ANALYSIS OF TRACTOR TRANSMISSION AND DRIVING AXLE LOADS

D. C. Kim, I. H. Ryu, K. U. Kim

ABSTRACT. This study was intended to analyze the loads acting on the transmission and driving axle of an agricultural tractor during plowing operations in Korea. Before the load measurements were made, a survey was conducted to investigate the operational characteristics of plowing by tractors in Korea. The transmission load was measured at the input shaft of the gearbox, and the driving axle load was measured at the final drive shaft of the tractor. The load measurements were made at two speed levels and under five field conditions. Two torque transducers were developed for the respective load measurements, as well as other instrumentation necessary to collect the data and store them in a data logger. The timehistories of the measured torque loads were analyzed and transformed into load spectra using rainflow cycle counting and the SmithWatsonTopper equation. Comparison of the load spectra was made to investigate their characteristics. Effects on the load spectrum of soil and plowing speed were also investigated. Finally, a load spectrum combining the results of the spectrum analysis was developed and proposed as an input load for estimating the fatigue lives of transmission components for tractors in Korea. Keywords. Tractor transmission, Load spectrum.

he transmission of an agricultural tractor accounts for 25% to 30% of the tractors total cost. Therefore, proper design of the transmission is very important. In order to design it properly, a large amount of load data must be collected from actual field operations. Agricultural tractors are used for many kinds of farm operations under various soil and field conditions. However, the major tractor operations are tillage and transport. To account for workloads in the design of tractor transmissions, operational characteristics such as annual work hours, working speeds, gear selection, and load distributions must be analyzed. It is particularly important to know the number of cycles of loads and their magnitudes under all working conditions. The simplest way to analyze a random loadtime history is to count how often a definedmagnitude load has occurred. The load spectrum is a result of such counting, and it is usually represented as a cumulative frequency distribution of constantamplitude cyclic loads. The load spectrum is used for the evaluation of fatigue lives as well as for the derivation of a test code to prove the durability of machine components subjected to a variable random load. Very few studies have been reported in the literature on load analysis or load spectra for agricultural tractors. One of

the previous studies related to the measurement and analysis of transmission loads for agricultural tractors was made by Gerlach (1966). He measured the forces imposed on a tractor transmission under the various service conditions and analyzed their characteristics. According to the results of his study, the peak torque in the transmission did not exceed about 2.5 times the rated engine torque. Grubisic (1994) showed how to construct a load spectrum from which the fatigue life of a machine component can be predicted. Renius (1976) developed a tractor load spectrum using a large amount of the operational load data collected in the European countries. His load spectrum has been used for the fatigue design of tractor transmissions. The objective of this study was to construct the representative spectra of the torque loads acting on the input shaft of the transmission and the final drive shaft of a tractor during plowing operations in Korea. It was also intended to investigate the effects of plowing speed and soil condition on the load spectrum.

CHARACTERISTICS OF PLOWING OPERATIONS IN KOREA

In order to investigate the operational characteristics of plowing operations, a survey was conducted on 36 tractors located in 19 different areas where relatively large plowing loads have been experienced. The surveyed tractors were in a range of 35 to 52 horsepower and were produced by the same manufacturer. Results of the survey showed that the most common gears selected for tillage were mid 4th (M4) and high 1st (H1) in a 4 (lowlow, low, mid, high) 4 (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) synchromesh gear transmission, resulting in plowing speeds of 7.6 km/h and 10.3 km/h, respectively. The tillage depth varied from 10 to 30 cm. The annual use of a
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Article was submitted for review in March 2000; approved for publication by the Power & Machinery Division of ASAE in March 2001. Authors are Dae C. Kim, Graduate Student, Il H. Ryu, Graduate Student, and Kyeong U. Kim, ASAE Member Engineer, Professor, Seoul National University, Suwon, Korea. Corresponding author: Kyeong Uk Kim, School of BioResources and Material Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, 441744 Suwon, Korea; phone: 82312902382; fax: 82312977478; email: kukim@plaza.snu.ac.kr.

