Combine Harvesters: Theory, Modeling, and Design

From Basic Fundamentals to Advanced Design ApplicationsA culmination of the author's more than 20 years of research efforts, academic papers, and lecture notes, Combine Harvesters: Theory, Modeling, and Design outlines the key concepts of combine harvester process theory and provides you with a complete and thorough understanding of combine harvest

Table of Contents:
Introduction to Combine Harvesters. System Modeling, Simulation, and Control. Crop Harvesting Data and Plant Properties. Plant Cutting, Gathering, and Conveying Processes and Equipment. Cereal Threshing and Separating Processes: Threshing Units. Separation Process and Operation of Straw Walkers. Cleaning Unit Process and Operation. Grain Conveying Process and Equipment. Crop Residue Chopping and Spreading Processes and Equipment. Corn Ear Dehusking Process and Equipment. Power System of a Combine Harvester. Dynamic Modeling of Material Flow in a Combine Harvester. Sensors and Fault Diagnosis Systems for Combine Harvesters. Cab, Controls, and Human-Machine Interface. Guidance and Control of Autonomous Combine Harvesters. References. Bibliography. Appendix.

About the Author :
Petre Miu is the owner of Projenics (www.projenics.net), Canada. He worked as a research associate at the Biosystems Engineering Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and as a professor at the Politehnica University of Bucharest, Romania. Dr. Miu began his most prolific and prestigious scientific work in Stuttgart, Germany, at Hohenheim University, Institute of Agricultural Engineering, where the German government awarded him two consecutive postdoctoral Alexander von Humboldt research grants. He has extensive experience in the design of harvesting machinery and equipment, and in other areas, including computer numerical control machining centers, robotics, and electronic packaging of radio frequency radar systems.

Review :
"Despite the vital importance of combine harvesters, there has been surprisingly little published recently on their engineering. This book has admirably filled that gaping void. It can be understood by good undergraduates, yet has sufficient technical strengths and details to please graduate students and practicing engineers. The latest theoretical and practical concepts are thoroughly explained with ample and excellent figures and clear writing. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in combine harvesters. —John K. Schueller, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA "This book takes a logical and well-structured approach to presenting a[n] understanding of the design criteria and limitations in the development of a combine harvester. The clearly laid out mathematical principles underlying the theory of operation of a combine make it easy for the reader to follow the process." —Dr. Kevin McDonnell, University College Dublin, Ireland "The unitary approach taken in this book which links historical perspective and functional aspects into the classical engineering approach renders itself very well. It is encouraging to note the depth of engineering, mathematics, and other multi-disciplinary aspects in the book. The author has systematically considered all the material properties essential in the design." —Dr. Vijaya Raghavan, McGill University, Quebec, Canada "In my opinion, nothing available is really comparable to this book of Petre Miu." —Dr. Ludger Frerichs, Technical University Braunschweig, Germany "A broad overview of combine technology today is provided on limited space. State-of-the-art sensors and diagnostic systems are presented including fundamental physical principles and equations. The focus is on the basic understanding of current production combines. Many descriptive figures are used. The level of detail provided in the book is not enough to design a combine, but it gives a fundamental understanding of various combine functions and subsystems." —Dr. Folker Beck, Deere & Company "This book contains detailed technical information including constructions and design calculations about a combine. Each working system in a combine was discussed in one chapter that is convenient for readers to use this book as a design reference book. It can be a good reference book for college students and researchers who are working on combine harvester design and test." —Jude Liu, Associate Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University