Modelling and Simulation of Hydraulic System to Measure Soil Compaction for Agricultural Field

Abstract

Soil compaction is one of the negative factors associated in the top layer of the soil by heavy agricultural machinery in the agricultural field that limits ploughing tool movement, plant growth and crop yield. Soil compaction has been conventionally measured by using a manual operated cone penetrometer which has certain ergonomically restriction tackled by the operator, it takes more time and difficult to obtain compaction data. The study aimed to design and develop a hydraulic system to measure soil compaction for agricultural field, to simulate soil compaction measuring system using MATLAB Simulink 2018 and to analyze the simulation output. The modelling and simulation include the hydraulic system used for actuate the compaction measuring cone penetrometer by considering the vertical force coming from double acting hydraulic cylinder as variable mass and the soil as a stiffness and damping property. From the simulation output, the hydraulic performance based on soil compaction measurement with the parameters such as hydraulic pressure as cone index, depth of operation, hydraulic torque, and power were analyzed. The time required for the cylinder extension to insert the cone penetrometer to the soil was 3.3 seconds with the maximum speed of cylinder extension of 0.3 mm/s. The maximum downward penetration resistance was 0.3 N. The pressure varies from 24 Pa to 38 Pa during extension of the cylinder and 0 to 15 Pa during retraction with the maximum flow rate of 3.8 × 10-⁶ m³/s. The relationship between hydraulic power and flow rate is directly proportional. Hydraulic torque and flow rate have inversely proportional relationship.