewed interest in the northern regions of the world. These areas are known to have soft marshy peat, highly organic soils, and harsh winter climates. Current capabilities for vehicle mobility modeling on this terrain is limited and existing studies do not include contemporary military vehicles. This work presents mobility experiments of modern military vehicles at multiple field sites containing peat or highly organic soils that can be used to improve mobility modeling on these soils. Field experiments are being conducted during multiple seasons, including winter, spring, and summer. The vehicle traction, motion resistance, and hard surface rolling resistance of an instrumented High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) and a Small Unit Support Vehicle (SUSV) were examined. The first is a common multi-purpose vehicle and the second is a vehicle designed to operate in these types of environments. This data set will provide the basis for model development and validation for vehicle mobility in highly organic soils.

Keywords: Peat; Organic; Soil; Vehicle Mobility; Tracked Vehicle

Dynamic behavior of an agricultural power take-off driveline for rattle noise reduction: Part 1. Effect of spline tolerance on the power take-off rattle noise

Chanho Choi, Hyoungjong Ahn, Young-Jun Park, Su-chul Kim, Jihun Yu

Journal of Terramechanics, Volume 98, 2021, Pages 7-14, ISSN 0022-4898

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2021.06.005.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022489821000586)

Abstract: An agricultural tractor has a power take-off (PTO) driveline that is directly connected to the engine to improve its power transmission efficiency. The PTO driveline comprises various mechanical components coupled by a spline joint. The spline coupling tolerance causes collisions between various mechanical parts of the PTO driveline and affects gear collision, thereby causing rattle noise. Therefore, the aim of this study is to conduct a dynamic behavior analysis to predict the gear rattle noise level of a PTO driveline. The dynamic behavior of the PTO driveline was analyzed through 1D simulations, and the results confirmed that the dynamic behavior changes according to rotation speed. Experimental verification of the dynamic behavior analysis results confirmed that the dynamic behavior changes as the main engine excitation-component amplification changes and then decreases at a relatively high rotation speed. Additionally, the dynamic behavior changes of the PTO driveline resulted in a jumping phenomenon that occurs rapidly at a specific rotation speed. The amplification of the engine’s main components was reduced from 3 to 4 times to 1.2 times owing to the jumping phenomenon; the noise level of the gear rattle was also reduced by approximately 10.9 dB(A).

Keywords: Agricultural tractor; Power take-off driveline; Rattle noise; Spline tolerance

Productivity of tillage loosening and separating machines in an aggregate with tractors of various capacities

Yuri Syromyatnikov, Irina Troyanovskaya, Sergey Voinash, Alexandra Orekhovskaya, Viktoriia Sokolova, Kirill Maksimovich, Rufan Galimov, Svetlana Lopareva

Journal of Terramechanics, Volume 98, 2021, Pages 1-6, ISSN 0022-4898

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2021.09.002.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022489821000719)

Abstract: Currently, chemical methods of weed control are increasingly being replaced by mechanical weeding. One of the promising mechanical devices for weed control is a rotary loosening and separating stratifier. This tillage machine can provide high quality tillage to a depth of up to 18 cm. Its performance is determined by the width of the grip of the gun and the speed of movement and is limited by the traction capabilities of the tractor. Using the Goryachkin formula for the traction resistance of a tillage machine, the authors obtained the dependence of productivity on the width of the grip and the speed of movement at different depths of tillage. The obtained dependencies on the example of tractors John Deere 8330, HTZ 16131-05 and MTZ 1523.3 showed the presence of a pronounced maximum, which led to the solution of the optimization problem. The article presents a method for calculating the optimal width of the grip and the speed of movement that ensure the maximum productivity of the tillage machine, depending on the depth of processing and the specific resistance of the soil. The use of optimal parameters of the tillage machine allows you to increase its productivity by 2–3 times.

Keywords: Mechanical weeding; Loosening and separating machine; Productivity of the tillage machine; The width of the grip; The speed of movement of the unit