Evaluation of the Performance of a Combined Tillage Implement with Plough and Rotary Tiller by Experiment and DEM Simulation

In the context of cutting grass in orchards, the practice of leaving cut weeds in the orchard rows hinders the decomposition of the weeds and the absorption of nutrients by the fruit trees. To address this issue, a grass-cutting machine with an integrated sweeping disc was designed to remove weeds from orchard rows and sweep them to the roots of the trees to promote their absorption of nutrients. A coupled simulation platform was established using multi-body dynamics ADAMS and the discrete element method EDEM. The weed-shedding and sweeping device was dynamically analyzed through an ADAMS–EDEM collaborative simulation that enabled the use of a second-order regression orthogonal rotation experiment and response surface methodology. The optimal parameters for the cutting tools, cutter shaft speed, and the number of cutting tools included 23 cutting tools arranged in a single helical pattern for the cutting device, a cutter shaft speed of 728 rpm, and claw-shaped blades as the cutting tools. A prototype machine was built based on the optimized parameters and tested in the field. The results indicated that, when there were 250 m² of weeds, the cutting rate reached 92.96%. The machine was highly maneuverable, and the average remaining weed height in the orchard was 110 mm, which met the national standards and local agricultural requirements. The new orchard grass-cutting and sweeping device meets the technical demands of orchard grass operations in the Xinjiang region of China.

Section: Simulation Test Of Grass-cutting Device 231 Simulation Model...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of an Orchard Mowing and Sweeping Device Based on an ADAMS–EDEM Simulation

Shen,

He,

Tang

et al. 2023

“…Energy consumption can be calculated during operation in order to create a tillage implement with minimal energy expenditure. Du et al [19] performed a theoretical analysis of the rotary tiller and validated it through discrete element simulation. The results showed that the research method is highly feasible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and Test of an Arc-Shaped Tooth Press Device for Combined Soil Preparation Equipment for Growing Potatoes

Zhao

Zhu

et al. 2023

In response to the low soil breakage rate and poor flatness of current combined soil preparation equipment for growing potatoes under the clay loam conditions of Northeast China, this paper presents the design of an arc-shaped tooth press device for such equipment, describing its overall structure and working principle. By conducting force analysis on the press roller and shear stress analysis with MATLAB, we obtained the structural parameters and the corresponding value ranges impacting the operational effectiveness of the press device. A three-factor, five-level quadratic regression orthogonal rotational combination test was carried out using EDEM discrete element simulation software, taking the soil breakage rate and flatness as the test indicators. The forward speed, roller tooth arc length, and angle between the roller tooth and the vertical direction (ABRTVD) were the test factors. Design-Expert 8.0.6 software was used for data processing and analysis, and the results showed that the optimal parameter combination consisted of a forward speed of 0.72~1.15 m·s−1, a roller tooth arc length of 58.7 mm, and an ABRTVD of 37.74°, at which point the soil breakage rate was 93.58% and the flatness value was 21.36 mm. The optimal combination of parameters was selected for the field test, resulting in a soil breakage rate of 95.6% and a flatness value of 20.6 mm. The results of the simulation test were found to be consistent with the field test results, thus validating the efficacy of the device design. The findings of this study can provide a reference for enhancing the operational performance of combined soil preparation equipment for growing potatoes under clay loam conditions.

“…Furthermore, many articles are devoted to studying the performance and stability of tractors [10][11][12][13]. Improving the effectiveness of tillage is closely related to the characteristics of soil, and it is one of the areas that cannot be ignored [14][15][16]. There is a lot of research on autonomous driving [17][18][19][20][21], but there is very little on intelligent electric vehicles for unmanned driving in agriculture.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Design of an Unmanned Electric Tractor Platform

Chen

Chang

2022

The tractor is a vehicle often used in agriculture. It is mainly used to tow other unpowered agricultural machinery for farming, harvesting, and seeding. They consume a lot of fuel with emissions that often contain a large amount of toxic gases, which seriously jeopardize human health and the ecological environment. Therefore, the electrical tractor is bound to become a future trend. The objective of this study is to design and implement a lightweight, energy-saving, and less polluting electric tractor, which meets the requirements of existing smallholder farmers, equipped with unmanned technology and multi-functions to assist labor and to provide the potential for unmanned operation. We reduced the weight of the tractor body structure to 101 kg, and the bending rigidity and torsional rigidity reached 11,579 N/mm and 4923 Nm/deg, respectively. Two 7.5 kW induction motors driven by lithium batteries were applied, which allows at least 3.5 h of working time.