EFFECT OF PLOUGHING SPEED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRESS ON THE STEYR TRACTOR LIFT SYSTEM ON SANDY LOAM SOIL BY SULE,

S1 AND J. S. JATAU2 sulesamuel@yahoo.co.uk 1 AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING DEPT, FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC BAUCHI

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAMME, A.T.B.U, BAUCHI

ABSTRACT The effects of ploughing speed on the development of stress on the Steyr tractor stabilizers and brackets on a sandy loam soil were investigated using strain gauges. It was found that stress on these parts of the three-point linkage system increased with speed of ploughing. The use of a modified U bolt was found to reduce the stress. INTRODUCTION Technical objects, like other material objects undergo changes with time. As a rule these changes lead to degradation of the object and sometimes to its destruction (Otmianowski, 1983). Otmianowski (1983) stated that most of the agricultural machines are exposed to the harmful effect of the environment both during work as well as the time of storage between seasons. Furthermore, accelerated wear of many of the parts and mechanisms exist as a result of impurities from dust and soil. The author also stated that many dynamic factors such as ploughing resistance act upon the machines during work of the tillage implements. Ploughing resistance depends not only on the type of soil and its bulk density but also on the soil moisture content, stony nature of the soil, amount of roots of past crops and other factors which change within the same farmland. In the case of harvesting machine, the dynamic loading depends on the mass of the handled material in unit time. All agricultural machines that work on the farm are exposed to the dynamic effect of undulating terrain as well as rolling friction on both loose soil and bed-like farmland,(Otmianowski, 1983). These factors all contribute to the development of stress on the agricultural machine elements which may lead to breakdowns. Stress () is defined as the effect of force or load acting on a unit area of a body. Mathematically stress is defined as below: Stress, =
P N / m2 A

where: P = force or load acting on a body.

2 A = cross sectional area of the body A body that is subjected to a load and hence stress will undergo deformation. This deformation per unit length is known as strain. This deformation may eventually bring about the failure of the body. By failure it is not meant actual breaking of the material. Some machine parts are said to fail when they have plastic deformation. Strain, =
l = change in length of the body where: l = original length

Solid materials respond to external forces, such as tension, compression, torsion, bending, and shear by elastic deformation (that is, the material returns to its original size and form when the external force is lifted), permanent deformation, or fracture (Microsoft Encarta, 2006). Tension is a pulling force that acts in one direction; an example is the force in a cable holding a weight. Under tension, a material usually stretches, returning to its original length if the force does not exceed the material's elastic limit. Under larger tensions, the material does not return completely to its original condition, and under even greater forces the material ruptures. Compression is the decrease in length that results from the application of pressure. When a material is subjected to a bending, shearing, or torsional (twisting) force, both tensile and compressive forces are simultaneously at work. When a rod is bent, for example, one side of it is stretched and subjected to a tensional force, and the other side is compressed. Creep is a slowly progressing, permanent deformation that results from steady force acting on a material. Microsoft Encarta (2006) stated that materials subjected to high temperatures are especially susceptible to this deformation. The gradual loosening of bolts, sagging of long span cables, and the deformation of components of machines and engines are all noticeable examples of creep. Microsoft Encarta (2006) and Kelly (2007) defined fatigue as the progressive, localised, and permanent structural damage that occurs when a material is subjected to cyclic or fluctuating strains at nominal stresses that have maximum values less than (often much less than) the static yield strength of the material. The resulting stress may be below the ultimate tensile stress, or even the yield stress of the material, yet still cause catastrophic failure. Khurmi and Gupta (2002) stated that machine parts are sometimes subjected to loads with impact thus producing impact stress. A mechanical or physical shock is a sudden acceleration or deceleration caused, for example, by impact (Kelly , 2007). When designing machine parts, it is desirable to keep the stress lower than the maximum or ultimate stress at which failure of the material takes place. This stress is known as the working stress, design stress, safe or allowable stress. Ultimate stress is

3 defined as the largest stress obtained by dividing the largest value of the load reached in a test to the original cross-sectional area. Working or design stress (Ws) is therefore expressed as:
Working stress , Ws = Ultimate stress factor of safety stress stress

or
Factor of safety = Ultimate Working

In case of ductile materials for example, mild steel where the yield point is clearly defined, the factor of safety is based upon the yield point stress (Chwiej , 1979).
Factor of safety = Yield po int stress working stress

During ploughing or in general tillage operations, some kinds of load exist on the tractor three-point linkage system. This load produces stress on the system which may be destructive. The objective of this work is to verify the effect of speed on the development of stress on some parts of the three-point linkage system of the Steyr tractor on a sandy loam soil, reduce the stress if necessary and recommend an optimum ploughing speed. METHODS The following materials were used in this experiment: A fifty by thirty meters portion of land (measured out of the irrigation plot of the Agricultural Engineering Department of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi), four digital multimeters, strain gauges, 9V batteries, resistors, cables, Steyr 768 tractor and a metering tape, Sand paper, detergent, water and glue. The surfaces of the stabilizer shafts and brackets were properly cleaned using abrasive materials, detergent and water. They were left to dry after which the strain gauges were carefully attached using the glue. They were pressed firmly and allowed to dry after which they were soldered and wired with the resistors of 47 each. Double strain gauges were used. Figure 1 shows the circuit diagram of the electrical wiring. The portion of land described above was collected for analysis. The soil type was determined using the method of soil type analysis (Michael, 1990). Other properties such as soil moisture content, bulk density were determined. The speeds of ploughing were varied using the hand throttle .The ploughing depth was also fixed using the depth controller.

