Performance Assessment of Front-Mounted Beet Topper Machine for Biomass Harvesting

Sugar beet is an extensive crop of great agronomic value with significant productive and economic returns and Ukraine’s sugar beet accounts for about 5.1% of the overall world production. Sugar beets and the by-products resulting from its manufacturing transformation are a significant renewable energy resource. A new high-quality performance prototype of a sugar beet top harvester, front mounted on a tractor, was built by the authors in Ukraine. The aim of this study is to evaluate the main performance parameters related to the operation of this new machine. Field tests were carried out linking the prototype to a wheel tractor, whilst suitable sensors measured the significant kinematic and dynamic parameters, allowing experimental data collection to assess the machine’s performance parameters. The entire technological process of harvesting and transporting the beet tops to the beet top storage unit required power ranging from 6.42 to 17.65 kW. At the topmost tested forward speed, the required tractor traction force was less than 1.9 kN with the power required by the shaft that drives the screw conveyor ranging from 3.1 to 4.6 kW. This value was the lowest for a speed of the tractor–beet top harvesting machine aggregate ranging from 0.9 to 1.2 m · s − 1 .

The Effect of Materials on the Efficiency of the Spiroid Gearing

The contribution deals with is the material selection for spiroid gear. The combination of the softer material of one wheel with the harder material of the other wheel (or gear worm) is used for the trains of gears. The measurements were executed on the measurement stand comprising the machine aggregate with the spiroid drive. In Stage 1 of measurement, the spiroid gear was made of the steel gear worm and of the bronze wheel, in Stage 2 of measurements, it was made of the steel gear worm and of the plastic wheel. The efficiency was evaluated for various levels of the load moment, lubrication and material type used.

Contribution to Dynamical Properties of Machine Aggregates with Gearing

This contribution is focused on the impact of real gearing to the dynamics of gearing and a machine aggregate system. It is shown that a mechanical reduction gearbox is the source of excitation with a large range of frequencies. The mechanical part of drives, with respect to its electrical part, is the subject of control which should ensure optimal movement modes with regards to the technological process.

Investigation of Transient Phenomena in the Machine Aggregate with Gear Transmission

The main focus of contribution is analysis of impact of selected parameters real gearing on dynamics of machine aggregate with gearing transmission. From point of gearing a lot of factors influence on the dynamics of the machine aggregate. The internal ones are mainly the choice of gearing basic parameters, material, production technology, accuracy of toothing and gearing clearance, but deformations, production accuracy, wear and working environment. Specifically, the electromechanical system consisting from direct-current motor and mechanical gearbox with gearing clearance is solved. Analysed machine aggregate coming out from fundamental dynamic model, composed from basic subsystems: source, gearing and driven mechanism, an impact to gearing and a mutual relation between gearing and the rest of system are looked for.

Kinematical Analysis of Gearboxes with Spiroid Gears

The paper investigates the issue of the asymetric worms´ profile (Fig. 10) of the spiroid gear comprising the direct line worm surface which occurs by the motion of the constituent direct line u upon the helix regarding the steady-state coordinate system 0 (x,y,z). There are described the characteristic attributes of spiroid gears in the article. Some kinematical inaccuracies caused by mistakes in gearing assembly are analyzed there. A testing stand is supposed to carry out an experimental research of inaccuracies influence on smooth run of machine aggregate.