Optimized Design for the Plow of a Submarine Plowing Trencher

The plow of the submarine plowing trencher is one of the main functional mechanisms, and its optimization is very important. The design parameters play a very significant role in determining the requirements of the towing force of a vessel. A multi-objective genetic algorithm based on analytical models of the plow surface has been examined and applied in efforts to obtain optimal design of the plow. For a specific soil condition, the draft force and moldboard surface area which are the key parameters in the working process of the plow are optimized by finding the corresponding optimal values of the plow blade penetration angle and two surface angles of the main cutting blade of the plow. Parameters such as the moldboard side angle of deviation, moldboard lift angle, angular variation of the tangent line, and the spanning length are also analyzed with respect to the force of the moldboard surface along soil flow direction. Results show that the optimized plow has an improved plow performance. The draft forces of the main cutting blade and the moldboard are 10.6% and 7%, respectively, less than the original design. The standard deviation of Gaussian curvature of moldboard is lowered by 64.5%, which implies that the smoothness of the optimized moldboard surface is much greater than the original.

Soil remediation of degraded coastal saline wetlands by irrigation with paper mill effluent and plowing

Combined with anti-waterlogging ditches, irrigation with treated paper mill effluent （TPME） and plowing were applied in this study to investigate the effects of remediation of degraded coastal sa- line-alkaline wetlands. Three treatments were employed, viz., control （CK）, irrigated with 10 cm depth of TPME （I）, and plowing to 20 cm deep before irrigating 10 cm depth ofTPME （IP）. Results show that both I-treatment and IP-treatment could improve soil structure by decreasing bulk density by 5% and 8%. Irrigation with TPME containing low salinity stimulated salts leaching instead of accumulating. With anti-waterlogging ditches, salts were drained out of soil. Irrigation with 10 cm depth of TPME lowered total soluble salts in soil and sodium adsorption ration by 33% and 8%, respective!y, but there was no significant difference compared with CK, indicating that this irrigation rate was not heavy enough to remarkably reduce so!l salinity and sodicity, Thus, in-i： gation rate should be enhanced in order to reach better effects of desalinization and desodication. Irrigation with TPME significantly increased soil organic matter, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen and available phosphorus due to the abundant organic matter in TPME. Plowing increased soil air circulation, so as to enhance mineralization of organic matter and lead to the loss of organic matter; however, plowing significantly improvedsoil alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen and available phosphorus. Improvements of physicochemical properties in I-treatment and IP-treatment both boosted soil microbial population and activity. Microbial biomass carbon increased significantly by 327% （I-treatment） and 451% （IP-treatment）, while soil respiration increased significantly by 316% （I-treatment） and 386% （IP-treatment）. Urease and dehydrogenase activities in both I-treatment and IP-treatment were significantly higher than that in CK. Phosphatase in IP-treatment was significantly higher than that in CK. Compared to I-treatment, IP-treatment improved all of the soil properties except for soil organic matter. The key to remediation of degraded sa- line-alkaline wetlands is to decrease soil salinity and sodicity; thus, irri- gation plus plowing could be an ideal method of soil remediation.

Plowing Ahead

ALTHOUGH Zhao Zijian＇s business card shows his office is in Beijing, he spends half the year on business trips to Africa. Zhao, who hails from central ChinEs Henan Province. has been in the agricultural and construction machinery business for decades, and is now the general manager of China- Africa Machinery Corp. （CAMACO）. He is involved in agricultural and construction machinery investment and trade in Africa.

