Soil disturbance and force mechanics of vibrating tillage tool

Experiments were conducted with vibrating tillage tools in a sandy loam soil. It was observed that during oscillating operation, initially draft increased slightly with an increase in forward speed but later it decreased. For the non-oscillating operation, draft increased continuously with increase in forward speed. The ratio of draft from oscillating to non-oscillating mode varied from 0.63 to 0.93. The total power required for oscillating operation was 41–45% more than the power required for non-oscillating operation. The soil surface was cracked due to tool motion showing the characteristics of lifting up of soil clods during the oscillating operation, whereas it showed the characteristics of soil flow during non-oscillating operation. The soil was pulverized more due to oscillating than non-oscillating operation. The reduction in dry bulk density of soil mass in the oscillating operation was about 70–270% more than that during the non-oscillating mode.     

Reverse-rotational rotary tiller for reduced power requirement in deep tillage

In this paper details of rotary tillage regarding the movement of tilled soil are presented. A noticeable reduction of tillage power requirement was achieved during rotary tillage. The soil movement depended upon the direction of rotation and the ratio of tilling depth (H) to blade radius (R). With the differences in the soil movement, four kinds of rotary tilling patterns were determined. Increase in operating power generally resulted when a large amount of tilled soil was re-tilled in the zone of blade rotation. Improvement of backward throwing of the soil was required for power reduction, especially in deep tillage. A backward throwing model of soil by the blade was developed on the basis of trochoidal motion of the blade and sliding motion of the soil over a scoop-surface on the horizontal portion of the blade. The throwing model estimated the conditions for avoiding re-tillage, such as direction of rotation and shape of scoop-surface. The throwing model was applied to the design of the shape of the scoop-surface which enabled maximum backward throwing of the soil sufficient to avoid re-tilling. At tilling depths greater than 300 mm, reverse rotation with the new shaped blades brought about a tillage power reduction by about a half compared to forward or reverse rotation with conventional blades.     

Constitutive model for high speed tillage using narrow tools

Dynamic effects on soil–tool cutting forces are important when operating at elevated speeds. The rate-dependent behavior of narrow tillage tools was investigated in this study. A hypoelastic soil constitutive relationship with variable Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio was developed to describe the dynamic soil-tool cutting problem. An initial finite element formulation with viscous components incorporated in the stiffness matrix resulted in severe numerical oscillations. A modified model that incorporated lumped viscous components in the equation of motion (independent of the stiffness matrix) was proposed. Numerical oscillations still occurred, but at sufficiently high tool displacements (1–10 mm) to enable the determination of peak draft forces. Experimental data for flat and triangular edged narrow tools were obtained using a 9-m long linear monorail system designed to accelerate narrow tools through a linear soil bin to high speeds. Steady-state speeds from 0.5 to 10.0 m/s over a distance of 1 to 3 m were attained using this system. A reference-tool inverse procedure was used to estimate the dynamic soil parameter in the soil model using draft data obtained for the flat tool. Predictions of triangular tool draft produced correct trends but overestimated experimental data. Draft was overpredicted by less than 1% at a tool speed of 2.8 m/s and by 25% at 8.4 m/s.     

Predicting soil fragmentation during tillage operation using fuzzy logic approach

One of the main characteristics of the soil structure, which affects the plant growth and its yield, is its aggregates size. Correct tillage operations leads to prevention from soil degradation and help to maintain and improve its physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. In this paper, a model based on fuzzy logic approach was used to describe the soil fragmentation for seedbed preparation in the composition of primary and secondary tillage implements of subsoiler, moldboard plow and disk harrow as conventional tillage composition in the region. Field experiments were carried out at educational and research farms of faculty of agriculture, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili. In this paper, an intelligent model, based on Mamdani approach fuzzy modeling principles, was developed to predict soil fragmentation during tillage operation. The model inputs included soil moisture content, tractor forward speed and soil sampling depth. The fuzzy model consisted of 50 rules, in which three parameters of root mean square error (RMSE), relative error (ɛ), and coefficient of determination (R²) were used to evaluate the fuzzy model. These parameters were calculated 0.167%, 3.95%, and 0.988%, respectively. According to the results of this research, the fuzzy model can be introduced as one of the methods for predicting soil fragmentation during the tillage operation with high accuracy.     

