Mechanical-technological fundamentals of the front-weighted haulm gatherer on the wheeled tractor

Abstract

Sugar beet harvesting is a complex and energy-intensive technological process in the production of this technical crop. At the present time, the process of harvesting sugar beet haulms is carried out on the root and is performed in two steps: firstly a continuous uncopied cut of the main area of green mass and subsequent individual post-cleaning of the root crop heads from the haulm иremains. The increased working harvesting rate causes intensive fluctuations of the cutoff apparatus in the longitudinally vertical section that doesn’t only reduce the quality of root crops cutting but also causes significant losses of the haulms. The use of haulm gatherers as independent harvesting modules allows aggregating them with various types of row tractors that makes it necessary to determine the compliance of the definite haulm gatherer with the traction and energy characteristics of tractors which will ensure high efficiency of using the proposed machine and tractor units. The purpose of this study is to increase the efficiency of using a front mounted haulm gatherer on the wheeled tractor based on the development of thebasic regulations of the theory of its aggregation and determining the influence of its kinematic and design characteristics on the quality of a continuous cut of the haulm with oscillations of the cutting device in the longitudinal-vertical plane. While making research the methods of the theory of mathematical modeling of agricultural machines and machine aggregates, the theory of the tractor, the foundations of machine use in plant growing, and the compilation of the programs and numerous calculations on the PC were used. Conducted investigations made it possible to develop mathematical models of the movement of a haulm gatherer determining the optimum shear height, and also to justify and select the optimal parameters of machine-tractor aggregates which are made up of a tractor and a front unloaded haulm gatherer. The developed mechanical and technological fundamentals of aggregation make it possible to determine the optimal design and kinematic parameters both of the botting harvester and the aggregates according to the criteria of productivity and energy intensity.