Improvements of harrows wear resistance

Wear is the main reason for the loss of performance of the parts for agricultural machinery. It leads to the degradation of the soil working quality. This work aims to highlight the wear resistance of the harrows discs manufactured, consolidated and sharpened differently. The tests were conducted in the laboratory and the field of the Faculty of Exploitation and Repair of Agricultural Machinery of the State Technical University of Kirovograd (Ukraine) in 2015. The technical equipment consists of devices for consolidation by electric discharge and for measurement the linear wear of discs, a harrow, a sand test bed, a tractor and discs made of different materials and technologies. Some parameterized were collected during the laboratory test each 5 ha and up to 20 ha of operation and in the fields each 30 ha until the time limit of exploitation. The Laboratory tests have shown that after twenty (20) ha of operation, the wear resistance of the experimental discs made of steel 65G and consolidated by electric discharge with simultaneous grinding (sharpening angle of 30°) is 2.95 times higher than the discs in series made of steel 28MnB5. The field experiment gave the following results: According to agro technical requirements, the plowing depth limit of serial discs made of steel 28MnB5 was reached after an operating duration of 120 ha while for experimental discs made of steel 65G and consolidated by electric discharge with simultaneous grinding (sharpening angle of 30 degrees) this duration is of 156 ha. The diameter wear limit of experimental discs was reached after an operating duration of 179 ha against 154 ha for the serial ones. Therefore, the new technology can be applied during the manufacture and / or the repair of the discs

Laparoscopic Assisted Fusion of the Lumbosacral Spine: A Biomechanical and Histologic Analysis of the Open Versus Laparoscopic Technique in an Animal Model

Study Design. An animal model for laparoscopic lumbosacral fusion. Objectives. To compare the biomechanical and histologic results of open to laparoscopic lumbosacral discectomy and fusion in an animal model. Background Data. Early clinical reports of laparoscopic lumbosacral fusions are encouraging, but animal experiments have not been reported. Methods. Ten pigs (50-80 kg) were divided into two groups. Group 1 underwent an open anterior lumbosacral discectomy and fusion at L7-S1 using autologous bone graft and a titanium MOSS (DePuy Motech) cage. Group 2 was identical to Group 1 except that a laparoscopic technique was used. The animals were killed at 3 months, and the lumbosacral spines were harvested for biomechanical and histologic testing. Results. Estimated blood loss and average length of operation, respectively, for the two groups were: Group 1, 50 mL, 2 hours 50 minutes; and Group 2, 40 mL, 3 hours 40 minutes. There were no perioperative or postoperative complications in either group. Motion analysis results showed less motion in lateral bending, flexion, and extension than in the intact specimen in both groups. Tensile testing showed that the stiffness was significantly greater in the open group than in the laparoscopic group (P \u3c 0.004). Histologic examination showed a less extensive discectomy and less bone growth in the implant in the laparoscopic group. Inadequate decortication of end-plates occurred in two animals who underwent laparoscopy. Conclusions. Although lumbosacral discectomy and implant insertion can be performed using the laparoscopic technique, the construct may not have the same biomechanical strength as that attained with the open procedure. Laparoscopic-assisted lumbosacral fusion surgery requires additional investigation before it is widely used in clinical situations

Biomechanical Tolerance of Whole Lumbar Spines in Straightened Posture Subjected to Axial Acceleration

Quantification of biomechanical tolerance is necessary for injury prediction and protection of vehicular occupants. This study experimentally quantified lumbar spine axial tolerance during accelerative environments simulating a variety of military and civilian scenarios. Intact human lumbar spines (T12‐L5) were dynamically loaded using a custom‐built drop tower. Twenty‐three specimens were tested at sub‐failure and failure levels consisting of peak axial forces between 2.6 and 7.9 kN and corresponding peak accelerations between 7 and 57 g. Military aircraft ejection and helicopter crashes fall within these high axial acceleration ranges. Testing was stopped following injury detection. Both peak force and acceleration were significant (p \u3c 0.0001) injury predictors. Injury probability curves using parametric survival analysis were created for peak acceleration and peak force. Fifty‐percent probability of injury (95%CI) for force and acceleration were 4.5 (3.9–5.2 kN), and 16 (13–19 g). A majority of injuries affected the L1 spinal level. Peak axial forces and accelerations were greater for specimens that sustained multiple injuries or injuries at L2–L5 spinal levels. In general, force‐based tolerance was consistent with previous shorter‐segment lumbar spine testing (3–5 vertebrae), although studies incorporating isolated vertebral bodies reported higher tolerance attributable to a different injury mechanism involving structural failure of the cortical shell. This study identified novel outcomes with regard to injury patterns, wherein more violent exposures produced more injuries in the caudal lumbar spine. This caudal migration was likely attributable to increased injury tolerance at lower lumbar spinal levels and a faster inertial mass recruitment process for high rate load application. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA

Optimisation of a cymbal transducer for its use in a high-power ultrasonic cutting device for bone surgery

The class V cymbal is a flextensional transducer commonly used in low-power ultrasonic applications. The resonance frequency of the transducer can be tailored by the choice of end-cap and driver materials, and the dimensions of the end-caps. The cymbal transducer has one significant limitation which restricts the operational vibration amplitude of the device. This is the limit imposed by the mechanical strength of the bonding agent between the metal end-cap and the piezoceramic driver. Therefore, when there is an increase in the input power or displacement, the stresses in the bonding layer can lead to debonding, thereby rendering the cymbal transducer ineffective for high-power ultrasonic applications. In this paper, several experimental analyses have been performed, complemented by the use of Abaqus/CAE finite element analysis, in order to develop a high-power ultrasonic cutting device for bone surgery using a new configuration of cymbal transducer, which is optimised for operation at high displacement and high input power. This new transducer uses a combination of a piezoceramic disc with a metal ring as the driver, thereby improving the mechanical coupling with the metal end-cap

Performance testing of a 50 kW VAWT in a built-up environment

The results of performance tests of a DAF Indal 50 kW vertical axis wind turbine are presented. Results of limited free stream turbulence and vertical wind shear measurements at the site are also presented. The close agreement between measured and predicted energy outputs, required to verify the wind turbine power output performance relationship, was not attained. A discussion is presented of factors that may have contributed to the lack of better agreement

Sun angle calculator

A circular computer and system is disclosed for determining the sun angle relative to the horizon from any given place and at any time. The computer includes transparent, rotatably mounted discs on both sides of the circular disc member. Printed on one side of the circular disc member are outer and inner circular sets of indicia respectively representative of site longitude and Greenwich Mean Time. Printed on an associated one of the rotatable discs is a set of indicia representative of Solar Time. Printed on the other side of the circular disc member are parallel lines representative of latitude between diametral representations of North and South poles. Elliptical lines extending between the North and South poles are proportionally disposed on the surface to scale Solar Time in hours