02568 - Agricultural Mechanics

Learning outcomes

The students will acquire the necessary knowledge of agricultural machines with particular references to the tractor and its components, the forage machines, machines for soil tillage and harvesting machines. In particular the student will be able to: select the agricultural machines more suitable for the farm conditions, operate the farm machines for soil tillage and product harvesting.

Course contents

The tractor (14 h): historical evolution, classification and main models; engine curves; drive line and the main gears, rolling over protective structures.

Connection between tractor and operating machines (6 h): three point hitch, towing hitch, power take off.

Forage harvester and different harvester methods (8 h). Machines for forage cutting, conditioning, harvesting.

Soil tillage (6 h): principles of soil mechanics, conventional tillage systems, minimun tillage, sod seeding.

Harvesting machines for cereals (6 h): combines and corn harvesters.

Machines for fruit harvester (4 h): facilitators and tree fruit harvester, grape harvesting.

Machines for chemical applications (4 h): sprayers for orchards and for herbaceous crops.

Field visits (12 h): field visits in the didactic centre of Cadriano, field test of different machines.

Readings/Bibliography

Clipboard of the lessons.

Engineering Principles of Agricultural Machines, 2nd ed. St. Joseph, Michigan: ASABE, Copyright American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

Biondi P., Meccanica agraria. Le macchine agricole. UTET, 1999.

Bodria, L., Pellizzi, G., Piccarolo, P. Meccanica e meccanizzazione agricola. Edagricole New Business Media, 2018.

Bodria, L., Pellizzi, G., Ponzio, L. Macchine Agricole. Clupguide, 1978.

Renius, K. T. Fundamentals of Tractor Design. Springer, 2019.

Srivastava, A. K., Goering, C. E., Rohrbach, R. P., Buckmaster, D. R. Engineering principles of agricultural machines, American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 1993.

Teaching methods

Teaching is articulated in frontal lectures and lab experiments.

Assessment methods

The course is an integral part of the course 'Agricultural Engineering', along with the course 'Agricultural Hydraulics'. Therefore, verification will be conducted only at the end of the lectures of all the mentioned subjects. The verification of learning is done through the final exam only, which ascertains the acquisition of the expected knowledge and skills through the conduct of a 60-minute oral test without the help of notes or books.

The oral test consists of 3 questions on the topics covered during the course of 'Agricultural Mechanics'.T

he final grade for the integrated course is calculated as the arithmetic average of the grades obtained in the courses "Agricultural Mechanics" and "Agricultural Hydraulics" .

It is possible to take the exam in English.

Teaching tools

Instruments and lab material.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Molari

See the website of Massimiliano Varani