ILLUSTRATION: CAMSO PHOTO: MARK PASVEER
TYRE TECHNOLOGY ▶▶▶
Make sure rubber tracks don’t get too hot
BY BOB KARSTEN V
ery soon, there will be rubber tracks with temperature sensors in- side. All manufacturers of rubber tracks are experimenting with
these sensors. It is simple: carrying a lot of tons and driving high speeds for a while is dis- astrous for rubber tracks. This is because the rubber gets warm from the movement and the factors mentioned. And when the temper- ature rises above a certain number of degrees, there will be excessive wear – that is expen- sive. According to manufacturer Continental, it becomes critical at around 100°Celsius in- side the rubber. The rubber gets brittle, and the glue might release from the tracks.
Critical point So, all manufactures thought, with some tem- perature sensors inside the rubber, we are able to warn a driver when the temperature reaches a critical level. Just to prevent reach- ing the critical temperature. A driver could lower its driving speed in time, to prevent ex- cessive wear. On the other hand, a tractor driver could drive faster. Because, when you know the exact temperature inside the track, you could drive at maximum speed for the maximum duration possible. In other words, nowadays drivers are forced to drive carefully, to be sure the temperature doesn’t reach the critical point. But sometimes, they could drive faster. According to Camso, you could save 20% time on a two and a half hour trip by driving the precise maximum driving speed.
Camso showed this ‘Smart Track’-picture at the
Agritechnica. Not only does it prevent the track from get-
ting too hot, Camso sees more possibilities with this data, like maintenance planning.
40 ▶ FUTURE FARMING | 25 May 2018
Heat is disastrous for rubber tracks. Track makers definitely know that. So they all came up with the same idea: let’s put some temperature sensors in the track. Only when the battle of the right patent has been fought, they will give us more details.
A race However, manufactures don’t want to tell too much about their innovations because of patent applications, but they told us some of their plans. Dutch track systems manufacturer Zuidberg, for example, already has a working system with heat control. They normally use it for testing prototype tracks. The company also wants to sell it in their products, but, so far doesn’t want to share any details. Soucy Track is still working on it. Camso and Continental both already showed a prototype at the Agritechnica last year. Ironically, both came up with the same (temporary) name for the project: ‘Smart Track.’
Middle of the lug There are some different opinions about the best way to implement these temperature sensors. ContiTech AG (Continental) fitted
the sensor in the middle of a lug. Because, they say, this is where the temperature gets the hottest. How this moving sensor is provid- ed with electrical power, is still a secret. Infor- mation comes via RFID (radiographically) to an application on a smartphone. Continental says that this innovation will first come to Eu- rope. And they also revealed, that later on this innovation will also be introduced to wheels.
Just in time for a renew A new system from Camso will be for sale in about one or two years from now, according to them. This manufacturer also says that a lot of tractor drivers are now forced to drive too carefully. Just to prevent rubber tracks from getting too warm. But Camso sees more possibilities with sensors such as automatically aligning tracks or detect- ing the state of the field; which could be useful for autonomous tractors. The sensors could also be used for counting working hours (think about maintenance). And the last feature: these sensors will inform drivers about the wearing of the tracks. If the track is worn out, but the inner part of the track is still okay, the
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