Testing is a fruitful engine of scientific

progress of the agro-industrial complex
L.Pohorilyi

The development and formation of machine testing in world practice has an interesting and instructive history, the origins of which go back to the 19th century, when the artisanal and industrial production of agricultural machines and tools expanded in Ukraine, especially when they began to be imported from other countries - Germany, Great Britain, Sweden.
This made it necessary to study the conformity of these tools and machines to local conditions, the possibility of their improvement and evaluation of competitiveness, which could only be solved by means of competitive comparative tests.
Applied agrotechnological, engineering-technological aspects of competitive competitions and tests of agricultural machines, which originated at the end of the 19th century, gave impetus to the development of such new scientific directions in machine science as agricultural mechanics, construction theory and mechanized technology of agricultural production, and independent information provision of farmers with objective data on the operation of machines.They were initiated and developed in a historically short period (1890-1960) by outstanding mechanical engineers, technology testers and scientistsV.P. Goryachkin, K.G. Schindler, D.D. Artsybashev, A.S. Lvov, A.A. Khokhryakov, V.I. Nagibin, I.I. Artobolevskyi, M.Kh. Pigulevskyi, V.A. Zhelygovskyi, V.N. Boltynskyi, N.D. Luchynskyi, B.A. Lintvarev, B.A. Letoshnev, A.P. Kramarenko, I.F. Vasylenko, P.M. Vasilenko and many others.
In Ukraine, the implementation of these directions was formed together with the system of research and testing institutions:

• Ukrainian Zonal Machine Testing Station (UkrMTS, 1948);
• All-Union Research Institute for Testing Machines and Equipment for Animal Husbandry and Fodder Production (VNIVMOT, 1976);
• Ukrainian Research Institute for Forecasting Equipment and Technologies for Agricultural Production (UkrNDIPVT, 1991), which on December 26, 2003 was named after a well-known test scientist in Ukraine and abroad, an academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Leonid Pohorilyi.

Evaluating the historical path of the development of the machine testing system, we note that it performs an important scientific-technical and public-societal function, which connects agricultural production and agricultural engineering from the standpoint of accelerated testing of new machines and equipment and early forecasting of directions for the development of competitive machinery and technologies, implementation state and industry standards, environmental protection, information and consumer protection.
Today, these important state functions are entrusted to L.Pohorilyi UkrNDIPVT – one of the leading state scientific and testing institutions of Ukraine, which unites the main research institute for forecasting and testing of agricultural machinery and technologies and zonal testing organizations (Lviv, South Ukrainian and Kharkiv branches) into a single scientific and testing institution.
The long-term history of our institution is interesting, full of significant events and unique personalities who inspire us today with their dedicated work. Therefore, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of L.Pohorilyi UkrNDIPVT we want to dive into this outstanding historical path and remember where it all began…

Evolution of agricultural machines on the example of tractors

The formation of agricultural machinery,

the development of agricultural mechanics and testing.

Machine testing in Ukraine was formed at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.The first machine testing station was organized in 1895 at the Kharkiv Institute of Technology. The second station for testing agricultural machinery was also created in Ukraine in 1900 at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (Kyiv MIA) (Fig. 2). Its organizer was Professor Kamil Havrylovich Schindler (1869-1940). Applied agro-technological, engineering-technological aspects of competitive competitions and tests of agricultural machines, which originated at the end of the 19th century, gave impetus to the development of such new scientific directions in machine science as agricultural mechanics, construction theory and mechanized technology of agricultural production, and independent information provision of farmers with objective data on the operation of machines.

Kamil Havrylovich SCHINDLER (1869-1940)

Kyiv Station for Testing Agricultural Machines and Tools

(1910)

In the period between the two world wars and in the first post-war years the tests of complex agricultural machinery were entrusted to temporary interdepartmental commissions by government decision. After the end of the Second World War, serious measures were initiated to increase technical progress in the mechanization of agriculture as the most important means of rapid growth of food production. At that time, there was the task of accelerating the restoration of agricultural machinery, creating an extensive network of research institutes to solve the problems of mechanization, and specialized design organizations. A fundamental improvement in the organization of testing of agricultural machinery was also foreseen.

The period of organization and formation of machine testing (1948-1958)

The Ukrainian State Zonal Machine Testing Station (UkrMTS) was organized in accordance with the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated June 11, 1948 and the order of the Minister of Agriculture of the USSR dated August 26, 1948 on the basis of the branch of the Salivinki State Farm in the Vasylkiv district of the Kyiv region. The area of all land transferred to the Ukrainian MTS was 500 hectares, the number of employees of the station was 25 people. At the beginning of its activity the UkrMTS had only four tractors (two «KHTZ» and two «U-2»).
At that time, methods and techniques from other branches of agricultural science and technology were borrowed and adapted to conduct experiments and tests. The research results were evaluated only at the level of average values, the level of probability of evaluations was not guaranteed. At that time, the criterion for putting a certain machine into production was its performance and only to a certain extent its quality. There were no devices and special measuring tools yet. The main measuring tools at the time were a ruler and a tape measure. Mobilizing all their creative potential, the station's testers independently produced measuring tools (profilographs, devices for measuring the height of plants, the depth of seed wrapping, the diameter of root crops, etc.) (Fig. 3).

