Wheel slip measurement in 2WD tractor

A microcontroller-based slip sensor was developed for a 2WD tractor to indicate slip values during on-farm use. The ‘zero condition’ considered for the development of slip sensor was – tractor supplied with a driving torque to propel any device across a tarmacadam surface while delivering zero net traction (self-propelled condition). This sensor comprised of four components: power supply; sensing of throttle position, gear position, and wheel rpm; processing of collected data; and display unit. Power was taken from the tractor battery. Rotary potentiometer and proximity switches were installed on the tractor to measure throttle position and wheel revolution, respectively. The performance of developed slip sensor was evaluated both on tarmacadam surface as well as in the field. The variations between indicated and actual slip were found to be within 0–5% for both the surfaces, thus indicating the accuracy of slip measurement by the developed slip sensor.     

Development and implementation of an IOT based instrumentation system for computing performance of a tractor-implement system

A high precision and compact IOT based digital instrumentation setup to measure, display and record various tractor and implement system performance parameters was developed and installed on a 28.3 kW Tractor. The setup was capable of continuous monitoring and wirelessly transmitting tractor-implement performance parameters on a cloud platform such as engine speed, radiator fan speed, fuel consumption, draft, forward speed, lift arm angle, wheel slip, wheel slip, PTO speed, geo-location/position of the tractor, choking of seeds in the implement and vibrations experienced by the implement. For precision measurements, commercial transducers used in the system were calibrated and assessed under both static and dynamic conditions. The average calibration constant for fuel consumption, forward speed, lift arm angle and load cell were 0.00009804 L/pulse, 0.01610306 km/h/pulse, 0.056 mA/degree and 0.2575 mV/kN respectively. The system based on DataTaker DT 85 Data logger connected to a micro-computer through transducers capable of transferring data wirelessly was installed on John Deere 5038 tractor and was tested with a Spatially Modified No-Till Drill in agricultural field with varied implement depth.     

Embedded digital display and warning system of velocity ratio and wheel slip for tractor operated active tillage implements

A microcontroller-based embedded digital display and warning system was developed for measuring wheel slippage, velocity ratio, PTO torque, and draft requirement of active tillage machinery. The hardware system included magnetic pickup sensor for measuring the engine speed, load cells and amplifiers to measure and amplify the sensing unit signals of the draft, proximity sensors for wheel slip, and PTO torque transducer for measuring the torque requirement. It was provided with buzzers and LEDs to warn the operator, whenever slip and velocity ratio were not in the desired range based on the algorithm, for maximum fuel efficiency and tractive performance. It measured slippage, velocity ratio, torque and draft with a maximum absolute variation of 12.90%, 7.92%, 8.99% and 11.57%, respectively. The developed system can be easily adaptable to any combination of tractor and tillage implements, and guide the operator for better soil tilth with lesser energy input.     

Development of in-wheel sensor system for accurate measurement of wheel terrain interaction characteristics

Planetary rovers need high mobility on a rough terrain such as sandy soil, because such a terrain often impedes the rover mobility and causes significant wheel slip. Therefore, the accurate estimation of wheel soil interaction characteristics is an important issue. Recent studies related to wheel soil interaction mechanics have revealed that the classical wheel model has not adequately addressed the actual interaction characteristics observed through experiments. This article proposes an in-wheel sensor system equipped with two sensory devices on the wheel surface: force sensors that directly measure the force distribution between the wheel and soil and light sensors that accurately detect the wheel soil surface boundary line. This sensor design enables the accurate measurement of wheel terrain interaction characteristics such as wheel force distribution, wheel–soil contact angles, and wheel sinkage when the powered wheel runs on loose sand. In this article, the development of the in-wheel sensor system is introduced along with its system diagram and sensor modules. The usefulness of the in-wheel sensor system is then experimentally evaluated via a single wheel test bench. The experimental results confirm that explicit differences can be observed between the classical wheel model and practical data measured by the in-wheel sensor system.     

Computerized instrumentation system for monitoring the tractor performance in the field

A high precision computerized instrumentation package was developed and mounted on a 50 kW tractor to monitor and measure various performance parameters of a tractor and implement system. The system was intended to be used for the compilation of a database of draft requirements of tillage implements. The system designed to measure: three-point linkage forces, ground speed, tillage depth, fuel consumption, forward speed, slip, engine speed, hydraulic pressure and fluid temperatures. The data acquisition unit was based on a high speed multi processors Campbell Scientific CR3000 data logger linked to a microcomputer using suitable transducer. The average calibration constants for the rear wheel speed, fuel consumption and three point linkage transducers were 0.0364 m/pulse, 0.000142857 l/pulse and 0.66 mV/kN respectively. The data acquisition system was capable of scanning rate up to 100 K sample/s. Data acquisition system was developed to measure draft of primary tillage implements in vertisol.     