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tractor for tillage was estimated to be 131 hours on average, or about 30% of the total annual use of a tractor in Korea.

torque and the output voltage of the transducer. The linear regression curves thus established were as follows: T = 92.22V 0.29 for the input shaft (1)

TORQUE LOAD MEASUREMENT

The transmission torque was measured at the input shaft of the gearbox using a radiotelemetry straingauged torque transducer. The torque acting on the driving axle was measured at the final drive shaft using a straingauged torque transducer. Figures 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams of the two torque transducers installed on the input shaft of the gearbox and the final drive shaft of the tractor, respectively. The torque transducers were designed to have maximum measuring capacities of 400 Nm for the input shaft and 5400 Nm for the final drive shaft. Within the maximum measuring capacity, each torque transducer was calibrated by applying the known torque load and establishing a linear relationship between the applied

= 377.69Vm 1449.71 for the left final drive shaft = 377.17Vm 353.28 for the right final drive shaft where T = calibrated torque (Nm) V = output voltage of torque transducer for the input shaft (V) Vm = output voltage of torque transducer for the final drive shaft (mV). The regression coefficients of each curve were all estimated to be greater than 0.99998. Accuracy of the torque transducer was defined as the maximum error percentage of the estimated torque by the regression curve to the measured torque over the full range of measuring capacity. The accuracy was estimated to be 0.288% for the input shaft, 0.561% for the left final drive shaft, and 0.307% for the right final drive shaft. It was noted that the accuracy of the torque transducers for the left and right final drive shafts were slightly different, although they were made of the same material. The tractor used for the torque measurement was a 41horsepower, 2wheel drive (with optional frontwheel drive) model widely used in Korea. For the torque measurements, the tractor was operated in 2wheel drive. Detailed specifications of the tractor are given in table 1. The plow used for tillage during the torque measurements was a 3bottom reversible Korean plow that has a width of 75 cm. The plowing depth was 17 to 20 cm, and the velocity was held at 7.6 km/h for gear M4 and 10.3 km/h for gear H1 with a rated engine speed of 2600 rpm (Kim, 1998). Torque measurements were conducted in five test fields located in three different areas. Test field I was a dry upland field that had been reclaimed 10 months earlier and had never been tilled until the time of the torque measurement. Test field II was a dry, soft soil that had been tilled 6 months earlier and was covered by weeds. Test field III was a paddy field with stubble that had been combine harvested 3 days earlier. Test field IV was another upland field covered with weeds but with topsoil that was softer than that of test field I. Test field V was another paddy field that had been combine harvested 10 days earlier. Soil type was determined by the USDA classification method and moisture content by the dry oven method. Cone index was measured at soil depths of 0, 5, and 10 cm using a cone penetrometer having a base area of 645 mm2 and an apex angle of 30. Table 2 shows soil type, cone index, and moisture content of the test field soils.

Figure 1. Radiotelemetry straingauged torque transducer installed on the input shaft of the gearbox.

Table 1. Specifications of tractor used for the torque measurement. Item Specifications Engine Driving type Total weight Wheelbase Tire (front/rear) Speed (min./max.) Gears (forward/reverse) Manufacturer/Model 4cylinder Diesel, 30.2 kW@2600 rpm 2WD with optional frontwheel drive 17.1 kN 1.9 m 818 4ply / 13.628 6ply 0.36 km/h / 25.6 km/h 16/16 Tongyang Moolsan Co./T4140

Figure 2. Wheel torque transducer mounted on final drive shaft.

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Table 2. Soil and surface conditions of test fields where load measurements were made. Mean cone index at depth Test Field of: (kPa) Surface Soil M.C. No. 0 cm 5 cm 10 cm (%) Type Type (Location) I (Yongin) II (Yongin) III (Suwon) IV (Suwon) V (Chulwon) Dry field Sand 735 931 23.2

Dry field with grass Paddy field with stubble Dry field with grass Paddy field with stubble

Sand

46

600

846

25.3

Loamy sand Sand

407

584

600

30.5

423

593

858

24.2

The difference between the maximum and minimum amplitudes of the modified torque load must be divided into an appropriate number of torque levels so that the number of torque cycles in each level of torque can be counted. In this study, the modified torque load was divided into 32 torque levels. The number of torque cycles in the measured torquetime history was then extended to that which a tractor is likely to experience in its entire life by assuming the life of the tractor to be 3,000 hours, which was equivalent to 10 years of use in Korea. This was intended to include an extreme case, such as custom workers who use tractors only for tillage operations. The ordinate in the load spectrum of the transmission was represented by a ratio of the torque level to the rated engine torque (Te ), which was estimated to be 110.8 Nm and was calculated as follows:

