The effects of carrier pinhole position errors and non-torque loads on the load sharing of planet gears in a conventional-type three-point suspension wind turbine gearbox were investigated. A 1/4 scale-down model of a 2-MW class wind turbine gearbox was used, and a parametric study was conducted using a three-dimensional analysis model capable of performing system-level analysis. Axial force, radial force, and bending moment were used as non-torque loads, and the mesh load factor was used as an index representing the load sharing characteristics of the planet gears. The results of the analysis showed that the radial force and the moment were major non-torque load elements that affect the load sharing of the planet gears. The magnitudes, positions, and phases of pinhole position errors also made a significant impact on the load sharing characteristics of the planet gears. When non-torque loads and pinhole position errors acted together, the influence of pinhole position errors was greater than that of the non-torque loads. Their combination effect will be different according to the characteristics of drive train system. Therefore, the analysis that reflects actual specifications and operating conditions of all the drive train system components is necessary to derive the planet load sharing characteristics accurately.

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This study was conducted to develop a load-sensitive engine speed control system to maximize the fuel efficiency of an agricultural tractor. The engine speed controller was developed through a model-based design approach using a tractor simulation model. The simulated engine speed and torque values were measured with an average error range of 1.4-4.9% compared to results obtained from field experiments. Using the tractor model, the gain parameters of the proportional-integral (PI) controller were optimized under the step, ramp, and actual load conditions. The simulation results using the actual load showed that the engine speed could be adjusted to within 2-3% of the desired value using the proposed engine speed controller. The throttle control system was constructed using four parts of a tractor engine, a microprocessor with an engine speed control algorithm, a throttle actuator, and a data acquisition system. Using the developed system, the operating engine speed values showed an average 1.17 % error compared to the desired engine speed. Three fuel efficiency parameters were used for evaluating the fuel-saving performance of the control system: specific volumetric fuel consumption (SVFC), fuel consumption per tilled area (FCA), and fuel consumption per work hour (FC). The values for SVFC, FCA, and FC obtained from the engine speed control system during plowing operations were 23.03-57.87%, 4.11-42.06%, and −7.24-38.48%, respectively, showing an improvement over the same operations without the control system.

Uneven load sharing of a planetary gear set is the main cause of preventing the miniaturization and weight reduction of a planetary gearbox. Non-torque loads and carrier pinhole position errors are the main factors that worsen the load-sharing characteristics. However, their effects are seldom analyzed at a system level especially for an off-road vehicle. To make up this gap, some simulation models are proposed to investigate the effects of floating members on the load-sharing characteristics and the strength of a planetary gear set with non-torque load and carrier pinhole position error. When the error is not considered, the mesh load factor converges to unity irrespective of the type and number of floating members and the safety factors for pitting and bending are increased slightly. When the carrier pinhole position error is considered, the mesh load factor dramatically worsens. Although it is improved using the floating members, it does not converge to unity. However, the bending safety factor of the planet gear with the error is increased by 26%. This indicates that the design modification for the original planetary gearbox is needed to satisfy the safety factor requirement, but the problem is solved using only floating members.

HighlightsTractor ride vibrations were evaluated under various conditions according to type of cab suspension.Ride vibrations were measured on flat and bumpy roads using four tractors with different cab suspension types.Tractors with hydro-pneumatic suspension exhibited smaller ride vibrations than tractors with rubber mounts.Semi-active hydro-pneumatic control resulted in smaller ride vibrations than those resulting from passive control.Abstract. In this study, tractor ride vibrations were evaluated under various conditions according to the type of cab suspension, and the effects of different cab support methods on these ride vibrations were determined. Ride vibrations on flat and bumpy roads were measured using four tractors equipped with different cab suspension types and were analyzed based on ISO Standard 2631-1 for human exposure to whole-body vibration. The ride vibration values were evaluated using the weighted root mean square acceleration and fourth-power vibration dose value. The results confirmed that the tractor equipped with semi-active hydro-pneumatic cab suspension at the two rear positions yielded smaller ride vibrations than the tractors with rubber mounts at all four positions. Vibration reduction effects of up to 53.8% and 67.1% were yielded in the flat road test and bumpy road test, respectively. In addition, among the two tractors with hydro-pneumatic cab suspension systems, ride vibrations were reduced by approximately 7.1% in the tractor that used semi-active control as compared to the tractor that used passive control. Keywords: Hydro-pneumatic cab suspension, Ride vibration, Rubber mount, Whole-body vibration.

The ride vibration of a tractor is affected mostly by the stiffness and damping coefficient of the seat suspension, cabin suspension, cabin rubber mounts, and rubber tires. However, in the case of rubber tractor tires, the stiffnesses and damping coefficients have not been researched adequately thus far, and it is not simple to measure these characteristics . In this study, a method for measuring and analyzing the stiffnesses and damping coefficients of rubber tractor tires, which were the input parameters for the tractor ride vibration simulation, was proposed. The cleat test, proposed in this study, did not require separate and complicated test equipment, unlike the conventional methods. The test was conducted simply by measuring acceleration under the driving conditions of the vehicle without detaching tires from the vehicle body or setting up additional test equipment. Based on the ground-vertical acceleration data obtained, the stiffness was calculated using the logarithmic decrement method, and the damping coefficient was calculated using least squares exponential curve fitting. The result of the cleat test indicated that the front tires had stiffnesses of 486.08-570.69 kN/m and damping coefficients of 4.02-4.52 kN• s/m; the rear tires had stiffnesses of 409.42-483.79 kN/m and damping coefficients of 2.21-2.67 kN• s/m. During the test, 40 mm height cleats were installed on the track and the speed of the tractor was set to 7 and 10 km/h, which were the most common speeds during the operation. This study is meaningful in that it has presented a new method that improves the practicality of results, reduces cost, and simplifies the test process for measuring the stiffnesses and damping coefficients of rubber tractor tires.

This study aims to establish a test method to obtain the dynamic characteristics of hydraulic-pneumatic semi-active suspensions used in tractor cabins. Because dynamic characteristics are utilized in simulation models for developing suspension control logic and must be secured to improve control performance, an accurate test method must be established. The dynamic characteristics of the suspension, i.e., the spring constant and damping coefficient, were obtained by changing the current and velocity conditions. An exciter was used as a test device to control the displacement and velocity of the hydraulic cylinder. In order to derive the spring constant of the suspension, a low-speed reciprocating motion test was performed to obtain the force-displacement diagram and to derive the damping coefficient; 48 tests were performed under 6 velocity conditions and 8 current conditions to obtain a force-velocity diagram for each result. The spring constant of the suspension was confirmed using the slope of the trend line in the force-displacement diagram obtained through the low-speed reciprocating motion test of the suspension. In addition, the damping coefficient was calculated using the force-velocity diagram obtained through the reciprocating motion test of the suspension under various current and velocity conditions.

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