Study on Design Criteria of Cage Wheel (Part 1)

Effects of Lug Angle and Lug Pitch on Tractive Performance of Cage Wheel in Dry Land and Paddy Field

Abstract

As a running device of a small power tiller for a paddy field operation in South-East Asian countries, a cage wheel is spreading. However, its design criteria are not established yet. In order to find the optimum shape and dimension of cage wheel, the effects of lug angle and lug pitch on a tractive performance were investigated experimentally in a dry sandy field and a paddy field. As the results, the optimum combinations for the tractive efficiency were found; the lug angle of 60° and a narrow pitch of 12.3cm in the sandy field and the lug angle of 45° and the narrow pitch of 12.3cm for the paddy field. A soil blocking was also discussed in this report.