Dependence of fuel consumption of medium power tractor on different soil and tire deformations

Abstract

Abstract. Tractors usually are designed to pull the implements in fields. The resistance force of the implement is proportional to the wheel adhesion with soil and depends on the soil conditions, where tractor wheels interact with the soil surface. The part of the tractor's power is lost during the process of interaction between the tires and the soil surface. The tire pressure and vertical wheel load are easily managed parameters, which have an influence on interaction between the tires and the soil surface, the tires and soil deformations and the tractor fuel consumption. Tire deformation is reversible and permissible, but soil deformation is almost irreversible and undesirable. Soil deformation increases the soil density and in this case plants have unfavourable conditions to grow. The studies have shown that the weight of a tractor should be small in wet viscous soil conditions, because then the enlargement ballast weigh increases soil deformation. In this case, the tractor may not be able to develop maximum traction, as its engine energy is used to overcome the moving resistance. Tractor fuel consumption in viscous soil conditions was reduced by reducing soil and tire deformations. It was achieved by doubling the wheels and selecting the air pressure in tires. The aim of this research is to evaluate the energy and environmental aspects of a tractor with single and double wheels to determine the energy efficiency in case of soil and tire deformation.

An Experimental–Numerical Approach for Modelling the Mechanical Behaviour of a Pneumatic Tyre for Agricultural Machines

“…For example, the importance of inflation pressure on adhesion and slippage was investigated in [4] and [5,6], respectively. The control of these parameters has a fundamental role in tyre and vehicle performances and in fuel consumption [7], especially for large towed vehicles [8][9][10], and thus reduces energy loss, which is crucial for agriculture [11][12][13][14]. A centralized system to control the inflation pressure of agricultural tractor tyres according to the soil and working conditions was developed and tested in [15], and a wireless power charger for the pressure sensors was the object of another recent contribution [16].…”