Assessment of BRRI Whole Feed Combine Harvester (Model BRRI WCH2021) for Mechanized Rice Harvesting in Bangladesh

Agricultural mechanization plays a pivotal role in the transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture, with a particular focus on labour-intensive activities like harvesting. This study assesses the operational characteristics of the BRRI Whole Feed Combine Harvester (Model BRRI WCH2021) at the field level. Developed under the SFMRA project, the harvester’s technical performance and loss assessment were conducted during the Boro 2022 and Aman 2022 seasons in farmer fields in Bangladesh’s Rangpur region. The field efficiency of the harvester was determined to be 62.5% and 57.9% in the Boro and Aman seasons, respectively. Fuel consumption rates were recorded at 2.77 l/ha and 2.31 l/ha for the Boro and Aman seasons. The total harvesting losses, encompassing cutter bar, shatter, cylinder, and separation loss, averaged 0.56% and 0.48% in the Boro and Aman seasons, respectively. Mechanized harvesting with the BRRI Whole Feed Combine Harvester significantly reduced paddy losses by 5.81% compared to manual methods. The field evaluation results indicate the combine harvester’s satisfactory performance, highlighting its potential to alleviate labour demands during peak harvesting. The development of the BRRI WCH offers a sustainable solution for rice harvesting mechanization among progressive farmers. It paves the way for the broader adoption of advanced agricultural technology in Bangladesh.

Performance enhancement of a viscoelastic bistable energy harvester using time-delayed feedback control

This paper focuses on the stochastic analysis of a viscoelastic bistable energy harvesting system under colored noise and harmonic excitation, and adopts the time-delayed feedback control to improve its harvesting efficiency. Firstly, to obtain the dimensionless governing equation of the system, the original bistable system is approximated as a system without viscoelastic term by using the stochastic averaging method of energy envelope, and then is further decoupled to derive an equivalent system. The credibility of the proposed method is validated by contrasting the consistency between the numerical and the analytical results of the equivalent system under different noise conditions. The influence of system parameters on average output power is analyzed, and the control effect of the time-delayed feedback control on system performance is compared. The output performance of the system is improved with the occurrence of stochastic resonance(SR). Therefore, the signal-to-noise ratio expression for measuring SR is derived, and the dependence of its SR behavior on different parameters is explored.

A viscoelastic nonlinear energy sink with an electromagnetic energy harvester:Narrow-band random response

Nonlinear energy sink is a passive energy absorption device that surpasses linear dampers, and has gained significant attention in various fields of vibration suppression. This is owing to its capacity to offer high vibration attenuation and robustness across a wide frequency spectrum. Energy harvester is a device employed to convert kinetic energy into usable electric energy. In this paper, we propose an electromagnetic energy harvester enhanced viscoelastic nonlinear energy sink(VNES) to achieve passive vibration suppression and energy harvesting simultaneously. A critical departure from prior studies is the investigation of the stochastic P-bifurcation of the electromechanically coupled VNES system under narrowband random excitation. Initially, approximate analytical solutions are derived using a combination of a multiple-scale method and a perturbation approach. The substantial agreement between theoretical analysis solutions and numerical solutions obtained from Monte Carlo simulation underscores the method's high degree of validity. Furthermore, the effects of system parameters on system responses are carefully examined. Additionally, we demonstrate that stochastic P-bifurcation can be induced by system parameters, which is further verified by the steady-state density functions of displacement. Lastly,we analyze the impacts of various parameters on the mean square current and the mean output power, which are crucial for selecting suitable parameters to enhance the energy harvesting performance.

