An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of pressure loss, combined spacing, and.

The fluidic sprinkler was designed to have the prospect of a simple design, ease of construction, low energy consumption, and water saving. The present review focused on the fluidic sprinkler, compared the performance parameters of the fluidic sprinkler with the impact sprinkler, and highlighted the main challenges associated with the fluidic sprinkler. Even though the fluidic sprinkler compares quite well with the impact sprinkler, the review highlighted that the fluidic sprinkler appears to have more variability in application rate (0-1.5 mm/h) than the impact sprinkler (0-0.8 mm/h). The wetted radii were, on average, less than the impact sprinkler by 9.7, 9.3, 11.0, and 9.9% at 200, 250, 300, and 350 kPa operating pressures, respectively. Experiments on the fluidic sprinkler have mainly concentrated on the structural design of the fluidic component, water distribution profile, coefficient of uniformity, droplet size characterisation, and rotation uniformity, as well as the effect of different nozzle sizes on hydraulic performance under varying discharge and pressure conditions ranging from 100-500 kPa under indoor conditions. However, experimental studies on its performance in the field remain scanty. Statistical analysis of research papers published on the fluidic sprinkler indicates that less than 10% of the studies focused on the performance of the fluidic sprinkler on the field, and more than 90% on the design, structural and hydraulic performance under indoor conditions. Rotation stability of the fluidic sprinkler and testing with different sizes of the nozzle under low-pressure conditions on the field require further research to achieve energy and water saving through optimisation of the operating conditions.

Modelling the behaviour of Pneumatic Artificial Muscle (PAM) has proven difficult due to its highly complicated structure, nonlinear nature of rubbery material, and air compressibility. To overcome these limitations, a FEM (Finite Element Method) model using Abaqus and CATIA is derived for the quantitative analysis on the impact of different factors on the pulling force of PAM. In the Abaqus a two parameter Mooney–Rivlin model is utilized to consider the hyper-elastic nature of flexible material. Then both Abaqus and CATIA are used in the parametric design of a 3-Dimensional model of PAM. Furthermore, the FEM model is employed to predict the static force exerted by PAM and the results show that the model is promising. The FEM model produces closer results to the test data for the typical PAM. Nonlinear behaviour of PAM is found to be obvious with an increase in both the contraction and the air pressure, different from the linear curves obtained by the fundamental geometrical model. Nonlinear changes in the PAM force are also observed in the numerical study on the effect of structural factors including initial braid angle, initial diameter, initial wall thickness, and flexible material. Besides, these phenomena can be explained by a connection between mechanical and morphological behaviour of PAMs with the FEM model. Generally, this modelling approach is more accurate compared to the fundamental theoretical model and more cost competitive compared to the empirical methods.

A numerical model was developed to determine the water drop movement and mean droplet size diameter at any distance from a sprinkler as a function of nozzle size and pressure. Droplet size data from 4, 5, 6, and 7 mm nozzle sizes verified the model. Data for model prediction were generated throughout lab experiments. The results demonstrated that the correlation between the observed and predicted droplet size diameter values for all the nozzle sizes and pressures is quite good. Nozzle size and pressure had a major influence on droplet size. Higher pressure produced smaller droplets over the entire application profile. The wetted distance downwind from the sprinkler increased as wind velocity increased, for example at a constant working pressure of 300 kPa, at wind speeds of 3.5 m/s and 4.5 m/s, 20% and 32% of the total volume exceeded the wet radius respectively. Larger droplets (3.9–4.5 mm), accounting for 3.6% and 6.3% of the total number of distributed droplets, respectively. The model can also predict the droplet size distribution at any wind direction overall the irrigated pattern.

The fluidic sprinkler, a relatively new type of rotating sprinkler, has been the subject of quite a lot of research about its structural parameters, hydraulic characteristics, and water distribution profile, albeit under indoor conditions. The fluidic sprinkler’s performance in terms of water distribution profile and droplet size distribution pattern in wind has seen little investigation. To obtain information about its droplet size distribution in wind, the Thiess Clima Laser Precipitation Monitor was employed. Drop diameter, drop velocity, and the number of drops at varying distances from the fluidic sprinkler were measured in both wind and no wind at three operating pressures of 250, 300, and 350 kPa. The logistic model was adopted to fit a relationship between the drop diameter and the cumulative numeric frequency (CNF) and the cumulative volumetric frequency (CVF) values resulting in very high correlation coefficient (R²) values of above 0.99 for all conditions. At 250, 300, and 350 kPa, drops traveled 0.6, 1.0, and 1.3 m, respectively, farther in wind than in no wind along the direction of throw. Drops exhibited a spectrum of velocities and diameters at a given radial distance from the sprinkler. Up to two-thirds of the radius of throw, the proportion of drops with diameters ranging from 0.125 mm to 1.00 mm were above 80% at 300 and 350 kPa.