Two material removal modes in chemical mechanical polishing:mechanical plowing vs.chemical bonding

With the rapid development of semiconductors,the number of materials needed to be polished sharply increases.The material properties vary significantly,posing challenges to chemical mechanical polishing(CMP).Accordingly,the study aimed to classify the material removal mechanism.Based on the CMP and atomic force microscopy results,the six representative metals can be preliminarily classified into two groups,presumably due to different material removal modes.From the tribology perspective,the first group of Cu,Co,and Ni may mainly rely on the mechanical plowing effect.After adding H_(2)O_(2),corrosion can be first enhanced and then suppressed,affecting the surface mechanical strength.Consequently,the material removal rate(MRR)and the surface roughness increase and decrease.By comparison,the second group of Ta,Ru,and Ti may primarily depend on the chemical bonding effect.Adding H_(2)O_(2)can promote oxidation,increasing interfacial chemical bonds.Therefore,the MRR increases,and the surface roughness decreases and levels off.In addition,CMP can be regulated by tuning the synergistic effect of oxidation,complexation,and dissolution for mechanical plowing,while tuning the synergistic effect of oxidation and ionic strength for chemical bonding.The findings provide mechanistic insight into the material removal mechanism in CMP.

Multiscale study of the dynamic friction coefficient due to asperity plowing

A macroscopically nominal flat surface is rough at the nanoscale level and consists of nanoasperities.Therefore,the frictional properties of the macroscale-level rough surface are determined by the mechanical behaviors of nanoasperity contact pairs under shear.In this work,we first used molecular dynamics simulations to study the non-adhesive shear between single contact pairs.Subsequently,to estimate the friction coefficient of rough surfaces,we implemented the frictional behavior of a single contact pair into a Greenwood-Williamson-type statistical model.By employing the present multiscale approach,we used the size,rate,and orientation effects,which originated from nanoscale dislocation plasticity,to determine the dependence of the macroscale friction coefficient on system parameters,such as the surface roughness,separation,loading velocity,and direction.Our model predicts an unconventional dependence of the friction coefficient on the normal contact load,which has been observed in nanoscale frictional tests.Therefore,this model represents one step toward understanding some of the relevant macroscopic phenomena of surface friction at the nanoscale level.

Effects of autumn plowing on the movement and correlation of moisture,heat and nitrate nitrogen in seasonal freeze-thaw soil

A two-year experiment was established in northern Xinjiang to investigate the effects of autumn plowing methods on nitrate nitrogen accumulation,spring-sown soil conditions and cotton emergence rate,and to explore the response relationship between soil water,heat and nitrate nitrogen.The experiment included five autumn plowing treatments,namely,plough tillage(FG),no-tillage(MG),ridge and furrow alternation(LG),plough tillage with straw mulch(FJ)and plough tillage with activated charcoal mulch(FH).The results showed that both FH and FJ treatments were beneficial to promote the nitrate-nitrogen accumulation in topsoil,while FG,MG and LG treatments aggravated the nitrate nitrogen leaching in topsoil.During the freezing period,FH and FJ treatments were beneficial to reduce soil heat loss and facilitate the coordinated upward migration of soil water and nitrate nitrogen.In the thawing period,FH and FJ treatments favored suppressing the synergistic downward transport of soil water and nitrate-nitrogen and motivated the synergistic upward migration of heat and nitrate nitrogen in deep soil.Binary regression analysis suggested that the interaction between water,heat and nitrate nitrogen under FH and FJ treatments showed a highly significant correlation.FH and FJ treatments showed obvious advantages in regulating soil conditions and optimizing soil water,heat and nitrate nitrogen co-transport mechanism.During the spring sowing period,the FH and FJ treatments increased the average soil temperature by 0.99℃and 1.29℃,and the average soil moisture content by 6.01%and 8.70%,and the average soil nitrate content by 10.20 mg/kg and 10.47 mg/kg,in the 0-25 cm soil layer,respectively.FH and FJ treatments significantly grew the emergence rate of cotton,which can be used as the main autumn tillage strategies in arid areas of northern Xinjiang.

