The Establishment of a High-Moisture Corn Ear Model Based on the Discrete Element Method and the Calibration of Bonding Parameters

Chunrong Li, Zhounan Liu, Ligang Geng, Tianyue Xu, Weizhi Feng, Min Liu, Da Qiao, Yang Wang and Jingli Wang ()
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Chunrong Li: College of Engineering and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
Zhounan Liu: College of Engineering and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
Ligang Geng: College of Engineering and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
Tianyue Xu: College of Engineering and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
Weizhi Feng: College of Engineering and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
Min Liu: College of Engineering and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
Da Qiao: College of Engineering and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
Yang Wang: College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
Jingli Wang: College of Engineering and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-22

Abstract: Establishing an accurate high-moisture corn ear fragmentation model using the Discrete Element Method is crucial for studying the processing and fragmentation of high-moisture corn ears. This study focuses on high-moisture corn ears during the early harvest stage, developing a fragmentable corn ear model and calibrating its bonding parameters. First, based on the Hertz–Mindlin method in the Discrete Element Method, a three-layer corn cob bonding model consisting of pith, woody ring structure, and glume was established. Through a combined experimental and simulation calibration approach, the bonding parameters of the cob were determined using Plackett–Burman tests, the steepest ascent tests, and Box–Behnken tests. Subsequently, the same method was applied to establish a corn kernel bonding model, with the kernel bonding parameters calibrated through the steepest ascent and Box–Behnken tests. In order to arrange the kernel models on the cob model to achieve the construction of a complete ear model, this paper proposes a “matrix coordinate positioning method”. Through calculations, this method enables the uniform arrangement of corn kernels on the cob, thereby accomplishing the establishment of a composite model for the high-moisture corn ear. The bonding parameters between the cob and kernels were determined through compression tests. Finally, the reliability of the model was partially validated through shear testing; however, potential confounding variables remain unaccounted for in the experimental analysis. While this study establishes a theoretical framework for the design and optimization of machinery dedicated to high-moisture corn ear fragmentation processes, questions persist regarding the comprehensiveness of variable inclusion during parametric evaluation. This analytical approach exhibits characteristics analogous to incomplete system modeling, potentially limiting the generalizability of the proposed methodology.

Keywords: high-moisture corn ears; crushing model; Hertz–Mindlin model; DEM (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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