Evaluation of a 6.71 kW power tiller for draft and drawbar power on tar roads

A 6.71 kW power tiller was evaluated for draft and drawbar power on tar roads. The effect of mounting 40 kg of wheel ballast was also studied. Polynomial regression analysis was used to establish the relationship between draft and wheel slip, drawbar power and wheel slip, drawbar power and fuel consumption, and drawbar power and specific fuel consumption. The results of the study showed draft values of 2107, 2110 and 2110 N in second low, third low and first high gears at an engine speed of 150o rpm with a 15% wheel slip. The respective draft values at engine speed of 2000 rpm with a 15% wheel slip were 2172, 2189 and 2212 N. With the mounting of 40kg wheel ballast there was an increase in draft of 217, 207 and 291 N at 1500 rpm, and 328, 306 and 344 N at 2000 rpm of the engine with a 15% wheel slip in second low, third low and first high gears, respectively. The increase in drawbar power with 40 kg ballast was 10.88%, 7.83% and 20.13% at 1500 rpm and 18.89%, 16.56% and 14.88% at 2000 rpm of engine over the drawbar power available with zero ballast. The fuel consumption with the use of wheel ballast was slightly more than the fuel consumption without any ballast.     

Estimating wheel slip for a forest machine using RTK-DGPS

Wheel slip may increase the risk for wheel rutting and tear up ground vegetation and superficial roots and thereby decreasing the bearing capacity of the ground, but also reducing the growth of nearby standing forest trees. With increased slip, more energy is consumed for making wheel ruts in the ground, with increased fuel consumption as a result. This paper proposes a novel method for measuring slip in an uneven forest terrain with an 8WD forestry machine. This is done by comparing the wheel velocity reported by the machine and velocity measured with an accurate DGPS system. Field tests with a forestry machine showed that slip could be calculated accurately with the suggested method. The tests showed that there was almost no slip on asphalt or gravel surfaces. In a forest environment, 10–15% slip was common. A future extension of the method enabling estimation of the slip of each wheel pair in the bogies is also suggested.     

Estimation of net traction for differential-steered wheeled robots

We present a method for estimating the net traction and resistive wheel torques for a suspensionless, differential-steered robot on rigid or deformable terrain. The method, based on extended Kalman-Bucy filtering (EKBF), determines time histories of net traction and resistive wheel torques and wheel slips during steady or transient maneuvers. This method assumes good knowledge of the vehicle dynamics and treats the unknown forces and moments due to terrain response as random variables to be estimated. A proprioceptive sensor suite renders a subset of the unknown forces and associated wheel slip and slip angles observable. This methodology decouples semi-empirical terramechanics models from the net effect of the vehicle-terrain interaction, namely the net traction developed by the vehicle on the terrain. By collecting sensor data and processing data off-line, force-slip characteristics are identified irrespective of the underlying terramechanics. These characteristics can in turn support development or validation of terramechanics models for the vehicle-terrain system. For autonomous robots, real-time estimates of force-slip characteristics can provide setpoints for traction and steering control, increasing vehicle performance, speed, and maneuverability. Finally, force-slip estimation is the first step in identifying terrain parameters during normal maneuvering. The methodology is demonstrated through both simulation and physical testing using a 13-kg robot.     

Rolling deformation of truck tires: Measurement and analysis using a tire sensing approach

Measurements on rolling tire deformation provide deep insights into the mechanism of generating tire forces and moments. For free rolling tires, substantial attention has been given to the rolling resistance because of its significant impact on the fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions. This paper attempts to investigate the rolling resistance force through measurements of the rolling deformation of truck tires using a tire sensing approach. An optical tire sensor system is used to measure rolling tire deformation, which includes the deformed inner profile, sidewall deformation, and tread deformation. Measurements were conducted on a test truck for both new and used tires. In addition, the influences from operational factors such as wheel load and inflation pressure on tread deformation were examined and analyzed.     

Experimental study on wheel-soil interaction mechanics using in-wheel sensor and particle image velocimetry Part I: Analysis and modeling of normal stress of lightweight wheeled vehicles

This study aims to develop a wheel-soil interaction model for a lightweight wheeled vehicle by measuring the normal stress distribution beneath the wheel. The main contribution of this work is to clarify the wheel-soil interaction using a wheel testbed that equips multiple sensory systems. An in-wheel sensor accurately measures the normal stress distribution as well as the contact angles of the wheel. Particle image velocimetry with a standard off-the-shelf camera analyzes soil flow beneath the wheel. The proposed model for the normal stress distribution is formulated based on these experimental data and takes into account the following phenomena for the lightweight vehicles that have not been considered in the classical model: (1) the normal stress distribution takes the form of a Gaussian curve; (2) the normal stress distribution concentrates in the front region of the wheel contact patch; (3) the distribution is divided into two areas with the boundary determined by the maximum normal stress angle; and (4) the maximum normal stress exponentially decreases as the slip ratio increases. Then, the proposed model is experimentally validated. Furthermore, a simulation study for the wheel driving characteristics using the proposed model confirms the accuracy of the proposed model.     

