DEM Simulation and Experimental Investigation of Draft-Reducing Performance of Up-Cutting Subsoiling Method Inspired by Animal Digging

Peng Gao, Xuanting Liu, Zihe Xu, Shuo Wang, Mingzi Qu () and Yunhai Ma ()
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Peng Gao: The College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Xuanting Liu: School of Intelligent Mechatronics Engineering, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450007, China
Zihe Xu: The College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Shuo Wang: School of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Bengbu University, Bengbu 233030, China
Mingzi Qu: School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 202013, China
Yunhai Ma: The College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 19, 1-25

Abstract: Overcoming high draft forces has long been a primary challenge in conventional subsoiling. To better utilize this agronomically advantageous technique, it is necessary to substantially reduce the draft. Inspired by the digging behaviors of fossorial animals, a low-draft up-cutting subsoiling method was proposed in this study. Discrete element method (DEM) simulations were employed to study the draft-reducing performance of up-cutting tools compared with regular tools. The results showed that the up-cutting motion reduced the draft by 63.07%, 63.84%, and 58.92%, respectively, at rake angles of 45°, 60°, and 75%, and by 79.73%, 63.84%, and 45.22%, respectively, at advancement velocities of 0.5 m·s −1 , 1 m·s −1 , and 1.5 m·s −1 . An increase in up-cutting velocity reduces the draft. Soil disturbance, particle velocity distribution, and soil deformation and movement patterns change in ways that contribute to this reduction. The draft-reducing performance of a chain subsoiler developed based on the principle of soil-breaking by animal digging was verified using field tests, exhibiting a draft-reduction amplitude approaching or greater than 30%. This study shows the great application potential of the up-cutting method in reducing subsoiling drafts and provides a theoretical basis for future research.

Keywords: fossorial species; digging techniques; DEM simulation; draft-reducing; up-cutting; chain subsoiler (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
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