Experimental research on affecting factors of the cutting quality of sugarcane harvesters under complicated excitations

The sugarcane field excitation,cutting forces and the engine excitation constitute complicated excitations acting on sugarcane harvesters.In this study,the sugarcane cutting mechanism under complicated excitations was analyzed.The dynamics and the mathematical models of sugarcane harvesters were established and simulated.Based on theoretical analysis,sugarcane cutting experiments were done on a self-built sugarcane harvester test platform(SHTP),designed as single-factor and the orthogonal experiments.Effects of the sugarcane field excitation characterized by the sugarcane field excitation device(SFED)output frequency,the engine excitation characterized by the actuating engine output frequency,the cutter rotating speed,the sugarcane harvester travelling speed simulated through the sugarcane transporting speed of the SHTP and the cutter inclination angle on the cutting quality of sugarcane harvesters were studied.Effects of the axial cutter vibration on three-directional cutting forces and the sugarcane cutting quality(SCQ)as well as effects of three-directional cutting forces on the SCQ were further studied.It is shown that the sugarcane field excitation,the axial cutter vibration amplitude and frequency as well as the three-directional cutting forces have significantly negative monotonic correlated effects on the SCQ while the cutter rotating speed,the sugarcane harvester travelling speed and the cutter inclination angle have significantly positive monotonic correlated effects on the SCQ.Significance levels of effects on three-directional cutting forces and the SCQ form high to low are as follow,the axial cutter vibration,the sugarcane field excitation,the cutter rotating speed,the engine excitation,the cutter inclination angle,the sugarcane harvester travelling speed.The theoretical analysis results were verified through experiment and an optimal combination was obtained with the cutter rotating speed of 700 r/min,sugarcane harvester travelling speed of 0.6 m/s and cutter inclination angle of 8º.This study can provide a reference for setting cutting parameters of sugarcane harvesters with a good SCQ.

The underlying mechanism of variety–water–nitrogen–stubble damage interactions on yield formation in ratoon rice with low stubble height under mechanized harvesting

Agronomic measures are the key to promote the sustainable development of ratoon rice by reducing the damage from mechanical crushing to the residual stubble of the main crop, thereby mitigating the impact on axillary bud sprouting and yield formation in ratoon rice. This study used widely recommended conventional rice Jiafuzhan and hybrid rice Yongyou 2640 as the test materials to conduct a four-factor block design field experiment in a greenhouse of the experimental farm of Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University, China from 2018 to 2019.The treatments included fertilization and no fertilization, alternate wetting and drying irrigation and continuous water flooding irrigation, and plots with and without artificial crushing damage on the rice stubble. At the same time, a 13C stable isotope in-situ detection technology was used to fertilize the pot experiment. The results showed significant interactions among varieties, water management, nitrogen application and stubble status.Relative to the long-term water flooding treatment, the treatment with sequential application of nitrogen fertilizer coupled with moderate field drought for root-vigor and tiller promotion before and after harvesting of the main crop, significantly improved the effective tillers from low position nodes. This in turn increased the effective panicles per plant and grains per panicle by reducing the influence of artificial crushing damage on rice stubble and achieving a high yield of the regenerated rice. Furthermore, the partitioning of 13C assimilates to the residual stubble and its axillary buds were significantly improved at the mature stage of the main crop, while the translocation rate to roots and rhizosphere soil was reduced at the later growth stage of ratooning season rice. This was triggered by the metabolism of hormones and polyamines at the stem base regulated by the interaction of water and fertilizer at this time. We therefore suggest that to achieve a high yield of ratoon rice with low stubble height under mechanized harvesting, the timely application of nitrogen fertilizer is fundamental,coupled with moderate field drying for root-vigor preservation and tiller promotion before and after the mechanical harvesting of the main crop.

Highly Flexible Graphene-Film-Based Rectenna for Wireless Energy Harvesting

Herein,we report the design,fabrication,and performance of two wireless energy harvesting devices based on highly flexible graphene macroscopic films(FGMFs).We first demonstrate that benefiting from the high conductivity of up to 1×10^(6)S m^(-1)and good resistive stability of FGMFs even under extensive bending,the FGMFs-based rectifying circuit(GRC)exhibits good flexibility and RF-to-DC efficiency of 53%at 2.1 GHz.Moreover,we further expand the application of FGMFs to a flexible wideband monopole rectenna and a 2.45 GHz wearable rectenna for harvesting wireless energy.The wideband rectenna at various bending conditions produces a maximum conversion efficiency of 52%,46%,and 44%at the 5th Generation(5G)2.1 GHz,Industrial Long-Term Evolution(LTE)2.3 GHz,and Scientific Medical(ISM)2.45 GHz,respectively.A 2.45 GHz GRC is optimized and integrated with an AMC-backed wearable antenna.The proposed 2.45 GHz wearable rectenna shows a maximum conversion efficiency of 55.7%.All the results indicate that the highly flexible graphene-film-based rectennas have great potential as a wireless power supplier for smart Internet of Things(loT)applications.