Analysis of shifting performance of power shuttle transmission

This study was conducted to investigate the effects on the shifting performance of the design parameters of a power shuttle tractor using a computer simulation technique. The EASY 5 models of the hydraulic control system and power shuttle transmission were developed, and combined with a tractor model to complete a simulation model for a power shuttle tractor. The models for the hydraulic control system and power shuttle transmission were verified using an experimental power train constructed for the validation purpose.The design parameters included the terminal pressure and time for the modulation of the hydraulic control system, and forward speed, weight, shuttle gear ratio and torsional damping of the tractor. The shift performance was evaluated in term of the peak torques of the input shaft of the transmission and tractor axles, and power transmitted per unit area of the clutch and the time required for the power transmission.     

Experimental research for robust design of power transmission components

In the future progress of technical systems it is impossible to avoid the power transmission (PT) components. Mechatronical technical systems will include the innovated PT components with high-level quality indicators. The article proposes the application of the new approaches to those components design in order to challenge innovation and inventions. The main objective is to define the design parameters in terms of reliability, vibration and noise as design constraints in the stage of the Embodiment design of PT components. Robust design is provided by using the axiomatic method in this way. Reliability as the design constraint of PT components is defined and modeled in a specific way suitable for this purpose and application. Also, the model of gear vibrations and gear units noise generation is presented in a new way suitable for applying as the design constraint. Those design constraints provide design parameters definition in an efficient way, with high-level service quality indicators. The presented models are based on a great volume of experimental data about service conditions probability, gear and bearing failure probability, gear units vibration and modal behavior etc. Theoretical knowledge and models are insufficient yet to provide the necessary data. The article contains presentation of testing methods and data processing oriented to provide data necessary for the application in the suggested approach to PT components design.     

Soil strength as affected by tillage system and wheel traffic in wheat -corn rotation in central Anatolia

This paper discusses the loading of a typical central Anatolian soil by the most commonly used corn and wheat production agricultural equipment. It further describes the effect that loading and soil conditions have on soil strength, namely compaction, and proposes techniques for minimizing undesired soil compaction. Experiments were carried out on a typical central Anatolian medium-textured imperfectly drained clay loam soil (Cambisol). Three different tillage methods and subsequently the same field operations were used for each rotation. Shear strength, penetration resistance, bulk density and moisture variations were detected in four sampling periods at each rotation. Tillage reduced the soil strength with the mouldboard plough causing the greatest loosening. However, natural processes and the vehicular traffic caused the soil to be re-compacted to about the same values as before. In any of the cases the obtained parameters did not exceed the critical values for plant growth except the penetration resistance in the 20–30 cm depth layer during corn production.     

Micro-blast waves using detonation transmission tubing

Micro-blast waves emerging from the open end of a detonation transmission tube were experimentally visualized in this study. A commercially available detonation transmission tube was used (Nonel tube, M/s Dyno Nobel, Sweden), which is a small diameter tube coated with a thin layer of explosive mixture (HMX $+$ traces of Al) on its inner side. The typical explosive loading for this tube is of the order of 18 mg/m of tube length. The blast wave was visualized using a high speed digital camera (frame rate 1 MHz) to acquire time-resolved schlieren images of the resulting flow field. The visualization studies were complemented by computational fluid dynamic simulations. An analysis of the schlieren images showed that although the blast wave appears to be spherical, it propagates faster along the tube axis than along a direction perpendicular to the tube axis. Additionally, CFD analysis revealed the presence of a barrel shock and Mach disc, showing structures that are typical of an underexpanded jet. A theory in use for centered large–scale explosions of intermediate strength $(10\, < \Delta {p}/{p}_0 \lesssim \, 0.02)$ gave good agreement with the blast trajectory along the tube axis. The energy of these micro-blast waves was found to be $1.25 \pm 0.94$ J and the average TNT equivalent was found to be $0.3$ . The repeatability in generating these micro-blast waves using the Nonel tube was very good $(\pm 2~\%)$ and this opens up the possibility of using this device for studying some of the phenomena associated with muzzle blasts in the near future.     

