Study on Agricultural Machinery-Load-Testing Technology and Equipment Based on Six-Dimensional Force Sensor

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

 

The manuscript was prepared from the field of agricultural engineering. Tractor traction energy consumption is very important in agricultural production, so manuscripts on this topic are suitable for the journal AGRICULTURE.

The manuscript may be interesting to readers, but it still needs improvement. See my comments below:

Abstract

·       The objective of the work is not presented in the abstract and the main results of the work are missing.

Materials and methods

·       The symbols in Figure 2 cannot be seen. They are too small. In addition, for the convenience of the readers, the main symbols should be explained under Figure 2.

·       Line 97. Describe the test in more detail. What practical equipment (what kind of agricultural machine) apart from the tractor did you use for the test.

·       Line 118. Describe in detail the angles α, β and γ. What is their significance in this study?

·       The methodology does not specify which statistical data analysis was applied.

Results and discussions

·       The first paragraph could be before Table1.

·       Table 1. What are the units in this table?

·       The numbers and letters in Figure 5 are too small. It looks very bad.

·       This section is called Results and Discussion. However, the discussion in this section, especially with the work done by other authors, could not be found.

Conclusions

In the conclusions, you could present the scientific and practical values of the obtained results and future perspectives of this research.

Author Response

Thank you for your comments.

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

The article titled "Research on Agricultural Machinery Load Testing Technology 2 and Equipment Based on Six-dimensional Force Sensor" is well written. The conclusion has been made based on the sufficient test results.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Thank you for your comments.

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

The research carried out by the authors addresses a very interesting topic which still actually presents problems not solved as highlighted by the authors. The dynamics of the transfer of forces and torques between the implement and the tractor also present objective difficulties. However, the paper needs revision because the research hypothesis is not clear.

Reading the paper it appears strongly unbalanced on the calibration of a six degrees of freedom sensor and not on the built structure (arrangement).

Therefore, the first topic to be clarified is what has been achieved? It’s not clear if the six-degree-of-freedom sensor is commercial or has been made by researchers. Because in the first case it would not be a research topic and in the second case its realization is not indicated by the researchers.

If, on the other hand, the research is directed to the structure created with the three sensors, which  appears to be the innovative part, the latter is described too summarily and the results only show a table without any comments and related to a series of tests that are not detailed in materials and methods but only indicated descriptively.

Moreover, the authors report, correctly, in the introduction, the difficulties of the previous researches. From these the performances required for their realization should arise and the results should confirm them. This is not present, or the desired requirements are not present.

Currently the paper appears as a series of calibrations and calibration methods, correct, but the purpose of this is not clear. I would suggest to the authors to indicate well the hypothesis of the work in the introduction; detailing materials and methods for this purpose and improve in results whether the latter confirm or deny the hypothesis.

 

Research on Agricultural Machinery Load Testing Technology and Equipment Based on Six-dimensional Force Sensor

 

R. They have created a device as hypothesized, I would ask to change the title because it is misleading, it suggests a research on the creation of a device when instead it has been done and the data has been processed, also because as reported before the aim of the research is not clearly reported.

 

Introduction

On the other hand, in order to reduce the number of agricultural equipment operation, usually multiple operation equipment is chosen for working, so the longitudinal size of the unit will be larger so that the suspension load is heavier, and the unbalanced inertia force is enhanced.

R.

Not clear, perhaps also a problem of English is present

 

In view of the problems such as poor linear difference between input and output and the coupling interference among dimensions of the six-dimensional force sensor under heavy load, based on the actual working conditions of the tractor, the six-dimensional force sensor was used as the basic sensing unit, equipment was designed as the array style to measure the tractor traction force in this research [20].

 

R.

These lines must be reviewed by the authors. In these lines the authors define what has been done in the paper but it is not clear. In particular, if figure 4 would not be present, it would not be clear that this sensor was developed. So these lines must be profoundly reorganized by indicating the observed problem (and this is clear and I agree) then the hypothesis of how you want to solve it (for example the development of a six-degree sensor and this is not described, because it speaks about the study of a six-degree sensor), the construction of the sensor (it is not clear whether it was created) and the tests carried out to validate it (it is not understandable if it is not clear that the sensor was created, otherwise it would seem that everything was based on the model of figure 1) and how the calibration process is involved.

