Analysis of Overturning and Vibration during Field Operation of a Tractor-Mounted 4-Row Radish Collector toward Ensuring User Safety

Abstract

The overturning stability and vibration of upland crop machinery under development are important issues for analysis because farms for upland crops are usually uneven, which may cause work-related fatalities, and vibration affects user comfort and reduces the durability of components. In this study, the overturning stability and vibration of a tractor-mounted radish collector were investigated to ensure safety during radish collection. To analyze lateral stability, the center of gravity (CG) of the tractor-mounted radish collector system was calculated mathematically. Then, a simulation was performed to determine the lateral overturning angles at different folding positions of the radish conveyor belt and load conditions, and the results were validated through tests. Vibration sensors were used to measure the vibration levels and the power spectrum density (PSD) was obtained to check the cyclic apparatuses of the major frequencies. The load conditions, different conveyor speeds, and locations were considered as factors affecting the vibration levels. Considering the physical parameters of the tractor–collector system, the analytical overturning angle was 30.5°. The average overturning angle difference between the simulation and validation was 5°, and the difference between loaded and unloaded conditions was 2°. For 0, 45, and 90° folding positions of the conveyor belt, overturning angles increased and varied from 0.5 to 1°. The vibration level was greater under the unloaded conditions and increased with an increase in the conveyor speed. Vibrations under the loaded condition (0.37~0.48 ms−2) satisfied the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standard (except the first conveyor belt). According to the PSD analysis, high magnitude peaks (>25 dB) appeared frequently in all directions, which indicates a high possibility of damage to the first conveyor belt. This study provides useful information for improving the safety and durability of agricultural machinery for uneven and sloped field conditions.

Vibration and Slope Conditions during Harvesting Affect Radish Mass Measurements for Yield Monitoring: An Experimental Study Using a Laboratory Test Bench

“…The second conveyor carries the radishes to the storing section, where they are collected in a bag and weighed using a weighing scale. The harvesting operation can be performed at speeds of up to 1.8 ms −2 [ 18 ]. However, considering the planting density of radishes (20 × 10 cm or 30 × 10 cm), lower speeds are preferred [ 19 ].…”

“…Subsequently, the stem is cut using stem cutters, after which the radish is transported to a storage bag positioned at the output end of the second conveyor belt. Harvesting is normally undertaken using a tractor with speeds ranging from 0.1 to 0.2 ms −1 , which induces average vibration levels of approximately 0.41 ms −2 under loaded conditions in the second conveyor belt [ 18 ]. With both radish harvesting machinery types, the yield monitoring sensors are mounted at the end of the second conveyor ( Figure 1 aA and Figure 1 bA) located at a vertical height of at least 200 mm and 830 mm from the ground for the radish collector and harvester, respectively [ 4 , 18 ].…”

Working Speed Analysis of the Gear-Driven Dibbling Mechanism of a 2.6 kW Walking-Type Automatic Pepper Transplanter

“…The constant horizontal velocity of seedling deposition should be equal but opposite to the forward velocity of the transplanter. The relation between forward velocity v t of the transplanter and horizontal velocity v x of the hopper should follow Equation (6).…”

“…Manual transplanting requires about 40% of the total operational time with 184 person-hours/ha needed for cultivation, and the results are often a nonuniform spatial distribution of crops [3][4][5]. Additionally, labor shortages in the peak season cause delays in transplanting operations, resulting in seedling mortality and, eventually, yield loss [6,7]. Therefore, with the except of some leading pepper cultivation countries, the cultivation area and production amount have been decreasing every year for pepper [8,9], even though the consumption rate per capita has been increasing [10,11].…”

Accuracy Analysis of the Measurement of Centre of Gravity and Moment of Inertia with a Swing

“…Suhaimi et al [14] present an example application of the investigation of a heavy duty vehicle deploying a mobile crane to lift and hold the armoured vehicle. For vehicle applications the inertia parameters are critical for drive dynamic, stability [15,16] as well as crash studies.…”