Fuzzy logic based automatic slip control system for agricultural tractors

In this study, a fuzzy-based automatic slip control system was developed for agricultural tractors. The developed system continuously measures the amount of slip that occurs during the tillage activities and automatically changes the operation depth of tillage equipment according to the amount of increase in the slip value. The amount of slip occurring on the driving wheels was applied as a separate input to the designed fuzzy control system (FCS) and at the fuzzy rule base, it was decided how much the depth of tillage would be reduced. The system was mounted on an agricultural tractor and trials were carried out in actual field conditions. The results of the tillage trials performed with the developed FCS were compared separately with the results of the tillage trials performed with an operator control (OC) without using any automatic control system. As a result of the trials, compared to the operator control, it was determined that in the tillage activities carried out with FCS, there were 42% decreases in slip values, 30% decreases in draft force values, 44% decreases in fuel consumption values and 5% increases in field work performance values. It was also observed that there were 10% changes in tillage depth.     

Draftability of a 8.95 kW walking tractor on tilled land

A 8.95-kW walking tractor was evaluated for draft and drawbar power on tilled land. Empirical equations were developed to correlate the relationship between draft and wheel slip, drawbar power and wheel slip and drawbar power and fuel consumption. The values of draft, drawbar power and specific fuel consumption were calculated at 25% wheel slip. The results indicated that the values of draft on tilled land with pneumatic wheels at engine speed of 2000 rpm were 803 and 773 N in second low and third low gears, respectively. The respective draft values at engine speed of 1500 rpm were 748 and 735 N in second low and third low gears under slightly loose soil conditions. Mounting of a 40-kg wheel ballast increased the value of draft to 901 and 921 N at an engine speed of 2000 rpm and 872 and 888 N at an engine speed of 1500 rpm in second low and third low gears. Replacement of pneumatic wheels by steel wheels further increased the draft readings to 1034 and 999 N at an engine speed of 2000 rpm and 913 and 935 N at engine speed of 1500 rpm in second low and third low gears, respectively, indicating significant increase in drawbar power both at 2000 and 1500 rpm in second low and third low gears with the use of steel wheels. The specific fuel consumption decreased by about 28% and 27% at engine speed of 2000 rpm and about 17% and 21% at engine speed of 1500 rpm in second low and third low gear with the use of steel wheels over pneumatic wheels without wheel ballast. The specific fuel consumption decreased by about 4% and 14% at engine speed of 2000 rpm and 7% and 23% at engine speed of 1500 rpm in second low and third low gears, respectively, with the use of steel wheels over pneumatic wheels with 40 kg wheel ballast.     

Dynamic behaviour of an open lugged wheel under paddy soil conditions

Many experimental studies of open lugged wheel-soil interaction have been conducted, mainly based on the condition of constant slip and sinkage. As a result the reaction force to lugs seemed to be equal to the soil cutting resistance to a metal surface. However, analyses based on such methods do not appear to represent the actual behaviour of lugged wheel-soil interaction, especially when the lugs are spaced widely. The actual motion the wheel axle. In this study, an experimental device for a model lugged wheel was constructed to investigate the characteristics of the interaction between a lugged wheel and soil. Experiments were conducted under several test conditions of soil including paddy soil with a hard pan. The result of both theoretical and experimental data indicated that slip and sinkage of a lugged wheel showed a fluctuation with rotation angle of which the period is equal to the angular lug spacing. In each test soil condition used, the motion of the lugged wheel and the reaction forces acting on each lug from the soil for a free sinking wheel were different from that of the condition of constant slip and sinkage. It was found that the results obtained from this study could clarify the actual behaviour of lugged wheel-soil interaction.     

Matching tyre size to weight, speed and power available for maximising pulling ability of agricultural tractors

The desirable weight-to-axle power ratio for agricultural tractors is determined by the necessity for the optimum utilisation of the available axle power to produce the required drawbar pull at a preselected slip. For a vehicle designed to operate in a given speed range, the weight-to-axle power ratio should be within a particular limit, so that a specific level of conversion efficiency can be maintained. In this paper attempts have been made to select suitable tyres for Indian two-wheel drive tractors operating in sandy clay loam soils on the basis of weight-to-power utiisation and maximum pull-to-optimum weight ratio at a preselected slip using the developed traction prediction equations. A comparison has also been made between the desired and actual weight on a single traction wheel and suitable tyre and tyre normally fitted in Indian two wheel drive tractors up to 35 kW.     

