Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Lukáš Jan Hrabánek Author-Name: Miroslav Růžička Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Vehicles and Ground Transport, Faculty of Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Retroreflection of traffic signing for the safe operation of agricultural machinery Abstract: Recent studies have discussed the increasing number of accidents caused by agricultural machinery and tractors, specifically on higher-class roads. High-quality traffic signage with the required retroreflection can prevent these serious accidents, especially under reduced visibility conditions. The retroreflective materials are divided into three classes: RA1, RA2 and RA3 according to their optical performance. This distribution apparently turned out to be insufficient, as significantly different optical materials may be assigned to the same class. This research focused on the detailed optical resolution of retroreflecting sheeting with the aim to support enhancement of the current standards. The coefficient of retroreflection (CR) was measured under standard requirements. It was concluded that the combination of 3M 3930 sheeting (CR = 7.81) and 3M 4090 (CR = 9.03) sheeting is not recommended, as the difference between these values and the other monitored samples is significantly higher than CR = 2. Especially with the introduction of autonomous mobility, the recognition of signs will also have fundamental effects on agricultural technologies, where elements of independent mobility will be gradually introduced. Keywords: coefficient of retroreflection, retroreflective sheeting, safety, tractors, traffic accident Journal: Research in Agricultural Engineering Pages: 1-8 Volume: 68 Issue: 1 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/49/2021-RAE File-URL: http://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/49/2021-RAE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/rae-202201-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlrae:v:68:y:2022:i:1:id:49-2021-RAE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Jalal Javadi Moghaddam Author-Name: Ghasem Zarei Author-Workplace-Name: Agricultural Engineering Research Institute, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran Author-Name: Davood Momeni Author-Workplace-Name: Agricultural Engineering Research Institute, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran Author-Name: Hamideh Faridi Author-Workplace-Name: Agricultural Engineering Research Institute, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran Title: Non-linear control model for use in greenhouse climate control systems Abstract: In this study, a non-linear control system was designed and proposed to control the greenhouse climate conditions. This control system directly uses the information of sensors, installed inside and outside the greenhouse. To design this proposed control system, the principles of a non-linear control system and the concepts of equilibrium points and zero dynamics of system theories were used. To show the capability and applicability of the proposed control system, it was compared with an integral sliding mode controller. A greenhouse with similar climatic conditions was used to simulate the performance of the integral sliding mode controller. In this study, it was seen that the integral sliding mode control system was more accurate; however, the actuator signals sent by this control system were not smooth. It could damage and depreciate the greenhouse equipment more quickly than the proposed non-linear control system. It was also shown that the regulation of the temperature and humidity was performed very smoothly by changing the reference signals according to the weather conditions outside the greenhouse. The ability of these two control systems was graphically demonstrated for temperature and humidity responses as well as for the signals sent to the actuators. Keywords: actuator, control, humidity, simulink, temperature Journal: Research in Agricultural Engineering Pages: 9-17 Volume: 68 Issue: 1 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/37/2021-RAE File-URL: http://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/37/2021-RAE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/rae-202201-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlrae:v:68:y:2022:i:1:id:37-2021-RAE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Charles Olawale Ogunnigbo Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria Author-Name: Dare Aderibigbe Adetan Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria Author-Name: Tunde Afolabi Morakinyo Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Food Science Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria Title: A study on the mathematical model for predicting the peel removal efficiency of a cassava peeler Abstract: A mathematical model for predicting the peeling efficiency of a cassava peeler was developed using a dimensional analysis based on Buckingham' s pi theorem. The model was validated using data from experimental studies which revealed a maximum coefficient of determination of R2 = 0.8366 between the measured and predicted values. The developed model proved appropriate in estimating the peel removal efficiency for a cassava peeler by up to 83.66%. There was no significance difference between the experimental and predicted values at a 0.05 significance level. Keywords: Buckingham's pi, dimensional analysis, independent variable, model, tuber size Journal: Research in Agricultural Engineering Pages: 18-26 Volume: 68 Issue: 1 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/32/2021-RAE File-URL: http://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/32/2021-RAE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/rae-202201-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlrae:v:68:y:2022:i:1:id:32-2021-RAE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Timothy Adekanye Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Nigeria Author-Name: Oluwasogo Dada Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Physical Sciences, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Nigeria Author-Name: Jegede Kolapo Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Nigeria Title: Pyrolysis of maize cob at different temperatures for biochar production: Proximate, ultimate and spectroscopic characterisation Abstract: Adopting the concept of the waste to wealth approach, agricultural waste from maize cob could be transformed