U.P.B. Sci. Bull., Series D, Vol. 83, Iss.

2, 2021 ISSN 1454-2358

RESEARCH ON THE DRAFT FORCE ESTIMATION OF

VARIABLE WIDTH PLOUGHS

Cristian NUTESCU1, David LADISLAU2, Mihai MATACHE3, Iuliana

GAGEANU4

Ploughing is one of the most important germination bed preparation works. In

order to achieve this, the ploughs that are used can be with fixed working width or
with variable working width. The plough with variable working width can be used for
special works, with required working depths and widths so that the quality of the
works is appropriate. The working process of ploughs with variable working width
depends on the physical characteristics of the plough as well as on the physical
properties of the soil on which the ploughing is performed. The document presents the
experimental research carried out in the purpose of mathematical modelling of the
traction force depending on the parameters of the work process and soil conditions.

Keywords: variable width plough, soil conditions, tillage.

1. Introduction

Agricultural machinery is considered as one of the most important aspects for

performing almost all agricultural operations, the agricultural productions being
significantly improved since tractors have been used for obtaining them [1].
Crops growing is done usually on tilled soil, tillage being the most expensive
operation in terms of energy consumption. For this reason, there are numerous
attempts to maximize the efficiency of performing soil tillage works, having several
options for deep soil tillage [2].
There are numerous research made in order to predict the draft force and
slippage for tractors during various works, including ploughing, this aspect being
extremely important both from the point of view of agricultural work quality and
fuel consumption [3, 4, 5]. Their main purpose was to identify a way for optimal
usage of tractor during work for maximum draft force versus minimum slippage
and fuel consumption. However, most of the models have different particularities

1
Eng., Department of Biotechnical Systems Engineering, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest,
Romania, e-mail: [email protected]
2
Prof. Ph.D Eng., Department of Biotechnical Systems Engineering, University POLITEHNICA of
Bucharest, Romania, e-mail: [email protected]
3
Ph.D Eng., National Institute of Research-Development for Machines and Installations Designed
to Agriculture and Food Industry – INMA Bucharest, Romania, e-mail: [email protected]
4
Ph.D Eng., National Institute of Research-Development for Machines and Installations Designed
to Agriculture and Food Industry – INMA Bucharest, Romania, e-mail: [email protected]
286 Cristain Nutescu, David Ladislau, Mihai Matache, Iuliana Gageanu

which makes them hard to be considered as universally valid in all instances. Also,
there are constructive differences between tillage agricultural machinery which led
to development of several models for draft force estimation of chisel ploughs, deep
soil loosening machines, mouldboard ploughs, variable width mouldboard ploughs
etc.
Ploughing is the oldest process for tillage to establish agricultural crops and
is carried out with the help of ploughs. Along with the need to increase the working
capacity, the width of the ploughs has increased a lot lately, by increasing the number
of mouldboards. The operation of high-capacity plough was possible due to the
increase in power and traction performance of tractors.
If in the past classic ploughs were towed, today attached or semi-attached
plough are used. The number of mouldboards increased steadily. The current
ploughs have 4 -5 mouldboards in the attached version, or even 8-12 or even 20
mouldboards for semi-attached or towed ploughs. The increase in the weight and
size of the ploughs has led to an evolution of the fastening systems to the tractor.
At first, the ploughs had a single point attachment, later they had a two-point
attachment for hydraulically operated ploughs with distributor control.
To meet the agrotechnical requirements, ploughing must be carried out in
accordance with the following conditions.
• To be executed in the optimal time interval, respecting the conditions of
temperature, moisture, etc;
• The working depth should be adjusted according to the crops decided to be
established, and the deviation should not be greater than 5% of the nominal value
(+/- 1 cm for a ploughing depth of 20 cm);
• The furrows must have a constant width and to be completely overturned, ensuring
the coverage of plant residues and their incorporation into the soil in a percentage
higher than 95%;
• The previously administered organic fertilizers to be completely incorporated;
• The soil should be shredded over the entire working depth, more than 75% of the
soil fractions should have an average size below 5 cm;
• The surface of the ploughed field to be uniform, with well-turned furrows, without
ridges and ditches;
• There should be no mistakes and the ends of the plots should be closed with the
last furrow turned inwards;
•The lands with a slope angle greater than 6% should be ploughed according to the
contour line, with the overturning of the furrow towards the hill [6].
To know exactly the energy required to operate the ploughs and to be able to
follow the influences of the various factors involved, it is necessary to know the causes
that determine the resistance forces that appear during the ploughing work. The tensile
strength of the ploughs is a sum of all the forces resulting from the interaction of the
active and auxiliary bodies with the ground, in a horizontal direction.
 Research on the draft force estimation of variable width ploughs 287