Sandy loam

692

907

35.6

Te =

736W/ps 41ps 60 s = 110.8 Nm 2 2600rev/min

(4)

The data signal from the calibrated torque transducer was digitized with a sampling rate of 333.3 Hz and stored in a 13channel data logger having a resolution of 12 bits and a memory of 448K. Because the faster sampling rate requires a large memory capacity of the data logger and reduces the recording time, the slowest sampling rate is needed to maximize the recording time, unless it fails to detect the highest fluctuation frequency of the measured torque load. The highest frequency of the torque load was affected by the engine speed of the tractor. It was found to be 4 times the rated engine speed, which was determined by: 2600rpm 4 = 173.3 Hz 60 s (2)

The torque of the final drive shaft was represented by a ratio of the torque level of the final drive shaft to the theoretical maximum drive shaft torque, which was estimated to be 4282 Nm and was calculated as follows:

Td = 1 (Ct r W ) 2 = 1 (0.8 0.62617100) 2 = 4282 Nm

(5)

The sampling rate was thus determined by doubling the highest expected frequency of the torque load, 173.3 Hz, and adjusting it to the value at which at least 45 seconds of data recording through 3 channels could be secured for one measurement.

CONSTRUCTION OF LOAD SPECTRUM

In order to eliminate the highfrequency components from the measured torque signal, the 5point averaging technique was applied. A time history of the digitized torque load was then cyclecounted using the rainflow cycle counting method. Rainflow cycle counting decomposes the complex, irregular history of torque load into a series of simple events equivalent to individual cycles of constant amplitude torque and its associated mean (Glinka and Kam, 1987). Because the measured torque was not completely reversed, the amplitude of torque determined by the rainflow cycle counting must be modified to account for the effect of the mean torque using the SmithWatsonTopper equation (Bannantine et al., 1990):

T = (Ta + Tm) Ta

(3)

where T = modified amplitude of torque Ta = amplitude of torque determined by rainflow cycle counting Tm = associated mean of torque.

where Td = maximum drive shaft torque (Nm) Ct = traction coefficient r = dynamic radius of driving tire (m) W = vertical load acting on driving axle (N). The traction coefficient was assumed to be 0.8 at a wheel slippage of 15%. This was assumed on the basis of the traction test performed in the test field. The vertical load acting on the driving axle was assumed to be the total tractor weight, including the effect of weight transfer, for the calculation of the theoretical maximum driving torque. Because the effect of the starting torque on the fatigue lives of the input and final drive shafts was insignificant, the starting torque was not considered in the construction of the load spectra. Figures 3 and 4 show the load spectra of the left and right drive shafts using the torque load measured for 10 seconds when the furrow was opened to the left and right sides, respectively, in gear H1. Opening the furrow to the left side resulted in higher loads on the left drive shaft, and opening it to the right side resulted in higher loads on the right drive shaft. However, the difference was less than 13%, and the magnitude as a function of number of cycles showed the same trend in both cases. Therefore, the ordinate in the load spectrum of the driving axle was represented by a ratio of the driving axle torque to the theoretical maximum axle torque. The driving axle torque is the sum of the torque acting on the left and right drive shafts, while the theoretical maximum driving axle torque is twice the maximum drive shaft torque given in equation 5.

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1.0

1.2

Ratio of drive shaft torque(Td/Tdr)

Ratio of input shaft torque (Ti/Tir)

0.8

Left Right

1.0

V IV I II III

0.6

0.8

0.6

I II III IV V

0.4

0.4

0.2 Td : Drive shaft torque Tdr : Maximum drive shaft torque

0.2

0.0

Ti : Input shaft torque Tir : Rated engine torque

100

101

102

0.0 102

103

104

105

Number of cycles in 10 seconds

Figure 3. Load spectra of left and right drive shafts when furrow was opened to left side by reversible plow in gear H1.

Number of cycles in 3,000 hours

Figure 5. Load spectra of transmission under five soil conditions in gear M4.

