STUDYING THE INFLUENCE OF STRUCTURAL-MODE PARAMETERS ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF THE PLOUGH PLN-3-35

Current research addresses improving the effectiveness of the technological process of tilling the soil for agricultural crops. Based on the experimental study into the technological process of plowing, we have determined the efforts that act on the mechanism of a tractor’s attachment and a landside. It was found that universal casings for ploughs enhance plowing effectiveness by improving their stability. It was established that this leads to a decrease in the energy intensity of a plough casing during soil tilling, as well as provides for a uniform wear of the friction surface due to changes of its surface. It was determined that it is necessary to improve the components of tillage machinery in order to prolong the mean time between failures for working bodies and to reduce their traction resistance. It was established that the influence of a transverse pressure force that acts on a plough’s landsides has not been sufficiently studied. Not enough attention has been paid to determining the magnitude of a traction effort for each link in the mechanism of an attachment to a tractor’s assembly. One of the reserves for enhancing technological indicators and reducing energy intensity of a plowing assembly is the structural improvement of a standard plough’s landside. In the course of experimental study, we used a system for measuring the dynamics and energy efficiency of mobile machines, which refers to the tools for technical diagnosing and operational control. The strain gauges were placed on a plough’s landside, at the middle, left, and right links in the mechanism of a tractor’s attachment. It was determined that the mean value for a shear force of pressure acting on a landside installed at the bearer of a first plough’s casing is 1,610–1,668 N. At the bearer of a second casing, it is 1,525–1,630; at the bearer of a third casing, it is 1,848–1,870 N. It has been proposed to use, instead of a standard landside for the mounted ploughshare PLN-3-35, a flat-rounded element in the form of a disk with a hub that has a horizontal axis of rotation. The disk transforms the sliding friction forces into rolling friction forces. The application of disk reduces energy intensity of the plough by 13–15 %. That leads to a decrease in the traction effort of the plough’s casings, improves their stability, and lowers consumption of petrol, oil, and lubricants.