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Crop height and density estimation ahead of the combine harvester have been investigated over the last 30 years, but they remain a challenge. LiDAR technology is increasingly being investigated for phenotyping and monitoring of cereals. However, so far, little has been published about the influence of laser mounting position and robust online measurement of height and density from a single LiDAR scan. Therefore, the influence of the angle and height of the LiDAR mounting on crop height and density estimation in wheat and barley was investigated in this study. Tests were conducted in different crop heights, densities, moisture levels and varieties. The crop height was estimated with a root mean squared error of 0.082 m at an angle of 90° between the LiDAR scanning plane and the horizontal. Two methods were compared for crop density estimation. The inter-percentile and the transversal variance method both successfully predicted the crop density, but the variance based method performed better with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.77 and a root mean squared error of 82 g [dry ears] m-2. When considering only one variety, the performance improved to reach an R2 of 0.8 and a root mean squared error of 44 g [dry ears] m-2. Variation in mounting angle of the sensor had less effect on the prediction accuracy than the mounting height.

Agricultural machinery is crucial to agriculture because it enables field activities and production in large scale. Through mechanisation, agriculture requires inputs such as fuel and indirectly demands materials. Its impact can be assessed through energy, water and carbon footprints. Some studies have updated indices for agricultural machinery, showing different results from those of the 1970s and 1980s. This study presents environmental indices based on energy, carbon and water footprints for the life cycle of six types of agricultural machinery. The machines studied were tractors, sugarcane harvesters, coffee harvesters, sprayers, planters and combiners. Inputs used directly (assembly phase) and for the maintenance phase have been taken into account. The total energy, carbon and water footprints were by multiplying the material flows by their respective energy embodiments, consumed water and carbon footprints indices. Carbon steel accounted for the highest share (30–70%) of energy demand, 45–79% of carbon footprint and 19–59% of water footprint. However, the coffee harvester was an exception since it used nylon making it the machinery with the largest water footprint. Repair and maintenance accounted for a smaller share of all footprints, except for the sugarcane harvester. The water footprint was from 21 to 55 m³ for tractors and between 35 and 391 m3 for other machines. Energy demand varied between 259 and 685 GJ to tractors and between 400 and 3500 GJ for other machines. The carbon footprint varied between 11 and 30 t CO2e for tractors and between 27 and 176 tonne [CO2e] for other machines.

The transverse distribution of the threshed material in a typical tangential-longitudinal flow combine harvester is uneven and this is likely to cause local accumulation of materials on the cleaning screen. Cleaning performance and efficiency reducing problems are easily caused. In this study, discrete element simulation was applied. The distribution position of the guide strips on the threshed outputs distribution was analysed. The threshing outputs under threshing cylinder were divided into seven sections, with the total making up the threshing ration. Using the standard deviation of threshing ratio as an evaluation criterion, the optimal structural parameters of the distribution devices were obtained. In order to verify parameter accuracy, field tests were carried out to monitor the threshed outputs distribution along the transverse direction on the cleaning screen. The cleaning loss rate was analysed statistically. It was concluded that the cleaning performance of tangential-longitudinal-flow combine harvester was increased by the automatic distributing system; including threshed outputs, lateral distribution evenness along cleaning shoe was improved and local accumulation was reduced. The adaptive system decreased the criterion used for evaluation by 42%. Under a 1 m s−1 working condition, cleaning loss decreased by 71.67%, and under a 1.5 m s−1 working condition, the cleaning loss decreased by 50%.

Aiming at the problems of the single control scheme, the few aspects of monitoring and diagnosis, and the large delay time of the plot combine harvester, this paper designs the forward speed control algorithm of the plot Chinese cabbage seed harvester. This paper studies the theory of association rules, has used SQL Server to build a database including the job parameters of the main monitoring objects, and has mined the association rules between the job parameters and the feed amount through Analysis Service. Combining the knowledge of association rules and ordinary fuzzy PID algorithm, the article has built a model and performed simulation verification. The results show that the algorithm can adjust the forward speed reasonably and quickly when the feed volume increases.

With a view to implementing Precision Agriculture (PA) technologies like Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) in mechanized harvesting this study was carried out in southern Bangladesh. In this study, the harvesting speed and machine idle time of a mini combine harvester were evaluated from geo-referenced data through visual inspection which was created using ArcGIS. The linear speed trendline obtained from the GPS data indicated an average harvesting speed slightly above 2 km/h and GIS mapping showed that the harvester was idle for as long as 15 seconds or more on some occasions. In addition, an attempt was also taken to build a relationship between harvesting speed and heading changes. The results revealed that no significant relationship existed between harvesting speed and heading changes. In the case of machine idle time, from the developed map it could be easily identified where on the field and how much time the machine was idle during the harvesting operation. Application of GPS technology in farm machinery management might create some opportunity to obtain spatial data regarding machine operation. Again, machine data with geo coordinates can enable farmers and farm managers to identify the causes of inadequate machine performance and take actions to increase farm productivity. [J Bangladesh Agril Univ 2020; 18(3.000): 751-759]

This study aims to investigate the actual field speed of rice combine harvester and its influence on grain loss in mechanized rice harvesting in Malaysian paddy field. The study was carried out at rice granaries in Bagan Serai, Perak state of Malaysia during harvesting seasons. Actual field speed of rice combine harvester as daily practiced by the operator was recorded through field observation measurements. Besides that, its influence on grain loss in paddy field was also evaluated. The findings of the study found that the combine harvester field speeds in rice harvesting under Malaysian paddy field conditions ranged from 3.87 km/h to 6.11 km/h. While, the best field speed was noticed to be 3.87 km/h, which contributed only 0.67% grain loss or equal to MYR8.04/ha (USD 1.96/ha) of profit losses. The field speed also showed a linear relationship with grain loss. Conclusively, the results can encourage the improvement of mechanization quality in an effort to reduce rice farmer’s profit losses through minimizing grain loss in rice harvesting.

