ANALYSIS OF TRACTOR TRANSMISSION AND DRIVING AXLE LOADS

This study was intended to analyze the loads acting on the transmission and driving axle of an agricultural tractor during plowing operations in Korea. Before the load measurements were made, a survey was conducted to investigate the operational characteristics of plowing by tractors in Korea. The transmission load was measured at the input shaft of the gearbox, and the driving axle load was measured at the final drive shaft of the tractor. The load measurements were made at two speed levels and under five field conditions. Two torque transducers were developed for the respective load measurements, as well as other instrumentation necessary to collect the data and store them in a data logger. The time–histories of the measured torque loads were analyzed and transformed into load spectra using rain–flow cycle counting and the Smith–Watson–Topper equation. Comparison of the load spectra was made to investigate their characteristics. Effects on the load spectrum of soil and plowing speed were also investigated. Finally, a load spectrum combining the results of the spectrum analysis was developed and proposed as an input load for estimating the fatigue lives of transmission components for tractors in Korea.