Performance Study of a Chain–Spoon Seed Potato Discharger Based on DEM-MBD Coupling

Wei Xing, Hua Zhang (), Wei Sun, Hui Li, Xiaolong Liu, Hongling Li, Yangzhou Chen and Yonggang Lu
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Wei Xing: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Hua Zhang: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Wei Sun: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Hui Li: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Xiaolong Liu: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Hongling Li: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Yangzhou Chen: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Yonggang Lu: College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: To address the issues of the poor filling and clearing efficiency of spoon–chain potato seed dischargers, an optimization design was implemented in this study. Based on the motion characteristics of potatoes during the filling and transport processes, an inclination angle was set for the seed spoon cavity, and a seed-clearing brush was installed at the top of the seed discharger. A DEM-MBD coupled simulation model of the seed discharger was constructed. The working speed of the driving sprocket, the inclination angle of the seed spoon cavity, and the seed holding height were used as experimental factors, while the single-seed qualification rate, missed seed rate, and over-seeding rate were used as evaluation indices to conduct a quadratic regression orthogonal rotation combination experiment. This determined the optimal technical parameter combination for the best working performance. Based on the results of the DEM-MBD coupled simulation experiments, a response surface optimization test was conducted. The results showed that the optimal working performance was achieved when the working speed of the driving sprocket was 43 rpm, the inclination angle of the seed spoon cavity was 15°, and the seed holding height was 0.2 m. Under these conditions, the single-seed qualification rate was 95.28%, the missed seed rate was 0.92%, and the over-seeding rate was 3.80%. Further soil bin tests confirmed that, under the optimal working parameters, the relative deviations of all test indices from the response surface optimization test results were less than 2%. The research results provide new insights for the optimization design of spoon–chain potato seed-metering devices.

Keywords: potato; spoon–chain-type planter; seed clearing; DEM-MBD coupling (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: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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