Design and Experiment of a Vertical Cotton Stalk Crushing and Returning Machine with Large and Small Dual-Blade Discs

Xiaohu Guo, Bin Li, Yang Liu (), Shiguo Wang, Zhong Tang, Yuncheng Dong and Xiangxin Liu
Additional contact information
Xiaohu Guo: Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, Shihezi 832000, China
Bin Li: Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, Shihezi 832000, China
Yang Liu: Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, Shihezi 832000, China
Shiguo Wang: Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, Shihezi 832000, China
Zhong Tang: College of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Yuncheng Dong: Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, Shihezi 832000, China
Xiangxin Liu: Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, Shihezi 832000, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-28

Abstract: To address the problems of low crushing efficiency and uneven distribution in traditional straw crushing and returning machines for cotton stalk return operations in Xinjiang, a vertical straw crushing and returning machine with large and small dual-blade discs was designed, adapted to Xinjiang’s cotton planting model. The machine employs a differentiated configuration of large and small blade discs corresponding to four and two rows of cotton stalks, respectively, effectively reducing tool workload while significantly improving operational efficiency. A simulation model of the crushing and returning machine was developed using the discrete element method (DEM), and a flexible cotton stalk model was established to systematically investigate the effects of machine forward speed, crushing blade rotational speed, and knife tip-to-ground clearance on operational performance. Single-factor simulation experiments were conducted using crushing qualification rate and broken stalk drop rate as evaluation indicators. Subsequently, a multi-factor orthogonal field experiment was designed with Design-Expert software (13.0.1.0, Stat-Ease Inc, Minneapolis, MN, USA). The optimal working parameters were determined to be machine forward speed of 3.5 m/s, crushing blade shaft speed of 1500 r/min, and blade tip ground clearance of 60 mm. Verification tests demonstrated that under these optimal parameters, the straw crushing qualification rate reached 95.9% with a broken stalk drop rate of 15.5%. The relative errors were less than 5% compared to theoretical optimization values, confirming the reliability of parameter optimization. This study provides valuable references for the design optimization and engineering application of straw return machinery.

Keywords: cotton stalks; straw shredding; discrete element method; response surface methodology; parameter optimization study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/15/1572/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/15/1572/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:15:p:1572-:d:1707418

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().