Effective amplification of optical solitons in high power transmission systems

Nonlinear Dynamics - We study the effective amplification of optical solitons in high power transmission systems based on a nonlinear Schrödinger equation with variable coefficients. Three...     

Stress tensor measurement using birefringence in oblique transmission

A method for measuring the stress tensor of liquids obeying the stress-optical rule is presented. In particular, the procedure makes it possible to determine the shear stress, and the first and second normal stress differences for rheometric flows. This technique is an extension of the procedure recently described by Burghardt and coworkers (Brown et al., 1995) wherein light is sent obliquely through a sample sheared between transparent plates. However, in the present development, the light is transmitted in the plane containing the velocity gradient and neutral directions, thereby reducing the necessary optical measurements by one. A polystyrene-tricresyl phosphate (TCP) solution is used as the test sample. The first and second normal stress differences in steady shear flow measured by this method show good agreement with the mechanical results measured by Madga et al. (1993) using a modified cone and plate rheometer. The transient behavior of the first and second normal stress differences following the start-up of shear flow is also presented.     

Ground thermal response to heat conduction in a power transmission tower foundation

An analytical formulation is developed to predict transient heat conduction in a semi-infinite medium with a vertical finite line heat source, which represents a buried tower of a power transmission line foundation. Unlike past studies with a constant line heat source, the current model develops a time-dependent variable heating strength, as well as a time varying surface temperature of the ground. An approximate VHS model (variable heating strength) is developed for sinusoidal variations of the line source strength and surface temperature, in order to simulate seasonal variations of ground temperatures. The VHS model reduces computational time and exhibits good accuracy, when compared against a full exact solution. The model is applied to heat conduction in a tower foundation, with time-varying ground surface temperatures. Effects of ground thermal conductivity and diffusivity, as well as variations of the line source strength, are investigated in this article.     

Optimizing thread-root contours using photoelastic methods

The research work described in this paper was part of a program which was conducted to determine stress distributions in a complex multicomponent pressure vessel and in several redesigned versions of the same vessel. Three-dimensional photoelasticity methods were selected for the analyses when it was determined that a number of highly stressed internal areas were inaccessible for evaluation of stresses by electrical-resistance strain gages and uncertainties regarding load transfer between mating components made an analytical determination impractical. The results of the stress determinations in the original vessel indicated that the highest stresses were located in the small fillets at the roots of the sectored threads which were used to permit quick and convenient assembly of the parts. Results of a prototype fatigue study verified the importance of these stresses when it was determined that fracture initiated in this high-stress area. Because of design specifications and the nature of conditions under which the vessel operates, stress reductions had to be accomplished using thread form or rootcontour changes. Since three-dimensional studies are time consuming and expensive, two-dimensional methods were selected to evaluate a number of changes before final evaluation was made in a three-dimensional model. Comparisons between results from the two- and three-dimensional studies indicated that the percent improvements indicated in the two-dimensional studies were roughly obtained in the three-dimensional vessels.     

