Wear behavior and CO2 emissions analysis of drum mower blades during Alfalfa harvest

Abstract

The productivity and efficiency of harvesting forage crops depend on the sharpness and quality of the mower blades. Therefore, studying blade wear during Alfalfa harvesting is crucial to sharpening and maintaining blades. This research aims to create mathematical models to predict the wear of mower blades and assess the wear rate of mower blades, fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions during the harvesting operation. Blade wear was measured by the weight loss method and examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) before and after the field experiment. The results showed that the weight of the mower blade decreased from 103.82 to 98.39 g after 37.5 working hours. Over time, fuel consumption and operating costs increased due to the wear of blades. Also, CO2 emissions were 17.7 kg h−1 at the beginning of the experiment and increased to 29.5 kg h−1 after 37.5 working hours. Due to wear in the blades, the increase in fuel consumption, cost, and CO2 emissions reached 67% at the end of the experiment. From the obtained mathematical equations, the sharp part of the blade has worn out after 34 ± 3 working hours. Graphical abstract