Theoretical Analysis of the Galloping Energy Harvesters under Bounded Random Parameter Excitation

In this paper,the response properties of galloping energy harvesters under bounded random parameter excitation are studied theoretically.The first-order approximate solution of the galloping energy harvester is derived by applying the multi-scales method.The expression for the largest Lyapunov exponent that determines the trivial solution is derived,and the corresponding simulation diagrams,including the largest Lyapunov exponent diagrams and time domain diagrams,verify our results.Then the steady-state response moments of the nontrivial solution are studied using the moment method,and the analytical expressions for the first-order and second-order moments of the voltage amplitude are obtained,respectively.The corresponding results show that wind speed enhances the steady-state response moments of the voltage amplitude.Meanwhile,the voltage output can be controlled by adjusting the cubic coefficient.To further verify the response characteristics of the galloping energy harvester,the stationary probability density functions of the displacement and velocity are obtained by the Monte-Carlo simulation method.The results show that the wind speed enhances the displacement of the bluff and the damping ratios should be reduced asmuch as possible to improve the performance.What’smore,the piezoelectric materials also impact the performance of the energy harvester.

Piezomagnetic vibration energy harvester with an amplifier

We study the effect of an amplification mechanism in a nonlinear vibration energy harvesting system where a ferromagnetic beam resonator is attached to the vibration source through an additional linear spring with a damper.The beam moves in the nonlinear double-well potential caused by interaction with two magnets.The piezoelectric patches with electrodes attached to the electrical circuit support mechanical energy transduction into electrical power.The results show that the additional spring can improve energy harvesting.By changing its stiffness,we observed various solutions.At the point of the optimal stiffness of the additional spring,the power output is amplified a few times depending on the excitation amplitude.

Model Design and Development of a Telescopic Palm Fruit Harvester

This research paper presents a comprehensive conceptual design approach for the development of a telescopic machine system, which is portable and will provide a safe method of harvesting palm fruits. For this machine system development, the material for each component of the machine system was first selected, the boom length, maximum boom angle, force and stroke length of each hydraulic cylinder, the hydraulic pump pressure, base weight, permissible weight of the cutting system and power required were then calculated in the design analysis. Furthermore, from the calculated parameters, the model of the system was created using SolidWorks engineering software, the model was developed and tested. The result shows that the cutting time of the system for one bunch of palm fruit was longer when compared to conventional systems. It was concluded that though the machine is maintenance friendly and portable, further improvements in its design are necessary so as to develop a system that will give desirable economic output at a shorter time.

Deployment optimization for target perpetual coverage in energy harvesting wireless sensor network

Energy limitation of traditional Wireless Sensor Networks(WSNs)greatly confines the network lifetime due to generating and processing massive sensing data with a limited battery.The energy harvesting WSN is a novel network architecture to address the limitation of traditional WSN.However,existing coverage and deployment schemes neglect the environmental correlation of sensor nodes and external energy with respect to physical space.Comprehensively considering the spatial correlation of the environment and the uneven distribution of energy in energy harvesting WSN,we investigate how to deploy a collection of sensor nodes to save the deployment cost while ensuring the target perpetual coverage.The Confident Information Coverage(CIC)model is adopted to formulate the CIC Minimum Deployment Cost Target Perpetual Coverage(CICMTP)problem to minimize the deployed sensor nodes.As the CICMTP is NP-hard,we devise two approximation algorithms named Local Greedy Threshold Algorithm based on CIC(LGTA-CIC)and Overall Greedy Search Algorithm based on CIC(OGSA-CIC).The LGTA-CIC has a low time complexity and the OGSA-CIC has a better approximation rate.Extensive simulation results demonstrate that the OGSA-CIC is able to achieve lower deployment cost and the performance of the proposed algorithms outperforms GRNP,TPNP and EENP algorithms.