Experimental Study on Water Saving of Large-scale Mechanized Paddy Field Production Process in Heilongjiang Province

In order to clarify the water-saving technologies and standards in large-scale mechanized production of paddy fields, the water-saving effects and cost-benefit situations of paddy field steeping, seedling transplanting and different land preparation methods were studied. The results showed that the suitable water layer height for the closing period of mechanized operation was 10 cm, which could save water, facilitate weed control, and lead to better effect and the highest yield. The treatment with a water layer height of 1 cm(Huadashui) for the seedling planting operation achieved better quality of seedling transplanting, lower vacancy rate and higher yield and was water-saving. From the perspective of saving water and taking into account the cost of land preparation, the method of steeping and beating the field was better than the method of plowing in autumn and rotary tillage and harrowing in spring, but it was very prone to lodging. From the perspective of high yield creation, the method of plowing in autumn and rotary tillage and harrowing in spring was significantly better than the method of steeping and beating the field. In order to reduce the cost of land preparation, it is recommended to change the way of plowing in autumn and rotary tillage and hallowing in spring to plowing in autumn and rotary tillage in spring or plowing and hallowing in spring to reduce the cost of one time of rotary tillage, and to simultaneously realize deeper plough layer, which is conducive to preventing lodging and obtaining high yield.

Short-term Effects of Tillage Practices on Organic Carbon in Clay Loam Soil of Northeast China

A tillage experiment, consisting of moldboard plow （MP）, ridge tillage （RT）, and no-tillage （NT）, was performed in a randomized complete block design with four replicates to study the effect of 3-year tillage management on SOC content and its distribution in surface layer （30 cm） of a clay loam soil in northeast China. NT did not lead to significant increase of SOC in topsoil （0-5 cm） compared with MP and RT; however, the SOC content in NT soil was remarkably reduced at a depth of 5-20 cm. Accordingly, short-term （3-year） NT management tended to stratify SOC concentration, but not necessarily increase its storage in the plow layer for the soil.

Design Principles of the Non-smooth Surface of Bionic Plow Moldboard

The diverse non-smooth body surfaces to reduce soil adhesion are the evolutional results for the soil animals to fit the adhesive and wet environment and can be used as a biological basis for the design of bionic plow moldboard. The model surfaces for bionic simulation should be taken from soil animal digging organs, on which the soil motion is similar to what is on the surface of moldboard. By analyzing the distribution of non-smooth units on the body surface of the ground beetle jaw and the soil moving stresses, the design principles of the bionic moldboard for the local and the whole moldboard were presented respectively. As well, the effect of soil moving speed on reducing adhesion, the dimensions relationship between soil particles and non-smooth convexes, the relationship between the enveloping surface of non-smooth convexes and the initial smooth surface of the plow body, and the convex types of the sphere coronal and the pangolin scales,etc.were discussed.

Evaluating the Effect of Tillage on Carbon Sequestration Using the Minimum Detectable Difference Concept

Three long-term field trials in humid regions of Canada and the USA were used to evaluate the influence of soil depth and sample numbers on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in no-tillage (NT) and moldboard plow (MP) corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) production systems. The first trial was conducted on a Maryhill silt loam (Typic Hapludalf) at Elora, Ontario, Canada, the second on a Brookston clay loam (Typic Argiaquoll) at Woodslee, Ontario, Canada, and the third on a Thorp silt loam (Argiaquic Argialboll) at Urbana, Illinois, USA. No-tillage led to significantly higher SOC concentrations in the top 5 cm compared to MP at all 3 sites. However, NT resulted in significantly lower SOC in sub-surface soils as compared to MP at Woodslee (10-20 cm, P = 0.01) and Urbana (20-30 cm, P < 0.10). No-tillage had significantly more SOC storage than MP at the Elora site (3.3 Mg C ha-1) and at the Woodslee site (6.2 Mg C ha-1) on an equivalent mass basis (1350 Mg ha-1 soil equivalent mass). Similarly, NT had greater SOC storage than MP at the Urbana site (2.7 Mg C ha-1) on an equivalent mass basis of 675 Mg ha-1 soil. However, these differences disappeared when the entire plow layer was evaluated for both the Woodslee and Urbana sites as a result of the higher SOC concentrations in MP than in NT at depth. Using the minimum detectable difference technique, we observed that up to 1500 soil sample per tillage treatment comparison will have to be collected and analyzed for the Elora and Woodslee sites and over 40 soil samples per tillage treatment comparison for the Urbana to statistically separate significant differences in the SOC contents of sub-plow depth soils. Therefore, it is impracticable, and at the least prohibitively expensive, to detect tillage-induced differences in soil C beyond the plow layer in various soils.