The gap between concave grid and drum, the threshing gap, is one of the important operating parameters that affects the performance of threshing devices. The different methods currently adopted on combine harvesters to adjust both the drum and the concave, results in concentric and non-concentric threshing gaps that have different influence on e threshing performance. The threshing process is complex, therefore, in order to analyse the influence of the threshing gap on performance, flexible rice straw models were built using the discrete element method to simulate the threshing processes of the two adjustment methods. Their respective movements, separation status and the distribution of the mixture of the threshed output were examined. Simulation results indicated that over the same time, drum adjustment produced better material separation and transportation capabilities and more evenly distributed output mixture in the reception box, compared with the concave adjustment. A threshing experiment on a combine harvester was performed in order to verify the simulation result and the output mixture distribution status was found to be consistent with the results of the simulations. The experimental results showed that threshing was more effectively improved by changing the threshing drum diameter although the threshing gap was more complicated to adjust.

Aiming at real time rotation speed control of threshing drum and cleaning fan for combine harvester, a stepless speed regulation mechanism was developed. Test show that the adjustable range of fan was 600～1150 r/min, average adjustment speed was 9.2 r/s, the absolute error of stable speed was less than 0.72 r/min. The average speed response time was 1.33s, the overshoot was less than 8 r/s. The adjustable range of the drum was 700～1100 r/min and the average adjustment speed was 2.1 r/s. The absolute error of stable speed did not exceed 0.62 r/min, and the maximum relative deviation was 0.38%

The threshing and cleaning device in the grain combine harvester is located in the same airtight space, and the air flow field in it should also be studied and tested as a whole system. In order to study the distribution of air flow field and the influence of working parameters on the air flow field in the internal space of threshing and cleaning system, the method of predicting harvest performance indexes (grain loss rate and grain impurity rate) by air flow field analysis was explored. First of all, taking the longitudinal grain combine harvester of our research group as the test object and taking the rotating speed of centrifugal fan, the angle of fan plate, the opening of chaffer, and the rotating speed of threshing cylinder as the research factors, the internal space flow channel model of threshing and cleaning system under different working conditions was established and CFD software was used to simulate and analyze the air flow field. At the same time, the hot wire anemometer is used to measure and verify the distribution of air flow field in the threshing and cleaning system under various working conditions. Then, the harvest performance index of the threshing and cleaning system under the rated feeding rate is tested under the corresponding working conditions to find the relationship between the distribution of air flow field and harvest performance, put forward the corresponding analysis and prediction methods, and establish the mathematical relationship model between the simulated air flow field and harvest performance index. The results of simulation and experiment show that the average air velocity can more accurately reflect the cleaning performance. The mathematical function of the relation curve is Y = 11.71X − 4.76, and the prediction error is within 9.4%. The air velocity in the middle area of the vibrating screen is approximately in proportion to the cleaning performance, which provides the theoretical and experimental basis for the design of the threshing and cleaning device and the adjustment of the working parameters in the field harvest. In addition, it can save the design time and cost and reduce the seasonal impact of field experiment.

The paper presents the analysis results of the methods applied to comparative tests of combine harvesters for threshing grain crops in various climatic zones of Russia. In the USSR, in accordance with the current GOSTs, machine testing stations carried out comparative tests of combines during threshing grain crops with a yield of 4 t/ha by direct combining method in the phase of full ripeness of grain, but no later than 7 days after its onset. At the design stage, the throughput of a combine harvester is calculated taking into account the design parameters of the working bodies of the combine, engine power, thresher width, specific power per unit of throughput, hopper volume and other factors. The classification of combines according to design parameters does not characterize their potential functionality and work efficiency under production conditions with significant fluctuations in the yield of grain crops. It is necessary to comply with the main principle of comparative tests of combines – the identity of their operating conditions. If this principle is violated, it makes no sense to analyze the results. It is necessary to substantiate the methodology of comparative tests of combines in various climatic zones of the country. Given the different yields in certain zones of Russia, especially in the Siberian region, it is necessary to determine not only the nominal throughput for the rational use of the harvester, but also to what extent it can vary depending on harvesting conditions. A technological passport is needed for each combine, which will allow to quickly develop an operation process chart for threshing grain crops in relation to a specific field and taking into account yield and other production efforts. Operation process charts, unlike technological passports, determine the task for performing specific work, subject to technological modes, that ensure high quality products by direct combining and swath harvesting methods with rational loading of the combine thresher. They help to identify actual and estimated cost of grain, taking into account the need in combines and combine operators.

