Bionics in the Development of Agricultural Machines Taking into Account the Processed Material and the Created Devices Properties in Determining Characteristics

The paper considers development of the new area in agricultural engineering, i.e., bionics. The purpose of the work is to elaborate methodology and technical means for determining the soil deformation index as a new characteristic of its physical and mechanical properties, which makes it possible to pass directly from the processed materials deformation properties to the shape of the working surfaces of machines created in similarity to the living dorbeetle organisms. The soil deformation index is the deformer area per unit of critical pressure on the soil. When describing the soil behavior in the deformation process, the paper proposes to use this indicator in the rheological models. The method for determining the soil deformation index provides for a smooth indentation of a hemispherical tip into the soil or earth with simultaneous fixation of its immersion depth into the soil and of the force required in penetrating to this depth. Registration of these parameters is possible both on paper in the form of a diagram and electronically in the digital form. A device for the soil deformation index determination is considered, it includes a laboratory unit with the hydraulic drive, a microscope-based unit for bionic research and a device for working in the field