1.0

1.2

Ratio of driving axle torque (Td/Tdr)

Ratio of drive shaft torque(Td/Tdr)

0.8

Left Right

1.0

0.8 III

IV

0.6

0.6 II

I II III IV V

0.4

0.4

0.2 Td : Drive shaft torque Tdr : Maximum drive shaft torque 100 101 102

0.2

Td : Driving axle torque Tdr : Maximum driving axle torque

0.0

0.0 102 103 104 105

Number of cycles in 10 seconds

Figure 4. Load spectra of left and right drive shafts when furrow was opened to right side by reversible plow in gear H1.

Number of cycles in 3,000 hours

Figure 6. Load spectra of driving axle under five soil conditions in gear M4.

EFFECT OF SOIL TYPE

Figures 5 through 8 show the load spectra of the transmission and driving axle when the tractor performed tillage in gears M4 and H1 under the five field conditions. As expected, load increased with soil strength. With gear M4, the torque load acting on the input shaft of the gearbox was 60% to 100% of the rated engine torque. This torque load increased to 70%150% of the rated engine torque when the gear was shifted to H1. The torque loads acting on the driving axle also increased from 50%100% to 50%110% of the maximum torque of the driving axle when the gear was shifted from M4 to H1. Comparing the torque loads of the input and final drive shafts, the load acting on the input shaft was about 20% greater than the load acting on the final drive shaft when the gear was set to M4. However, this value decreased to 18% when the gear was shifted to H1. The load difference due to the soil strength was greater in the lowcycle region of the spectra.

EFFECT OF PLOWING SPEED

Figures 9 through 12 show the load spectra of the transmission and driving axle obtained in test fields III and V. In general, torque load increased when the transmission was shifted to higher gears. However, the load increment was greater in the lowcycle region of the spectra. The effect of plowing speed on the load increment was more significant on the input shaft of the transmission. It was also known that higher plowing speeds exerted more loads on the input and final drive shafts in test field III. For maximum use of tractor power, the plowing speed needs to be adjusted according to the torque level acting on the transmission or the driving axle. A plowing speed of 10.3 km/h in gear H1 was the highest speed that gave the maximum traction efficiency (about 75%) under the hardest soil condition of the test fields.

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1.8

1.0 V

1.4 1.2 III

IV I II

1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 102

I II III IV V

Ratio of driving axle torque(Td/Tdr)

Ratio of input shaft torque (Ti/Tir)

1.6

0.8

0.6

H1 M4
Td : Driving axle torque Tdr : Maximum driving axle torque

0.4

Ti : Input shaft torque Tir : Rated engine torque

0.2

0.0

103

104

105

102

103

104

105

Number of cycles in 3,000 hours

Figure 7. Load spectra of transmission under five soil conditions in gear H1. 1.4 1.8

Number of cycles in 3,000 hours

Figure 10. Load spectra of driving axle in test field III.

Ratio of driving axle torque (Td/Tdr)

1.0
III IV I

Ratio of input shaft torque(Ti/Tir)

1.2 V

0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 102

I II III IV V

1.6 1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 Ti : Input shaft torque Tir : Rated engine torque

H1 M4

II

Td : Driving axle torque Tdr : Maximum driving axle torque 103 104 105

102

103

104

105

Number of cycles in 3,000 hours

Figure 8. Load spectra of driving axle under five soil conditions in gear H1. 1.2
1.4

Number of cycles in 3,000 hours

Figure 11. Load spectra of transmission in test field V.

1.0 0.8

Ratio of driving axle torque(Td/Tdr)

Ratio of input shaft torque (Ti/Tir)

1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 Td : Driving axle torque Tdr : Maximum driving axle torque

H1 M4

H1 M4

0.6 0.4
Ti : Input shaft torque Tir : Rated engine torque

0.2 0.0 102 103 104 105

102

103

104

105

Numver of cycles in 3,000 hours

Figure 9. Load spectra of transmission in test field III.

Number of cycles in 3,000 hours

Figure 12. Load spectra of driving axle in test field V.