Pemanenan padi di Indonesia saat ini masih di dominasi oleh tenaga manusia dengan menggunakan tenaga kerja yang sangat tinggi, kurang lebih 40 % dari penggunaaan tenaga kerja orang untuk padi sawah secara intensif. Disamping masalah tenaga kerja masalah budaya juga disebabkan tingginya susut panen padi disawah, dimana angka susut pascapanen adalah 20% (Handaka, 2007).Penelitian dilakukan di kabupaten Bojonegoro tahun 2019, ynang diwakili oleh beberapa wilayah sebagai sampel, yang dipilih dengan cara Cluster Sampling berdasarkan kecamatan. Penelitian ini menggunakan perpaduan Metode Survey Analitis dan Metode Survey Deskriptif.Hasil Penelitian menunjukkan bahwa efektifitas penggunaan mesin pemanen padi tertinggi di Kabupaten Bojonegoro adalah sebesar 58% . Berdasarkan rasio efektivitas produksi terhadap efektivitas penggunaan mesin pemanen padi combine berada pada persentase di atas 100% dan dikategorikan Kurang efektif. Hal ini karena kinerja dari alat Combine harvester sangat dipengaruhi oleh kondisi lahan pada saat pemanenan, yang dimana pada saat panen kondisi lahan yang tergenangi air sangat berpangruh pada pergerakan alat pada lahan serta kecepatan alat pada saat panen dikarenakan kondisi tanah yang berlumpur dapat membuat kecepatan dan pergerakan alat relatif lambat. Dampak penggunaan teknologi combine terhadap pendapatan masyarakat di Kabupaten Bojojnegoro sebesar 14.600.000 rupiah/ha (36,04%) dengan kriteria R/C 1, maka usahatani mengalami keuntungan karena penerimaan lebih besar dari pada pengeluaran. Diharapkan pemerintah terus mengupayakan pemerataan mesin pemanen padi combine harvester karena teknologi tersebut dapat meningkatkan pendapatan masyarakat petani. Kata kunci : efektivitas, pemanenan, padi, petani

Compaction-induced soil degradation is of growing importance as field machinery continues to increase in power and mass. Approaches to managing the impacts of soil compaction include minimisation (reduce load), remediation (tillage) and confinement (control traffic). Integrated ‘swarms’ of low-mass autonomous machinery have recently been suggested as a means of reducing compaction and an alternative to controlled traffic. In this study, combine and potato harvester machinery relationships were used to predict the specifications of potential low-mass harvesters for use in soil compaction modelling. Results suggested that combine harvester gross vehicle mass (GVM) must be less than 6 Mg to keep the modelled soil bulk density below 1.4 Mg m-3. With this constraint, 6-9 small harvesters (~50 kW) would be required to replace one Class 9 (>300 kW) harvester. A fleet of this size would require access to unloading facilities every 2.5-3 min for the modelled yield conditions. For root and tuber harvesting, which results in a high degree of soil disturbance, no low-mass harvester option was found that would avoid compacting the soil to unacceptable limits. Avoiding soil compaction while maintaining acceptable productivity will pose considerable design and logistics challenges for low-mass grain, root and tuber vegetable harvest machinery. The integration of controlled traffic farming (CTF) and medium-capacity autonomous machines (~10-20 Mg GVM for combine harvesters) may be a better solution for both soil compaction and operational logistics than low-mass swarm technology.

The problems of increasing soybean production in Russia’s Amur oblast through the optimization of the structure of sown areas, enhancement of the material and technical basis, restoration of soil fertility, and the use of other techniques are considered. The obtained data on the chemical composition and nutrient value of the noncereal part of the soybean yield confirm the high fodder advantages of chaff (0.56 fodder units), which should be used in animal husbandry, while the straw should be chopped and covered with the soil. Taking into account significant differences in the structure, thickness, and stiffness of soybean stalks compared to grain crops, a design of a grinding device has been developed and proposed. This device is provided with rotary cutting elements of a segment type, placed double-thread-wise along the helix and along the entire length of the shredding drum at an angle of 36°; these cutting elements rotate in a vertical plane and alternately interact with shearing segments, which are rigidly fixed on an adjustable beam. Due to the uniform action of the cutting elements, this grinding device, IRVS-1200, allows for reducing the cost of power for grinding and provides high-quality grinding and uniform distribution of chopped straw on the field surface. When using this grinding device on the combine harvester with reapers over 6 m wide, it is necessary to increase the air flow rate to 7 m/s by increasing the rotation frequency of the shredding drum up to 40 s–1 and the angle of installation of the guiders to 70°. Embedding of chopped straw into the soil by disking or cultivation improves the structure of the soil and increases the fertility and productivity of grain crops and soybean.

Guidelines for the repair and adjustment of forage harvesters KPU-75, KPI-2,4, KIK-3000 "Polesie", KSS-2,6A-1, KSS-1,8 are intended for farmers, machine operators and specialists engaged in technical service and operation of agricultural machinery in farms and repair and maintenance enterprises. When developing recommendations, we used the documentation of manufacturers, materials of the Federal state budgetary institution VIM (GOSNITI) and advanced experience in repairing forage harvesting equipment. The fi rst part of the recommendations contains the main requirements that ensure the performance of forage harvesters, as well as safety measures for their repair. The second part of the recommendations provides instructions on how to prepare forage harvesters for operation.

When unloading grain harvester hoppers at standstill the time of emptying the hopper has a significant effect on the harvester productivity. The paper is about a conducted survey in 15 agricultural farms with 15 harvesters monitored including 14 models of 6 different brands during wheat harvesting. The time for emptying the grain hopper of the harvesters was defined by measuring the time. It was found that the actual time for emptying the hoppers of the studied harvesters was 134.85 s, and the actual flow rate of unloading of the screw in them being 69.63 L/s on average. A multivariate regression analysis was performed on the effect of the harvester grain hopper volume and the actual flow rate of the unloading screw on the time from switching on the unloading screw till its switching off in various grain harvesters. An adequate mathematical model of the effect of the hopper volume and the flow rate of the unloading screw of grain harvesters on the time for emptying the grain hopper under real production conditions has also been created. These results can also be used for minimizing costs in the technological process at harvesting.

