Calibrating contact parameters of typical rotary tillage components cutting soil based on different simulation...

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Engineering
• Soil Mechanics
• Computational Mechanics

Background:

• Complex soil movement patterns under coupled forces (tension, shear) challenge agricultural simulations.
• Accurate contact parameters are crucial for discrete element method (DEM) simulations of rototiller-soil interactions.
• Previous studies lacked precise calibration for soil-tillage tool contact parameters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve the accuracy of contact parameters in DEM simulations of rototiller-soil interactions.
• To investigate soil movement patterns and energy changes during tillage.
• To provide theoretical support for designing and optimizing tillage equipment.

Main Methods:

• Combined physical testing (angle of repose, soil slip tests) with image processing for parameter calibration.
• Utilized orthogonal simulations and Box-Behnken response surface method for optimization.
• Validated simulation results against field tests measuring cutting resistance.

Main Results:

• Established optimal DEM contact parameters for soil-soil and soil-tillage part interactions.
• Achieved a 13% error in predicting average cutting resistance compared to field tests (0.96 kN).
• Analyzed changes in energy, cutting resistance, and soil particle movement during simulated cutting.

Conclusions:

• The calibrated DEM contact parameters accurately represent rototiller-soil interactions.
• The validated simulation model provides reliable insights into tillage mechanics.
• This research offers a theoretical foundation for enhancing tillage equipment design and performance.