Determination of Material and Interaction Properties of Granular Fertilizer Particles Using DEM Simulation and Bench Testing

Xiaolong Lei (), Wencheng Wu, Xuan Deng, Tao Li, Hongnan Liu, Jinyue Guo, Ju Li, Peixu Zhu and Ke Yang
Additional contact information
Xiaolong Lei: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Wencheng Wu: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Xuan Deng: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Tao Li: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Hongnan Liu: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Jinyue Guo: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Ju Li: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Peixu Zhu: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Ke Yang: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-17

Abstract: The discrete element method (DEM) is an effective tool for obtaining qualitative and quantitative information on particle motion, which aids in the design and optimization of agricultural equipment structures. The accuracy of the DEM simulation parameters significantly impacts the simulation results. This study employed a combination of high-speed camera measurement, DEM simulation, and validation tests to determine the material and interaction property parameters for fertilizer particles. The basic parameters (triaxial size, bulk density, density, and coefficient of static friction) and coefficients of restitution between fertilizer and material were measured for three fertilizer varieties. There was a significant difference in the angle of repose between various material plates and fertilizer particles. The calibration values of coefficients of restitution and coefficients of rolling friction between fertilizer particles were optimized using the Box–Behnken method. The angle of repose was significantly affected by the coefficient of static friction and the coefficient of rolling friction between the fertilizer particles. The determined values for the coefficient of restitution, coefficient of static friction, and coefficient of rolling friction between the fertilizer particles were 0.323, 0.381, and 0.173, respectively. The error in the angle of the repose test was less than 3.0%, and the variation coefficient for each row consistency was less than 1.68 percentage points under the optimal simulation parameters. DEM simulations of the angle of repose and each row consistency variation coefficient test using the measured parameters can accurately predict the experimental results. The findings of this paper provide a theoretical basis for the DEM study of fertilizer particles.

Keywords: granular compound fertilizer; DEM simulation; interaction properties; angle of repose; coefficient of restitution (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: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/9/1704/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/9/1704/ (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:13:y:2023:i:9:p:1704-:d:1227572

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 ().