The article is devoted to an urgent problem – reducing grain losses during harvesting of lodged grains by the combing method. It provides a description of the design and the principle of operation of the developed copying crop lifter of the combing header, as well as the methodology and the results of laboratory and field studies to substantiate its rational structural and operational parameters. Laboratory and field studies were carried out on the fields of the OOO Russkoye Polye (LLC) of the Penza Region in accordance with GOST 28301 – 2007 «Combine harvesters. Test Methods» in the harvesting of winter wheat. The area of the plot was 12 hectares, the yield was 47 kg/ha, the lodging reached 64%, the ratio of grain mass to straw mass was 1:1.3. The harvesting unit was the Akros – 595 combine harvester with the ZhO – 7 «OZON» combing header equipped with copying crop lifters. Losses after the combing header were determined by the method of the frame superposition. As the results of laboratory and field studies show, the minimum grain losses (no more than 2.5%) when harvesting lodged grains is ensured when the length of the crop lifter L = 470...540 mm, the gas stop pressure P = 50...60 N and the unit operating speed Up = 1,2…2,0 m/s., Volga Region Farmland, Выпуск 2 (6) 2020

When a rice combine harvester operates in the field, its frame vibrates significantly under multi-source excitation forces which can cause complex vibration and structural deformation. The vibration response of combine harvester frame under multi-source excitation was deduced. Based on the multi-source excitation of combine harvester, the chassis frame and the threshing frame were assembled into a complete combine harvester frame, which was used to analyse the constraint modal characteristics and its internal connection. A dynamic model of the combine harvester frame as a 7-degrees of freedom rigid body was developed to obtain modal shape and frequency. The excitation parameters of the dynamic model and its vibration response were developed in MATLAB. Vibration response of rice combine harvester frame was tested to verify the dynamic model. By comparing the independent modal frequency of the chassis frame and threshing frame with that of the complete combine harvester frame, the constant modal frequency of complete combine was shown to be directly related to the independent modal frequency of the chassis frame and the threshing frame. The amplitude of signal simulated by the vibration model of combine harvester frame was consistent with the measured amplitude of the frame, which verified the validity of the dynamic model. The six orders constant modal frequencies of the combine harvester frame were within the operating frequency range that could cause complex vibration coupling and resonance. Vibration response of rice combine harvester frame under multi-source excitation could provide a reference for further improvements in the combine harvester frames.

At present, loss rate and grain damage are the most complicated problems for combine harvester. Besides, existing controllers that control threshing quality do not take into account environmental noise, data fluctuations, and other detection factors. In this paper, considering the interference of uncertain factors, a control strategy with low crashed rate and reduced loss rate using type-2 Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) is proposed. This control strategy takes threshing separation component as a research object and adopts combination of theory with experimental analysis. Firstly, basic data acquisition experiment of threshing system is designed. Secondly, a control strategy is established by adequately previous filled test data. In the process of control strategy design, Fuzzy Logic Toolbox evaluates the performance of type-2 FLC. Integral of Square Error (ISE) and Integral of the Absolute value of the Error (IAE) show a better performance of type-2 FLC than of type-1 FLC. At last, field experiments are designed to verify the effectiveness of type-2 control strategy. The field test shows that the maximum reduction of grain damage rate and loss rate can reach to 44.08 % and 29.6 %. Experiment results show that the type-2 FLC can significantly reduce loss rate, crashed rate, and improve threshing quality.

Introduction.The article deals with adjusting the parameter settings of a combine harvester working bodies. For adjustment of complex hierarchical multilevel systems, the intellectual methods based on fuzzy expert information are used. The incoming quantitative, qualitative and evaluation information is analyzed when adjusting the combine harvester. The different types of uncertainty in considering semantic spaces of external environment factors and regulated parameters of the machine cause the application of logical and linguistic approach and mathematical apparatus of fuzzy logic for determining the optimal initial settings. The complex system of interrelations between parameters, indicators of quality of harvest, and factors of external environment causes the necessity to adjust the parameters of combine working elements in the process of harvesting. This function is performed by the correction unit in the intelligent decision support system. In the present article, the questions of creating a knowledge base for correcting adjustment parameters in cases when there are deviations of values of harvesting quality indicators from normative values are considered in detail. Materials and Methods. Interrelations between performance indicators and regulated parameters are established by empirical rules obtained through the collection and analysis of expert information. To optimize the mechanism of intellectual information system output and reduce the time of decision making, there is a necessity to establish the relevance of used knowledge base rules. To solve this problem, theoretical and game approaches are used, concepts of the matrix of performance indicators and the matrix of risks of making an inefficient decision are used. Results. An example of choosing a strategy of searching for an adequate response to the fault of the harvesting indices in the form of “losses of feeble grain with chaff” has been given. The choice of fault response strategies on the basis of Laplace criterion, expectedvalue criterion, and Savage test used for decision-making in “games with nature” has been considered. The method of the decision-making process in the problem under consideration with the application of the mentioned criteria were illustrated, the analysis of the obtained results was carried out. Discussion and Conclusion. The suggested approach substantially increases performance of the unit of intelligent system updating. It allows structuring the expert knowledge base and establishing an optimal sequence of application of production rules; this provides efficiency of the updating process of the adjustable harvester parameters and also reduces the time for decision-making. This approach can be used while solving the problems of updating technological adjustments in different technical systems and devices.

