{"title":"Deep learning-based soil compaction monitoring: A proof-of-concept study","authors":"Shota Teramoto , Shinichi Ito , Taizo Kobayashi","doi":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.10.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2023.10.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The dynamic behavior of the vibratory drum of a soil compactor for earthworks is known to be affected by soil stiffness. Real-time monitoring techniques measuring the acceleration of vibratory drums have been widely used for soil compaction quality control; however, their accuracy can be affected by soil type and conditions. To resolve this problem, a novel deep learning-based technique is developed. The method allows the regression estimation of soil stiffness from vibration drum acceleration responses. By expanding the range of applicability and improving accuracy, the proposed method provides a more reliable and robust approach to evaluate soil compaction quality. To train the estimation model, numerous datasets of noise-free waveform data are numerically generated by solving the equations of motion of the mass–spring–damper system of a vibratory roller. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed technique, a field experiment is conducted. A good correlation between the estimated and measured values is demonstrated by the experimental results. The correlation coefficient is 0.790, indicating the high potential of the proposed method as a new real-time monitoring technique for soil compaction quality.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50023,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Terramechanics","volume":"111 ","pages":"Pages 65-72"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49876188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Athul Pradeepkumar Girija , Rachana Agrawal , Ye Lu , Archit Arora , Maxim de Jong , Sarag J. Saikia , James M. Longuski
{"title":"A single wheel test rig for ocean world rovers","authors":"Athul Pradeepkumar Girija , Rachana Agrawal , Ye Lu , Archit Arora , Maxim de Jong , Sarag J. Saikia , James M. Longuski","doi":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.07.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.07.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ocean Worlds such as Europa and Enceladus are known to harbor subsurface liquid water oceans under their icy crust and are high-priority targets for in situ exploration. Compared to the Moon and Mars, Ocean Worlds likely present a significantly more challenging environment for surface mobility systems due to the extremely cold temperature, high radiation dosage, and poorly constrained material properties under these conditions. Small-diameter wheels such as those used by Mars rovers are prone to slip-sinkage in loose soil and damage from sharp rock and ice formations. A 4-wheel rover with a simple drive system and large deployable compliant tires is proposed as a solution for extreme terrain mobility on Ocean World surfaces. The present work describes the design and construction of a single wheel test rig and a prototype large-diameter deployable wheel for Ocean World rovers and initial test results. The test rig allows independent control of the vertical load, slip ratio, slip angle, and camber angle, and accommodates large-diameter deployable wheels. The test rig features a modular test bed that can simulate varied surface features such as fine-grained ice, smooth hard ice, sharp ice formations, and large ice boulder fields.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50023,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Terramechanics","volume":"109 ","pages":"Pages 101-119"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49029066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Obstacle detection in snow covered terrain","authors":"S.N. Vecherin, J.M. Shaker, M.W. Parker","doi":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.05.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.05.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This work describes an automatic detection method of obstacles covered by snow. The method is based on the detection of statistical anomalies relative to an estimated background image which contains no obstacles. The sensitivity of the detection can be adjusted by a specified probability of false alarms, and the obstacle detection confidence is characterized by a probability of detection. Statistical properties of the background image are estimated from the given image without additional information on the background. The visible height of obstacles above the snow is related to the actual height of the obstacles above the ground, so that an operator can estimate the actual height of the snow covered obstacle. The developed method requires no training, is self-calibrating to the cluttered images, operates with a single given image, and aligns with a detection quantification adopted in the receiver operating characteristic framework.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50023,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Terramechanics","volume":"109 ","pages":"Pages 1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48303038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Varsha S Swamy , Rashna Pandit , Alba Yerro , Corina Sandu , Denise M. Rizzo , Katherine Sebeck , David Gorsich
{"title":"Review of modeling and validation techniques for tire-deformable soil interactions","authors":"Varsha S Swamy , Rashna Pandit , Alba Yerro , Corina Sandu , Denise M. Rizzo , Katherine Sebeck , David Gorsich","doi":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.05.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2023.05.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The mobility of vehicles in off-road environments is critical for many applications. Predicting the tire-soil interaction is a challenge, especially in non-linear deformable terrain. This paper presents an overview of the bibliographic references on tires–deformable soil interactions after the 2000's, identifying the gaps in the literature. The capabilities and challenges of different modeling frameworks used for mobility (i.e., empirical, semi-empirical, and physics-based) are discussed; special emphasis is given to continuum-based frameworks. A summary of terrain material models used to approximate the behavior of coarse and fine-grained soils is provided with practices used to characterize such materials. A review of tire models for deformable soil navigation and the tire-soil interfaces is provided. Strategies to validate all these models are presented. Finally, the application of these studies for assessing the sensitivity concerning input parameters (e.g., velocity, inflation pressure, and normal load), multi-pass, multi-layered soils, wet soils, and fully integrated multi-body vehicle models are discussed. The final contribution of this review paper is a summary table that synthesizes the extensive bibliographic review. Overall, this work highlights a lack of physics-based trafficability studies in wet and plastic deformable soils. Moreover, studies on contact adhesion, stone picking, multipass, and cornering also need improvement.