Vanderbilt University Senior Design Engineers Present Results of Their NuAg Agricultural Systems Project

Members of the Vanderbilt University Senior Engineering, NuAg--Agricultural Systems Team.
From left, Ethan Schurkman, Peter Ingram, Mohd Izzuddin Mohd Zahar, and Sharifah Musliha Almatar (Photo by Tommy Thompson)


Vanderbilt University's Senior Engineering Design Day on April 21, 2014, was a highlight in the academic careers of the NuAg--Agricultural Systems Team. Their presentation revealed that they devoted much time, effort, skill and talent to complete their project, the Structural and Mechanical Design for Traction Tillage System. It was evident that the team worked together effectively to study the Traction Tillage System, an invention of Tommy Thompson, NuAg Founder and Owner. The team recommended enhancements, provided design specifications and parts for most of the system, and created the design of an accurate CAD model. 

The  NuAg exhibit of the senior mechanical engineers attracted much attention from the visitors to Vanderbilt Engineering Design Day, 2014.

The engineers studied the problem created by soil compaction resulting from modern tractor-based agricultural systems. Heavy tractors compact the soil, thereby decreasing crop yields by as much as 20 percent, and require huge expenditures of fuel. NuAg Agricultural Systems' Traction Tillage System is designed to help solve these problems through the creation of traction produced when the system's implements work against themselves.

Ethan Schurkman, a member of the NuAg Agricultural Systems Design Team, explains the project's concept to visitors to the team's display.

The team performed an in-depth design of the truss structure, including an analysis of possible materials and a force analysis of the proposed structure. The team further worked on the design of the carriages which run along the trusses and hold each farm implement, the track system which supports the carriages, and the cable system which provides for locomotion of the carriages. Finally, the team designed a large-force sensor that can be used to determine whether there is an obstacle in the path of the implements so that appropriate action can be taken. 

Peter Ingram, a member of the NuAg Agricultural Systems Team, discusses the value of the Traction Tillage System in increasing crop yields and reducing fuel consumption.  
 

To learn more about the Traction Tillage System, its background and evolution, technical approach and vision, and to read an article on the concept in Successful Farming, please check out NuAg.biz.

A 7-minute You-Tube video showing a computer model of the system in operation can be viewed at this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGm6WZMlCCo

For more information about this project, contact Tommy Thompson, tommy@nuag.biz or tommy@tommythompsonart.com.