Agricultural machineries as one of the main inputs in producing agricultural materials are associated with some problems on occupational health such as vibrations. At the lowest level, vibrations cause different diseases such as those affecting blood vessels, nerves, muscles, etc. The aim of this study was to determine and investigate the seat vibrations in John Deere 1055I combine harvester at different conditions. The experiments were carried out based on ISO 2631 and the Iranian standard number 14133. The tests were done at different engine revolutions and gear ratios with three replications. The collected data were analyzed considering factorial experiments based on completely randomized design. The results of variance analysis related to the effect of the main factors on combine seat vibrations showed a significant difference at the probability level of 1%. Effect of engine revolutions on vibration of the combine seat was higher than that of shifting gears. By calculating the allowable exposure time, there was concluded that for the first and second gears at the engine revolution of 1800 rpm and the first gear at the revolution of 2500 rpm, operators can easily drive the combine harvester for eight hours every day without any problems. The results of this study can be used to optimize the components affecting the vibration of the combine seat.

An optimization model developed by the authors has been applied to determine the required number of cars in the harvesting and transport complex when harvesting grain for grain conditions in the Karlovsky district of the Poltava region. To determine the design parameters that depend on the conditions of the economy included in the expression for the objective function of the constructed optimization model, namely the average number of service requests per unit time and the average waiting time for each application, a calculation method has been developed. The initial data for determining these calculated parameters are combined into three groups of parameters characterizing the conditions for harvesting grain in this farm, determining the characteristics of the combine harvester, and the characteristics of the vehicle (car).Using the methods of the theory of queuing, we found such a ratio of the number of harvesting and transport equipment as part of the harvesting and transport complex that ensures the minimum total costs (correspond to the objective function of the previously proposed model), which are caused by the downtime of combines and the cost of maintaining cars.It was determined that the optimal number of cars obtained by the criterion of total costs in the harvesting and transport complex corresponds to their increased number in comparison with the accepted number of cars according to the calculation method. It has been established that with an increase in the number of cars, the total costs from downtime of combines and cars first decrease, and then increase.

The authors showed that the multichannel system state graph of modern tractors, combines and agricultural machinery in Uzbekistan, by the nature of its functioning, was a kind of mass service system. They confirmed that this circumstance was not taken into account when studying the existing system of corporate technical service. They pointed out the relevance of determining the influence of the branded technical service system parameters on its condition using the methods of the mass service theory. (Research purpose) To evaluate the state parameters of a proprietary technical service multichannel system according to the results of the timing of combine harvesters maintenance. (Materials and methods) The authors studied the multi-channel system state graph of a proprietary technical service without a queue. The system included 109 Case-2166 combine harvesters and 7 car-mobile workshops. They used the methods of mass service theory. (Results and discussion) The authors established a linear relationship between the number of occupied car-mobile workshops and the average value of the service time at a constant intensity of requirements. It was revealed that it took 3.33 hours to fix one malfunction of one combine, that is, one workshop would be occupied. If 3.24 demands were received in the service center in one hour, then all 7 auto-moving workshops would be occupied. (Conclusions) The authors revealed that for a single-channel proprietary technical service system the average value of the time for eliminating one malfunction of one combine should not exceed 3.33 hours. They calculated the parameters at which all channels (7 workshops) will be occupied in the 7-channel system of corporate technical service: 3.24 requirements arose in one hour, on average, each workshop took 2.16 hours to fix one malfunction.

The purpose of this study was to substantiate the directions of reducing the damage to seeds during harvesting of grain crops. Threshing-separating devices of combine harvesters, physicomechanical characteristics of plants using wheat as an example, and parameters and modes of threshing devices that reduce grain damage were studied. It was revealed that grain damage is a consequence of the fact that parameters and operating modes of combines' threshing-separating devices are not consistent with harvested plants' characteristics. For threshing grain without damage, the shock pulse should be enough to separate the grain from inflorescence but be less than the force restricted by elastic properties (elastic limit) of the grain. The dependence of the average value of the bonding strength between the grain and the spike on the temperature and humidity, air temperature, and the standing time since reaching full ripeness can be described by a regression equation with a correlation coefficient of 0.89 and a determination coefficient of 0.79. This equation can be applied for the operational control of the rotational speed of the drum. For the operational control of feeding the harvested crop to the threshing device of the combine in the fields, the yield in individual sections of which varies significantly, methods developed for the introduction of precision farming are proposed. To obtain information on increasing the range between the bonding strength and elastic properties of the grain and to determine the dependence of the bonding strength between the grain and the spike on the properties of plants, it is necessary to study properties of both commercial and new cultivars.

