Safety Analysis of Agricultural Implement for Mulching and Soil Covering

In-Seok Hwang, Sung-Min Ji, Wan-Tae Im and Chang-Seop Shin ()
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In-Seok Hwang: Department of Biosystems Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
Sung-Min Ji: Daesung Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd., Cheongju 28205, Republic of Korea
Wan-Tae Im: Department of Biosystems Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
Chang-Seop Shin: Department of Biosystems Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-15

Abstract: In recent years, the increasing use of mulching in agricultural practices has been driven by its benefits in weed suppression, soil moisture retention, and improved soil structure. However, Korean farms typically perform mulching and soil covering separately, leading to excessive labor requirements. To address this issue, this study analyzes the safety of a newly developed mulching and soil covering machine. To evaluate its structural safety, strain gauges were attached to critical points of the machine, and strain data were collected under various Power Take-Off (PTO) and engine speed conditions. The measured strain was converted into von Mises stress and maximum shear stress, and the safety factor was calculated using the maximum shear stress theory and the strain energy theory. Additionally, fatigue life was predicted using the rainflow counting method, the Goodman equation, and Palmgren–Miner’s rule. The results indicate that the safety factor ranged from 1.65 to 16.54 based on the maximum shear stress theory and 2.42 to 19.83 based on the strain energy theory, confirming that the machine can withstand operational loads without failure. Furthermore, fatigue life prediction revealed that the lowest estimated fatigue life is 14,575 h, equivalent to approximately 607 years of continuous use. These findings demonstrate that the developed machine possesses high safety, making it a viable solution for improving efficiency in mulching and soil covering operations.

Keywords: fatigue life; safety factor; soil covering; stability; mulching (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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