Bayesian system identification and chaotic prediction from data for stochastic Mathieu-van der Pol-Duffing energy harvester

In this paper,the approximate Bayesian computation combines the particle swarm optimization and se-quential Monte Carlo methods,which identify the parameters of the Mathieu-van der Pol-Duffing chaotic energy harvester system.Then the proposed method is applied to estimate the coefficients of the chaotic model and the response output paths of the identified coefficients compared with the observed,which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method.Finally,a partial response sample of the regular and chaotic responses,determined by the maximum Lyapunov exponent,is applied to detect whether chaotic motion occurs in them by a 0-1 test.This paper can provide a reference for data-based parameter iden-tification and chaotic prediction of chaotic vibration energy harvester systems.

Solar cell-based hybrid energy harvesters towards sustainability

Energy harvesting plays a crucial role in modern society.In the past years,solar energy,owing to its renewable,green,and infinite attributes,has attracted increasing attention across a broad range of applications from small-scale wearable electronics to large-scale energy powering.However,the utility of solar cells in providing a stable power supply for vari-ous electrical appliances in practical applications is restricted by weather conditions.To address this issue,researchers have made many efforts to integrate solar cells with other types of energy harvesters,thus developing hybrid energy har-vesters(HEHs),which can harvest energy from the ambient environment via different working mechanisms.In this re-view,four categories of energy harvesters including solar cells,triboelectric nanogenerators(TENGs),piezoelectric nanogenerators(PENGs),and thermoelectric generators(TEGs)are introduced.In addition,we systematically summar-ize the recent progress in solar cell-based hybrid energy harvesters(SCHEHs)with a focus on their structure designs and the corresponding applications.Three hybridization designs through unique combinations of TENG,PENG,and TEG with solar cells are elaborated in detail.Finally,the main challenges and perspectives for the future development of SCHEHs are discussed.

Dewatering of Scenedesmus obliquus Cultivation Substrate with Microfiltration:Potential and Challenges for Water Reuse and Effective Harvesting

In the microalgae harvesting process,which includes a step for dewatering the algal suspension,directly reusing extracted water in situ would decrease the freshwater footprint of cultivation systems.Among various algae harvesting techniques,membrane-based filtration has shown numerous advantages.This study evaluated the reuse of permeate streams derived from Scenedesmus obliquus(S.obliquus)biomass filtration under bench-scale and pilot-scale conditions.In particular,this study identified a series of challenges and mechanisms that influence the water reuse potential and the robustness of the membrane harvesting system.In a preliminary phase of this investigation,the health status of the initial biomass was found to have important implications for the harvesting performance and quality of the permeate stream to be reused;healthy biomass ensured better dewatering performance(i.e.,higher water fluxes)and higher quality of the permeate water streams.A series of bench-scale filtration experiments with different combinations of cross-flow velocity and pressure values were performed to identify the operative conditions that would maximize water productivity.The selected conditions,2.4 m·s^(-1)and 1.4 bar(1 bar=105 Pa),respectively,were then applied to drive pilot-scale microfiltration tests to reuse the collected permeate as a new cultivation medium for S.obliquus growth in a pilot-scale photobioreactor.The investigation revealed key differences between the behavior of the membrane systems at the two scales(bench and pilot).It indicated the potential for beneficial reuse of the permeate stream as the pilot-scale experiments ensured high harvesting performance and growth rates of biomass in permeate water that were highly similar to those recorded in the ideal cultivation medium.Finally,different nutrient reintegration protocols were investigated,revealing that both macro-and micro-nutrient levels are critical for the success of the reuse approach.