The combine harvest for soybean crops market are currently available two types of combine with header or platform, one of conventional with revolving reel with metal or plastic teeth to cause the cut crop to fall into the auger header and the other called "draper" headers that use a fabric or rubber apron instead of a cross auger, there are few test about performance of this combine header for soybean in Mato Grosso State. The aim of this work was to evaluate the soybean harvesting quantitative losses and performance using two types combine header in four travel speed. The experiment was conducted during soybean crops season 2014/15, the farm Tamboril in the municipality of Pontes e Lacerda, State of Mato Grosso. The was used the experimental design of randomized blocks, evaluating four forward harvesting speeds (4 km h-1, 5 km h-1, 6 km h-1 and 7 km h-1), the natural crops losses were analyzed, loss caused by the combine harvester (combine header, internal mechanisms and total losses) and was also estimated the field performance of each combine. Data were submitted to analysis of variance by F test and compared of the average by Tukey test at 5% probability. The results show the draper header presents a smaller amount of total loss and in most crop yield when compared with the conventional cross auger.

Conventional chopper sugarcane combine harvesters had numerous drawbacks, including high center of gravity, easy clogging, and high trash rate. In order to resolve these problems, a chopper sugarcane combine harvester with shorter roller train and primary extractor installed in the middle was designed in the present study. The proposed harvester was equipped with the roller train and billet transporters. Moreover, the structure of the primary extractor was improved, and its position was selected to address the issues of chopper harvesters. Performing the field experiment shows that the average traveling speed of the proposed machine was 2 km/h, while the average feed capacity was 5.5 kg/s. Furthermore, it was found that the qualified rate of the cutting height, rate of the broken perennial ratoon, total loss, trash rate, and the qualified rate of cane billets were 90.1%, 9.6%, 3.1%, 4.4%, and 92.1%, respectively. Field experiment showed that the proposed machine harvested 2 × 104 kg of sugarcane per hour, where the average harvesting cost was about 45 RMB per 1000 kg of the cane. It was found that the operating efficiency was approximately 200 times higher than that of the manual harvesting, while the corresponding costs were reduced by 55%–70%. Moreover, it was concluded that the proposed machine was superior over AS60 and 4GZQ-260 in terms of the harvesting performance and almost reached the level of them in regard to the economic performance.

HighlightsRotary knives were added to an ear-snapper header to increase corn stover yield in a single-pass biomass system.Stover yield increased with the number of knives but at the expense of combine productivity and fuel consumption.Bale moisture was often greater than would be considered appropriate for good aerobic conservation.Abstract.Modifications were made to a conventional ear-snapper corn header to increase corn stover yield when a single-pass round baling system was integrated with a combine harvester. To collect more leaves and top portions of stalks, knives oriented parallel to the deck plates were added to shear crop material above the ear-snapper rolls. Stover yield was primarily altered by the number of knives on the header; and to a lesser extent by the fore-and-aft position of the knives and the header height. The number of knives on a 12-row header was varied from two to six in increments of two. Stover yield increased linearly with the number of knives, and dry basis stover yield ranged from 1.1 Mg ha-1 (no knives) to 3.6 Mg ha-1 (six knives) over the five years of data collected (2012 to 2016). Combine productivity decreased linearly and specific fuel consumption increased linearly with greater stover yield. Combine productivity declined by as much as 50% when six knives were used. Dry basis bale density decreased linearly with the number of knives because the dense cobs became a smaller fraction of the total bale mass. In three of the five years, bale moisture increased linearly with the number of knives; in those three years, bale moisture was typically greater than 30% (wet basis). Adding knives to the header increased single-pass stover yield but at considerable cost to combine harvester productivity, and aerobic bale conservation would be challenged by high bale moisture. Keywords: Baling, Combine, Corn, Density, Moisture, Productivity, Stover, Yield.

The airflow cylinder sieve directly affects the harvesting effect as one of the main components of the rice combine harvester. The process of grain separated from threshed rice mixture is a multi-physical random pattern. This paper constructed accurately the components particle models, and reproduced the screening process of mixture via CFD-DEM (Computational Fluid Dynamics and Discrete Element Method). Objectives of this work are to better understand the impact of airflow velocity, aperture and deflectors of cylinder sieve on separation effect of the mixture in an airflow cylinder sieve device. The optimal working parameters of sieve were developed by the OED (Orthogonal Experiment Design) and the weight of the index method. The simulations result show that airflow velocity and aperture have an impact on the loss ratio and efficiency; deflectors have implications on efficiency. It is beneficial for separation of grain from the mixture with the airflow velocity, the aperture and deflectors are of 11m/s, 11mm, and two turns, correspondingly. The experiments result carried out on the test bench with real threshed rice mixture and agree with simulations, which proved the feasibility of the results. This paper provided basic data for the design of screening unite of rice harvester’s equipment.