Soil profilograph

Processing of the test results was carried out on ordinary calculators and logarithmic rulers, as well as with the help of the popular at that time «Felix» arithmetic meter (Fig. 4), which was considered a scientific and technical achievement. During this period, thanks to the enthusiasm of the pioneer testers, the necessary initial material and technical base is created for the further accelerated development of the testing and research system.

Arithmometer "Felix"

The main specialization of the UkrMTS was the testing of machines for the mechanization of beet growing. In addition to beet harvesters, the tests were carried out on cultivators for inter-row cultivation of beets, dotted-nest seeder, beet seeder «2SSSN-6», as well as the comparative tests of various methods of harvesting sugar beet using the latest harvesting and loading and unloading machines (Fig. 5).

Testing of seeders

1) 1950, 2) 1958 - Testing of the «SKG-6» corn checkrower, 1959.

The construction of production and service premises of the UkrMTS began in 1952. In 1953 the construction of an experimental workshop (for 50 tractors) and two premises for agricultural machines with an area of more than 480 m² each was completed.
In 1954 the construction of two-story buildings began: laboratory (completed in 1955) and museum (completed in 1956) (Fig. 6-7).
 

The first laboratory building, 1955

Territory of UkrMTS, 1957

The formation period of scientific foundations of intensive tests development (1959-1976)

The general situation at the beginning of this period is characterized by the appearance of powerful (at that time) tracked tractors «T-38», «DT-54», «Stalinets-80», self-propelled combine harvesters «SK-3», «SK-4», tractor cultivators «KUTS» of F. Solovei. Soon the «SKEM-3G» beet harvester appears in UkrMTS. During this period, a young galaxy of engineers and specialists, graduates of the Ukrainian Agricultural Academy and other universities, came to work at the Ukrainian MTS. They are actively involved in testing and research work.

Beet harvester «SKEM-3» in operation, 1960

Beet seeder «2SSN-6» with tractor «T-38», 1960

Tractors produced by the Kharkiv Tractor Plant:

Wheeled tractor «T-125», 1966

Tractor «T-150», 1971

The increase in the level of supply of agricultural machinery and the increase in the number of proposed machine designsput before the testers conditions for more stringent selection of machines and control of their quality, which required the development of more modern and possible methods for setting up experiments, analyzing their results, and validating the conclusions. From 1959 to 1976in UkrMTS 7188 samples of equipment were tested and 929 samples were recommended for production. During this period, the Ukrainian MTS was headed by experienced testers and production organizers G. Kukta (1959-1961), S. Kovtonyuk (1965-1969), V. Lyakh (1961-1965 and 1969-1976).
The practice of testing includes such concepts as dispersion, root mean square deviation, coefficient of variation, precision and error of the experiment, the smallest significant difference. The first to start work in this direction were H. Kukta, M. Bondarenko, L. Pohorilyi, V. Solovei, V. Bray, O. Makovetskyi, M. Grabovets, V. Shabranskyi.
At this time, the organization and industry standardization of methods and programs for testing new equipment is being carried out. Industry standards for almost all types of agricultural machines and tractors are coming into effect, intensive work is being carried out on the development of devices and equipment: a soil channel is being created for testing seeders, working bodies for tillage machinery, a current line for analyzing samples of sugar beet piles and units for sampling is being constructed of beets and chaff from beet harvesters, a current line for the selection and processing of samples of grain and straw from harvesters is being constructed, mobile laboratories for agrotechnical evaluation and strain measurement of all types of machines are organized, high-speed cinematography is mastered and widely used during the tests of precision seeding devices, individual processes of grain harvesting, beet harvesting and tillage equipment.

Sampling of sugar beet roots

General view of the unit for sampling behind beet harvesters

Strain measurement of agricultural machines with the use of a mobile strain laboratory

During filming with the «SKS-IM» movie camera of the «ISN-3.5» shredder of the «SK-4» combine, 1966

Metallographic microscope «MIM-8M»

Root harvesting machine «RKS-6»

Tractor «Unimog» coupled with a cultivator «RAU» on the front linkage, 1974

At the same time, active work begins on the use of electronic computing machines (EC) for processing the results of experiments, a system is created for transmitting information from the place of experiments to the computer laboratory for the purpose of its emergency processing and decision-making on the continuation or completion of the experiment according to the criteria of the specified levels of accuracy and probability.

