Analysis of domestic and foreign experience in obtaining of high-protein feed additives allowed to identify the most important technology and equipment for these purposes. It was revealed that traditional methods of preparation of these feed additives mostly include single-stage chopping and mixing. This is not enough for obtaining of homogeneous granulometric composition of high-quality mixture. The equipment in use has high energy and metal intensity. As a result of the study, innovative equipment is proposed, and physical models are made. The article suggests to use new effective methods of three-stage chopping of plant raw material and its transportation, as well as food waste grinding and two-stage mixing in aqueous media for obtaining homogeneous product. It is recommended to manufacture the equipment in modular construction, that allows to compose the series-produced technical means with new less energy-intensive ones for use on flow line. The main parameters of equipment operating modes are determined. The developed technical means involve the fundamentally new working organs, that provide three-stage chopping of low-value plant materials, their transportation and two-stage mixing with the use of adjustable blades. Such processing of raw material improves the performance characteristics of equipment, and allows to increase the production profitability in comparison with best foreign and domestic equivalents. For supplying of control systems with innovative technologies and equipment, it is recommended to use computer control system, created on the basis of mechatronic systems. Creation of equipment control system and application of new methods of chopping and mixing of rough plant and food waste allow to increase the performance of entire line by 35%, reduce the material and energy intensity by 34-40% with a payback period of 9 months.

The hardness of working surface of ploughshares is very significant for their abrasive wear resistance. Knowing this mechanical property is especially important for manufacturing and hardening of ploughshares, since their wear is not uniform. In this regard, the research problems include studying of hardness distribution in the most loaded nose part of ploughshare, depending on its design and on welding reinforcement as a hardening method. Ploughshares after reinforcement and ploughshares in as-delivered condition after their taking out of service are submitted as objects of the research. Reinforcement included bead welding in the area of share point perpendicularly to the leading edge with the pitch of 30-40 mm. The validity of results was provided by measurement of four parts on each object of research. The total number of tested ploughshares was eight. Hardness was measured with a mobile hardness gage. Measurement results were recorded on Rockwell hardness scale (HRC) with subsequent conversion to Brinell hardness (HB). It is shown that for ploughshares without hardening, the hardness distribution in considered part has the non-uniform character, that is caused by the non-uniformity of processes of recrystallization because of unequal thickness of walls in separate volumes of a product. The hardness values of ploughshares in as-delivered condition are not high (230 HB maximum) and cannot provide the proper abrasive wear resistance. The lowered value of hardness (175 HB) is noted on the deepening part of a ploughshare. Application of welding reinforcement increases hardness (by 200 HB on the deepening part), that is connected with manifestation of heat hardening due to the formation of hardening structures. Traces of reinforcing beads make positive impact on the increase in hardness, which contributes to the growth of abrasive wear resistance.

The performance of livestock farms and complexes largely depends on the quality of feed preparation for feeding. It is proved that feeding efficiency is increased with the use of feed mixtures in the diet, which allows to increase animal performance, to reduce feeding period and feed consumption per production unit. Despite of the wide use of different types of mixers, their working process is understudied, and therefore the study of influence of design and technological parameters of mixers on the quality characteristics of mixture is the crucial task. The aim of the study is the improvement of technological process of feed mixtures preparation in a horizontal ribbon mixer by improving quality of mixing and reducing energy intensity of working process. Experimental studies of a horizontal ribbon mixer were carried out in the laboratory of mechanization of animal husbandry at the Zonal Research Institute of Agriculture of the North-East. For the studies, the mixture consisting of a basis (80% of barley and 20% of rye) and a control component (pea) was used. The implementation of multifactorial experiment allows to obtain approximate mathematical models of the process, that link together all the factors taken into account. Experimental studies allow to determine the numerical values of coefficients of regression equations, by which it is possible to assess the degree of influence of relevant factors. During the tests, Box-Behnken design matrix was implemented. According to the results, the maximum value of the uniformity coefficient of finished product is 86,1%, which meets the zootechnical requirements for feeding of cattle and poultry, and is achieved in the presence of 620 kg of basis and 146 kg of control component in the mixture. The mixing time is 4 minutes, and the throughput capacity of mixer is 5,75 t/h, when the specific energy consumption is 1,55 kilowatt-hours per ton.

