Operation Analysis of Automated Unit for Magnetic Pulse Treatment of Garden Strawberry

Abstract

Federal Scientific Agroengineering Center VIM conducts research and development work on the determination of parameters, technical characteristics of machines and operating modes of magnetic pulse treatment (MPT) of plant material in field conditions. (Research purpose) To analyze systems of adaptation of the working elements of an automated unit in field conditions during the technological operation of magnetic pulse treatment of strawberry. (Materials and methods) To ensure the quality of the technological operation of irradiating plants with a low­frequency magnetic field, as well as to maintain the required value of magnetic induction in the working area, an automated system of adaptation of the working elements of the unit has been developed. The experiment has been carried out for three times on the plot of garden strawberry with a length of 140 m using an automatic system of adaptation of the working elements of the unit and without its use. To control the travel speed use has been made of an electronic GPS speedometer. Operating modes of pulse magnetic treatment (frequency, duty factor, exposure time) have been selected for the ВИМ­МИО device and the БСА­01 automated control unit. To control the distance between the object of magnetic pulse treatment and the working element, use has been made of a measuring tape, a laser rangefinder (Amtast AMF106) and a laser sensor (Laser sensor VL53L0X) mounted on the magnetic inductor of the automated unit. For monitoring and keeping the obtained experimental data, the authors have used the program Advanced Serial Port Monitor 4.4.9 (Results and discussion) As a result of the experiment, the authors have determined the dependence of the deviation of the working surface position of magnetic inductors from the required distance. The maximum and minimum values of distances between the plant and the working element of an automated mounted unit during the technological operation of magnetic pulse treatment have been found. (Conclusions) The analysis of the experimental data calculation results has shown that the variation scope of the data obtained by using an automated adaptation system of the working elements is 2.1 times less than in case with a disabled system. The coefficient of variation of the obtained values (a measure of deviation from the standard value) when using the adaptation system of the working elements is 2.35 times less than in case with a disabled system. The developed system of automated adaptation of the working elements provides a distance of 0.18­0.25 m between the working elements of the unit and plant objects, which allows to maintain the required value of magnetic induction of 5 MT in the treatment zone. The authors have established parameters of the working elements necessary for magnetic pulse treatment of garden strawberry in the field conditions: 48 turns of a cable of 1x2.5 mm with an outer diameter of 400 mm, an inner diameter of 30 mm, and an inductance of 373 µH.