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Beyond Agriculture 4.0: Design and Development of Modern Agricultural Machines...
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Beyond Agriculture 4.0: Design and Development of Modern Agricultural Machines and Production Systems

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2023) | Viewed by 11943

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Valentin Vladut

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Development for Machines and Installations Designed to Agriculture and Food Industry, National Institute of Research, INMA Bucharest, 013813 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: agricultural machinery; harvest technology; testing of agricultural machines, precision agriculture; safety and health in the exploitation of agricultural machines, tillage machines, agriculture 4.0
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Biriş Sorin Ştefan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Biotechnical Systems Engineering, University “POLITEHNICA” of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: agricultural machinery industry; computer simulation; equipment performance; farming systems; farm machinery; finite element analysis; mathematical modeling; precision farming; seedbed preparation; tillage systems
Prof. Dr. Adam Ekielski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Production Management and Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: agrobots; biomaterials; biosensors; deep learning; food and feed production lines; food, sensors; hydraulic driving; circular economy; control systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the continuous growth of the population in the last century, it has become urgent to develop new equipment and technologies that allow the increase of agricultural production and the productivity of equipment used to obtain more and higher quality food, and reduce the loss of agricultural produce from post-harvest processing.

An increase in production efficiency cannot take place by destroying the natural resources of farmland. As a consequence, it became necessary to develop machines that would be able to carry out agrotechnical treatments dedicated to individual plants.

In this context, a very important role is the design and development of new equipment and technologies (along with the creation of new, more productive varieties) to support farmers with state-of-the-art solutions that include automation elements, sensors, information systems and real-time calculation of thresholds, design, low energy consumption, better working conditions for the operator, lower losses in the process, etc.

This special edition focuses on the role that the synergistic interaction of classic mechanical systems with mechatronic and data management systems can play in increasing the productivity of agriculture while reducing its impact on the natural environment.

In view of the above, highly interdisciplinary quality studies and research are encouraged in areas such as: agriculture, engineering design, simulation and modeling, mechatronics, autonomous vehicles, post harvesting systems, environment, and prevention of injury/health risks for the operator.

Dr. Valentin Vladut
Prof. Dr. Biriş Sorin Ştefan
Prof. Dr. Adam Ekielski
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mechatronics
  • agriculture machinery
  • post-harvest processing
  • agriculture 4.0/5.0
  • sensors
  • data management in agri-industry

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

4 pages, 188 KiB  
Editorial
Beyond Agriculture 4.0: Design and Development of Modern Agricultural Machines and Production Systems
by Nicolae-Valentin Vlăduț and Nicoleta Ungureanu
Agriculture 2024, 14(7), 991; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14070991 - 25 Jun 2024
Viewed by 949
Abstract
Technological breakthroughs have transformed the agricultural industry, resulting in the emergence of Agriculture 4 [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond Agriculture 4.0: Design and Development of Modern Agricultural Machines and Production Systems)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

