Click on the underlined title to access the document or go back to the Search Results screen to download the PDF version.

If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options.

As a greater desire for real-time modeling of infield, machine interactions increases it becomes important to develop models for some of the previously ignored mechanical systems. In addition, development of system models can reveal opportunities for performance improvement and innovation. A practical approach to modeling was exercised in developing a representative model of a biomass unloading system. The system consisted of a forage harvester spout with three degrees of freedom: rotate (clockwise and counter-clockwise), tilt, and flap. These allow for ease of material placement by the operator but add a level of difficulty to the modeling process. Practical, in this case, means taking machine data and using that data to determine appropriate model form and corresponding coefficients; typically this method is called empirical modeling. The resulting model developed for the spout founded upon empirical modeling techniques exemplifies an accurate representation of a true physical system.