It is dependent on many factors, and following studies, these factors can be

grouped into three categories:
• Soil-dependent factors, namely: soil type; physical and mechanical properties
of the soil (composition, texture, structure, etc.); soil condition (moisture, degree of
compaction, degree of weeding, etc.); relief conditions; surface micro-relief;
• Constructive factors: the shape and type of active bodies; the quality of the
surfaces of the active bodies (material, roughness, coefficient of friction, etc.); the
technical condition of the active edges (degree of wear of the coulter edge); shape,
type and technical condition of the auxiliary bodies; plough mass;
• Exploitation factors: furrow dimensions (depth, width); the number of
mouldboards; working speed; manner of connecting to the tractor; the correctness
of the adjustments that were made.
Climatic changes affect the agriculture in a way which require the adaption
of farm management and machinery in order to mitigate the effect of prolonged
draught periods followed by floods. For this reason, variable width ploughs could
become a valuable tool to be used for different environments due to variable
geometry which could be changed by the farmer in function of the environmental
conditions.
Within this paper was proposed a mathematical model for the draft force
necessary for drawing a variable width plough and the experiments made to validate
the model were presented. The model took into consideration the soil characteristics
as well as also the imposed working parameters: tillage depth, working width and
drawing speed. The experiments were performed on stubble field, using a variable
width plough with three mouldboards.

2. Material and method

To establish the draft force necessary for the execution of the ploughing
work with the plough, the opposite resistance force of the plough must be
determined. In general, the tensile strength depends on the physical-mechanical
properties of the worked soil (composition, moisture, compactness, etc.), the
dimensions of the cut furrow (depth and width), the working speed, the shape of the
active surfaces, etc.
During ploughing work, there is always a force that does not depend on the
working depth or the speed. It is the effect of the frictional forces that appear in the
support points of the plough such as: the friction of the mould blades on the bottom
of the furrow, the frictions in the wheel bushes, the friction and the rolling resistance
of the wheels, etc. Each of these resistant forces, taken separately, is proportional
to the weight of the plough returning to one support point or another. All the
resistant forces indicated above can be assessed as proportional to the weight of the
tractor-plough unit.
288 Cristain Nutescu, David Ladislau, Mihai Matache, Iuliana Gageanu

𝐹1 = 𝜇𝐺 (1)
where: μ is a coefficient similar to the coefficient of friction;
G is the weight of the plough;
The value of the resistance force F1 is not determined by the useful
mechanical work performed, but represents a resistance force that always
accompanies the operation of the plough.
Secondly, a resistance force F2 appears due to the cutting and deformation
of the furrow. This resistance force is considered independent of speed, but is
proportional to the furrow section, with a and b being the dimensions of the section:

𝐹2 = 𝑘𝑎𝑛𝑏 (2)
where: k is a coefficient that characterizes the specific resistance to soil
deformation;
a is the working depth;
b is the width of the mouldboard;
n represents the number of mouldboards.
In the third line, a resistance force F3 occurs due to the acquiring of the
kinetic energy of earth particles when they are moved laterally by the plough.

