Design Optimization and Performance Evaluation of an Automated Pelleted Feed Trough for Sheep Feeding Management

Xinyu Gao, Chuanzhong Xuan (), Jianxin Zhao, Yanhua Ma, Tao Zhang and Suhui Liu
Additional contact information
Xinyu Gao: College of Electromechanical Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Chuanzhong Xuan: College of Electromechanical Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Jianxin Zhao: College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Yanhua Ma: College of Electromechanical Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Tao Zhang: College of Electromechanical Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
Suhui Liu: College of Electromechanical Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-23

Abstract: The automatic feeding device is crucial in grassland livestock farming, enhancing feeding efficiency, ensuring regular and accurate feed delivery, minimizing waste, and reducing costs. The shape and size of pellet feed render it particularly suitable for the delivery mechanism of automated feeding troughs. The uniformity of pellet flow is a critical factor in the study of automatic feeding troughs, and optimizing the movement characteristics of the pellets contributes to enhanced operational efficiency of the equipment. However, existing research often lacks a systematic analysis of the pellet size characteristics (such as diameter and length) and flow behavior differences in pellet feed, which limits the practical application of feed troughs. This study optimized the angle of repose and structural parameters of the feeding trough using Matlab simulations and discrete element modeling. It explored how the stock bin slope and baffle opening height influence pellet feed flow characteristics. A programmable logic controller (PLC) and human–machine interface (HMI) were used for precise timing and quantitative feeding, validating the design’s practicality. The results indicated that the Matlab method could calibrate the Johnson–Kendall–Roberts (JKR) model’s surface energy. The optimal slope was found to be 63°, with optimal baffle heights of 28 mm for fine and medium pellets and 30 mm for coarse pellets. The experimental metrics showed relative errors of 3.5%, 2.8%, and 4.2% (for average feed rate) and 8.2%, 7.3%, and 1.2% (for flow time). The automatic feeding trough showed a feeding error of 0.3% with PLC-HMI. This study’s optimization of the automatic feeding trough offers a strong foundation and guidance for efficient, accurate pellet feed distribution.

Keywords: automated feeding trough; discrete element method (DEM); pellet feed; precision feeding; PLC-HMI control (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/2077-0472/15/14/1487/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/14/1487/ (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:14:p:1487-:d:1699232

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 ().