19 pages, 3896 KiB  
Article
Study of Potential Application Air Curtains in Livestock Premises at Cattle Management Farms
by Aleksey Kuzmichev, Aleksei Khimenko, Dmitry Tikhomirov, Dmitry Budnikov, Marek Jasiński, Vadim Bolshev and Ivan Ignatkin
Agriculture 2023, 13(6), 1259; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13061259 - 17 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1289
Abstract
Recommendations on the selection of air curtains and the calculation of their parameters for livestock premises in cattle management farms are made. The air curtain functioning principle is analyzed from the air jet theory point of view. The block diagram and modular design [...] Read more.
Recommendations on the selection of air curtains and the calculation of their parameters for livestock premises in cattle management farms are made. The air curtain functioning principle is analyzed from the air jet theory point of view. The block diagram and modular design of air curtains with a variable air jet direction vector and with controlled slit width are designed. Laboratory tests of the newly designed air curtain structure are performed in accordance with the microclimate requirements for the cattle management farm premises. Based on the experimental results, the major air curtain parameters are calculated for the range from 10° to 60° of angle α between the direction of the air jet outward from the air curtain slit and aperture plane, and for the air curtain slit width b0 in the range from 0.05 m to 0.15 m with the account of the wind speed Vw variations. Calculated values for amounts of energy that have to be consumed to ensure the required air jet velocity, in the output from the air curtain, and those for the quantity of thermal energy required to heat the air supplied to the air curtain, depending on the angle α and on the slit width b0, can be helpful for selecting the power capacity of both the air curtain fan and electric heater. A block diagram of the air curtain control for cattle management farm premises is designed, enabling automatic control of the airflow rate, the angle of the air jet output from the air curtain slit, and the temperature of the heated air supplied to the air curtain, considering particular climate conditions. According to the preliminary estimate, applications of the newly designed air curtain will make it possible to reduce the energy consumed to maintain the required microclimate conditions in cattle management premises by 10% to 15% in the cold period. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond Agriculture 4.0: Design and Development of Modern Agricultural Machines and Production Systems)
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14 pages, 3298 KiB  
Article
Local Heating through the Application of a Thermoelectric Heat Pump for Prenursery Pigs
by Dmitry Tikhomirov, Aleksei Khimenko, Aleksey Kuzmichev, Vadim Bolshev, Gennady Samarin and Ivan Ignatkin
Agriculture 2023, 13(5), 948; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13050948 - 25 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1377
Abstract
Mathematical formulation of the animal thermal status has been developed, with the account of two convenience conditions and heat balance, for the floor-mounted heating panel for prenursery pigs. The borders of the heat flux variation range for the floor-mounted heating panel have been [...] Read more.
Mathematical formulation of the animal thermal status has been developed, with the account of two convenience conditions and heat balance, for the floor-mounted heating panel for prenursery pigs. The borders of the heat flux variation range for the floor-mounted heating panel have been determined corresponding to the animal-friendly conditions for prenursery pigs of various age groups. The block diagram of the energy-saving floor-mounted heating panel, comprising the thermoelectric assembly operating in the heat pump mode, has been designed. The method has been described and the corresponding calculations have been made for the basic thermal parameters of the floor-mounted local heating installation, for prenursery pigs, with the application of a thermoelectric heat pump. The experimental installation sample of 116 W thermal capacity (for the heat transfer coefficient from 0.9 W·m−2·K−1 to 1.0 W·m−2·K−1 and floor temperature in the range of 5 °C to 6 °C) has been developed and manufactured for local heating for prenursery pigs managed in gestation crates. Laboratory tests of the experimental sample of the floor-mounted heating panel have demonstrated high energy efficiency of the heating installation under development. The energy-saving effect (approx. 15% compared to the series-produced equipment designed for local heating of young stock) of the developed installation was achieved owing to the partial heat recuperation of the exhaust ventilating air. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond Agriculture 4.0: Design and Development of Modern Agricultural Machines and Production Systems)
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17 pages, 4486 KiB  
Article
Enhancement of Agricultural Materials Separation Efficiency Using a Multi-Purpose Screw Conveyor-Separator
by Victor Hud, Oleg Lyashuk, Ivan Hevko, Nicoleta Ungureanu, Nicolae-Valentin Vlăduț, Mykola Stashkiv, Olena Hevko and Andriy Pik
Agriculture 2023, 13(4), 870; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13040870 - 14 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1921
Abstract
The technological process of agricultural production is inextricably linked to the movement of a large number of goods, ranging from the supply of raw materials to their conversion and delivery of finished products. In the implementation of freight flows at the enterprises of [...] Read more.