𝐹3 = 𝑛𝜀𝑎𝑏𝑣 2 (3)
where: ε is a coefficient that depends on the shape of the active surface of the
mouldboard and the properties of the soil [7];
a is the working depth;
b is the width of the mouldboard or furrow;
v is the working speed;

Thus, the formula for calculating the force required to draw the plough with
one mouldboard, one of the most common models in the speciality literature is
presented below:

𝐹𝑡 = 𝐹1 + 𝐹2 + 𝐹3 = 𝜇𝐺 + 𝑘𝑎𝑛𝑏 + 𝜀𝑎𝑛𝑏𝑣 2 (4)

where: Ft is the draft force.

This is the relation of the expression of the tensile strength, widely used in
the Eastern European speciality literature, [8, 9, 10, 11, 12], totally or partially.
However, the values of the coefficient k that characterize the specific resistance to
soil deformation are usually taken from tables of values that have been determined
under specific conditions of particular soils located in different areas of the country,
which generates model errors. To eliminate them, starting from the basic form (4),
 Research on the draft force estimation of variable width ploughs 289

we propose the formula for calculating the draft force which introduces the
dependence on the physical characteristics of the soil, mainly on its density and
penetration resistance, on the characteristics of the working process (speed) and the
constructive characteristics of the plough (mouldboards orientation angle):

𝐹 = 𝑓𝐺 + 𝑛[𝑘1 𝑟 + 𝑘2 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑣 2 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾))]𝑎𝑏 + 𝜀𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑣 2 (5)

where: k1 and k2 are model coefficients that will be determined from the
experimental data by the least squares method. Through them, the coefficient that
characterizes the specific resistance to soil deformation is expressed as a function
of the resistance to soil penetration, soil density and mouldboard angle as following:

𝑘 = [𝑘1 𝑟 + 𝑘2 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑣 2 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾))] (6)

where: r is the resistance to soil penetration;
ρsol is the density of the soil;
γ is the angle of the mouldboard in relation to the forward direction;

We denote the total working width by B = nb.

To determine the values of the constant coefficients f, k1, k2 and ε by linear
regression, the functional T(f,k1,k2,ε,G,ρsol,ai,Bi,vi,ri, γi) was formed as a sum of the
squares of the differences between the values obtained by applying equation (6) and
the real values measured in experiments ai,bi,vi, ri, γi. G is also constant and represents
the weight of the tractor-plough aggregate unit used for experiments.
2
𝑇 = ∑(𝐹 − 𝐹𝑖 )2 = ∑ (𝑓𝐺 + (𝑘1 𝑟𝑖 + 𝑘2 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑣𝑖 2 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 ))) 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 + 𝜀𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 2 − 𝐹𝑖 )
(7)
= 𝑚𝑖𝑛

To determine the coefficients f, k1, k2 and ε, by mathematical regression,

the condition was imposed for T, expressed by equation (7), to be minimal.
The minimum of function T in relation to f, k1, k2 and ε is obtained by
cancelling the partial derivatives of T in relation to the same coefficients, meaning
𝜕𝑇 𝜕𝑇 𝜕𝑇 𝜕𝑇
𝜕𝑓
= 0, 𝜕𝑘 = 0 , 𝜕𝑘 = 0 and 𝜕𝜀 = 0.
1 2
The partial derivatives of T function were determined according to each of
them and the unique determined system was created, of 4 equations with 4
unknowns (relation 8).
290 Cristain Nutescu, David Ladislau, Mihai Matache, Iuliana Gageanu

𝜕𝑇
= 2 ∑ (𝑓𝐺 + (𝑘1 𝑟𝑖 + 𝑘2 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑣𝑖 2 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 ))) 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 + 𝜀𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 2 − 𝐹𝑖 ) 𝐺 = 0
𝜕𝑓
𝜕𝑇
= 2 ∑ (𝑓𝐺 + (𝑘1 𝑟𝑖 + 𝑘2 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑣𝑖 2 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 ))) 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 + 𝜀𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 2 − 𝐹𝑖 ) 𝑟𝑖 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 = 0
𝜕𝑘1
𝜕𝑇
= 2 ∑ (𝑓𝐺 + (𝑘1 𝑟𝑖 + 𝑘2 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑣𝑖 2 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 ))) 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 + 𝜀𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 2 − 𝐹𝑖 ) 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑣𝑖 2 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 )) = 0
𝜕𝑘2
𝜕𝑇
{ = 2 ∑ (𝑓𝐺 + (𝑘1 𝑟𝑖 + 𝑘2 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑣𝑖 2 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 ))) 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 + 𝜀𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 2 − 𝐹𝑖 ) 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 2 = 0
𝜕𝜀
(8)

