Wear Resistance Enhancement of Rotary Tillage Blades Through Structural Optimization and Surface Strengthening

Rotary tillage blades, as critical components of soil tillage machinery, encounter significant challenges in mountainous agricultural operations, where excessive wear and high energy consumption are persistent issues. To address these problems, this study proposes an integrated strategy combining structural optimization with surface reinforcement. A blade-soil interaction model based on Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) was developed to optimize blade geometry, reducing power consumption to 0.106 kW with a simulation error of only 2.83%. In parallel, Fe60-WC composite coatings containing 30%, 35%, and 40% WC were fabricated on 65Mn substrates using laser cladding. Microstructural analysis revealed significant grain refinement with increasing WC content, while tribological tests showed that the 35% WC coating blades exhibited superior wear resistance, with a mass loss of 1.9 mg, and a relatively low friction coefficient of 0.362. Field trials further confirmed that the blades resulted in a 45.75% reduction in average wear, after structural enhancement and the application of the optimized coating, with a measured loss of 2.259 g compared to the uncoated blades. These findings demonstrate the synergistic benefits of structural optimization and advanced surface engineering, providing an effective pathway to improve the durability and efficiency of rotary tillage blades in demanding field conditions.