Reliability of Agricultural Tractors According to Polish Farmers

The progressing digitisation of European and global agriculture requires a rational approach to the reliability of agricultural machinery and vehicles. It is not easy to access data on failures of their parts, units and systems, which are necessary for classic characterisation of reliability. For this reason, it is necessary to develop other unconventional methods of acquiring information about the technical condition of machinery and convert it into a numerical form. This study presents an original method of quantifying the relative index of reliability of farm tractors based on their owners\u27 subjective opinions. At present the rankings obtained by means of this method are the only tool supporting purchase decisions in situations of uncertainty and risk. Polish farmers found Valtra tractors to be the most reliable. The average reliability index is 0.87. Among 12 brands in the ranking the users rated 11 specific reliability criteria of Valtra tractors the highest. The runner-up was John Deere-a global manufacturer of agricultural machinery and vehicles. The German brand Fendt was the third in the ranking

Convolutional neural network model for the qualitative evaluation of geometric shape of carrot root

The main objective of the study is the development of an automatic carrot root classification model, marked as CR-NET, with the use of a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). CNN with a constant architecture was built, consistingof an alternating arrangement of five Conv2D, MaxPooling2D and Dropout classes, for which in the Python 3.9 programming language a calculation algorithm was developed. It was found that the classification process of the carrot root images was carried out with an accuracy of 89.06%, meaning that 50 images were misclassified. The highest number of 21 erroneously classified photographs were from the extra class, of which 15 to the first class, thus not resulting in significant loss. However, assuming the number of refuse as the classification basis, the model accuracy greatly increases to 98.69%, as only 6 photographs were erroneously assigned

The Effect of Liquid Slurry-Enhanced Corrosion on the Phase Composition of Selected Portland Cement Pastes

This paper presents the scientific problem of the biological corrosion of Portland cements and its effects on the phase composition of cement pastes after the corrosion process in the environment of reactive media from the agricultural industry. Seven Portland cements produced from different cement plants exposed to pig slurry and water as a reference medium for a period of six weeks were tested. After the exposure process in both of the above-mentioned reaction environments, the hydrating cement pastes were characterized in terms of their phase composition using the XRD method and were also subjected to morphological observations and a chemical composition analysis with the application of SEM and EDS methods. The results of these studies indicate the presence of a biological corrosion product in the form of taumasite [C3S·CO2·SO3·15H2O], which is a phase formed as a result of the reaction of dead matter (cement paste) with living matter, caused by the presence of bacteria in pig slurry. In addition to taumasite, the tested samples also showed the presence of the hydration product of Portland cements named portlandite (Ca(OH)2). Moreover, unreacted phases of cement clinker, i.e., dicalcium silicate (C2S) and tricalcium aluminate (C3A), were detected. Based on microscopic observations and analyses of the chemical composition of selected areas of the samples, the presence of the taumasite phase and compact areas of pseudo-crystalline C-S-H phases with different morphological structures, derived from the hydration products of cements doped with ions originating from the corrosive environment, were confirmed

The perception of the quality of farm tractors vs their age

Ciągniki używane dominują od wielu lat ilościowo nad ciągnikami nowymi, które są rejestrowane w Polsce. Dane pozyskane od uczestników projektu NBOR zostały poddane analizie statystycznej w celu określenia zależności między jakością ciągników rolniczych a rokiem ich produkcji. Badania obejmują ciągniki wyprodukowane na przestrzeni ostatniego półwiecza. Wyniki badań mogą być wykorzystywane przy podejmowaniu racjonalnych i relewantnych decyzji zakupowych w branży maszyn rolniczych.Most of the newly registered tractors in Poland are still pre-owned vehicles. This trend has been observed for many years. The data collected from the IFOP project participants were analysed statistically to determine the relation between the quality of farm tractors and year of their manufacturing in the last fifty years. In the future, the results will allow farmers to make rational and relevant purchasing decisions during “the fourth 'revolution” in the farming machinery sector

Noise Emission in the Cabs of Modern Farm Tractors

One of the most important parameters determining the operational quality of farm tractors and sales results is the noise level in the cab. In this study the level of noise to which the operator in the cab is exposed and which negatively affects their psychophysical condition was measured and analysed. Tractor manufacturers in Europe and on other continents have effectively reduced the noise level generated by their products. None of 385 models of 20 brands exceeded the noise limit of 115 dB(A) set by the Polish law. However, there were models where the daily 8 hour noise exposure level exceeded 85 dB(A). Our research showed that this parameter still needs to be improved

