Development and evaluation of an electronic system for measuring the performance of ploughs: a comparative study of three types of ploughs

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop a cost-effective, accurate, and easy-to-install electronic system using the Arduino controller for measuring and recording key parameters of a tractor-implement system. The system was field-tested using three different plows (moldboard, chisel, and disc plow) in the silty clay soil of the College of Agriculture - University of Basra, Karma Ali site. The overall design of the system comprised two main components: the transmitter and the receiver. The transmitter system consisted of three sensors: an Encoder Sensor, an Ultrasonic sensor, and a Load Cell. This system wirelessly transmitted signals to the receiving electronic system using the HC-12 module. The receiving system was responsible for receiving the transmitted signals and automatically saving the data to a Micro SD Card. The designer specified a memory card with a capacity of at least 2GB.The results of the experiments demonstrated a high level of agreement between the depth of plowing measured by the ultrasonic sensor and the depth measured using traditional methods (R-Squared = 0.9978). Similarly, the actual and theoretical forward speed values measured by the encoder sensor closely matched those obtained through traditional methods (R-Squared = 0.9941 and 0.9986, respectively). These findings validate the accuracy and reliability of the device. Furthermore, the study revealed that at a forward speed of 0.51 m/sec and a plowing depth of 25 cm, the traction requirements for the moldboard, chisel, and disc plows were 14.3 kN, 11.25 kN, and 10.35 kN, respectively. The traction force increased by 72-75% and 45-50% when the plowing depth and forward speed were increased, respectively. The disc plow exhibited lower slip compared to the moldboard and chisel plows. Additionally, the study indicated that the tillage depth had a greater impact on slip percentage compared to the forward speed.