Computer laboratory. Work on the electronic computing machine "Nairi", 1968

In 1964, the main three-story building of the UkrainianMTS was built

Main building of the Ukrainian MTS, 1967

In the experimental farm an exemplary farm-laboratory for free-stall housing of cows was created and equipped with modern milking equipment. Significant research work has been carried out on the selection of equipment systems for livestock farms, including milking machines, machines for transporting fodder, feed preparing and distributing.

View of the central part of the laboratory farm

Milking machine of the carousel type «KDU-5», 1964

Thus, from 1958 to 1976, a rather powerful scientific-methodical and material-technical base was created in the Ukrainian MTS and an efficient team of highly qualified specialists of various profiles, including those with scientific degrees was formed.

The period of organization of the scientific research institute VNIVMOT and further

development of the test business (1976 - 1990)

According to the order of VO «Souzsilgosptehnika» of the Council of Ministers of the USSR (№117 of May 21, 1976), on the basis of the Ukrainian state zonal machine testing station, the All-Union Scientific Research Institute for Testing Machines and Equipment for Animal Husbandry and Fodder Production (VNIVMOT) was organized, which was entrusted with the function of scientific coordination of 17 machine testing stations – from the Far East, Central Asia and to the Baltic States.
At the time of the organization of the institute, the problems of mechanization of labor-intensive processes had already been largely solved, technological complexes have been created for production technologies of basic agricultural crops. The achieved level of scientific and technological progress, the material and technical base, the scientific and technical potential of the station and the optimism of the testers and scientists associated with the transformation of the MTS into an institute provided the opportunity to move to a higher quality level of testing and scientific research.
Among the main tasks of the institute is the development of scientific foundations, methods and technical means of testing new agricultural equipment for animal husbandry and fodder production, improvement of production technologies in crop and animal husbandry on this basis. For this purpose, 15 departments and a specialized laboratory, as well as an experimental farm, were created in the structure of the institute.
During 1976-1990, the institute tested about 4,000 agricultural machines and recommended for production almost 600 designs of tractors, combines, equipment for livestock farms, as well as various machine complexes; technological recommendations for the cultivation of sugar beets without the cost of manual labor, for the untethered keeping of high-yielding cows, grass haying in towers were developed. These are complexes of machines for growing and harvesting sugar beet, grain crops, corn, machines for the mechanization of fodder harvesting, fodder production and animal husbandry.
This period includes the creation of a material base for accelerated testing of agricultural machinery - both complex complete machines and their components and mechanisms.
The institute has developed a complex of methods and technical means that allow to significantly speed up the process of improving structures and increasing the reliability of agricultural machinery compared to its testing in operational conditions. Stands for accelerated tests have automated control elements; they are universal, quickly retooled, work in a wide range of loads and allow complex and elemental accelerated tests of trailed, mounted, semi-mounted, self-propelled and other types of agricultural machines for crop production, animal husbandry and fodder production.

STAND FOR ACCELERATED TESTS OF SELF-PROPELLED WHEELED MACHINES

At the stands of L.Pohorilyi UkrNDIPVT accelerated tests of a number of machines and their components and mechanisms were carried out: forage harvesters « KSK-100», E-281 «Maral», universal power tool UES-250 «Polyssia», a fodder harvesting complex K-G-6 «Polyssia», grain harvester «DON-1500», corn harvester «KSKU-6», beet harvesters «MKK-6», «RKS-6», forage harvester trailed combine «KPI-2,4», feed dispensers «KTU-10», «KUT-3», tractor trailers «2PTS-4», «3PTS-12», mounted and trailed harvesters «ZhVS-6», «ZhVS-10», «ZhRB-4,2», «ZhVP-6», planters «SST-12», «SZ-4», «SZT-4», cultivators «USMK-5,4» etc. Refinement of machine designs based on the results of accelerated tests made it possible to significantly increase their reliability.

LOADING UNIT «CYCLE»

LOADING UNIT «PUSK-30/55»

Universal vibrating platform

Test stands for mounted and trailed machines

At the level of the methodological, material and technical base, a certain stability was achieved for this period, and the institute was able to solve the most difficult scientific tasks related to the development of new equipment and technologies.

The period of formation and development of the domestic machine testing system (1991-2007)

The change in socio-economic relations, the departure from the totalitarian system of state management of the branches of the national economy caused the need to revise the strategy and tactics of VNIVMOT in the field of research, testing and certification of equipment and technologies. On December 13, 1991, the Ukrainian State Testing Center for Machinery and Technologies for Agricultural Production (UkrCVT) was established on the basis of VNIVMOT, which is a part of the scientific-production association «Silhospmashsystema» together with the Ukrainian Research Institute for Forecasting Machinery and Technologies for Agricultural Production (UkrNDIPVT), an experimental farm, four state zonal machine testing stations and four reference points. L.V. Pohorilyi was appointed as the director of UkrCVT and the general director of the SIA «Agricultural Agricultural Society» (order of the Ministry of Agriculture of Ukraine No. 357-k dated 12.20.1991).