 

Materials and methods

As point

2.1 Design of load test scheme for whole machine operation

Is the test scheme, there’s not a chapter about the realization of the test scheme. The first two rows are not enough, please describe the test scheme in detail. I would suggest a chapter 2.2 about the realization of the test scheme. Moreover, in this chapter all the adopted sensors have to be described in detail (make, model, manufacturer, sensitivity, max load), I would suggest introducing a table.

 

Chapters 2.3 and 2.4 reports the methods but not the mass (or masses) value and the angles tested. The methods for describing the test arrangements is not complete. The tables reported in results doesn’t allow to appreciate such values as is not described what they are comparing.

Please report the procedure of the validation as steps, masses, which “angle changes”? or which “angle rotation around X, Y andZ”?, “different lengths of wire ropes”?,   …

It’s necessary to indicate objectively the masses and angles tested or the forces and the torques.

 

78-79

The test equipment was mainly composed of frame, three six-dimensional force sensors, three tilt sensors,

 

Here are reported three tilt sensors, but they are not described in the text and their use too is not reported.

 

79-83

The front end of the equipment was hinged with the tractor upper and lower suspension rods, and the back end was hinged with the agricultural machinery at three points, so the whole series was connected between the tractor and the agricultural machinery, without changing the original connecting mechanism of the tractor and the agricultural machinery, reducing the risk of increasing the measurement error caused by changing the structure.

 

This arrangement doesn’t appear during the paper. The described arrangement in the paper is not adopted on a tractor, and also the calibration seems performed with a counter ballast truck. Please clarify or remain in the topic of the paper.

 

Figure 1

This arrangement doesn’t appear during the test of the device. If I look at figure 4 I see a counter balanced truck, please complete or clarify.

 

97-98

During the test, the force value acting on the test equipment was directly obtained, which needed to be converted into the actual force on the tractor.

 

The test bench, arrangement, material and methods needs to be improved. Please specify which test, they are not present in materials and methods, are only described.

 

126-128

2.2 Static data acquisition of the six-component force sensor The static calibration test of the sensor was carried out on the indoor test bench, and the load was acted by the loading equipment, which was provided by Guangzhou Guang-dian Metrology and Testing Co., LTD.

 

This appears as a calibration of a sensor. Why do you need to report it in the paper, the sensor is not already calibrated and certified? The sensor is commercial or purpose developed? The research seems focused on the test arrangements, not on a commercial sensor calibration, please explain in the text.

 

Chapter 2.3

The methods reported are referred to the single sensors or the developed arrangement?

The novelty of the paper as it appears I the development of the arrangement of figure 1 so it’s expected that the test would be focused on the entire array.

 

Chapter 2.4

The test performed on the array are not reported in detail, please complete.

 

204-206

…and the known quality of the deep soiling machine was connected to the 3 suspension points below the dynamic load sensing device, and the test was carried out one by one according to the design scheme of the working condition…

These values have to be indicated and has to be specified how they have adopted (literature? Experimental test?).

 

Results

It’s not clear the results what are indicating, the test of the whole designed equipment is fundamental. Please complete the analysis of the chapter 3.5, it’s not clear if 3.5 respect the hypothesis of the project.

I'm not qualified in order to comment the quality of English

Author Response

Thank you for your comments.

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

I am glad that the authors took many of my comments into account and improved the manuscript. However, before accepting to publish in Agriculture, I would recommend to present in this study a discussion of the obtained results and a comparison with the results of previously published articles by authors from various countries. No source is cited in the discussion.

Author Response

Thank you, Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

I had revised the first version of the paper. the authors thanks to a simplification in the presentation of the work have made the paper more organized making clear the goal, what has been done and the results.

I have only one suggestion that the authors feel free to accept, I do not think the introduction of this sentence is necessary and it could also be deleted:

73-74

but not completed the analysis of the static performance, the reliability of test results cannot be guaranteed.

Author Response

Thank you, Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf