2009 Volume 71 Issue 6 Pages 6_85-6_89
In the previous paper, the deflections of the rotary blade caused by soil reaction forces were analyzed using computer aided design (3D-CAD) software. In this paper, the actual strains of the blades were directly measured using strain gauges. In addition, the direction and the position of the dominant forces on a blade were measured through experimental tilling. The results confirmed that the force acting perpendicularly on the scoop surface of the blade caused the maximum deflection. Furthermore, it was found that the soil cutting force increased as the soil moisture content increased. It could be concluded that the CAD software analysis could estimate the deformation behavior of the blade. However, in order to obtain a more accurate estimation of the blade deformation, the forces related to the rotary axle and the soil moisture content should be considered in the computer analysis.
