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A machine was built to study non-rolling tire stiffness and damping coefficient of agricultural tractor tires in the vertical direction. Measurements of static deflection and contact area on a rigid surface can be performed. During dynamic experiments, a sinusoidal deflection function is imposed to the test tire to determine dynamic stiffness and damping coefficient. The experimental setup and methodology are described in this paper. A complete sample test and its analysis are also presented. This paper was approved for publication by the Director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station as publication number 93-07-7238. Trade names are used solely to provide specific information. Mention of a trade name does not constitute a warranty of the product by the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station of the LSU Agricultural Center nor an endorsement to the exclusion of other products not mentioned. The authors are François P. Brassart, Graduate Research Assistant, and Malcolm E.

Sweet potato harvesting requires the destruction of a massive amount of above ground vine material before digging can begin. The efficiency of harvesting is greatly increased if the potatoes are detached from their root stems before they are dug. The development of a machine in a university mechanization research program which successfully accomplished these two tasks is reported, including field testing on commercial farms and laboratory test results. Further, the development of drawings and bills of material resulting in a “know-how” contract between the university and the manufacturer, and the subsequent cooperation between these two, are described.