into a renewable form of energy through thermo-chemical methods of treating the biomass. This method can be utilised for biochar production. The utilisation of biochar has several significant applications. These applications include the enhancement of the soil through amendment, stimulation of crop production by a variety nutrient inputs in the soil, etc. In this research work, a biochar was obtained through a slow pyrolysis process of maize cob waste. This experiment was carried out using a small-scale muffle furnace and subjecting the feedstock to heating at different temperatures (300, 400, 500 °C). The biochar was produced and characterised by a proximate analysis, scan electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, while the surface area was determined by Saer's method. The effect of the temperature on the yield of the biochar was investigated. The results show that the biochar yield decreases with an increasing temperature for the maize cob biochar at 300, 400 and 500 °C. The results of the physiochemical properties showed that the temperature has a great impact on the physicochemical properties of the biochar. The biochar produced at 300 °C has the highest fixed carbon content of 60.5%. The largest surface area was (281.8 m2.g-1) at 500 °C. Keywords: agriculture, bioenergy, characteristics, Saer's method, temperature Journal: Research in Agricultural Engineering Pages: 27-34 Volume: 68 Issue: 1 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/106/2020-RAE File-URL: http://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/106/2020-RAE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/rae-202201-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlrae:v:68:y:2022:i:1:id:106-2020-RAE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Petr Igorevich Osadchuk Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroengineering, Odessa State Agrarian University, Odessa, Ukraine Author-Name: Dmitry Panasovich Domuschi Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agroengineering, Odessa State Agrarian University, Odessa, Ukraine Author-Name: Yuriy Ivanovich Enakiev Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agricultural Mechanization and Hydromelorative Systems, Institute of Soil Science, Agrotechnology and Plant Protection "Nikola Poushkarov", Sofia, Bulgaria Author-Name: Blagoj Elenov Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Agricultural Mechanization and Hydromelorative Systems, Institute of Soil Science, Agrotechnology and Plant Protection "Nikola Poushkarov", Sofia, Bulgaria Title: Theoretical justification of the operating modes of periodic activity of vegetable oil purification Abstract: A mathematical model has been developed that describes the process of purification of vegetable oils using physical methods. The obtained mathematical model determines the mode of operation of the main parameters of the machine for the purification of vegetable oils, depending on the dispersed composition of the impurities and the type of vegetable oils. Based on the developed mathematical model, the recommended rotor speed and the time to remove the impurities in a centrifuge for the maximum removal of the suspended particles from different types of vegetable oils can be calculated. The response surfaces show the combined effect of the particle density and the rotational speed of the centrifuge's rotor on the impurity removal rate and the impurity removal time in sunflower and rapeseed oil. The obtained theoretical data can be used, in practice, in setting the basic parameters of the machine and selecting the centrifuge's different modes of operation with a periodic action in the purification of various vegetable oils. Keywords: centrifuge, cleaning process, mathematical model, purifying, sunflower oil Journal: Research in Agricultural Engineering Pages: 35-40 Volume: 68 Issue: 1 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/107/2020-RAE File-URL: http://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/107/2020-RAE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/rae-202201-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlrae:v:68:y:2022:i:1:id:107-2020-RAE Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Sujit Hensh Author-Workplace-Name: College of Agriculture, Extended Campus of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Burdwan, West Bengal, India Author-Name: Partha Sarathi Chattopadhyay Author-Workplace-Name: Farm Machinery and Power Department, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India Author-Name: Khokan Das Author-Workplace-Name: John Deere India Private Limited Unit, John Deere Technology Centre Cyber City, Pune, India Title: Drawbar performance of a power tiller on a sandy loam soil of the Nadia district of West Bengal Abstract: A 9.69 kW power tiller's drawbar performance was tested by using a drawbar loading vehicle consisting of a power tiller with a mould board (MB) plough. A spring-loaded dynamometer was attached between the tested power tiller and the loading vehicle to measure the drawbar pull. The drawbar pull was changed from 0.905 kN to 2.232 kN by varying the operating depth of the MB plough. Empirical equations were developed to correlate the drawbar pull to the wheel slip, drawbar power, fuel consumption, and drawbar specific fuel consumption (DBSFC), and one was developed to correlate the drawbar power to the wheel slip. The wheel slip increased exponentially with an increase in the drawbar pull and drawbar power. A maximum wheel slippage of 48.94% was observed at a 2.232 kN drawbar pull and 0.763 kW drawbar power. A second-degree polynomial equation was found to correlate the drawbar pull to the drawbar power, fuel consumption, and DBSFC. The maximum drawbar power was found as 0.763 kW at a 2.02 kN drawbar pull, which was 7.87% of the rated engine power. The fuel consumption increased by 66.93%, and the DBSFC reduced by 10.56% due to the increase of the drawbar pull from 0.905 kN to 2.232 kN. The lowest DBSFC of 2.01 kg.kWh-1 was found at a 2.232 kN drawbar pull. Keywords: drawbar power, drawbar pull, dynamometer, specific fuel consumption, wheel slip Journal: Research in Agricultural Engineering Pages: 41-46 Volume: 68 Issue: 1 Year: 2022 DOI: 10.17221/16/2021-RAE File-URL: http://rae.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/16/2021-RAE.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/rae-202201-0006.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlrae:v:68:y:2022:i:1:id:16-2021-RAE