Theoretical studies are carried out on the substantiation of design and technological parameters of vibration and pneumatic planting unit of a bulb-planting machine, and of a disc coverer with soil deflectors. The subject of research is the process of oriented planting and embedding of seed onion bulbs into soil. The article considers the process of bulbs orienting during planting and their orientation maintaining during interaction with the soil, taking into account the regularities of bulbs motion by means of vibrating chute and pneumatic drum, as well as the work of coverers during covering of bulbs with soil. The research is done on the basis of laws of classical mechanics and Lagrange's equations of the second kind. Theoretical studies of the working process of vibration and pneumatic planting unit of a bulb-planting machine are carried out. As a result, analytical dependences are obtained for determination of its design and operational parameters: the groove radius, the distance between chute and groove bottom, the diameter of suction opening, the rotation speed of pneumatic drum, the height of planting unit installation above the soil level. The studies allowed to determine: the condition of oriented embedding of bulbs into furrow with bulb stem pointing downwards; the analytical dependences for determining the trajectory of soil particles motion on the working surface of deflector of a disc coverer; the equation of soil particles motion after detachment from deflector’s surface, during covering with soil of bulbs oriented in furrow with bulb stem pointing downwards; the equations of relative, transfer and absolute velocities of soil particles. The expressions are obtained that allow to determine the technological parameters of disc coverer with soil deflectors: the forward velocity of disc coverer, the angle of attack, the center distance between discs.

With the use of current technologies of preparation of pressed forage, the losses of valued leaf part of grass plants come up to 14%, which is equivalent to significant losses of total weight of harvested hay. From this perspective, the purpose of the research is to develop a resource-saving technology of preparation of high-quality chopped hay, and to design a pick-up chopper for its implementation. To substantiate the offered technology, the method of system analysis is applied; to develop the structural and technological scheme of universal pick-up chopper, the method of design of agricultural machinery is used. As a result of theoretical researches, the analytical expression is obtained for determination of total yield losses, that are equivalent to the losses of leaf part of forage. The expression is proposed as a new optimization criterion for substantiation of different technologies of forage preparation. To improve the quality of forage and to exclude operations leading to the losses of leaf part of grass plants, a technology of preparation of chopped hay is proposed. Hammer and knife working bodies of a pick-up chopper provide high-quality chopping of dry and wet forage. The machine is equipped with new pick-up mechanism without treadmill, rollers, cranks or bearings for reliable hay picking up. The results of experimental researches allow to determine the following optimal parameters of the machine: the air flow speed in deflector 15 m/s; the rotation speed of pick-up reel 60 rpm; the optimal productivity 8-9 t/h; the losses of chopped forage 1.83%. The performance tests of a pick-up chopper equipped with hammer mill and new pick-up mechanism showed that it provides the preparation of high-quality chopped hay with reduction of operating costs by 2 times as compared to the roll technology of forage preparation.

The article is devoted to the modeling of process of nitrogen oxides formation in the cylinder of diesel engine operating on compressed natural gas. The combustion of methane-air mixture, ignited by atomized pilot oil that is injected through multijet nozzle, in the cylinder of gas-diesel engine increases the rate of turbulent fluctuations, which leads to intensification of heat and mass exchange in the plume, and significantly increases the rate of formation and decomposition of nitrogen oxides. The calculation of expected emissions of nitrogen oxides in the cylinder of diesel engine and their content in the exhaust gases is carried out. It is done on the basis of the results of kinetic systems modeling for calculation of the kinetics of nitrogen oxides formation during combustion of natural gas and diesel fuel, taking into account the influence of turbocharging, intermediate cooling of charged air and exhaust gas recirculation. In the mathematical modeling of nitrogen oxide formation in the cylinder of diesel engine, the combustion process is divided into two zones, namely the zone of fresh mixture and the zone of combustion products. First zone is a mixture of fresh air with recycled gases (if there is a process of recycling) and residual gases. Before combustion starts, this zone occupies the whole cylinder. During combustion, the volume of zone of combustion products increases. Theoretical researches are carried out on the basis of developed mathematical model for calculation of nitrogen oxides in the cylinders of 4Ch 11.0/12.5 and 4ChN 11.0/12.5 diesel engines. The high precision of theoretical calculations of volumetric content and mass concentration of nitrogen oxides is confirmed, compared to the results of experimental researches (the difference does not exceed 5%).