Steering forces on undriven tractor wheel

The steering forces on an undriven, angled wheel mounting a 6-16 8PR tire were measured on a wheel test carriage at zero camber angle and at 1.5 km/h forward speed in a soil bin with sandy clay loam soil. The lateral force developed was found to be a function of slip angle, normal load, and inflation pressure for a particular soil condition. An exponential relationship could estimate the coefficient of lateral force of the 6-16 tire. The coefficients of this equation were found to be linearly related to inflation pressure. Rolling resistance of the wheel tested was found to be a function of slip angle, normal load, and inflation pressure for the soil condition tested. A linear relationship existed between the rolling resistance and slip angle, where the coefficients were found to be a function of inflation pressure and normal load. The generalized equations developed in the present study for estimating coefficients of lateral force and rolling resistance by taking both the tire and operating parameters into account, were found to be reasonably good by looking at the high coefficient of determination between experimental and estimated values.     

Effect of circumferential angle, lug spacing and slip on lug wheel forces

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of circumferential angle, lug spacing and wheel slip on forces produced by a cage wheel. Experiments were conducted in a laboratory soil bin having Bangkok Clay soil with 51% (d.b.) soil moisture content. Six ring-type loadcells were used to measure the soil horizontal, vertical and transverse reactions on the cage wheel lugs. The circumferential angle was varied from 0, 15, 30 to 45°. The lug spacing and wheel slip were varied from 20, 30 to 40° and 20, 35 to 50% respectively. All the force measurements were done at a constant 7 cm sinkage. The results showed that increasing circumferntial angle up to 45° can reduce variation in lug wheel forces, at the same time it had little effect on the mean pull and lift values. The side force was affected by the changes of circumferential angle. The 20° lug spacing not only gave the minimum variations but also maximum mean lug forces. The highest lug wheel forces occurred at 35% wheel slip.     

Discrete element method analysis of single wheel performance for a small lunar rover on sloped terrain

The purpose of this study is to analyze the performance of a lugged wheel for a lunar micro rover on sloped terrain by a 2D discrete element method (DEM), which was initially developed for horizontal terrain. To confirm the applicability of DEM for sloped terrain locomotion, the relationships of slope angle with slip, wheel sinkage and wheel torque obtained by DEM, were compared with experimental results measured using a slope test bed consisting of a soil bin filled with lunar regolith simulant. Among the lug parameters investigated, a lugged wheel with rim diameter of 250 mm, width of 100 mm, lug height of 10 mm, lug thickness of 5 mm, and total lug number of 18 was found, on average, to perform excellently in terms of metrics, such as slope angle for 20% slip, power number for self-propelled point, power number for 15-degree slope and power number for 20% slip. The estimation of wheel performance over sloped lunar terrain showed an increase in wheel slip, and the possibility exists that the selected lugged wheel will not be able to move up a slope steeper than 20°.     

Improvement of a power tiller cage wheel for use in swampy peat soils

This study was aimed at investigating traction performance of a cage wheel for use in swampy peat soils in Indonesia. The tests were conducted in a soil bin filled with peat soil taken from the swampy areas. A set up was developed to measure tractive performance of a single cage wheel. Deep sinkage and high wheel slip were identified as the major problems of using the existing cage wheel design in swampy peat soils. The results revealed that increasing the lug angle from 15 to 35° and the length of lug improved the tractive performance of the cage wheel significantly, while increasing the number of lugs from 14 to 18 and width of lug did not improve the tractive performance significantly. A cage wheel with lug size 325×80 mm, 35° lug angle, 14 lugs (26° lug spacing), with 2 circumferential flat rings installed on the inner side of the lugs, out performed the other settings for use with power tillers in swampy peat soils.     

Differences in tractor performance parameters between single-wheel 4WD and dual-wheel 2WD driving systems

Vertical wheel load and tire pressure are both easily managed parameters which play a significant role in tillage operations for limiting slip which involves energy loss. This aspect to a great extent affects the fuel consumption and the time required for soil tillage. The main focus of this experiment was to determine the effect on the wheels’ slip, the fuel consumption and the field performance of a tractor running in a single-wheel 4WD driving system and in a dual-wheel 2WD driving system, due to the variations in air pressure of the tires as well as in the ballast mass. With no additional mass, the lowest fuel consumption was reached by a tractor with the least air pressure in the tires and running in a dual-wheel 2WD driving system. It was determined that for a stubble cultivation with a medium-power (82.3 kW) tractor running in a dual-wheel 2WD driving system, the hourly fuel consumption was by 1.15 L h⁻¹ (or 7.3%), the fuel consumption per hectare by 0.35 L ha⁻¹ (or 7.9%) and the field performance by 0.05 ha h⁻¹ (or 1.25%) lower compared to a single-wheel 4WD driving system, when driving wheels’ slip for both modes was the same, i.e., at 8–12%.