OPERATION PROCEDURE SIMULATION APPLICABLE TO A HYDRO-PULSATION DRIVE OF A SOIL LIFTING BLOCKER USED IN FOREST NURSERIES

Abstract

Introduction. The planting material transplanted with a ball is currently used on an industrial scale when carrying out sylvicultural, regeneration and greenery works based on environmentally friendly and resource saving technology. In order to enhance efficiency and quality of plant lifting using national and international experience in the field, it is deemed appropriate to use built-in hydro-pulsation drive in order to get large-sized seedling. The work aims to carry out theoretical research into the working process of a hydro-pulsation drive operation used to lift balled seedlings and consequent definition of optimal construction and technological parame-ters of a hydro-pulsation drive. The task of the research is to develop a mathematical model of the lifting process carried out by a machine with hydro-pulsation drive applicable to a large-sized seedling. Materials and methods. The paper describes the construction and the operating principle of the built-in hydro-pulsation drive of a lifting machine. Mathematical modeling method applicable to the process under study is also provided in order to carry out further theoretical research into the operation of the hydro-pulsation drive of the lifting machinery used for balled seedlings out-planting. The hydraulic subsystem is modelled as a combination of hydraulic cylinder cavities, piping, hydro-pulser slide valve as the flow metering valves with variable parameters and the back-flow valves. The modelling of the system is based on the analysis of changing volume of different cavities in the process of machine operation. The tree root system of the lifted plant is represented in the model as spherical elements located in a geometrically cylindrical form smoothly blending into five roots of the “bended cones”. The knife of the machine is included into the model as an aggregate set of elementary triangles defining its operation surface. The definition of interaction force occurred between a knife and a root system is based on the application of the motion equations of the finite elements based on the Newton’s second law of motion. Conclusion. The introduced mathematical model as a system of algebraic and differential equations makes it possible to model the lifting process applicable to a large-sized seedling carried out by a machine with built-in hydro-pulsation drive. The software support is bound to provide a solution to the set of equations and will enable to carry out simulated experiments aimed at theoretical research of the operation process of a hydro-pulsation drive built-in the lifting machinery and used for taking out balled seedlings.