The SIA «Silhospmashsystema» included four zonal machine testing stations (since 2005, reorganized in the branches of L.Pohorilyi UkrNDIPVT):
- South Ukrainian state zonal machine testing station, created by the order of the Ministry of Cotton of the USSR (No. 484 of March 20, 1951) and by the order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR (No. 18634-Р of 11/17/1950), the main task of which was to carry out tests of agricultural machinery and technologies for the production of agricultural products in the conditions of Southern Ukraine;
- Lviv state zonal machine testing station, organized on January 15, 1959 on the basis of the Mageriv repair and technological station by the order of the Ministry of Agriculture of the USSR (No. 338 of December 31, 1958), the main task of which is to conduct in the Western region of Ukraine state tests of machines for growing and harvesting flax, potatoes, sugar beets, machines for mountain farming, plant protection and fertilizing, as well as general-purpose tractors for the purpose of putting new models of equipment into production and checking the compliance of serial equipment with the requirements of regulatory documents;
- Myrhorod State Machine Testing Station, organized in 1960 to implement the relevant government resolution on measures to eliminate the backlog of food engineering and provide technological equipment to enterprises of the food, grain, compound feed and elevator industries;
- Kharkiv State Machine Testing Station, organized in 1960 for the purpose of testing equipment for the processing industry of the system of procurement of agricultural products, the area of activity of which extends to the Eastern region of Ukraine (Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk regions).

The urgent tasks of the further development of the system of state tests in Ukraine at this time consist in the technical re-equipment of testing organizations, increasing the scientific and methodological level of research and testing, in the development of close cooperation with design organizations in order to accelerate the development, testing and introduction into production of the latest agricultural machinery.
In connection with the arrival of tractors and agricultural machinery of foreign manufacturers in Ukraine, the issue of protecting the domestic manufacturer from low-quality products and regulating their import into Ukraine has arisen. For this purpose, a special division «SEPROsilmash» (1992) was created in the structure of UkrCVT, which was entrusted with the function of certification of domestic and foreign equipment.
The scientific topics of the institute during this period were subordinated to solving the problem of debugging the production of competitive products based on the re-equipment of agriculture with the latest equipment and high technologies. Since the time of perestroika and reform of agriculture in Ukraine, the domestic testing system, like other branches of science and technology, has experienced serious destruction.
Tracing the history of the formation and development of machine testing in Ukraine, first of all, we should mention the founder of the testing system, the leader of the science of the systematic approach to testing methodology, the talented testing scientist Leonid Volodymyrovich Pogorilyi. He left us an invaluable scientific potential - books, scientific articles, standards, test methods and protocols, manuscripts that still need further understanding and implementation. Academician L.V. Pohorilyi made a significant contribution to the formation and development of domestic agricultural science, in particular in the field of testing agricultural machinery and technologies.
Analysis of scientific achievements of Academician L.V. Pogorilyi testifies that the outstanding scientist left behind an invaluable treasure of scientific achievements, which includes about 500 scientific works, including more than 40 books and monographs, 50 author's certificates and patents for inventions. He developed the theoretical foundations of systematic methods of testing and forecasting the development of new agricultural machinery and agrotechnologies, which will be used by the scientists, engineers and designers in the field of agricultural engineering and testing of machinery and equipment for a long time to come.

Pohorilyi Leonid Volodymyrovich

(1934-2003)

an outstanding scientist-tester, doctor of technical sciences, professor, academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences, Academy of Engineering Sciences of Ukraine, honored worker of science and technology of Ukraine, founder of the system of testing agricultural equipment in Ukraine, director of VNIVMOT, UkrCVT, UkrNDIPVT.

Scientist-tester Leonid Pohorilyi devoted 45 years of his life to the creation of the only scientific school of testers of modern agricultural equipment in Ukraine. As a talented scientist-pedagogue, he raised a whole generation of agricultural production engineers and scientists-testers of agricultural machinery, who constitute the intellectual elite of the engineering service of agriculture of Ukraine.
For the recognition of outstanding merits to Ukrainian agricultural science, by the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 813-r dated December 26, 2003, the Ukrainian Research Institute for Forecasting and Testing of Equipment and Technologies for Agricultural Production – an institution in which Leonid Volodymyrovich worked from his student days until his last breath and the business to which he devoted his entire creative life continues to develop was named after L.V.Pohorilyi.
On July 23, 2009, by the order of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 892, the institute was reorganized into a state scientific institution «L.Pohorilyi Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute of Forecasting and Testing of Equipment and Technologies for Agricultural Production» (L.Pohorilyi UkrNDIPVT).