Effects of Surface-Active Elements Sulfur on Flow Patterns of Welding Pool

A 3D mathematical model is developed to calculate the temperature and velocity distributions in a moving gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding pool with different sulfur concentrations. It has been shown that, the weld penetration increases sharply with increasing sulfur content. When sulfur content increases beyond 80 × 10-6, the increase in sulfur content does not have an appreciable difference on the welding pool size and shape, and the depth/width remains constant. Sulfur changes the temperature dependence of surface tension coefficient from a negative value to a positive value and causes significant changes on flow patterns. The increase in soluble sulfur content and the decrease at free surface temperature can extend the region of positive surface tension coefficient. As sulfur content exceeds 125×10-6, the sign of surface tension coefficient is positive. Depending upon the sulfur concentrations, three, one or two vortexes that have different positions, strength and directions may be found in the welding pool. The contrary vortexes can efficiently transfer the thermal energy from the arc, creating a deep welding pool. An optimum range of sulfur content is 20-150×10-6.

Evaluation of plow system performance in long-wall mining method using particle flow code

The underground or open-pit methods are used for the extraction of mineral resources,each of which is divided into different categories.Coal is one of the mineral resources,which is exploited either by the surface or the underground methods.The long-wall mining is one of the methods for the underground coal mining.In this method,which is a mechanized one,some machines such as the shearer or plow are used for the mining.The coal mine in Parvadeh,Tabas is a mechanized mine that is extracted by the long-wall mining.The modeling with particle flow code software was used in this mine for the evaluation of plow performance using the coal specifications.In this regard,the sample was first calibrated by sampling from the Parvadeh coal mine and performing the uniaxial and Brazilian tests on the model.Then,the modeling was done by constructing the model and using the variables such as the clearance angle and the linear velocity of the plow.After making 28 models for the plow,the best model of the plow was selected based on the maximum force applied to the machine in the X direction.Finally,the results of this study showed that the best plow performance is for a model with the clearance angle of zero and the linear velocity of 9 mm/min,and the maximum force applied to this model is equal to 39,000 kN in the X direction.

Plowshares Wear Investigation of the Plows Working in Mountainous Conditions Using Statistical Probabilistic Modeling

A general technique for modeling of the wear of machine parts using the theory of probability and mathematical statistics is developed,which is implemented through the example of plows of agricultural plows.Regularities of their wear during working under mountainous conditions are established,an adequate probabilistic-statistic mathematical model is obtained,general characteristics of the distribution of wear are determined using statistical moments and their most common(modal)values are determined which allow to substantiate the method of restoring worn parts for the purpose of increasing their life.This technique can also be utilized to study the regularity of wear of parts of other machines.

Non-cropping period accounting for over a half of annual nitric oxide releases from cultivated calcareous-soil alpine ecosystems with marginally low emission factors

Nitric oxide(NO)emissions from alpine ecosystems conventionally being long-term cultivated with feed crops are not well quantified.The authors attempted to address this knowledge gap by performing a year-round experimental campaign in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.Fertilized(F)and unfertilized(UF)treatments were established within a flat calcareous-soil site for the long-term cultivation of feed oats.NO fluxes and five soil variables were simultaneously measured.A single plow tillage accounted for approximately 54%–73%of the NO releases during the cropping period(CP);and the non-cropping period(NCP)contributed to 51%–58%of the annual emissions.The direct NO emissions factor(EFd)was 0.021%±0.021%.Significantly lower Q10 values(p<0.01)occurred in the F treatment during the CP(approximately 3.6)compared to those during the other period or in the other treatment(approximately 4.9?5.1),indicating a fertilizer-induced reduction in the temperature sensitivity.The selected soil variables jointly accounted for up to 72%(p<0.01)of the variance for all the fluxes across both treatments.This finding suggests that temporally and/or spatially distributed fluxes from alpine calcareous-soil ecosystems for feed crop production may be easily predicted if data on these soil variables are available.Further studies are needed to test the hypothesis that the EFd is larger in alpine feed-oat fields than those in this study if the soil moisture content is higher during the period following the basal application of ammoniumor urea-based fertilizer.

