• Journal of Drive and Control
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.60-70
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• 2015

A front-end loader (FEL) mounted on an agricultural tractor is one of the most commonly used implements for farm work. However, when the tractor carries material using the bucket attached to the FEL on a sloping ground, the materials can spill or roll back over the operator due to the tilted body, thereby requiring the bucket surface to remain level at a constant value regardless of varying slopes. In this study, an active system for controlling the angle of the FEL bucket on a tractor based on the real-time measurement of ground slopes was developed to enable the bucket to constantly remain level. A FEL simulator operated based on an electro hydraulic proportional valve (EHPV) was constructed in the laboratory to develop a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller forming a virtual electronic control unit (ECU) on the computer, which could automatically adjust the bucket angles depending on varying input angles while sending SAE-J1939 associated messages via CAN BUS to the EHPV. The different parameter values for the PID controller due to the gravity effect of the bucket were determined using a manual PID tuning method while assuming that the tractor travels on either an ascending slope or a descending slope. The developed PID control-based self-leveling system showed a mean of steady-state errors of within $1^{\circ}$ and a mean of delayed times of ~ 0.8s when the step input of $+20^{\circ}$ was given, implying that the developed system and control algorithm would be effective in maintaining the bucket angle at a certain value. Future studies include the improvement of the control algorithm to reduce such a time delay as well as the application of the developed algorithm to the FEL mounted on a tractor tested at a testing ground.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.492-498
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• 2012

In this study, hydrodynamics such as solid circulation rate and voidage in the desulfurizer and the reaction characteristics of Zn-based solid sorbents were investigated using lab-scale high pressure and high temperature desulfurization process. The continuous HGD (Hot Gas Desulfurization) process consist of a fast fluidized bed type desulfurizer (6.2 m tall pipe of 0.015 m i.d), a bubbling fluidized bed type regenerator (1.6 m tall bed of 0.053 m i.d), a loop-seal and the pressure control valves. The solid circulation rate was measured by varying the slide-gate opening positions, the gas velocities and temperatures of the desulfurizer and the voidage in the desulfurizer was derived by the same way. At the same gas velocities and the same opening positions of the slide gate, the solid circulation rate, which was similar at the temperature of $300^{\circ}C$ and $550^{\circ}C$, was low at those temperatures compared with a room temperature. The voidage in the desulfurizer showed a fast fluidized bed type when the opening positions of the slide gate were 10~20% while that showed a turbulent fluidized bed type when those of slide gate were 30~40%. The reaction characteristics of Zn-based solid sorbent were investigated by different desulfurization temperatures at 20 atm in the continuous operation. The $H_2S$ removal efficiency tended to decrease below the desulfurization temperature of $450^{\circ}C$. Thus, the 10 hour continuous operation has been performed at the desulfurization temperature of $500^{\circ}C$ in order to maintain the high $H_2S$ removal efficiency. During 10 hour continuous operation, the $H_2S$ removal efficiency was above 99.99% because the $H_2S$ concentration after desulfurization was not detected at the inlet $H_2S$ concentration of 5,000 ppmv condition using UV analyzers (Radas2) and the detector tube (GASTEC) which lower detection limit is 1 ppmv.

• Journal of Drive and Control
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.8-14
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• 2016

This study describes the effect of the critical pressure ratio of a control valve on the performance of an air spring system composed of an air spring, auxiliary chamber, control valve and mass in order to suggest a more efficient design for an air spring system. The critical pressure ratio of the control valve is assumed to have a fixed value, but the critical pressure ratio of the control valve is known to have various values between 0.05 and 0.6, and the effect of the variation of the critical pressure ratio on the performance of the air spring system has not yet been reported. The analysis derives nonlinear and linear governing equations of the air spring system, including the critical pressure ratio of the control valve. This simulation study is presented to show that the impedance and transmissibility characteristics of the air spring system change due to variations in the critical pressure ratio of the control valve as well as its sonic conductance. As a result, the critical pressure ratio of the control valve should be maintained as large as possible to improve the vibration isolation characteristics of the air spring system.

• Journal of Drive and Control
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.10-18
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• 2016

A front-end loader (FEL) mounted on an agricultural tractor is one of the most commonly used implements to mechanize routine agricultural tasks. When the FEL is used with a loaded bucket, careful operation is required to maintain safety and avoid spillage when the tractor passes a bump because a change in the gravity center of the tractor due to varied loadings can affect the stability of the tractor. Use of a boom suspension system consisting of accumulators and orifice dampers can be instrumental in reducing pitching vibrations while increasing the handling performance of the FEL-mounted tractor. The objective of this research was to reduce bump shocks by adding an orifice and a flow control valve to the original hydraulic circuit composed solely of accumulators. A simulation study was performed using the SimulationX program to investigate the effects of an accumulator and an orifice-throttle damper on bump shocks. Results showed that the peak pressure on a boom cylinder and the vertical acceleration of a bucket were significantly affected by use of both an accumulator and an orifice damper. In a field test conducted with a 75-kW tractor, the peak pressure of the boom cylinder, and the root mean square (RMS) vertical acceleration of the bucket and seat were reduced by on average, 23.0, 42.2, and 44.9% respectively, as compared to those measured with the original accumulator system, showing that an improved design for the accumulator hydraulic circuit can reduce bump shocks. Further studies are needed to design a tractor suspension system that includes the effects of cabin suspension and tires as well as dynamic analysis.