HighlightsThis research was aimed at assessing the performance of a self-propelled paddy grain thresher.Increasing cylinder speed increased the threshing percentage and percentage of broken grains of the machine.More broken grains were obtained at a lower concave clearance.The feed rate did not have much significance on the performance parameters that were evaluated. Abstract.This research was conducted to assess the performance of a self-propelled mini combine harvester, model number 4LZ-0.8 under different threshing functional parameters such as cylinder speed, concave clearance, and feed rate. An indoor experiment was conducted using the mini combine with an axial flow threshing cylinder and tangential feeding of material. These functional parameters were set at 5 levels each. The responses were obtained in terms of threshing percentage, percentage of unthreshed grains and percentage of broken grains. Response values were analyzed using the response surface tool (rstool) in MATLAB. Analysis of variance was done to determine the significant effects of the factor variations on the response values. MATLAB was used to present response surface graphs that were used to describe the variations of the responses as the factors changed from one level to the other. Results showed that with an increase in cylinder speed from 697 to 1202 rpm, the percentage of broken grains increased significantly from 0.0384% to 3.4052%, respectively. At cylinder speeds of 697 and 1202 rpm, the percentage of unthreshed grains increased from 0.1515% to 0.2162%, respectively. Furthermore, an increase in feed rate decreased the threshing percentage. The highest threshing percentage was obtained at an average concave clearance of 27 mm. Furthermore, it was realized that increasing the concave clearance from 18 to 35 mm, equally increased the percentage of unthreshed grains from 0.1478% to 0.3177%. The percentage of grain damage decreased from 3.2758% to 0.0268% with an increase in concave clearance from 18 to 35 mm, respectively. From the results obtained, it was tested and suggested that operating the threshing cylinder at a cylinder speed of 1100 rpm, concave clearance of 27 mm and feed rate of 0.9 kg s-1 offered the best machine performance. At these suggested values of the operating parameters, the threshing percentage was 99.9801%, the percentage of broken grains was 0.0134%, and the percentage of unthreshed grains was 0.0199%. Keywords: Assessment, Axial threshing unit, Cylinder speed, Concave clearance, Feed rate, Functional parameters, Threshing percentage.

HIGHLIGHTSWe tested the noise of a grain combining harvester using a spiral acoustic array, aiming to identify its main sources and reduce its noise level.The noise of the harvester is mainly concentrated in the frequency range of 1 to 4 kHz.When the power of other devices is cut off, engine is the main noise source. While all devices are in normal working condition, the main source of noise is the header device and the intermediate conveying device.Abstract. The grain combine harvester is an important agricultural equipment with multiple functions of harvesting, threshing, separating, cleaning and grain gathering. As an instantaneous physical pollution, noise has become one of the main causes of modern civilization diseases. The noise generated by the operation of harvesters not only causes harm to the workers, but also leads to environmental noise pollution. Here, we tested the noise of a grain combine harvester using a spiral acoustic array, aiming to identify its main source by noise source identification technology based on the sound pressure distribution and reduce its noise level. The test results show that the noise of the harvester is mainly concentrated in the frequency range of 1 to 4 kHz. When the power of other devices is cut off, the engine is the main noise source, while under normal working conditions of all devices, the main source of noise is the header device and the intermediate conveying device on the front side of the harvester, the threshing device on the rear side, the engine and the threshing device on the left side, and the engine and the header device on the right side. Keywords: Acoustic array technology, Grain combining harvester, Noise source identification, Vibration and noise reduction.

Haor represents the food basket of Bangladesh and rice is the only crop grown once a year. Harvesting of rice is labor-intensive works and required migrated labor to complete the harvesting works. Mechanical intervention of rice harvesting is urgently needed to increase the productivity. The proper knowledge of economic valuation and operational necessities needs to use of combine harvesters. Research objective was selected to test the technical and economic analysis of Zoomlion rice combine harvester (which is originally developed in China) in Maisherkandi, Mithamain Upazila under Kishoregonj district. The above-mentioned areas are representing haor areas of Bangladesh. Based on the straight-line method, fixed cost items which are machine purchase price, shelter, tax, and insurance were calculated. During the operation of the combine harvester variable cost items such as maintenance and repair, fuel, oil, drivers and guidance were collected. The breakeven point was calculated in terms of the hectares that must be harvested yearly to cover fixed annual costs; and the payback period. Harvesting speed ranged from 1.23 - 3.20 km∙hr−1. The field capacity of harvester was obtained 0.15 ha∙hr−1 and consumed fuel of up to 32 L∙ha−1. Field sizes of less than 800 m2 should be avoided for the Zoomlion combine harvester to operate the harvester machine in an efficient manner. The combine produced grains loss ranging from 1.60% - 1.91%. At an initial cost of Tk 2,000,000, owning the combine harvester becomes profitable after 20 ha of paddy field harvested at a harvesting capacity of 0.15 ha∙hr−1. Vibration and noise were observed in tolerable limit of the operator. The operator felt comfort to operate the machine. This machine is capable to operate in the muddy field having a water height of 4 - 8 cm. Workability of the combine harvesters depended on soil, weather, crop condition, land size and shape. The combine harvester was able to develop sufficient traction in soft soil during harvesting period in haor area. Zoomlion harvester is a cost-effective and time-saving machine but the initial costs are higher.

Annotation Purpose. Assess the prospects for the creation of MTU on the basis of the chassis of the combine and identify potential technical and operational capabilities when used in various agricultural works. Methods. Methods of mathematical modeling and analysis of their estimation are applied in researches of technical and operational indicators of work of MTU. Results. The calculation schemes of completing the units with technological modules are considered, which will allow realizing the potential of the layout scheme of the energy technology means as much as possible. The study of technical and operational indicators of MTU with the use as an energy technology means of the chassis of the combine harvester KZS-9-1 “Slavutych”, which was compared with the performance of MTU on the basis of the tractor T-150K. In the course of researches the calculation of technical and operational indicators of work of MTU at disking, peeling of stubble and cultivation of soil is carried out. Conclusions. Analysis of the results of technical and operational indicators of MTU created on the basis of the chassis of a self-propelled combine harvester in comparison with a tractor of class 30 kN showed that the performance of these MTU with the same agricultural machines will not differ significantly. It should be noted that MTU as a part of energy technology means – the agro processor have worse maneuverability, stability of movement and convenience of aggregation. At the same time increase to 30% of fuel consumption in MTU which are completed on the basis of energy technology means – the agro processor is expected. Keywords: combine harvester chassis, energy technology means – agro processor, MTU, technical-operational indicators.

