| Author | Palaniappan, Sevugan |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no. AE-87-16 |
| Subject(s) | Tractors--Performance
|
| Note |
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Engineering. School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | A boat tractor manufactured in China was evaluated for its field
performance. The vehicle which did not float in water nevertheless worked
well in wetland. Field testing at three hardpan depths was conducted in
test plots with and without water standing for all three gears of the
vehicle. As the original paddle wheels got blocked quickly in deep fields,
a new pair of paddle wheels were fabricated and tested in the worst
condition. The modified new pair of paddle wheels worked well in deep
fields without blocking. The average field capacities of the tractor in
shallow and medium fields were approximat e ly the same (0.21 ha/hr) and
the fuel consumption was about 0.88 l/hr. But in deep fields the field
capacity was only 0. 17 ha/hr and the fuel consumption was found to be 1. 06
l/hr. Reduced drag and increased pull were noticed in fields with
standing water. In shallow and medium water standing fields maximum pull
was obtained in gear I. But maximum power and tractive efficiency were
observed in gear II in shallow fields and in gear I in medium fields.
In deep water standing fields the maximum tractive efficiency, maximum
pull and optimum pull at 48.17 per cent slip with new paddle wheels in
gear I were 21 per cent, 4.4 kN and 2 . 9 kN respectively. The overall
performance of the vehicle in wet paddy fields is good in all conditions,
and is highly suitable for fields having hardpan deeper than 30 cm. So
the boat tractor with new paddle wheels is recommended to the local
farmers for wetland cultivation. |
| Year | 1987 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Agricultural and Food Engineering (AE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Gee-Clough, D. |
| Examination Committee(s) | Gupta, Chandra P. ;Illangantileke, Sarath G. |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | H.M. the King of Thailand |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1987 |