Development of the Automatic Inlet

자동물꼬의 개발

Three types of floating-type automatic inlet were developed for the purpose of reduc- ing farmer's working hours required for water management and saving irrigation water. The point of automation is to use a float within the inlet which is floated and sinked by the ponding depth of paddy field, Thus opens and closes the control gate of irrigation. Suitability of each inlet may depend on production cost, applicability to paddy field condi- tions, and feasibility to farmers, etc. The first model was composed of three parts : chamber for irrigation control gate, chamber for float controlled by ponding depth, and connection bar between the two parts. It was designed to open and close the control gate gradually as the ponding depth drops and rises to a certain level. The second model was designed to improve the weak point of the first model which is the imperfect-closing of gate when it approaches to the end of ir- rigation. A switch-spring was equipped above the connection bar for perfect opening and closing of gate when the ponding depth reaches to a certain level. The third model was designed by combining the two chambers, that is, cut in halves the inlet volume of the above two models. Magnets were equipped above the float for perfect opening and closing gate. The functional experiment for three developed inlets was successfully carried out and the rating curves were derived.