The development of robotic and unmanned mobile energy facilities (MEF) is a priority for the development of agricultural production worldwide. In order for the MEF to become unmanned, it must be equipped with an automatic control system that allows you to control the MEF without human intervention. To develop algorithms for the control action and reactions of the control system, as well as to identify and eliminate its incorrect operation, it is necessary to create specialized stationary stands. The stands should simulate the real working conditions of unmanned MEF with maximum accuracy. This article presents the concept of creating a simulation stand for testing the control system of an unmanned combine harvester, which allows you to analyze the operation of the control system in conditions as close as possible to real ones. A functional diagram of the stand and hydraulic circuits of individual simulation units are presented, which should become the basis for the development of the stand design as a whole.

Аnnotation Purpose. To increase the efficiency of technological processes of grain harvesting by large-scale agricultural producers due to the rational use of combine harvesters available on the farm. Methods. In the course of the research the methods of system analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, system-factor and system-event approaches, graphic method were used. Results. Characteristic events that occur during the harvesting of grain crops, both within a single production unit and the entire agricultural producer are identified. A method for predicting time intervals of use and downtime of combine harvesters of production units has been developed. The roadmap of substantiation the rational seasonal scenario of the use of grain harvesters of large-scale agricultural producers is developed, which allows estimating the efficiency of each of the scenarios of multivariate placement of grain harvesters on fields taking into account influence of natural production and agrometeorological factors on the efficiency of technological cultures. Conclusions 1. Known scientific and methodological approaches to optimization of machine used in agriculture do not take into account the risks of losses of crops due to late harvesting, as well as seasonal natural and agrometeorological conditions of each production unit of the farmer, which requires a new approach to the rational use of rational seasonal combines of large agricultural producers. 2. The developed new approach to the substantiation of the rational seasonal scenario of the use of combined harvesters of large-scale agricultural producers allows taking into account the costs of harvesting of grain and the cost of the lost crop because of the lateness of harvesting at optimum variants of attraction of additional free combine harvesters. provides more profit. 3. The practical application of the developed road map will allow large-scale agricultural producers to use combine harvesters more efficiently and reduce harvesting costs. Keywords: combine harvesters, use, production divisions, risk, seasonal scenario, large-scale agricultural producers.

The contribution of castor oil for reaching the targets set by RED1 and RED2 in Europe can be tangible if the problem related to the mechanical harvesting is overcome. Dwarf hybrids suitable for mechanical harvesting are already available on the market but the residual moisture of plants and capsules has to be lowered in order to allow mechanization. In the present case of study, three common terminating products (Glyphosate GLY, Diquat DIQ and Spotlight DEF) were tested on Kaiima C1012 hybrid in a complete randomized block design to assess the effectiveness of using chemical products to decrease residual moisture in castor plants. Plants were harvested via combine harvester equipped with cereal header to evaluate seed loss (due to dehiscence, impact and cleaning shoe) and the dehulling capacity of the combine harvester’s cleaning shoe. DIQ decreased significantly moisture content of capsules (7.32%) in comparison to the other treatments, while the lowest plant moisture was recorded in DIQ (62.38%) and GLY (59.12%). The use of DIQ triggered the highest impact seed loss (61.75%) in comparison with GLY (46.50%) and DEF (29.02%). Control plants could not be harvested mechanically due to the high residual moisture content and high density of weeds. The present case of study provides highlights regarding the need to further investigate the best practice to terminate castor plants and to develop a specific combine header to reduce seed loss from impact. &nbsp

This bachelor thesis is focused on the creation of yield maps, their use and application for variable fertilization. This work briefly describes the JDLink system and its use, summarizes the sensors of the device that transmits data to the system and the description of JD660i combine harvester. Furthermore, attention is paid to land yields, assessments, and subsequent comparison of variable and conventional agriculture.

The bachelor thesis deals with the comparison of tangential and axial threshers in terms of price, threshing quality, losses and performance. The thesis explains the description and technology of individual threshing and their principles. The following is a description of other operations performed by the combine during its operation (during the season). Attention is also paid to automation, which is reflec-ted in the assessed issues.

Received: January 4th, 2022 ; Accepted: March 8th, 2022 ; Published: March 18th, 2022 ; Correspondence: yousif.yakoub@uomosul.edu.iq Large wheat fields are cultivated in Iraq every year, especially in the Bazalan region. Although the grain production rate is high in Bazalan, the grain harvest loss is significant. Investigating wheat crop losses in different harvesting units is crucial to making decisions and improving working conditions. The current research was carried out to study the effect of the two popular brands of combine harvesters (New Holland TC56 and John Deere 1450 CWS) based on a relationship between the amount of loss from combine harvesters, reel indexes, and plant density. Three reel indexes (1, 1.5, and 2) and two plant densities (high-density and low-density sites) were considered. A randomised complete block split-plot design with three replications was carried out. The results showed positive superiority of the New Holland TC56 in the percentage of header losses, threshing losses, separation and cleaning losses, total harvest loss, and total loss with the highest performance efficiency of 97.725%; however, the harvester performance efficiency of the John Deere 1450 CWS remained within the acceptable loss limits. Finally, the best results were achieved with a 1.5-reel index level interacting with a high-density site; these results were statistically more significant than the differences between the New Holland TC56 and the John Deere 1450 CWS.