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 a part of the integrated course 'Agricultural engineering' together with the course 'Irrigation and drainage'. Therefore the exam will take place at the end of the two courses. The knowledge verification will be performed only through the final examination, which verifies the acquisition of knowledge and skills expected by an oral examination of about 60 minutes without the aid of notes or books.

The oral examination consists of 6 questions, 3 on the different aspects analysed during the course 'Basic agricultural mechanics' and 3 on the different aspects analysed during the course 'Irrigation and drainage'.

The final grade is calculated as the arithmetic average of the grades obtained in all the 6 questions.

It is possible to perform the examination in english.

Teaching tools

Instruments and lab material.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Molari

See the website of Massimiliano Varani