Motion Study of Spike Entering the Soil of the Interlock Drive System

Abstract

Machines for intensive agriculture require drive power. Until now this has been generated mainly by frictional connection to the soil. A frictional connection needs weight to apply drive power. This weight shears and compacts the soil, reduces soil fertility, reduces water infiltration, increases water runoff and increases erosion. The generation of traction on a field is also possible via the interlock drive system, where narrow articulated spikes penetrate the ground at regular intervals and push the vehicle horizontally over the ground, avoiding the vertical pressure of wheels. The interlock drive system can provide high tractive power for productive agriculture using lightweight construction and little energy consumption, as has been demonstrated in over 30 prototypes. Many of the fundamental working principles of this new drive system are not yet properly described. This makes it difficult to design a machine for specific soil and operating conditions without adjustment and refitting in the field. So, it is unclear until now whether an implementation with a few long spikes will operate more efficiently than an implementation with more but shorter spikes. It has also not been examined how the degree of compaction and the amount of soil moisture affect the efficiency of the spike and how the horizontal motion of a spike depends on soil conditions.