The technological process of agricultural production is inextricably linked to the movement of a large number of goods, ranging from the supply of raw materials to their conversion and delivery of finished products. In the implementation of freight flows at the enterprises of agro-industrial complexes and the complex mechanization of raw material conversion processes, the main role is played by systems of transport and technological machines, which include screw conveyors with the ability to convert materials. For this purpose, the simultaneous performance of transportation and separation processes has been studied. The results of the investigation include the construction and study of the mathematical model of the system «a screw of the screw conveyor—grain mixture and separation process» involving further experimental research. The study of the effectiveness of separating agricultural materials with a multifunctional screw conveyor-separator showed that for effective sifting, the selected rational values of the parameters lie within the following limits: angle of inclination of the sieve was 0–14°, and frequency of rotation of the working body was 300–700 rpm. Some rational parameters were obtained during the grain mixture separation process on the basis of an experimental study, namely: n = 380 rpm; q = 0.9–4.7 kg/h·cm2, γ = 0–14°; P = 0.22–0.7 kW, depending on the size of the working sieve (100 × 200 mm). These rational parameters will make it possible to increase the efficiency of agricultural materials separation by a screw conveyor separator, to achieve maximum productivity, and to reduce energy consumption compared to other sorting devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond Agriculture 4.0: Design and Development of Modern Agricultural Machines and Production Systems)
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28 pages, 7670 KiB  
Article
Vibration Performance Analysis and Multi-Objective Optimization Design of a Tractor Scissor Seat Suspension System
by Shuai Zhang, Weizhen Wei, Xiaoliang Chen, Liyou Xu and Yuntao Cao
Agriculture 2023, 13(1), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13010048 - 23 Dec 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2429
Abstract
The combination of characteristic parameters is the key and difficult point to improving the vibration attenuation of scissor seat suspension. This paper proposes a multi-objective optimization method based on entropy weight gray correlation to optimize the combination of characteristic parameters with better vibration [...] Read more.
The combination of characteristic parameters is the key and difficult point to improving the vibration attenuation of scissor seat suspension. This paper proposes a multi-objective optimization method based on entropy weight gray correlation to optimize the combination of characteristic parameters with better vibration attenuation. The differential equation of seat suspension motion is derived through mechanical analysis, and a simplified driver seat suspension single degree of freedom model is constructed. The range of spring stiffness and damper damping is calculated theoretically. Through main effect analysis and analysis of contribution, the main influencing factors of seat suspension vibration attenuation are studied, and the influence correlation of the main factors is analyzed. On this basis, the spring stiffness and damper damping are taken as control variables, and the upper plane acceleration, displacement, and transfer rate of the seat suspension are taken as optimization objectives. The Optimal Latin Hypercube Sampling (OLHS) was used to sample the Design of Experiments (DoE), fit the RBF surrogate model, and screen the optimal solution based on the MNSGA-II algorithm and entropy weight gray relation ranking method. The comparative analysis of the performance before and after optimization shows that the vibration reduction performance response indexes of the acceleration, displacement, and transmissibility of the optimized seats are increased by 66.41%, 2.31%, and 8.19%, respectively. The design and optimization method proposed in this study has a significant effect on the vibration reduction of seats, which provides a reference for the optimization of the vibration reduction performance of seat suspension. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond Agriculture 4.0: Design and Development of Modern Agricultural Machines and Production Systems)
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12 pages, 1522 KiB  
Article
The Improvement of a Traction Model for Agricultural Tire–Soil Interaction
by Radu Roşca, Petru Cârlescu, Ioan Ţenu, Virgil Vlahidis and Cătălin Perşu
Agriculture 2022, 12(12), 2035; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12122035 - 28 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2100
Abstract
The goodness-of-fit analysis performed over the results provided by a model presented in a previous paper proved that the theoretical data were very well correlated with the experimental data with regard to the traction force (with Pearson coefficient r2 over 0.9); however, [...] Read more.
The goodness-of-fit analysis performed over the results provided by a model presented in a previous paper proved that the theoretical data were very well correlated with the experimental data with regard to the traction force (with Pearson coefficient r2 over 0.9); however, the model was less accurate in predicting traction efficiency, with r2 = 0.203. In order improve the model and obtain a better fit between the theoretical and experimental data (especially for the traction efficiency), the model was updated and modified by taking into account the geometry of the tire cross section, which was considered to be a deformable ellipse. Due to the deformable cross section, the minor axis of the tire–ground contact super ellipse decreased compared with the previous model (from 0.367 m to 0.222 m), while the major axis increased (from 0.530 m to 0.534 m). As a result, different data for the traction force and traction efficiency were obtained. The effect of the wheel travel reduction (wheel slip) over the tire–soil shear area was also investigated, and the hypothesis of a constant shear area (independent of wheel slip) provided the most accurate results. The goodness-of-fit analysis performed using the data predicted by the modified model showed that the Pearson coefficient increased significantly with regard to the traction efficiency (from 0.203 to 0.838), while it decreased by only 2.7% with regard to the data for the traction force, still preserving a high value (r2 = 0.896). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond Agriculture 4.0: Design and Development of Modern Agricultural Machines and Production Systems)
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