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50023,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Terramechanics","volume":"109 ","pages":"Pages 73-92"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49878024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Construction of a soil clod recognition bench-scale experiment for discrete element method modeling of tilling phenomena","authors":"Shuto Ishii , Isami Suto , Hiroaki Tabe , Kota Aono , Moju Zhao , Yoshifumi Ueshige , Kohei Matsushita , Takashi Iritani , Tadayuki Hanamoto , Masayuki Nakao , Keisuke Nagato","doi":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.06.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2023.06.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Rotary claws are used to break soil into small pieces and plow the soil flat. In this study, rotary claw development in tiller machines was evaluated using both equipment and the discrete element method (DEM). However, evaluation through equipment is imprecise and time consuming. Although DEM is an effective method for modeling the movement of granular materials, it requires numerous parameters to ensure accuracy, which must be determined through experimental evaluation and comparison. To resolve this concern, an image processing method was developed that leverages point cloud data obtained from a depth camera to capture changes in soil shape, distribution, and soil clod size before and after tilling. The effect of soil moisture content and claw rotation speed on soil clod formation and decomposition was evaluated. The experimental results show that the location, number, and soil clod size vary with soil moisture content and claw rotation speed. The results were compared with the DEM simulation to reconcile differences and confirm the feasibility of the proposed method. The model experiment system for soil clods and the image processing method facilitates a quantitative comparison between experimental and DEM simulated soil dispersal, which accelerates the search for DEM parameters to reproduce the tilling.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50023,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Terramechanics","volume":"109 ","pages":"Pages 63-71"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49878025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Experimental investigation of factors affecting the characterisation of soil strength properties using a Bevameter in-situ plate sinkage and shear test apparatus","authors":"Ray Kruger, P. Schalk Els, Herman A. Hamersma","doi":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.06.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.06.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The Bekker-Wong soil-wheel interaction model has been widely adopted in the terramechanics field. This model requires the soil to be characterised using a Bevameter, which entails performing in situ plate sinkage and shear stress tests. Bevameter soil characterisation is not a standardised test procedure, and the test setup may influence the identified soil model parameters. This study investigates the influence of the following five factors for partially saturated sandy soil: I) soil preparation method on pressure-sinkage, II) soil preparation method on shear stress, III) torsional vs. translational shear mechanism, IV) shear contact area, and V) the influence of shear velocity. The results indicate that the influence of soil preparation on pressure-sinkage response is substantial, exhibiting an order-of-magnitude difference. The influence of soil preparation on shear tests is notable, but less significant. The shear mechanism, shear contact area and shear velocity exhibited a maximum absolute shear stress difference of 18%, 20% and 10%, respectively. Moreover, depending on the test setup configuration and data processing decisions, the estimated internal soil friction angles ranged from 16.5 to 37.5° for the same soil. The findings are expected to have significant implications for the prediction of vehicle drawbar pull using the Bekker-Wong model.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50023,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Terramechanics","volume":"109 ","pages":"Pages 45-62"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41901069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abouelnadar El Salem , Guozhong Zhang , Hongchang Wang , Haytham M. Salem , Mohamed A.I. Abdalla , Ahmed A. Ghazy
{"title":"The effect of integrating a bio-inspired convex structure with a low-surface energy polymer on soil adhesion and friction","authors":"Abouelnadar El Salem , Guozhong Zhang , Hongchang Wang , Haytham M. Salem , Mohamed A.I. Abdalla , Ahmed A. Ghazy","doi":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.06.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2023.06.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The capacity of soil-burrowing animals to move freely in sticky soil is a motivational trait for developing soil-engaging tools with high operational efficiency. Meanwhile, outstanding hydrophobicity, chemical stability, and corrosion resistance make ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) a potential option for reducing soil adhesion. This study looked into the viability of combining a domed surface inspired by the micro-convex structure of the dung beetle skin with the UHMW-PE as a surface coating to reduce sliding resistance. The sliding resistances of three plates (a flat plate of carbon steel, a flat plate of UHMW-PE, and a domed plate of UHMW-PE) were assessed under varied operating and soil conditions. In each treatment, the tested plate was dragged for 0.7 m of the soil bin length, and the sliding resistance was recorded using the distributed stress and strain test and analysis system (DH3820 N). The results revealed that in all treatments, the sliding resistance of the UHMW-PE domed plate was significantly lower than that of the flat steel plate. Furthermore, the UHMW-PE domed plate outperformed the other tested plates in reducing sliding resistance in more moist and sticky soils, paving the way for the development of highly practical and effective soil-engaging tools.