Application of Symmetric Ploughs for Tillage on Wetland Paddy Fields

Impertinent uses of moldboard plows for tillage on wetland paddy soils,as far more than a century,caused damage to its important hardpan layer of 20-30 cm soil depth that led to some extent,the decrease of rice production than it should have been.The current study has been carried out to repair that damage to regain the“lost”of paddy yields by using the designed flat-symmetric plow that has a lift angle of 29°-30°.It is towed by a hand tractor of 12 horsepower(HP)at a travel speed of 1.11 m/s and a working depth of 10 cm in three blocks of a wetland paddy field in Bandung Sub-district of West-Java,Indonesia.Test results observed from the formed plow sole of 10-15 cm depth underneath after 3rd-time operations of the plow on the same track,indicated that there was a relatively small decrease of moisture content(MC)around 0.182%,as well as increases of cone index(CI)and bulk density(BD)around 0.172%and 0.171%,respectively.This plow was able to maintain,generate and stimulate the formation of hardpan right underneath the plow path.It was due to the improvement of hardpan physical-mechanical properties and would be more significant after frequent tillage using that plow.Hence,there is a chance to develop a tillage method in the development of an ideal wetland paddy cultivation system throughout Indonesian wetland paddy fields.

Detection of the farmland plow areas using RGB-D images with an improved YOLOv5 model

Recognition of the boundaries of farmland plow areas has an important guiding role in the operation of intelligent agricultural equipment.To precisely recognize these boundaries,a detection method for unmanned tractor plow areas based on RGB-Depth(RGB-D)cameras was proposed,and the feasibility of the detection method was analyzed.This method applied advanced computer vision technology to the field of agricultural automation.Adopting and improving the YOLOv5-seg object segmentation algorithm,first,the Convolutional Block Attention Module(CBAM)was integrated into Concentrated-Comprehensive Convolution Block(C3)to form C3CBAM,thereby enhancing the ability of the network to extract features from plow areas.The GhostConv module was also utilized to reduce parameter and computational complexity.Second,using the depth image information provided by the RGB-D camera combined with the results recognized by the YOLOv5-seg model,the mask image was processed to extract contour boundaries,align the contours with the depth map,and obtain the boundary distance information of the plowed area.Last,based on farmland information,the calculated average boundary distance was corrected,further improving the accuracy of the distance measurements.The experiment results showed that the YOLOv5-seg object segmentation algorithm achieved a recognition accuracy of 99%for plowed areas and that the ranging accuracy improved with decreasing detection distance.The ranging error at 5.5 m was approximately 0.056 m,and the average detection time per frame is 29 ms,which can meet the real-time operational requirements.The results of this study can provide precise guarantees for the autonomous operation of unmanned plowing units.

Mechanical, tribological and anti-corrosive properties of polyaniline/graphene coated Mg-9Li-7Al-1Sn and Mg-9Li-5Al-3Sn-1Zn alloys

The mechanical,tribological and corrosion protection offered to Mg-9Li-7Al-1Sn and Mg-9Li-5Al-3Sn-1Zn alloys by the epoxy coating containing polyaniline/graphene(PANI/Gr)pigments is undertaken in the current work.PANI/Gr containing coatings were observed to be strongly adherent with a higher scratch hardness(Hs)and plowing hardness(Hp),i.e.Hsof 0.43 GPa,and Hpof 0.61 GPa,respectively when compared to that of neat epoxy coating(Hsof 0.17 GPa,and Hpof 0.40 GPa,respectively).Due to their higher Hsand Hpvalues,PANI/Gr based coatings displayed an enhanced wear resistance(Wear volume,Wv=4.53×10^-3 m^3)than that of neat epoxy coating(Wv=5.15×10^-3 m^3).The corrosion protection efficiency in corrosive environment of 3.5 wt%NaCl solution was obtained to be>99% for PANI/Gr containing coatings when compared to that of neat epoxy coating.The charge-transfer resistance(R(ct))of the PANI/Gr containing coatings were estimated to be>10^6 cm^2,which indicates their highly protective nature when compared to that of neat epoxy coating(R(ct)10^5 Ω cm^2).Hence,PANI/Gr containing coatings can be potentially used for wear resistance and corrosion protection applications in marine environments.

Feasibility of implementation of intelligent simulation configurations based on data mining methodologies for prediction of tractor wheel slip

This paper deals with implementation of intelligent simulation configurations for prediction of tractor wheel slip in tillage operations.The effects of numeral variables of forward speed(2,4,and 6 km/h)and plowing depth(10,20,and 30 cm),and nominal variable of tractor driving mode(two-wheel drive(2WD)and four-wheel drive(4WD))on tractor rear wheel slip were intelligently simulated utilizing data mining methodologies of artificial neural network(ANN)and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system(ANFIS).Neuro-fuzzy potential of the ANFIS simulation framework against neural ability of the ANN simulation framework was apprised.Results confirmed higher efficiency of the best configuration of the ANFIS simulation framework with satisfactory statistical performance criteria of coefficient of determination(0.981),root mean square error(1.124%),mean absolute percentage error(1.515%),and mean of absolute values of prediction residual errors(1.135%)than that of the ANN simulation framework.Physical perception obtained from the ANFIS simulation results demonstrated that the wheel slip increased nonlinearly with increment of forward speed and plowing depth,while it decreased as tractor driving mode changed from the 2WD to 4WD.Therefore,the best configuration of the ANFIS based intelligent simulation framework implemented in this study can be used for further relevant studies of tractor rear wheel slip as a reference.

Seasonal Variation of Cumulative CO_2 Emission from a Vertisol Under Apricot Orchard in Semi-Arid Southeast Turkey

Understanding the factors affecting the CO 2 emission from agricultural practices is crucial for global warming.A study was performed in an apricot orchard field in the experimental farm of the Harran University,Southeast Turkey,to i) quantify weekly and seasonal variations of the CO 2 emissions from a Vertisol under apricot orchard;ii) evaluate the difference in CO 2 emission between the area under trees and rows;and iii) assess the relationships between the amounts of CO 2 emissions and environmental parameters for better use and management of the soils from the view point of carbon balance and flux in a semi-arid environment under drip irrigation.Soil CO 2 emission measurements were performed during May 2008 and May 2010,from both under tree crowns (CO 2-UC) and between tree rows (CO 2-BR),on a weekly basis in southeast Turkey with a semi-arid climate.CO 2 emissions were statistically correlated with weather and soil parameters such as air temperature,relative humidity,rainfall,soil water content,and soil temperature at various depths from 5 to 100 cm.The weekly emissions ranged from 82 to 1 110 kg CO 2 ha 1 week 1 and from 96 to 782 kg CO 2 ha 1 week 1 in CO 2-UC and CO 2-BR,respectively.Increase in CO 2 emission in the second year was due to increases in mean air and soil temperatures.The weekly and monthly cumulative CO 2 emissions were positively correlated with the air and soil temperatures.Multiple linear regression analysis explained 35% and 83% variations in average weekly and monthly CO 2 emissions,by using meteorological data.Including the interaction effects of meteorological parameters in regression equations nearly doubled the variance explained by the regression models.According to stepwise regression analysis,soil and air temperatures were found to have the most significant impact on the temporal variability of the soil CO 2 emission.