SG

Vo

Vi
SG R

Fig. 1 Circuit Diagram for the Single Strain Gauge Connection Where: R = external resistance of gauges Vo = voltage output Vi = input voltage. SG = Strain gauge The measurements were first taken with the original Steyr U bolt in place and latter the modified U bolt (plate I) was fitted for comparative measurements.

Plate I Modified U Bolt

5 The soil test showed the soil type as sandy loam soil. During the ploughing, the stresses on the brackets and on the stabilizer shafts were converted to voltages and read on the digital multimeters as the output voltages. Using the following relationships, these voltages were converted to stress (N/m2).
dR R dL Mechanical Strain = L Strain sensitivit y f =
= d R 1 R f

According to Kurtz et al (1984), when two gauges are used, one as a dummy,
Vo = dR Vi 2R

Where Vo = Voltage out Vi = Voltage in

E 1 2
E 2V o 1 1 2 Vi f

2 =

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Measurements were taken on the effect of speed on stress development on both the brackets and the stabilizers at 13.3%MC while ploughing was done at the depth of 20cm and the width of 1m. It was observed that stress increased with increase in speed of ploughing. However the increases on the right side of the lift system were observed to be substantially higher than those on the left side. The maximum stress (39N/m2) measured during the experiment is taken as the working stress. This working stress 39N/m2 is greater than the calculated working stress of the material (14N/m2), it shows that there are chances of occasional increases of stress as a result of stumps and non- uniformity of farmlands. The presence of stumps and none uniformity of farmlands are some of the causes of shock stress on the Steyr lift system which is very destructive to the system tillage. This contributes to the failures of the right brackets and the axle of the Steyr tractor. The graphs on figures 2 to 5 show the effect of speed on stress development on brackets and stabilizers.

6 This increase of stress with speed agrees with Kamal et al, (1999). On this soil, increase of ploughing speed above 7.0km/hr is seen to produce a sharp increase in stress on both brackets and stabilizers. The use of the modified U bolt is seen to reduce the stress from 39N/m2 to 3N/m2. The modified U bolt absorbed impact shocks leading to the reduction of stress that could have otherwise be destructive.

Stress on Right Bracket [N/mm2]

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 2 4 6 8 10 Speed [km/hr] y = 2.1987x2 - 29.225x + 99.984 R2 = 0.9996 y = 3.642x2 - 48.084x + 194.93 R2 = 0.9667 Steyr 'U' Bolt Modified 'U' Bolt Poly. (Steyr 'U' Bolt) Poly. (Modified 'U' Bolt)

Fig. 2 Effect of Speed of Ploughing on Stress Development on the Right Bracket (Sandy Loam Soil of 13.3%M.C at 20cm depth of ploughing)

Stress on Left Bracket [N/mm2]

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0

y = 4.0327x2 - 51.245x + 175.22 R2 = 0.9968 Steyr 'U' Bolt Modified 'U' Bolt Poly. (Steyr 'U' Bolt) Poly. (Modified 'U' Bolt) y = 1.2621x2 - 16.434x + 55.606 R2 = 0.9982 2 4 6 8 10

Speed [km/hr]

Figure 3 Effect of Speed of Ploughing on Stress Development on the Left Bracket (Sandy Loam Soil of 13.3%M.C at 20cm depth of ploughing)

Stress on Right Stab. [N/mm2]

30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 2 4 6 8 10 Speed [km/hr] y = 1.1778x 2 - 14.395x + 46.212 R2 = 0.9991 y = 0.9971x 2 - 8.4566x + 19.754 R2 = 0.9738 Steyr 'U' Bolt Modified 'U' Bolt Poly. (Steyr 'U' Bolt) Poly. (Modified 'U' Bolt)

Figure 4 Effect of Speed of Ploughing on Stress Development on the Right Stabilizer (Sandy Loam Soil of 13.3%M.C at 20cm depth of ploughing)

25 Stress on Left Stab. [N/mm2] 20 15 10 5 0 0 2 4 6 8 10 Speed [km/hr] y = 1.0579x 2 - 13.468x + 45.451 R2 = 0.9979 y = 2.8554x 2 - 38.766x + 137.11 R2 = 0.9717 Steyr 'U' Bolt Modified 'U' Bolt Poly. (Steyr 'U' Bolt) Poly. (Modified 'U' Bolt)

Figure 5 Effect of Speed of Ploughing on Stress Development on the Left Stabilizer (Sandy Loam Soil of 13.3%M.C at 20cm depth of ploughing)

CONCLUSSION Increase of speed of ploughing with the Steyr U bolt on the Steyr tractor, brings about an increase of destructive stress on the lift system and the axle. RECOMMENDATION In order to avoid the breakdown of the Steyr tractor stabilizer brackets and the axle, it is recommended that the modified U bolt is adopted for use on the Steyr tractor and ploughing speed on this land is kept below 7.0km/hr. REFERENCES Kamal, A.R., Odesanmi, 0.0. and Onwualu, A.P. (1999). Effect of Speed and Depth of Cut on Draught and Power Requirement of a Disc Plough. Research and information bulletin of NCAM Vol.1. Kelly,M.S (2007) Fatigue. www.wikipedia.org Khurmi R. S. and J. K .Gupta (2002). A Text Book of Machine Design. Eurasia Publishing House. New Delhi. Kurtz, G Lester Thompson, Paul Claar (1984). Design of Agricultural Machinery. John Willy and Sons, New York. Pp77-111. Chwiej, M (1979). Maszynoznastwo Ogolne. Panstwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Warszawa. Microsoft Encarta (2006) Microsoft corporation Michael A. M. (1990). Irrigation Theory and practice. Vikas Publishing House PVT Ltd, New Delhi. pp.448-584. Otmianowski, T. (1983). Procesy Odnowy Maszyn Rolniczych. PWRiL. Warszawa.