Mechanical vibrations at the seat base of a tractor during the subsoiling operation

Abstract

Mechanical vibrations on tractors are influenced by different factors, such as the field operations, the operational speed of the tractor-implement set, the ballast conditions and the tires pressure of the tractor, among others. The aim of this work was to determine the vibration levels on vertical and longitudinal directions at the seat base of the tractor considering the influence of inflation pressure of the tires and operational speed of the tractor-subsoiler set. The acceleration at the seat base of the tractor was measured during the subsoiling operation considering three operational speeds and three inflation pressures of the tires. The field tests were carried out in a completely randomized design on factorial scheme 3 x 3, with three replications. Frequency spectrums were generated and compared with ISO 2631. The highest estimated values for the RMS acceleration were observed in the combination of the higher operational speed and the lower inflation pressure of the tires, 0.79 and 0.71 m s-2 for the vertical and longitudinal directions, respectively. The vibrations at the seat base during the subsoiling operation presented levels out of comfort range which reinforces the seek for designs that improve the comfort of the operator.