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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Auburn, Alabama » Soil Dynamics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #204669
Title: A Theoretical Approach for Determining Irregularities of the Bottom of the Tillage Layer Caused by Horizontal Axis Rotary Tillers

Author
item CELIK, A - ATATURK UNIVERSITY
item OZTURK, I - ATATURK UNIVERSITY
item Way, Thomas - Tom

Submitted to: Electronic Publication
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/10/2008
Publication Date: 10/21/2008
Citation: Celik, A., Ozturk, I., Way, T.R. 2008. A theoretical approach for determining irregularities of the bottom of the tillage layer caused by horizontal axis rotary tillers. Agricultural Engineering International: the CIGR Ejournal. Manuscript PM 08 003. 10:1-9.

Interpretive Summary: Rotary tillers that have a horizontal axis of rotation are used for tilling soil for some crops and some vegetable gardens. It is usually desirable to have the bottom of the tilled soil layer to be free of ridges of untilled soil. Factors that affect the heights of these soil ridges were investigated. This analysis shows that the heights of ridges on the bottom of the tilled layer increase with increases in the forward speed of the tiller and decrease with increases in blade peripheral speed, the radius from the tiller axis of rotation to the blade periphery, and the number of blades on one side of a rotary tiller flange. The analysis is expected to be useful in optimizing the design and operational characteristics of these rotary tillers to attain desired tilled soil conditions.

Technical Abstract: Horizontal axis rotary tillers can cause irregularities in soil tilling depth when they are not used in appropriate operational and constructional conditions. In such cases, mixing and breaking of soil through tilling depth will not be in the same degree and some untilled ridges will remain on the bottom of the tilled layer. Available equations and methods are not practically adequate for determining how much the height of ridges is affected by design and operational characteristics of these tillers. In this study, a method based on deriving geometrical relationships between the affecting parameters was developed to determine heights of ridges occurring at the bottom of the tilled layer. The ridge heights can be calculated for various combinations of blade peripheral speed, forward speed, rotor radius, and the number of blades on one side of a rotary tiller flange. This method allows investigation of effects of operational and constructional properties of horizontal axis rotary tillers on tilling depth. This analysis shows that the heights of ridges on the bottom of the tilled layer increase with increases in forward speed and decrease with increases in blade peripheral speed, rotor radius, and the number of blades on one side of a flange.