Dynamic analysis of a novel multilink-spring mechanism for vibration isolation and energy harvesting

Due to technical limitations,existing vibration isolation and energy harvesting(VIEH)devices have poor performance at low frequency.This paper proposes a new multilink-spring mechanism(MLSM)that can be used to solve this problem.The VIEH performance of the MLSM under harmonic excitation and Gaussian white noise was analyzed.It was found that the MLSM has good vibration isolation performance for low-frequency isolation and the frequency band can be widened by adjusting parameters to achieve a higher energy harvesting power.By comparison with two special cases,the results show that the MLSM is basically the same as the other two oscillators in terms of vibration isolation but has better energy harvesting performance under multistable characteristics.The MLSM is expected to reduce the impact of vibration on high-precision sensitive equipment in some special sites such as subways and mines,and at the same time supply power to structural health monitoring devices.

Review of the Tuned Mass Damper Inerter(TMDI)in Energy Harvesting and Vibration Control:Designs,Analysis and Applications

Tuned mass damper inerter(TMDI)is a device that couples traditional tuned mass dampers(TMD)with an inertial device.The inertial device produces resistance proportional to the relative acceleration at its two ends through its“inertial”constant.Due to its unique mechanical properties,TMDI has received widespread attention and application in the past twenty years.As different configurations are required in different practical situations,TMDI is still active in the research on vibration control and energy harvesting in structures.This paper provides a comprehensive review of the research status of TMDI.This work first examines the generation and important vibration control characteristics of TMDI.Then,the energy harvesting performance of electromagnetic tuned mass damper inerter(EM-TMDI)is discussed.This work emphasizes the formation of a passive dynamic vibration absorber by coupling traditional TMD with inertial devices.This paper also summarizes the design and implementation of optimal vibration control and energy harvesting for TMDI.Furthermore,this paper details the applications of TMDI in the fields of bridges and building engineering.Finally,this paper summarizes the necessity of research on tuned mass-damper-inertia,the challenges faced currently,and future research directions,such as control of parameters in electromagnetic energy harvesting TMDI systems and low-cost TMDI.

Energy Harvesting in the Wake of An Inverted C-Shaped Bluff Body

This paper proposes a novel wake-induced vibration(WIV)-based energy harvesting system consisting of two bluff bodies.An inverted C-shaped bluff body is stationary installed at the upstream position to generate an interference wake street,and a cylinder bluff body equipped with a transducer is elastically suspended at the downstream position to harness WIV energy.The hydrodynamics and energy harvesting(EH)performance of the proposed system are investigated via experimental studies.The reduced velocity(U*)ranging from 2 to 14(the corresponding Reynolds number ranging from 15100 to 106200)is considered in the present study.It is found that the wake generated by the inverted C-shaped bluff body significantly affects the EH performance.Enlarging the opening angle(α)of the C-shaped bluff body increases the vibration amplitude of the downstream cylinder,thereby increasing the harvested power.When the spacing(L)between two bluff bodies is two times the cylinder diameter(D),the wake-induced vibration(WIV)mode is observed,while the combined WIV and wake galloping(WG)mode occurs whenαis 150°,and L equals 3D or 4D.The average drag coefficient becomes negative when L is 2D,3D,or 4D.By carefully configuring a C-shaped bluff body,the wake generated by it can bring an augmenting effect on the vibration of the downstream EH cylinder.For example,the RMS power output of the proposed EH system reaches a maximum of 0.31 W at U*=8 and L=4D,which is 300%greater than that of its traditional counterpart.Furthermore,after a number of case stud-ies,it is identified that the proposed EH system can achieve the best performance whenαis 150°and L=2D.

A viscoelastic metamaterial beam for integrated vibration isolation and energy harvesting

Locally resonant metamaterials have low-frequency band gaps and the capability of converging vibratory energy in the band gaps at resonant cells.It has been demonstrated by several researchers that the dissipatioin of vibratory energy within the band gap can be improved by using viscoelastic materials.This paper designs an integrated viscoelastic metamaterial for energy harvesting and vibration isolation.The viscoelastic metamaterial is achieved by a viscoelastic beam periodically arrayed with spatial ball-pendulum nonlinear energy harvesters.The nonlinear resonator with an energy harvesting function is achieved by placing a free-rolling magnetic ball in a spherical cavity with an additional induction coil.The dynamic equations of viscoelastic metamaterials under transverse excitation are established,and the energy harvesting and vibration isolation characteristics within the dispersion relation of viscoelastic metamaterials are analyzed.The results show that the vibrations of the main body of the viscoelastic metamaterial beam are significantly suppressed in the frequency range of the local resonance band gap.At the same time,the elastic waves are limited in the nonlinear resonator with an energy harvesting function,which improves the energy output.Finally,an experimental platform of viscoelastic metamaterial vibration is established for validation purposes.

