International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

From the standpoint of energy saving, the issue of research of agro-bridge units in the composition of new agricultural lands adapted to them is important and relevant tools that operate on the principles of track and bridge farming. One of the latter is a heavy tooth harrow with flat segments. Experimental determination of the characteristics of the agronomic bridge harrowing unit in its composition, in order to establish compliance of its parameters with the basic principles of the effective implementation of track and bridge farming, was adopted as a research objective. Experimental research was carried out both according to generally accepted and developed methods, and provided for the use of modern strain gauge and control equipment with analog-digital conversion of signals from information sensors. The processing of experimental data was carried out on a PC using probability theory, regression, and correlation-spectral analysis. Physical objects of researches were wide-track agricultural bridge construction vehicle TDATU with its track width of 3.5 m and harrowing machine (BZSS-1.0 type). According to the results of experimental tests of agricultural bridge harrowing unit as part of the dental harrow proved its good adaptability to work in the units of track and bridge farming and high quality of the technological process. The latter is also a consequence of the fact that the movement of the agricultural bridge is carried out on the compacted traces of a constant tramline, whose roughness profile is low-frequency in comparison with the longitudinal profile of the harrower. The constructive version of the tooth harrow is well reflected in the nature of its unevenness in traction resistance. It is established that the fluctuations of the harrow’s traction resistance express a random function in which there are no harmonic components. The coefficient of variation of resistance fluctuations on the hook of the agricultural bridge during harrowing is no more than 10%. The latter indicates a high stability (low variability) of the process of harrowing the soil, has a positive impact on the stable movement of the agricultural bridge unit.

Research on electrical drives in agricultural machines rose in the last 20 years and is still continuing. Electric drives have the potential of better controllability and higher degree of efficiency compared to hydraulic and mechanical drives. However, power density is a disadvantage and needs to be compensated with additional functionality and higher reliability in the systems approach seeking for an overall advantage compared to current drive trains for propulsion and functional elements of mobile machines. Electric drives allow a high degree of integrating of the drive into a functional element, which would allow freeing up space needed for the combine working channel. At the chair of Agricultural Systems and Technology was developed an electric drive integrated in a tangential threshing cylinder as an example of an alternative drive solution for future combines. Following, tests with grain in the laboratory under field conditions were completed.