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50023,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Terramechanics","volume":"109 ","pages":"Pages 93-100"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49878026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Justification of the soil dem-model parameters for predicting the plow body resistance forces during plowing","authors":"Salavat Mudarisov , Yakov Lobachevsky , Ildar Farkhutdinov , Eduard Khasanov , Ildar Rakhimov","doi":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.06.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.06.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The discrete element method has recently become a popular tool for developing soil models to be used for modelling the tillage process, which involves using working tools. The research aims to evaluate the parameters of the contact model particles when modelling tillage with large–sized working tools using the discrete element method. The paper presents the results of calibration of the physico-mechanical parameters of the particles of the soil environment model described using the discrete element method. The model is used for modelling the tillage process using moldboard plow. The parameters of the simulated particles to be studied are the Poisson's ratio, coefficients of static and dynamic friction of particles, Young's modulus, surface energy, particles' diameter, coefficients of static and dynamic metal friction of particles. Calibration was carried out according to the horizontal, vertical and transverse components of the traction resistance of the plow body. The obtained dependences of the components of the plow body traction resistance on soil moisture and surface energy help select parameters for the Hertz-Mindlin contact model while modelling the behavior of the soil environment when interacting with the working tools of tillage and sowing machines.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50023,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Terramechanics","volume":"109 ","pages":"Pages 37-44"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46116549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"On the power characteristics of an unmanned tracked vehicle for autonomous transportation of agricultural payloads","authors":"S.M. Shafaei , H. Mousazadeh","doi":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.05.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.05.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Elucidation of power characteristics of an unmanned tracked vehicle for autonomous transportation of agricultural payloads in greenhouse constructions leads to appearance of an applied research in this study. This novel aim has been chosen based on operational requirement of the vehicle. Hence, it can be highlighted that this paper is initiative study described results of power efficiencies (motion, slip, and tractive power efficiencies) of the vehicle. To this aim, various payloads mounted on a trailer (1–5 kN) were towed by the vehicle through diverse drive speeds (0.17–0.5 m/s). Results illuminate that vehicle drive speed and payload weight had consequential contribution to vehicle motion and tractive power efficiencies. While, vehicle slip power efficiency mainly depended on payload weight. Linear regression approximations demonstrate that dual cumulative contributory effect of the drive speed and payload weight on the motion power efficiency (84.98–97.69 %) and tractive power efficiency (78.62–92.92 %) was antagonist and synergetic, respectively. Meanwhile, the slip power efficiency (81.71–98.36 %) linearly dropped with augmentation of payload weight. Resultant slip and motion power inefficiency were associate with vehicle motion power loss in amplitude of 0.39–67.98 and 2.65–14.03 W, respectively. Consequently, tractive power inefficiency was associate with vehicle motion power loss in amplitude of 3.15–82.01 W. This amplitude spotlights that 3.35–43.62 % of vehicle motion power inevitably wasted inside track-surface interface in agricultural towing tasks. Overall, numerical and analytical descriptions of the results as well as practical suggestions provide appropriate guidelines for vehicle supervisor in order to optimize power characteristics.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50023,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Terramechanics","volume":"109 ","pages":"Pages 21-36"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47937597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Machine learning-based draft prediction for mouldboard ploughing in sandy clay loam soil","authors":"Vijay Mahore, Peeyush Soni, Arpita Paul, Prakhar Patidar, Rajendra Machavaram","doi":"10.1016/j.jterra.2023.09.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2023.09.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Machine learning (ML) models are developed to predict draft for mouldboard ploughs operating in sandy-clay-loam soil. The draft of tillage tools is influenced by soil cone-index, tillage-depth, and operating-speed. We used a three-point hitch dynamometer to measure draft force, a cone penetrometer for soil cone-index, rotary potentiometers for tillage-depth, and proximity sensors for operating-speed. Draft requirements were experimentally measured for a two-bottom mouldboard plough at three different tillage-depths and various operating-speeds. We developed prediction models using recent ML algorithms, including Linear-Regression, Ridge-Regression, Support-Vector-Machines, Decision-Trees, k-Nearest-Neighbours, Random-Forests, Adaptive-Boosting, Gradient-Boosting-Regression, Light-Gradient-Boosting-Machine, and Categorical-Boosting. These models were trained and tested using a dataset of field measurements including soil cone-index, tillage-depth, operating-speed, and corresponding draft values. We compared the measured draft with the commonly used ASABE model, which resulted in an R<sup>2</sup> of 0.62. Our ML models outperformed the ASABE model with significantly better performance. The test data set achieved R<sup>2</sup> values ranging from 0.906 to 0.983. These results demonstrate that the developed ML models effectively capture the complex nonlinear relationship between input parameters and draft of mouldboard plough.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50023,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Terramechanics","volume":"111 ","pages":"Pages 31-40"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49876187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}