Efficient field computation using Gaussian beams for both transmission and reception

An exact representation is presented for the field inside a sphere (the observation sphere) due to primary sources enclosed by a second sphere (the source sphere). The regions bounded by the two spheres have no common points. The field of the primary sources is expressed in terms of Gaussian beams whose branch-cut disks are all centered at the origin of the source sphere. The expansion coefficients for the standing spherical waves in the observation sphere are expressed in terms of the output of Gaussian-beam receivers, whose branch-cut disks are all centered at the origin of the observation sphere. In this configuration the patterns of the transmitting and receiving beams “multiply” to produce a higher directivity than is usually seen with Gaussian beams. The areas on the unit sphere, which must be covered by the transmitting and receiving disk normals to achieve a given accuracy, diminish as 1/(ka) for ka → ∞, where a is the disk radius and k is the wavenumber. This 1/(ka) behavior leads to a single-level method with O(N^3/2) complexity for computing matrix-vector multiplications in scattering calculations (N is the number of unknowns).     

Investigation of assembly,power direction and load sharing in concentric face gear split-torque transmission system

Meccanica - As a special transmission mechanism used in aeronautical transmission field, a concentric face gear split-torque transmission system (CFGSTTS) is investigated in this study, with the...     

Force and pressure distribution under vibratory tillage tool

Experiments were conducted to study the force requirement and pressure distribution under vibratory tillage tools in a soil bin with a sandy loam soil. The tool was oscillated sinusoidally in the direction of soil bin travel. An octagonal ring transducer and pressure sensors were used to measure the forces and soil pressure on the blade. The tool was operated at oscillating frequency of 4.5–15.6 Hz and amplitude of 11–26 mm. The soil bin travel speed was varied from 0.05 to 0.224 m/s. The test results obtained showed both the horizontal force and the vertical force decreased with increase in oscillating frequency. The normal pressure on the blade surface varied considerably. The peak normal pressure was found to increase with increase in oscillating frequency, oscillating amplitude and soil bin travel speed. The change in average normal pressure with change in oscillating frequency and amplitude was also investigated.     

Sound transmission through laminated composite cylindrical shells using analytical model

Composite structures are often used in aircraft because of advantages offered by a high strength to weight ratio. Sound transmission through an infinite laminated composite cylindrical shell is studied in the context of the transmission of airborne sound into aircraft interior. The shell is immersed in an external fluid medium and contains an internal fluid, and airflow in an external fluid medium moves with a constant velocity. The different parameters were used to see how laminate specification affected noise transmission. An exact solution is obtained by solving the vibration equation of laminated composite shell and acoustic wave equations simultaneously. Transmission losses (TLs) obtained from numerical solution are compared with those of other authors. The effects of different source condition, structural properties and flight conditions on TL are studied for a range of values, especially, incident angle of the plane wave, Mach number and flight altitude of aircraft, stack sequences, angle of warp and damping.     

Modes computation and analysis for long multi-span bundle conductors of power transmission lines with galloping control devices

A new type of element which is suitable for solving the modes of the galloping long multi-span bundle conductor structures is presented. The element is composed of all sub-conductor segments between two spacers. Based on the linearized governing differential equations of the conductors, the mass matrix and stiffness matrix of the element in consideration of the constrained relations imposed on the conductors by spacers are derived. The dynamic characteristics of the galloping control devices can be directly added to the element. The modes for an actual power line structure are computed by using the element formula and FEM procedures, where seven cases of different galloping control device allocations are considered. Compared with the measured data, the method is shown to be reliable and effective. Analysis and discussions of the computational results are given. Some hints that are helpful to further investigation of galloping are also obtained.     

冲击波的小波数值计算方法

基于自适应小波配点法和人工黏性技术,构造出一种简单稳定的冲击波数值计算方法。采用小波阈值滤波,生成适应流场分布的多尺度自适应网格,并利用密度场最细尺度的小波系数构造幂函数形式的冲击波定位函数,用以判断冲击波位置。联合人工黏性与冲击波定位函数,自动根据流场梯度严格控制人工黏性的大小和分布。对强/弱冲击波管问题进行计算,结果表明,该方法能够准确捕捉冲击波和有效抑制数值振荡,并且使用简单、分辨率高、计算量小。