APPOINTMENTS

Fill out appointment request form and check confirmed appointments for each week.

      COURSE OBJECTIVES

      1. To introduce students to various farm power sources.

      2.   To discuss in detail the most common farm power sources   (Human, Animal and Mechanical) in
            relation to farming    systems.

      3.  To give an understanding of human physiological concepts as   they relate to work  performance
           and to analyse the man   task-environment system.

      4.  To give an understanding of draft animal physiological   concepts and to analyse various
           harnessing systems commonly used in the region.

      5.  To review properties of various fuels.

      6.  To develop a working knowledge of combustion engines and   power transmission systems.

      7.  To develop a working knowledge of tractor accessories such   as hydraulics.

      8.  To develop an understanding of traction principles and draft  power requirements for farm
           operations and implements.
 

 ASSESSMENT

The course will be taken over a period one semester and will be assessed as follows:

       Final Examination                                 70%
       Mid-semester Test                                 10%
       Two Quizzes                                       10%
       Visit and Lab Reports                             10%
                                           TOTAL: 100%

 RECOMMENDED TEXT BOOKS:
       1.  Farm Power and Machinery Management by D. Hunt
       2.  Tractors and Their Power Units by Liljedahl etal
       3.  Principles of Farm Machinery by Kepner etal
       4.  Farm Machinery and Equipment by Smith and Wilkes
       5.  Agricultural Mechanisation and the Evolution of Farming   Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa by
            Pingali etal
       6.  Agricultural Power and Machinery by Jacobs and Hz.vel
       7.  Farm Machinery by C. Culpin
       8.  Introduction to Agricultural Engineering by Roth etal

Students are encouraged to own at least one of the text-books listed in the top 3, and efforts have been made by the Campus Bookstore to stock them.

 SUPPLEMENTARY READING MATERIALS;
     1.  Journal of Agricultural Engineering
     2.  Transactions of the ASAE
     3.  Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research
     4.  Power Farming Magazine
     5.  Handbook of Engineering in Agriculture by R.H. Brown
     6.  Handbook of Energy for World Agriculture by B.A. Stout
     7.  Renewable Energy Resources by Twidell and Weir
     8.  Agricultural Compendium for Rural Development in Tropics and  Subtropics - Elsevier

     9.  Progress in Agricultural Physics and Engineering by    J.Matthews

     10.  Proceedings of a Workshop on Animal Draught Power and    Tractor Use in the Small-scale
            Farming Sectors of Zimbabwe: Strategy Formulation to Reduce Draught Power Shortage.
            IAE/GTZ/FTC

     11.  Small Four-wheeled Tractors for the Tropics and Subtropics   by R. Holtkamp

     12.  Catalogue Tractors by R. Holtkamp

     13.  Soil Tillage in the Tropics and Subtropics by Krause etal

     14.  Animal Powered Systems by P. Lowe

     15.  Agricultural Engineering in Development: Mechanisation   Strategy Formulation - FAO Bulletin 99

     16.  Agricultural Engineering in Development: The Organization and Management of Replacement
            Parts for Agricultural Machinery. Vol. 1 & 2 - FAO Bulletin 72

     17.  Agricultural Engineering in Development: Agricultural Tyres - FAO Bulletin 104

     18.  Agricultural Engineering in Development: Guidelines for Mechanization Systems and Machinery
            Rehabilitation Programes - FAO Bulletin 85

     19.  Technical Discussion on Agricultural Machinery Rehabilitation Programmes: Proceedings (Harare)
            - FAO

     20.  Multi-Farm Use of Agricultural Machinery FAO Bulletin 17

     21.  RNAM Newsletter

     22.  Journal of Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers

     23.  Spore Magazine

     24.  Energy Savings in Agricultural Machinery and Mechanization by Pellizzi etal

All these publications are either available in the Departmental Resource-room, or from myself upon request.

 COURSE PROGRAM

         TOPIC
 1.  Introduction to the course
 2.  SI Units
 3.  Definition of Force, Work and Power
  QUIZ 1

 4.  Power Requirements;
           - Soil hardness test (Lab)
           - Soil tillage implements
           - Surface operations implements
           - Drawbar dynamometer calibration (Lab)
           - Drawbar test procedures (Exe)
           - Wheeled transport trailers
           - Drawbar test (Lab)

  MID-SEMESTER TEST

 5.  Sources of Power:
           - Human power
           - Animal Draft Power (ADP)
           - Mechanical power

  QUIZ 2

 6.  Agricultural Tractor:
           - Mechanics of a tractors (Exe)
           - Component systems of a tractor
           - Efficiency