Virtual parameter calibration of pod pepper seeds based on discrete element simulation

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Engineering
• Computational Mechanics
• Material Science

Background:

• Accurate simulation of granular materials like seeds is crucial for optimizing agricultural machinery.
• The angle of repose is a key parameter influencing seed flow and handling in sowing devices.
• Discrete Element Method (DEM) offers a powerful tool for modeling granular material behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To calibrate contact parameters for pod pepper seeds using the angle of repose as a response value.
• To develop and validate a Discrete Element Method (DEM) model for simulating pod pepper seed behavior.
• To numerically optimize the design of pod pepper seed sowing devices.

Main Methods:

• Developed a DEM model of pod pepper seeds using reverse engineering.
• Employed a Box-Behnken response surface experiment with eight factors and three levels.
• Performed physical experiments to obtain a target angle of repose value (27.56°).

Main Results:

• Identified optimal contact parameters including Poisson's ratio, shear modulus, and various friction and recovery coefficients.
• Achieved a highly reliable simulation of seed repose angles, validated by two-sample t-tests (P > 0.05).
• Determined specific optimal values for seed-to-seed and seed-to-steel plate interactions.

Conclusions:

• The calibrated DEM model accurately predicts the angle of repose for pod pepper seeds.
• The identified optimal parameters enable numerical optimization of pod pepper seed sowing devices.
• This research provides a reliable simulation framework for agricultural seed handling equipment design.