This system of equation can be solved numerically. At first, the constants

were eliminated, and the following equivalent matrix expression was obtained:
𝑍𝑌 = 𝑋 (9)
where:
∑ 𝐺2 ∑ 𝐺𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑟𝑖 ∑ 𝐺𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 2(1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 )) ∑ 𝐺𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 2

𝑍= ∑ 𝐺𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑟𝑖 ∑(𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑟𝑖 )2 ∑ 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑟𝑖 (𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 )2(1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 )) ∑ 𝑟𝑖 (𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 )2

∑ 𝐺𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 )) ∑ 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑟𝑖 (𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 )2(1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 )) ∑ 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 2 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 )) ∑ 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 (𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 )2(𝑣𝑖 )4 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 ))
2

( ∑ 𝐺𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 2 ∑ 𝑟𝑖 (𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 )2 ∑ 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 (𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 )2(𝑣𝑖 )4 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 )) ∑(𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 )2 (𝑣𝑖 )4 )

∑ 𝐺𝐹𝑖 𝑓
∑ 𝐹𝑖 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑟𝑖 𝑘
𝑋=
∑ 𝐹𝑖 𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 2 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾𝑖 ))
and 𝑌 = ( 1)
𝑘2
(10)
∑ 𝐹𝑖 𝑎𝑖 𝐵𝑖 𝑣𝑖 2 𝜀
( )

The determination of the vector Y formed by the unknown coefficients (f,

k1, k2, ε), was done by the numerical solving, through mathematical regression of
the equation (8), obtained from the matrix equation (10) by the inverse matrix
method, using the data strings obtained from experiments:

𝑌 = 𝑍 −1 𝑋 (11)

In order to numerically solve the matrix equation (8), experiments were

performed on the field for the direct measurement of the working parameters ai,bi,vi,
ri, γi. as well as Fi.
For the experimental tests, the field was delimited by milestones, by
obtaining 50 meters long experimental plots. A space of 10 m was left between the
soles along the working length to allow the tractor-plough unit to reach the required
working regime before entering the actual testing plot.
For the planning of the experiments, it was used the factorial experiment
method [13]. An experiment is factorial complete if each level of one factor is
combined with each level of the other factors in the experiment, meaning that
experimental samples are given by any possible combination of factor levels. Taking
into account the fact that there were a number of 3 factors combined (adjusted
working depth, adjusted working width and adjusted working speed), which each take
3 distinct values (minimum, average, maximum) and a number of 1 repetition of the
 Research on the draft force estimation of variable width ploughs 291

experiment (due to the fact that the test will take place over 50 m, there is a sufficient
number of samples to obtain an average value as accurate as possible) for each
possible combination of them, there is a need for 27 samples to describe the process
of performing the ploughing work using a plough with variable working width.
The following conditions were imposed for the tests:
- working depth: 3 values were considered for the working depth, 10, 20
and 30 cm; the chosen working depths correspond to the minimum, maximum and
average values set for the plough chosen for conducting the experiments.
- speed: the tests were performed at three speeds, determined according to
the actual operating conditions and the characteristics of the tractor gearbox at a
rated engine speed of 2200 rpm (gear I - 0.9 m / s, gear II - 1.5 m / s and gear III -
1.9 m / s), representing the usual speeds used in ploughing practice;
- working width: 3 adjustments of the working width were considered,
respectively 80, 100 and 120 cm; The chosen working widths correspond to the
minimum, maximum and average values set for the plough chosen for the experiments.
For experimental determination of draft force through measurements of the
acting forces in the coupling elements between the plough and the tractor, it was
used a measuring apparatus composed by a frame mounted between the 3-points
linkage mechanism and the variable width plough.
The measuring apparatus is a rigid construction, from which are linked three
strain gauge rings with a measuring range between 0.5-15 kN, and which are
connecting the plough to the 3-point linkage mechanism.
The mean draft force is calculated by algebraic sum of the forces measured
by the three strain gauge rings, which is later divided by the total number of
recorded samples.
For data acquisition was used a QuantumX 1615 amplifier system, with 16
strain gage input channels, connect with a laptop which had installed CatMAN
conditioning and data acquisition software.

