Sinusoidal Lug Irrigation Wheel for Soft Soil Traction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wheels used in center pivot irrigation systems face challenges in maintaining traction and reducing rut formation on soft soils, particularly due to air pressure issues with pneumatic tires, which can lead to reduced performance and increased maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A utility farm wheel design featuring a ring with through holes for lug placement, allowing for adjustable lug configurations to simulate pneumatic tire behavior, with lugs positioned to create a sinusoidal curve for enhanced traction and load distribution, and a tensioning device to maintain consistent gap and stiffness, reducing rutting and air pressure concerns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pneumatic tires are used on center-pivot irrigation rigs, then excellent performance on soft soil and mud is achieved due to compliance and flattened footprint, but air pressure maintenance and air loss become issues requiring regular maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential functional property of pneumatic tires (compliance and flattened footprint for soft soil performance) and implements it through a solid rubber tire with adjustable lugs that can be positioned to create varying contact patterns, eliminating the air-filled cavity while maintaining the beneficial mechanical behavior
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state from pneumatic (air-filled) to solid rubber, and introduces adjustable lug positioning to vary the contact pattern parameters. The lugs can be positioned at different angles and depths to simulate the dynamic footprint characteristics of pneumatic tires without requiring air pressure maintenance
2Object-affected harmful factors
If pneumatic tires are used to reduce contact pressure on soft soil, then rut formation is reduced, but air loss and pressure maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the air-filled component entirely and replaces it with a solid rubber tire system that achieves rut reduction throughlug design and positioning rather than air pressure, eliminating air loss while maintaining the benefit of reduced ground disturbance
3Reliability
If lugs are positioned in a sinusoidal curve pattern, then traction and load distribution are enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the lug positioning dynamic and adjustable rather than fixed. The lugs can be positioned at different angles and depths along the tire circumference, allowing the pattern to be adjusted for different operating conditions. This adjustability simplifies manufacturing (standard positions can be pre-drilled) while maintaining the ability to optimize traction patterns
Solution Approach 2:
The invention allows adjustment of lug parameters (position, angle, depth) to create the sinusoidal pattern when needed, rather than requiring complex manufacturing. The adjustability enables the same basic tire structure to achieve optimized traction patterns through parameter variation rather than complex geometry
Data Source
AI summary
A wheel having a plurality of lugs mounted in side-by-side positions forms a circular ring where each of the lugs has laterally extending legs forming a V-shape aligned with a rotational axis of the wheel. The lugs may have an outfacing rib aligned with the rotational axis and a further outfacing rib orthogonal to the rotational axis. A circular tensioning cord or strip may join the plurality of lugs. The lugs may be mutually offset around the circular ring in a sinusoidal pattern.