IMPROVEMENT OF ROTARY MACHINE FOR RIDGE FORMING

The authors present the design of a twin-rotor machine for ridge bed forming in cultivation of vegetables technologies. The field tests of the machine prototypes carried out jointly by Federal Agroengineering Center VIM and Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy have shown that this design does not always loosen the topsoil in accordance with the agronomic requirements for ridge formation. A mathematical model has been developed to enable computer calculations of the rational parameters of the machine’s working parts – tiller rotor diameters and speeds. Computer simulations have been performed to calculate the machine’s kinematic parameters – feed to the cutter and the degree of crumbling (the thickness of soil cut off by the tiller rotors), as well as energy indicators – soil resistance forces acting on the rotors, driving torques, as well as the power transmitted through the tractor’s power takeoff shaft. The considered mathematical model of the machine operation takes into account various soil conditions. Recommendations have been worked out to improve the machine design by driving the rear tiller rotor from the hydraulic motor. According to analytical studies, in order to improve the quality of tillage and reduce energy costs, it is necessary to smoothly change the rear rotor speed in the range between 150 and 200 min-1. The upgraded machine will provide high-quality tillage at the depth of up to 12 cm with grinding of crop residues and mulching the field surface with teeth of the rear tiller rotor for planting potato and Jerusalem artichoke in the system of elite seed production, and cutting the ridges in the cultivation of carrot, lettuce and other vegetables in the open ground in all climatic zones of Russia.