Search Results

The feasibility study of using machine vision technology to locate corn plants was conducted to determine its potential in the development of an intelligent detasseling machine. A corn plant feature, the main vein of leaf, was used and the method of feature detection was developed for corn plant identification. Experimental results showed that the leaf feature and the center of the plant can be detected and located using image processing techniques when an image is taken from above of a plant. This research showed that it is possible to identify and locate the corn plant using machine vision technology.

Financial planners are always anxious to assist engineers and scientists in making retirement decisions. Many engineers, especially Industrial Engineers (IE), have had courses that provide the knowledge to make these retirement financial plans themselves. This paper will provide a method of estimating retirement needs utilizing Excel software and IE college coursework.

Towed vibratory rollers are still commonly used for many soil compaction projects. Pneumatic tire vibration dampers are used for isolating vibration excited by drum frequency generation devices. Static stiffness of these air vibration dampers is different from standard tires. The configuration of the tire shell is an important influence upon damper stiffness. The vibration transmissibility can be changed by adjusting tire pressure to obtain the isolation effect desired within a small range.

Farmers are a small group, mostly college educated who run multi-million dollar yearly operations. Recent favorable economics has allowed this sector to look at new technology and determine the best way to invest in it. New considerations in the last few years have led to minimum/alternative tillage and planting, site specific farming decisions and small technology groups of farmers. The authors have put together their thoughts and wants which should be evaluated by future suppliers of technology and farm machinery.

Two stroke cycle chainsaw engines were tested comparing an ethanol/sunflower oil mixture to a conventional fuel mixture. Preliminary results indicated difficulty in starting below 50°F (10°C), high engine temperatures, gum deposits and possible lubrication breakdown; which indicate potential problems of using this fuel.

During the next ten years the United States will experience a change in farm structure. A smaller number of farms will be producing more food. Both very small and very large farms will increase in numbers. They will change to be more diversified in production, utilize on-farm processing of consumer products, and apply advances in automation. These changes are needed to provide consumers food that is cost and quality competitive in worldwide markets. This paper is intended to instill the reader into becoming aware of the changes in technology, marketing, banking, labor and population interests. These trends will direct new farm mechanization towards intelligent machines capable of doing a multitude of tasks. Advances in vision systems, lasers, speech recognition, and bubble memory will be incorporated into mechanized robots and controlled traffic systems. In no way is this paper to be construde as a forecast because the direction of technology can not be forecasted.

The new design for a diesel engine chassis mount bracket was fitted with strain gages and placed in a test vehicle instrumented with an on-board data acquisition system to find stress levels under actual service conditions. All experimental stresses were smaller than endurance limit of the part, so the bracket was predicted to have infinite life. In addition, a finite element model of the chassis mount bracket was optimized. The solution suggested removal of three portions of the bracket, reducing the weight by 13.49% and saving some manufacturing costs.

Forecasting the sales of combines and tractors in today's ever changing and volatile marketplace is a difficult task; moreover, it is becoming increasingly important to manufacturers whose goal is to maximize profits with just-in-time policies. Farmers are independent business managers who react to a variety of factors and a unique set of circumstances. Predicting how these individuals will respond to changes in the economic atmosphere is an even more perplexing task than forecasting their business environment. Individually, some farmers may choose to postpone machinery purchases when their cashflow is reduced. Collectively, farmers react to certain factors in a more cohesive manner. For example, if farm commodity prices rise and interest rates are relaxed the agricultural sector will undoubtably increase machinery purchases. Therefore, Federal government policies and also fiscal and monetary policies affect both the farmer's income and the associated agricultural industries sales.

A multi-sensing device with a piezoresistive pressure sensor for hydraulic system control was developed, applied to a hydraulic belt conveyor and tested. One single pressure sensor was installed inside a hydraulic motor. By analyzing the output signals, the following engineering variables were measured and could be analyzed: running speed, torque, absolute displacement, horsepower, pressure, mass flow rate of conveyed materials and even malfunction diagnosis. High speed resolution, torque and mass flow rate measurements are focused on in this paper. Based on data sampling rates and windows, high resolution speed data from a hydraulic motor sensor was measured. Relationships between mass flow rates on the conveyor belt and torques due to loading under various situations are presented.

A multi-sensing device with a piezoresistive pressure sensor for hydraulic system control was developed, applied to a hydraulic belt conveyor and tested. The following variables were measured and could be analyzed: speed, torque, absolute displacement, horsepower, pressure, oil flow rate, mass flow rate of conveyed materials and even malfunction diagnosis. The concept may have applications in automated payload measuring on cargo aircraft, although the primary interest was for agricultural applications. Hydraulic motor speeds with high resolutions were measured. Also, relationships between mass flow rates on the conveyor belt and required torque due to loading under various situations were presented. A formula for calculating effective belt tension was developed and could be used to control mass flow by measuring the change in motor torque. This multi-sensing device and control system would be applied to any hydraulic system with hydraulic motors.

A procedure for simulating the dynamics of agricultural and forestry machines using mechanical system simulation software is presented. A soil/track interface model including rubber-track and steel-track was introduced as well as equations that can be used to model mechanical and hydraulic power trains commonly found in tracked vehicles. Two rubber-tracked vehicles (agricultural tractors) and two steel-tracked machines (forestry vehicles) were simulated to illustrate the technique, and some analysis results are presented. The examples given in this paper are based on the author’s research over the past several years.

A prototype in-field transport system for high-value crops was designed and built. This system carries a semi-trailer upon two rubber-tracked undercarriages. A mechanism was designed for timely assembly and disassembly of the system. A set of field experiments was conducted to compare the sinkage, motion resistance, and drawbar forces of the rubber-track versus the current pneumatic-tire system. Increased flotation was observed with the prototype system. The motion resistance of the track system was less than or greater than that of the pneumatic-tire system depending on the soil condition. The prototype met performance objectives during assembly, operation, and disassembly of the system.