Fig. 1. Apparatus for draft force measurement mounted between the plough and the tractor
292 Cristain Nutescu, David Ladislau, Mihai Matache, Iuliana Gageanu

3. Results

The experimental research was performed on the experimental field inside

INMA Bucharest-Băneasa in order to characterize the behaviour of the ploughing
unit according to the adjustable parameters of the work process (working width,
working depth, speed).
The plough unit consisted of an 80 hp New Holland wheeled agricultural
tractor and a variable plough with a variable working width with three mouldboards.
For the analysis from a dynamic and energetic point of view, the experimental
research aimed at determining the forces acting on the agricultural unit during
loading, both on the tractor and the plough, respectively, the dynamic and operating
parameters (mean working speed, mean draft force, mean working depth, mean
working width).
Figure 2 shows an example of graph of the actual traction measured as a
function of time.

Fig. 2. Draft force evolution

Table 1 shows the values of the independent and dependent variables used
in the mathematical regression operation on equation (8) performed using a
calculation program in Mathcad. The values presented are the average values
obtained during the experiments, all calculations being related to the average value.
 Research on the draft force estimation of variable width ploughs 293

The weight of the plough tractor unit G was constant, 49830 N,

corresponding to a plough mass of 600 kg. The soil density ρsol was considered
constant, 1500 kg / m3.
Table 1
The values of the independent a, B, γ,v and dependent F variables
Mould
Working Working Medium penetration Average
Test blades Speed
width depth resistance draft force Fi
no. angle vi [m/s]
Bi [m] ai [m] ri [Pa] [N]
γ[⁰]
1 0.80 0.10 36.65 0.938889 728416.7 17150
2 0.83 0.12 36.65 1.569444 728416.7 17560
3 0.83 0.13 36.65 1.886111 728416.7 17590
4 0.83 0.20 36.65 0.908333 1155458 20960
5 0.83 0.22 36.65 1.347222 1155458 21170
6 0.83 0.23 36.65 1.816667 1155458 22100
7 0.82 0.30 36.65 0.886111 1571889 23530
8 0.83 0.33 36.65 1.25 1571889 23850
9 0.83 0.32 36.65 1.469444 1571889 24130
10 1.01 0.10 38.89 0.891667 728416.7 18240
11 1.04 0.12 38.89 1.472222 728416.7 19150
12 1.03 0.13 38.89 1.861111 728416.7 19970
13 1.04 0.20 38.89 0.877778 1155458 21760
14 1.04 0.21 38.89 1.294444 1155458 22060
15 1.04 0.23 38.89 1.733333 1155458 22950
16 1.04 0.30 38.89 0.805556 1571889 23560
17 1.04 0.31 38.89 1.188889 1571889 24320
18 1.04 0.32 38.89 1.597222 1571889 24480
19 1.20 0.10 41.13 0.869444 728416.7 20980
20 1.23 0.12 41.13 1.447222 728416.7 21160
21 1.23 0.11 41.13 1.741667 728416.7 21440
22 1.23 0.20 41.13 0.875 1155458 24280
23 1.23 0.21 41.13 1.269444 1155458 24320
24 1.22 0.20 41.13 1.694444 1155458 24720
25 1.23 0.30 41.13 0.797222 1571889 26240
26 1.23 0.31 41.13 1.138889 1571889 26840
27 1.23 0.30 41.13 1.744444 1571889 28130