On the role of sliding friction effect in nonlinear tri-hybrid vibration-based energy harvesting

This work aims to develop an experimental investigation into the effectiveness of the sliding-mode approach for hybrid vibration-based energy harvesting.A proposed sliding-mode triboelectric-electromagnetic-piezoelectric energy harvesting model involves a cantilever beam with a tip mass exposed to magnetic and frictional forces.The experimental findings indicate that the system can achieve its peak inter-well oscillation output within a low-frequency range of 4 Hz–6 Hz.Friction has a lesser impact on the open-circuit voltage output at an excitation acceleration of 1.5g compared with 1g.The distribution of tri-stability changes with the presence of friction.This model provides a deeper understanding of the influence of the dry friction coefficient(0.2–0.5) on the interactive behaviors of different generator units.

Harvesting Energy Via Water Movement and Surface Ionics in Microfibrous Ceramic Wools

Due to the push for carbon neutrality in various human activities,the development of methods for producing electricity without relying on chemical reaction processes or heat sources has become highly significant.Also,the challenge lies in achieving microwatt-scale outputs due to the inherent conductivity of the materials and diverting electric currents.To address this challenge,our research has concentrated on utilizing nonconductive mediums for water-based low-cost microfibrous ceramic wools in conjunction with a NaCl aqueous solution for power generation.The main source of electricity originates from the directed movement of water molecules and surface ions through densely packed microfibrous ceramic wools due to the effect of dynamic electric double layer.This occurrence bears resemblance to the natural water transpiration in plants,thereby presenting a fresh and straightforward approach for producing electricity in an ecofriendly manner.The generator module demonstrated in this study,measuring 12×6 cm^(2),exhibited a noteworthy open-circuit voltage of 0.35 V,coupled with a short-circuit current of 0.51 mA.Such low-cost ceramic wools are suitable for ubiquitous,permanent energy sources and hold potential for use as self-powered sensors and systems,eliminating the requirement for external energy sources such as sunlight or heat.

Design and feasibility analysis of a graded harvesting end-effector with the function of soluble solid content estimation

In response to the prevailing scarcity of labor and with the aim of augmenting the proportion of premium-quality fruits, a robotic grading end-effector system for harvesting was meticulously designed. The end-effector could measure the soluble solid content (SSC) of peaches during the harvesting process to evaluate the quality of the fruit, thereby facilitating real-time grading during harvesting. As comprising a harvesting component and an information-gathering segment, the end-effector system was optimized with the primary structural parameters of its adaptive fingers using a mathematical model of peach morphology. Also, the buffering materials for mitigating the pressure exerted by the adaptive fingers on the peaches were compared. Furthermore, feasibility analyses of the grasping actions were conducted based on the interaction forces between the adaptive fingers and the peaches. To grade the quality of peaches, SSC was used as an indicator to assess and grade the quality of the peaches. The spectra of peaches within the wavelength range of 590-1100 nm were collected, and a predictive model for SSC was developed. The correlation coefficients for the calibration set and prediction sets of the predictive model were 0.880 and 0.890, with corresponding root mean square errors of 0.370% and 0.357% Brix, respectively. In addition, a robustness and accuracy assessment was conducted using 30 peach samples, yielding a correlation coefficient of 0.936 and a standard error of 0.386% Brix between the predicted and measured values of SSC. The results confirm that the end-effector can measure the SSC of peaches during the collection process, providing novel concepts and theoretical foundations for real-time harvesting and grading.