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In order to construct a load spectrum for a tractors entire life, the tractor was assumed to have a life of 10 years, including 3,000 hours used for tillage. The test fields were classified into two soil categories: hard soil in which large plowing resistance was experienced, and soft soil in which less plowing resistance was experienced. Test field V was classified as hard soil, and test fields III and IV were classified as soft soil. Because the amplitudes of the torque loads measured in test fields I and II were relatively low, they were not considered when constructing the total load spectrum. To construct a load spectrum for hard soil, the ratio of gear use, M4 to H1, was assumed to be 4:6, and tractor use was considered only on paddy fields. For soft soil, the gearuse ratio was assumed to be 2:8, and the ratio of tractor use on paddy fields to upland fields was assumed to be 65:35. Combining the two lifelong load spectra developed on the basis of these assumptions, with a ratio of hard soil to soft soil assumed to be 4:6, we can obtain a load spectrum that represents the load characteristics of plowing operations in Korea. Figures 13 and 14 show the lifelong load spectra thus developed for the transmission and driving axle of the tractor. It was known that the load spectra based on each soil category and the combined spectrum based on a soil ratio of 4:6 were not significantly different in their shapes, except in the lowcycle region. The maximum torque load was 1.1 to 1.6 times greater than the rated engine torque for the input shaft of the gearbox and 0.9 to 1.2 times greater than the maximum driving torque for the final drive shaft. Comparing the load spectrum of the plowing operations in Korea with those developed by Renius (1976) and Gerlach (1966), the magnitudes of the spectrum under Korean conditions were less than those of the two cases at the same number of cycles, as shown in figure 15. The difference may be attributable to the assumed life of the tractor and the soil strength of the test field.

Ration of driving axle torque(Td/Tdr)

TOTAL LOAD SPECTRUM

Suwon Cheolwon Total

0.1 Td : Driving axle torque Tdr : Maximum driving axle torque

105

106

107

108

Number of cycles in 3,000 hours

Figure 14. Load spectrum of driving axle.

Ratio of input shaft torque(Ti/Tir)

Total Renius Gerlach

0.1 Ti : Input shaft torque Tir : Rated engine torque 104 105 106 107 108 109

Number of cycles in 3,000 hours

Figure 15. Comparison of load spectrum of transmission with those developed by Renius (1976) and Gerlach (1966).

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

This study was intended to measure and construct the spectra of torque loads acting on the transmission and driving axle of an agricultural tractor during plowing operations in Korea. Before the torque load measurement, a survey was conducted to investigate the operational characteristics of plowing operations by tractors in Korea. The transmission load was measured at the input shaft of the gearbox, and the driving axle load was measured at the final drive shaft of the tractor. The torque measurements were made under five field conditions and at two speed levels. Two torque transducers were developed for the respective torque measurement, and the other necessary instrumentation was made to collect data and store them in a data logger. The timehistories of the measured torque loads were analyzed and transformed into the load spectra using rainflow cycle counting and the SmithWatsonTopper methods. Comparisons of the load spectra developed under different conditions were made to investigate their characteristics. Results of the spectrum analysis revealed that the effect of plowing speed on the load spectrum was more significant at the input shaft of the transmission than at the final drive shaft. Load increased with plowing speed in both the input shaft and the final drive shafts. The load increment was greater in the

Ratio of input shaft torque(Ti/Tir)

Suwon Cheolwon Total

0.1 Ti : Input shaft torque Tir : Rated engine torque 105 106 107 108

Number of cycles in 3,000 hours

Figure 13. Load spectrum of transmission.

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lowcycle region. Field conditions affected both the shape of the load spectrum and its magnitude. The load spectrum developed in this study can be used to investigate the load characteristics of plowing operations in Korea. It can also be used to estimate the fatigue lives of the transmission components of tractors used in Korea.

REFERENCES
Bannantine, J. A., J. J. Comer, and J. L. Handrock. 1990. Fundamentals of Metal FatigueAnalysis. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.

Gerlach, A. 1966. Field measurement of tractor transmission forces. Trans.ASAE 9(5): 707712. Glinka, G., and J. C. P. Kam. 1987. Rainflow counting algorithm for very long stress histories. Internat. J. Fatigue 9(3): 223228. Grubisic, V. 1994. Determination of load spectra for design and test. Internat.J. Vehicle Design 15(1/2): 825. Kim, D. C. 1998. Analysis of load spectrum of tractor drive line. Unpub. M.S. thesis. Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. Renius, K. T. 1976. Last und Fahrgeschwindigkeitskollektive al Dimensionierungs grundlagen fur die Fahrgetriebe von Ackerschleppern. Fortschr.Ber. VDIZ, Reihe 1, Nr.49. Dusseldorf, VDIVerlag.

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