This study theoretically analyzed the cutting process of castor and determined the structural parameters of the key component of the castor disc-cutting device, aiming to obtain the optimal operation parameter combination and reduce the cutting resistance and power consumption during the harvesting process. The effects of the cutting-disc thickness, cutting-disc rotational speed, feeding speed, and edge angle on the cutting power consumption were studied using an orthogonal rotation combination experiment. The response surface method was used to optimize the parameters, and the mathematical relationship model between the cutting power consumption and each factor was established to determine the optimal parameter combination for disc cutting. The simulation results showed that the optimal combination of cutting parameters was cutting-disc thickness of 3 mm, cutting-disc rotational speed of 550 r/min, feeding speed of 0.6 m/s, and edge angle of 20°. Under these conditions, the cutting power consumption was 1.20375 J. The test results were basically consistent with the model prediction results. Therefore, this study provided a theoretical basis and reference for the design and improvement of castor harvesters.

Our study aimed to identify a design which would reduce cutting resistance during the harvesting of castor. This paper presents a theoretical study of the wave-type disc cutter, which plays an important role in castor harvesting. Based on the SPH–FEM coupling algorithm, a combined orthogonal rotation experiment was performed to study the effects of disc cutter thickness, edge angle, disc cutter rotation speed, and feeding speed on the maximum cutting force. The response surface method was used to achieve an optimal combination of all the test factors. Mathematical modeling of the maximum cutting force and influencing factors was utilized to obtain the optimal parameters for a cutting system consisting of wave-type disc cutters. The optimal results were obtained with a computer-simulated disc cutter rotation speed of 844.2–942.1 r/min, a feeding speed of 0.89–1.01 m/s, a disc cutter thickness of 2.71–3.15 mm, and an edge angle of 29.2–33.9°. Under these conditions, the maximum cutting force was less than 50 N. Finally, the experimental data and numerical computer simulation results were compared using cutting performance test verification. The analysis found that the test results and simulation results were largely consistent. Therefore, the simulation model was judged to be effective and reasonable.

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The working quality of a cotton stripper harvester is limited by the efficiency of onboard seed cotton cleaners. As a basis for research in the design of a cotton stripper harvester prototype, the bench cleaning tests were designed to study the effect of structural and technological parameters on the loss rate and impurities rate of the cleaner. According to the features of different test factors, a combined orthogonal test was applied to determine the best combination of the sawtooth distance, saw cylinder diameter, and cleaning distance. With these parameters fixed, the optimal parameters for the cleaning distance, saw cylinder rotating speed, and brush thickness were obtained using a quadratic-regression rotatable orthogonal test. The best parameter configuration to ensure the cleaning quality of the onboard seed cotton pre-cleaner included the following structural parameters: sawtooth distance of 38 mm and saw cylinder diameter of 340 mm, and technological parameters: rotating speed of 282–288 rpm, clearance of 12.55–14.84 mm, and brush thickness of 8.37–9.69 mm, which decreased the loss rate to less than 10% and the impurities rate to less than 6%. The reliability of the theoretical analysis results was verified by a comparison with experimental results. The experimental results provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for the research and the structural design of seed cotton pre-cleaners.