Min-Ha Lee1, Ho-Joon Kang2, Hyeon-Ho Jeon2, Seung-Min Baek3, Seung-Yoon Baek3, Md. Abu Ayub Siddique3, Min-Jong Park2, Jong-Dae Park2, Cheol-Woo Yang2, Min-Jae Park2, Yong-Joo Kim1,2,3*
1Department of Agriculture Machinery Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea
2Department of Smart Agricultural Systems, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea
3Eco-friendly Hydrogen Electric Tractor & Agricultural Machinery Institute, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea
Correspondence to Yong-Joo Kim, E-mail: babina@cnu.ac.kr
Volume 5, Issue 4, Pages 111-118, December 2025.
Journal of Agricultural Machinery Engineering 2025, 5(4):111-118 https://doi.org/10.12972/jame.2025.5.4.1
Received on October 23, 2025, Revised on November 20, 2025, Accepted on November 22, 2025, Published on December 31, 2025.
Copyright © 2025 Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0).
Due to the ongoing shortage of rural labor and the aging farming population, the farm size per farmer has increased, demanding durable and reliable agricultural equipment. In response to this demand, an accelerated life test (ALT) technique for the tractor axle was developed based on measured load data during actual field operations. Robust axle systems were required for high torque at low speeds of tractors, particularly during high-load operations such as plow tillage. In this study, axle torques and rotational speeds were measured for both the front and rear axles using telemetry torque sensors. The measured data were segmented into torque ranges, and a Load Duration Distribution (LDD) was analyzed. Equivalent torque was calculated by applying the Palmgren–Miner linear damage rule, and a fatigue damage exponent was assumed as 8.738. The equivalent torque was obtained as 6,310.99 Nm. The applied torque was approximately 8,170.08 Nm, which is 1.2 times the rated torque. The acceleration factor was calculated as 9.545, which reduced the durability test time from 3,000 to 314.3 hours. The proposed technique provides a quantifiable and efficient method for evaluating axle fatigue life under actual working conditions. It was expected that this technique could be adapted to other equipment in future research, contributing to enhanced drivetrain reliability, shortened product development cycles, and reduced maintenance and production costs of the agricultural machinery.
Accelerated Life Test, Agricultural Tractor, Agricultural Operation, Load Duration Distribution, Reliability