Assessment of cable tensile forces in active winch-assist harvesting using an anchor machine configuration

Mologni, Omar; Lyons, C. Kevin; Marchi, Luca De; Amishev, Dzhamal; Grigolato, Stefano; Cavalli, Raffaele; Röser, Dominik

doi:10.1007/s10342-020-01347-8

Cited by 3 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Alongside the adoption of these relatively novel winch-assisted harvesting solutions must come the development of robust safety protocols that can ensure the safe and effective implementation of this technology [6,12]. One of the outstanding knowledge gaps and key safety considerations in these operations is the integrity of the wire rope which is used to tether the forest machine to its anchor [4,12,26]. It is well understood that the dynamic nature of forest machines can create peak tensile force events that may result in cable fatigue and, eventually, failure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to understand the frequency, magnitude, and duration of such peak events, researchers began conducting cable tensile force studies on winch-assisted harvesting operations, where high-capacity load cells are used to measure cable tensile forces for various forest machines (e.g., [23,[26][27][28][29][30][31][32]). Cable tensile forces for both integrated-winch configurations and anchor-based configurations have been monitored and described in both technical reports and scientific publications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By integrating a simultaneous time-and-motion study alongside cable tensile force monitoring, researchers have been able to associate tensile force patterns and peak events with the operational tasks that created them. One of the key findings of these studies is that movement work tasks are more commonly responsible for producing peak tensile force events (although some technologies seem more capable of attenuating peaks than others) [26]. Simultaneous observations of cable tensile forces at both the forest machine and the anchor machine in active winch-assist harvesting have also shown that significant differences can be observed between the two machines [33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Simultaneous observations of cable tensile forces at both the forest machine and the anchor machine in active winch-assist harvesting have also shown that significant differences can be observed between the two machines [33]. This discrepancy reflects the force dampening which results from friction along the cable (from ground, stumps, or rub trees) and is not consistent over time, with the highest relative tensile force alternating between the forest machine and its anchor throughout the time series [26,32,34].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although these tensile force studies provide a valuable analysis of tensile force distribution, peak events, and exceedance of safety limits, they are limited in their ability to provide a functional understanding of how operational factors influence the observed tensile forces. For example, factors such as operator experience and machine settings have been identified as potentially having a strong influence over the tensile forces experienced in the cable, with implications for both the longevity of the rope and the safety of the operations [4,26,30]. Furthermore, no studies have explicitly evaluated the mechanics of the winch system being employed in order to understand how different winch design and settings contribute to the resulting cable tensile forces.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Cable Tensile Forces Associated to Winch Design in Tethered Harvesting Operations: A Case Study from the Pacific North West

Mologni

Nance

Lyons

et al. 2021

Forests

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Cable tensile forces in winch-assist harvesting have been investigated in order to assess the safety concerns of the technology. However, the literature is lacking, particularly in regards to the impact of winch design. In this study, a Summit Winch Assist tethering a feller-director on ground slopes up to 77% was monitored for four days. The cable tensile forces were simultaneously recorded at the harvesting and anchor machine at a frequency of 100 Hz. Cameras and GNSS devices enabled a time study of the operations and the recording of machine positions. Winch functionality and design were disclosed by the manufacturer and used for the interpretation of the results. The cable tensile forces reached 296 kN at the harvesting machine and 260 kN at the anchor machine. The slow negotiation of obstacles while moving downhill recorded the highest peaks, mainly due to threshold settings of the winch in the brake system activation. Lower but significant peaks were also recorded during stationary work tasks. The peaks, however, were limited to a few events and never exceeded the endurance limit of the cable. Overall, the study confirmed recent findings in cable tensile force analysis of active winch-assist operations and provided evidence of the underlaying mechanisms that contribute to cable tensile forces.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Cable Tensile Forces Associated to Winch Design in Tethered Harvesting Operations: A Case Study from the Pacific North West

Mologni

Nance

Lyons

et al. 2021

Forests

Self Cite

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Cyclic loading effects and stability assessment of trees and stumps used as anchors in cable yarding operations

Marchi,

Mologni,

Byrne

et al. 2024

Eur J Forest Res

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Swing yarders in running skyline configuration using either grapples or chokers represent the most common configuration for cable yarding in coastal British Columbia. In this context, whole-tree logging and short work cycles lead to heavy and repeated loads applied to the trees and stumps when used as anchors for the rigging cables. Moreover, increased harvesting of second-growth forest stands leads to the unavailability of large and safe trees, thus introducing new challenges to identify suitable anchors and potentially increases safety risks of cable yarding operations.The present study aimed to collect evidence of the mechanical response provided by anchors for typical cable yarders used in second-growth harvesting in coastal British Columbia, and test the suitability of innovative techniques for the stability assessment based on the relationship between the anchor root-plate rotations and the related applied tensile forces. A conspicuous dataset could be derived from all the surveys, storing anchor rotations from a total of 1522 work cycles of which 1224 work cycles included also tensions measurements. The methodological approach was proven effective for monitoring different rigging configurations giving proof that repeated loading affects the stability of a tree/stump which can rapidly change over few hours of active yarding operations. Acquired data proved also that comparing theoretical failure limits with anchor rotations could be a valid approach however a considerable amount of species-specific data from tree pulling tests is required.

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Recent Applications of Smart Technologies for Monitoring the Sustainability of Forest Operations

Venanzi

Latterini

Civitarese

et al. 2023

Forests

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Precision forestry is a useful technique to help forest stakeholders with proper sustainable forest management. Modern sensors and technologies, with special reference to the sustainability of forest operations, can be applied on a variety of levels, including the monitoring of forest activities regarding the three pillars (economy, environment, and society). In this review, we summarised the current level of knowledge regarding the use of precision forestry techniques for monitoring forest operations. We concentrated on recent data from the last five years (2019–2023). We demonstrated how an Industry 4.0 strategy for remote and proximal monitoring of working performance can be effective when using CAN-bus and StanForD data collected by modern forest machines. The same information can be effectively used to create maps of soil trafficability and to evaluate the patterns of skid tracks or strip roads built as a result of forest intervention. Similar information can be gathered in the case of small-scale forestry by using GNSS-RF (Global Navigation Satellite Systems—Radio Frequency) or even monitoring systems based on smartwatches or smartphones. LiDAR and Structure for Motion (SfM) photogrammetry are both useful tools for tracking soil rutting and disturbances caused by the passage of forest machinery. SfM offers denser point clouds and a more approachable method, whereas laser scanning can be considerably faster but needs a more experienced operator and better data-processing skills. Finally, in terms of the social component of sustainability, the use of location sharing technologies is strongly advised, based for instance on GNSS—RF to monitor the security of forest workers as they operate.

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Assessment of cable tensile forces in active winch-assist harvesting using an anchor machine configuration

Cited by 3 publications

References 14 publications

Cable Tensile Forces Associated to Winch Design in Tethered Harvesting Operations: A Case Study from the Pacific North West

Cable Tensile Forces Associated to Winch Design in Tethered Harvesting Operations: A Case Study from the Pacific North West

Cyclic loading effects and stability assessment of trees and stumps used as anchors in cable yarding operations

Recent Applications of Smart Technologies for Monitoring the Sustainability of Forest Operations

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