Sensors monitor round balers during harvesting operations
Torque measurement protects agricultural equipment from overload
During harvest season, agricultural equipment often has to run late into the night; any machine breakdown results in lost production, logistical delays, or a decline in the quality of the harvest. This is especially true for grain, straw, or hay, which must be brought in as dry as possible before rain or dew sets in. Classic examples of this, in addition to combine harvesters (Figure 1), are modern round balers (Figure 2). These machines operate with high torques on almost all flexible parts—either continuously or intermittently, depending on the design—although the maximum load must not be exceeded to prevent premature wear. Torque sensors with strain gauge technology from burster reliably measure even high drive shaft torques of up to 5,000 Nm at a maximum of 15,000 rpm and withstand the harsh harvesting conditions in the field, including dust, heat, and dirt (Figure 3). In addition, the sensors help test the machines under load during development and manufacturing. Torque sensors are already being used in the development, testing, quality assurance, and monitoring of agricultural drive systems. Here, they record dynamic load reversals and provide data for assessing mechanical stress and identifying critical operating states during use. This allows designers to ensure that the components can withstand the stresses of harsh operating conditions.
Safe field operation
The theoretically simulated load cases are used to ensure the robust design of components that must withstand both gradually and suddenly increasing torques. In field operation, this can be caused by wear, tear, or jammed objects, such as stones or branches. Data from high-resolution sensors is incorporated into tests of a wide variety of load cases and provides reliable information about material behavior on test benches. The limit values determined in this way can then be stored for control, testing, and monitoring tasks in the machine’s drive management system. Depending on the test bench, conventional torque sensors with cabinets (0.02 to 1000 Nm < ±0. 05F.S.) or easily integrable flange torque sensors (100 to 5,000 Nm, < ±0. 1F.S.) are available (Fig. 4a,b). Early detection of critical operating states can help prevent damage and unplanned downtime. Under varying harvest conditions, fluctuating material volumes, or fluctuations in the baling process—which lead to dynamic load changes on the cutting unit and baler—this prevents overload of the drive components. Depending on the cause, an emergency shutdown via the control system or a warning message—followed by appropriate measures such as on-site cleaning—can resolve the issue and prevent subsequent failures.
Image captions:
Figure 1: Torque sensors monitor harvesters such as combine harvesters. (Copyright: burster)
Figure 2: In round balers, sensors are used for measuring the high torques required on nearly all flexible parts and trigger an alarm in the event of an overload. (Credit: burster)
Figure 3: In soil cultivation, rugged torque sensors withstand blockages, mud, and dirt. (Credit: burster)
Figure 4a,b: Robust agricultural torque sensors from burster can be sourced in various models ranging from 0.02 to 5000 Nm. (Source: burster)
Company Profile 1: About burster
Whether individual measurement components or system solutions, burster primarily supplies users in mechanical and plant engineering, automation, automotive manufacturing and its supplier industry, as well as in electrical engineering, electronics, and the chemical industry. The product portfolio includes measuring and testing equipment as well as standard sensors for mechanical and electrical parameters, such as force, compression, torque, and displacement sensors, as well as milliohmmeter, megohmmeter, and resistance dekade boxes. In addition, customized, client-specific OEM solutions are possible, including for many other industries and emerging markets such as medical technology, biotechnology, and e-mobility. Our many years of experience in the manufacture of measurement equipment and sensors guarantee optimal solutions every time. From our development and production site in Germany, we ship sensors, amplifier and transmitter modules, precision measuring instruments, and measurement systems for sensor signal processing to customers all over the world.
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Rugged torque sensors with strain gauge technology from burster measure the torque of drive shafts in agricultural machinery and withstand harsh harvesting conditions.
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