ABSTRACT In family farming, mechanisation, when appropriate to the task and to the size of the property, can be one way of easing tiring and repetitive work, such as garlic harvesting. The present study is based on a model of harvester currently on the market, and proposes several improvements for mechanising the harvest on family farms, with an emphasis on sloping terrain, to reduce costs and increase productivity. Since the equipment currently on the market reduces the operational performance of these producers resulting in the high prices of commercial garlic, the aim of this study was to evaluate, using the Finite Element Method, the von Mises stresses and the displacement of a garlic harvester in different topographies. A structural analysis was carried out, and the vibration modules in the three main parts that make up the structure of the garlic harvester were checked: the structure supporting the scarifier point, the structure of the plant transport system, and the structure at the rear of the harvester. The structural modifications that were implemented corrected the initial high-stress conditions, showing improvements in stress concentration and areas of displacement. As such, the entire structure of the garlic harvester tends to withstand the proposed loads. From the results of the simulations, we conclude that the connecting support may undergo greater response from structural dynamics, and that frequencies greater than 45.7 Hz should be avoided since there are several natural frequencies above this range that might cause interference to the structure.

RESUMO À medida que a população mundial cresce, a agricultura enfrenta demandas cada vez maiores com relação à produtividade, eficiência e sustentabilidade para garantir segurança alimentar. A adoção de um sistema produtivo semelhante ao da Indústria 4.0 é considerada uma forma de enfrentar esse problema na agricultura. Esta estratégia pode ser observada na agricultura de precisão. Essa nova tendência tecnológica tem um impacto nas máquinas agrícolas e na maneira pela qual elas são projetadas. Assim, o objetivo deste artigo é fazer um apanhado dos sistemas digitais nas máquinas agrícolas e a maneira que eles afetam o processo de projeto desses equipamentos num cenário de agricultura digital em desenvolvimento. Dispositivos digitais já estão presentes em muitos equipamentos, desempenhando e dando suporte a tarefas como piloto automático e aplicações em taxas variáveis. Também uma grande quantidade de sensores monitoram a cultura, o ambiente, as perdas e parâmetros operacionais em tempo real. O avanço tecnológico, no entanto, é a adoção de alternativas emergentes como a IoT, veículos elétricos e pequenas máquinas autônomas, que já estão sendo empregadas em outras áreas. Consequentemente, o processo de desenvolvimento de máquinas agrícolas envolve agora diversos domínios do conhecimento além da mecânica comum, levando as empresas a empregarem engenharia simultânea transversal entre inúmeras especialidades ao mesmo tempo e para uma mesma situação de projeto.

ABSTRACT As the world’s population grows, agriculture is facing an increasing demand for productivity, efficiency, and sustainability to ensure food security. The adoption of a production system similar to that of Industry 4.0 is considered to be a way to address this problem in agriculture. This approach can be seen in precision agriculture. This new technological trend has an impact on agricultural machinery and the way it is designed. Therefore, the objective of this article is to provide an overview of digital systems in agricultural machinery and their impact on equipment design processes in a developing digital agriculture scenario. Digital devices are already present in several types of equipment, performing or supporting tasks such as automatic steering and variable-rate applications. In addition, a large number of sensors monitor the crops, environment, production losses, and operational parameters in real time. Technological breakthroughs, however, are the adoption of emerging alternatives such as IoT, electric power vehicles, and small autonomous machines, which are already being implemented in other areas. Consequently, the development process of agricultural machines now involves several specialty domains besides the usual mechanics, compelling companies to employ the transverse concurrent engineering of several specialties at the same design situation and moment.

A Agricultura Familiar brasileira tem à sua disposição semeadoras cujos mecanismos sulcadores, tipo haste ou disco, demandam grande esforço vertical. Nas semeadoras de menor porte isso se reflete em baixa eficiência na abertura do sulco de semeadura ou alta exigência de massa (peso). Os sulcadores rotativos exigem menor esforço vertical na mesma operação. Neste estudo objetivou-se avaliar a viabilidade técnica e o desempenho de sulcadores rotativos, montados na cadeia cinemática de um trator de rabiças, trabalhando em semeadura direta e compará-los com sulcadores tipo haste por meio de dados bibliográficos. Os parâmetros empregados na comparação foram profundidade e largura do sulco, área de solo mobilizado e área transversal do sulco sem solo, após a operação. O experimento foi conduzido sobre resteva de trigo em pousio por seis meses. Foram empregados 12 tratamentos, sendo três modelos de sulcadores rotativos, dois valores de revoluções do sulcador por unidade linear de deslocamento e duas velocidades de deslocamento em delineamento fatorial. A variável área transversal do sulco sem solo foi estatisticamente afetada apenas pelo fator sulcador. No entanto, houve interação significativa entre os fatores sulcador, revoluções por metro e velocidade para as variáveis: profundidade, largura do sulco e área de solo mobilizada. Os valores obtidos para as variáveis largura, profundidade e área mobilizada na seção transversal dos sulcos com os três tipos de sulcadores rotativos acionados pela cadeia cinemática do trator de rabiças foram análogos aos gerados com sulcadores tipo haste.

Brazilian family farming has at its disposal planters whose furrowing mechanisms, whether disc or shank, require a large vertical force. In smaller planters, this is reflected in low efficiency when opening the furrow or in a high demand for mass (weight). Rotary furrowers require less vertical force for the same operation. This study aimed to evaluate the technical feasibility and performance of rotary furrowers mounted on the powertrain of a walking tractor working under direct seeding, and compare them with shank-type furrowers using bibliographic data. The parameters used in the comparison were the depth and width of the furrow, the area of disturbed soil and the cross-sectional area of the furrow with no soil after the operation. The experiment was carried out on wheat stubble that had lain fallow for six months. Twelve treatments were employed in a factorial design: three models of rotary furrowers, two values for revolutions per unit of linear displacement, and two forward speeds. The variable, cross-sectional area of the furrow with no soil, was statistically affected only by the factor, furrower. However there was significant interaction between the factors, furrower, revolutions per metre and speed, for the variables of depth, furrow width and area of disturbed soil. The values obtained for the variables of width, depth and disturbed area in the cross-section of the furrows, with the three types of rotary furrowers driven by the powertrain of a walking tractor, were similar to those generated by shank-type furrowers.