The farm tractor reliability rating in the 1st IFOP edition

Jednym z ważniejszych kryteriów wyboru ciągnika jest jego zdolność do długotrwałej i bezawaryjnej pracy w trudnych warunkach terenowych i klimatycznych. Przed zakupem nowego lub używanego ciągnika rolniczego (jak i każdej innej maszyny rolniczej) warto zrobić dokładne rozeznanie rynkowe, poznać opinie ekspertów i przede wszystkim użytkowników. Minimalizuje się wówczas niepotrzebny stres bez narażania się na koszty. Pomocne w tym zakresie mogą być rankingi awaryjności różnych marek ciągników użytkowanych przez polskich rolników, uzyskane w ramach projektu NBOR. Raport prezentuje ranking tych ciągników od najmniej do najbardziej awaryjnych w danej klasie. Miejsca w rankingu nie powinni być zaskoczeniem. Na takie wyniki pracuje się latami. Z kolei bardzo łatwo dobrą renomę utracić, poprzez jeden nieudany model.One of the major criteria of selection of a tractor is its ability to work in difficult terrain and climate for a long time and without failure. Before purchasing a brand-new or pre-owned farm tractor (or any other agricultural machinery) it is good to analyse the market in detail and to learn about experts and users' opinions. This is how unnecessary stress and costs can be minimised. What may help to make a purchase decision is the ranking of reliability of different brands of tractors used by Polish farmers, who provided their opinions in the IFOP project. The report presents a ranking of farm tractors from the most to the least reliable vehicles in a particular class. The ranking positions should not be surprising. It takes long years to achieve a high position in the ranking. However, it is very easy to lose good reputation if there is even one faulty model

The Quantification of Operational Reliability of Agricultural Tractors with the Competing Risks Method

Reliability is one of basic parameters affecting the decision to purchase a new or used farming machine. However, there are no objective rankings of the probability of farming machine failures after any period of operation. This article presents an innovative method of quantifying the reliability of farm tractors. The method is so universal that it can also be applied to other farm vehicles and machines. Bernoulli\u27s competing risks method enables precise indication of the right probability distribution (exponential or Weibull) on the basis of the number of identified random and age-related failures. The method was verified logically and empirically. The validation was based on the data collected from long-term users of farm tractors in Poland. Massey Ferguson tractors were found to have the best relative reliability index. This result justified the high sales of Massey Ferguson products in Europe. According to the data for 2020, they were ranked in the top three in Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden

Application of a Selected Pseudorandom Number Generator for the Reliability of Farm Tractors

Knowledge of the use-to-failure periods of process equipment, including agricultural vehicles, is essential for the determination of their durability and reliability. Obtaining any empirical data on this issue is difficult and sometimes impossible. Experimental studies are costly and time-consuming. Manufacturers are usually reluctant to share such data, claiming that the information is classified for the sake of their companies. The purpose of this study was to compare empirical data with data generated using adequate statistical tools. The newly generated and very similar in value pseudorandom numbers were obtained by simulations using the Monte Carlo, Latin hypercube sampling and Iman-Conover methods. Reliability function graphs obtained from the generated time-series (use-to-failure periods) with matching Weibull distribution had very similar shape and scale parameters. They were are also comparable to parameters from experimental data extracted from a Polish Zetor agricultural tractor service station. The validation of the applied methods was limited as it was carried out only on the basis of the available data. Analysis of line graphs of cumulative deviations of the values of use-to-failure periods (times-to-fail) generated against empirical times-to-fail indicated that the best method in the studied case was the Monte Carlo method

Application of a Selected Pseudorandom Number Generator for the Reliability of Farm Tractors

Knowledge of the use-to-failure periods of process equipment, including agricultural vehicles, is essential for the determination of their durability and reliability. Obtaining any empirical data on this issue is difficult and sometimes impossible. Experimental studies are costly and time-consuming. Manufacturers are usually reluctant to share such data, claiming that the information is classified for the sake of their companies. The purpose of this study was to compare empirical data with data generated using adequate statistical tools. The newly generated and very similar in value pseudorandom numbers were obtained by simulations using the Monte Carlo, Latin hypercube sampling and Iman-Conover methods. Reliability function graphs obtained from the generated time-series (use-to-failure periods) with matching Weibull distribution had very similar shape and scale parameters. They were are also comparable to parameters from experimental data extracted from a Polish Zetor agricultural tractor service station. The validation of the applied methods was limited as it was carried out only on the basis of the available data. Analysis of line graphs of cumulative deviations of the values of use-to-failure periods (times-to-fail) generated against empirical times-to-fail indicated that the best method in the studied case was the Monte Carlo method