Cranfield University
Cranfield University
Cranfield University
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Conclusions<br />
8 CONCLUSIONS<br />
� The benefit of tracks with respect to reduced soil displacement, penetrometer resis-<br />
tance, rut depth, and density increase shown by Ansorge (2005, a) is maintained for<br />
entire machine configurations after the additional passage of the rear axle in both<br />
laboratory and field studies.<br />
� Alternative wheel configurations could reach the performance of tracks if the tyre<br />
load does not exceed 5 t. It was shown that a combine harvester equipped with Ter-<br />
raTracs at a total weight of 33 t maintains soil displacement similar to that of a<br />
wheeled combine harvester of one third of the weight The track at 2.67 times the<br />
load of a tyre causes similar soil displacement.<br />
� The superiority of the tracks towards additional soil displacement caused by the<br />
rear tyres could be attributed to the dense layer created at the soil surface.<br />
� The differences between different tracks can be attributed to the number of rollers<br />
and belt tension as they can significantly affect soil displacement. However, the ef-<br />
fect of belt tension of the friction driven TerraTrac on soil physical properties<br />
proved to be small within the range of belt tensions available.<br />
� The draught force necessary to loosen soil after the passage of a wheeled machine<br />
is significantly higher than after a tracked machine and can reach a factor of 3 if the<br />
additional working depth resulting from deeper reaching higher compaction after a<br />
wheel is taken into consideration.<br />
� An in-situ method was developed to gain the slope and intercept of a virgin com-<br />
pression line basically from 2 different tyre passes in the field with known weight,<br />
inflation pressure and rut depth. Using these in-situ VCL parameters in the model<br />
COMPSOIL of O’Sullivan et al. (1998) it was possible to predict the input data and<br />
independent data within the LSD. The entire method was successfully validated in<br />
field conditions and small scale plate sinkage tests.<br />
� Soil density increase after the passage of tracks could be predicted using a track<br />
specific in-situ VCL. Hence, it became obvious that tracks show a different com-<br />
paction behavior than tyres.<br />
� Triaxially derived VCLs are sensitive to the relationship of major and minor princi-<br />
pal stresses. Only if their relationships replicates true field conditions, a suitable<br />
VCL for soil compaction prediction can be gained.<br />
Ph.D. Thesis Dirk Ansorge (2007)<br />
176