Combined Tillage Unit with Universal Working Tools

Abstract

The paper notes that traditional soil tillage with ploughs of various designs frequently causes excessive soil loosening. This leads to the degradation of soil structure, a decline in soil microflora, and increased erosion accompanied by the loss of the fertile topsoil. To mitigate these adverse effects, minimum tillage technologies are widely applied in global agricultural practice. (Research purpose) To develop a combined tillage unit equipped with universal working tools that expand the functional capabilities of soil tillage and improve the quality of operations. (Materials and methods) The universal working tools are designed as cultivator shanks equipped with a triangular soil ripper at the top and a triangular soil slitter at the bottom. The platform lengths for mounting the tools and the plugs are equal to half the base length of the ripper and slitter. The height of the rippers is one-third less than that of the slitters. The angle of attack of the flat shank is 10–15 degrees; the inclination angle of the cutting edges relative to the shank surface is 35 degrees for the ripper and 25 degrees for the slitter. The thickness ratio of the working tools to the wing is 1:3. The width of each platform corresponds to the width of the slot into which it is fitted and is four times the thickness of each working tool. (Results and discussion) It is found that during the operation of the combined tillage unit, the cultivator shanks cut the soil while simultaneously destroying weeds. The combined action of the loosening and slitting elements contributes to regulating the soil water-air balance. (Conclusions) The proposed design of the combined tillage unit with universal working tools enables the simultaneous execution of several operations, including loosening, slitting, and cultivation with effective weed control. Final soil treatment and compaction improve the quality and economic efficiency of tillage.