Using a calculation program in Mathcad, from the matrix equation (10) and
the experimental data from table 1 the coefficients (f, k1, k2, ε),, were determined,
resulting in the mathematical model 11 of the analytical function (5).
294 Cristain Nutescu, David Ladislau, Mihai Matache, Iuliana Gageanu

𝐹𝑐 = 0.386 𝐺 + [0.012𝑟 + 49.261𝜌𝑠𝑜𝑙 𝑣 2 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝛾))]𝑎𝐵 − 15180𝑎𝐵𝑣 2 (12)

where Fc represents the calculated draft force.

Fig. 3 shows the distribution of the draft force on the three components (due
to the cutting and deformation of the furrow, the speed dependence, respectively
the component due to the movement in the furrow – (without load).

Fig. 3 . Goriachkin-type interpolation force distribution, by experiments and components (left) and the point
cloud of experimental and interpolated force coordinates as well as the regression line (right, regression
coefficient 0.954)
Next, an analysis was made regarding the degree of accuracy of the relation
(10) for estimating the draft force, compared to the real data of the average draft
force obtained in experiments.
Table 2 shows the values of the average draft force measured during the
experiments and the values of the average draft force calculated using relation 12,
calculating the estimation error.
Table 2
Comparative values measured force-calculated force
Average draft force Average draft force
Test no.
measured calculated Error [%]
Fi [N] Fci [N]
1 17150 19016.174 10.881
2 17560 19091.518 8.722
3 17590 19086.8 8.509
4 20960 20624.084 1.603
5 21170 20747.548 1.996
6 22100 20694.705 6.359
7 23530 22992.56 2.284
8 23850 23395.204 1.907
 Research on the draft force estimation of variable width ploughs 295

Average draft force Average draft force

Test no.
measured calculated Error [%]
Fi [N] Fci [N]
9 24130 23150.546 4.059
10 18240 19341.61 6.04
11 19150 19782.65 3.304
12 19970 20093.525 0.619
13 21760 21490.891 1.237
14 22060 21886.705 0.786
15 22950 22601.673 1.518
16 23560 24624.644 4.519
17 24320 25127.52 3.32
18 24480 25794.003 5.368
19 20980 19693.997 6.13
20 21160 20607.495 2.611
21 21440 20805.169 2.961
22 24280 22414.526 7.683
23 24320 23285.657 4.253
24 24720 23947.719 3.124
25 26240 26199.616 0.154
26 26840 27232.707 1.463
27 28130 28910.754 2.776

The maximum error determined between the experimental data and the
calculated data was 10.881%, being recorded for the minimum working parameters
(width, depth, and minimum working speed) corresponding to experiment 1. It is
observed that as these parameters reach the average values, respectively maximum
working, the error decreases resulting in a good accuracy of the proposed model. The
calculated correlation coefficient was 0.938, demonstrating a very strong correlation
between the series of data obtained experimentally and those calculated by the
proposed relation.

4. Conclusions

The results of experimental research are largely confirmed by theoretical

research conducted by simulation using mathematical models. The differences are
determined by randomly present factors (soil condition caused by areas with
different moisture, the presence of plant debris on the ground and in the soil, etc.)
or by some particularities regarding the plough settings, the technical condition of
the working tools, etc.
296 Cristain Nutescu, David Ladislau, Mihai Matache, Iuliana Gageanu

The working width was 0.8, 1 and 1.2 m for the working depth of 0.1, 0.2 and
0.3 m respectively. The recorded working speeds were in the range 0.9 - 1.86 m / s.
It is observed that for the mathematical model represented by the relation
(12), the influence of the force due to the movement in the furrow (without load) is
constant, the variations of the total traction force being mainly caused by the force
component due to cutting and deformation of the furrow. This component was
dependent both on the soil characteristics (density and resistance to penetration)
and on the regulated characteristics of the work process: speed, depth and working
width. An increase of this component is observed with the increase of the adjusted
parameters, a special value having the working width B.

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