Soil treatment with compressed air as a way to restore the soil structure

   Repeated impact of the running gear systems of heavy machines employed in agriculture leads to soil compaction and increased soil hardness, which consequently results in higher traction resistance. The use of compressed air in combination with traditional working tools of soil tillage machines is expected to reduce soil friction against the machine’s working tools, increase the looseness of the treated layer, and expand the deformation zones of the cultivated areas.

   The research aims to develop a soil treatment method that supplies compressed air to the working tools of soil tillage machines, ensuring a reduction in traction resistance and the restoration of soil structure.

   Compressed air induces soil deformation and loosening by detaching a soil layer without compressing or crushing it, after which the machine’s working tools contact the already loosened medium. To verify the theoretical assumptions, the authors performed soil treatment operations using a machine-tractor unit consisting of a tractor, a KV-5/10 screw compressor unit, a chisel cultivator with specially designed working tools, and a pulsating compressed air supply system. Experimental results confirmed the effectiveness of using compressed air in soil tillage operations by means of chisel working tools and air supply nozzles with diameters of 3 and 5 mm. At a pressure of 0.9 to 1.1 MPa and a pulse frequency of 10 Hz, the chisel working tools demonstrated improved stability as to the depth of operation; soil crushing increased, and the depth and width of the loosening zone expanded by 30 to 90 %. At the same time, traction resistance decreased by up to 33 %, and productivity increased by 12 to 68 %. Further research should focus on justifying technological parameters, operational modes, and nozzle diameters for various tillage operations and soil-climatic conditions. Additionally, it is possible to integrate a system for differential liquid fertilizer injection and a drive for the screw compressor unit from the tractor’s power take-off shaft.

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