2005 MIST mattress
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Structural stability and the load-bearing capacity of manure mattresses
In order to determine the structural stability and the load-bearing capacity of manure mattresses with differently prepared bedding, initial investigations have already been carried out in the past. Deininger et al. (1998) developed a simple measurement technique that could record the stability of a manure mattress. On this basis, an extension and refinement of the measuring technique has been developed which, in addition to the penetration force maximum, also records the course of forces and penetration in order to be able to better assess the behavior of a manure mattress under stress. The "Drückeberta"® measuring system has its own power supply, can be attached to any standard tractor and allows freely adjustable penetration angles.
In the extended version, the "Drückeberta"® measuring system is equipped with claw models that are able to optimally simulate footfall. Fundamental to this is the possibility of directing the pressure of the hydraulic cylinder in different directions into the dung mattress, since the movement of the animal causes a change in the angle of the direction of penetration; in the rarest cases the claw will carefully lower itself onto the dung mattress at a right angle. To accommodate this change in angle, the hydraulic cylinder is arranged to be adjustable in angle in two planes. In addition to this, the tread angle of the claw models can also be changed so that, depending on the setting, the claw model can come into contact with the manure mattress steplessly from the end of the claw to the tip of the claw first.
Penetration resistance and water holding capacity
Investigations on the efficiency of straw use in animal husbandry