Machinery & Energetics

The article presents a methodology for analyzing the throughput rate of a harvesting and transport complex of machines for sugar beet, which is aimed at finding ways of rational use of the resource of machines. The reloading method of transporting the beet crop is considered, a feature of which is flexibility, adaptability to weather, climatic and economic conditions during harvesting. Under favorable weather conditions and the presence of a sufficient number of motor vehicles (MV). the beets removed from the field by a tractor semitrailer are reloaded into heavy MV located on the road from the edge of the field and transported to the sugar factory. If conditions change (in rainy weather, with waterlogged soil or with an insufficient number of vehicles), a loadercleaner is added to the complex of machines. The complex switches to the transshipment method of work. Harvesting and transportation of beets are considered as the work of the technological chain, which consists of three links: "field – beet harvester (BH)", "BH – semitrailer (ST)", "ST – MV". The main steps of the throughput analysis are the determination of the throughput of the first, second and third links, their comparison, and the next selection and analysis of alternative options to overcome the possible significant difference between their values. The possibility of reducing the throughput of the third link to the maximum possible – the throughput of the first link by reducing by a certain number of vehicles for the transportation of beets with a simultaneous increase in their technical speed is analyzed. The analysis shows ways to improve the parameters of the transport process in the technological complex of harvesting and transport operations.

sugar beet, harvesting, transportation, harvesting and transport complex, bunker harvester, motor vehicle, productivity