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Wear zone development characteristics and a discrete element method-based zonal quantification method for a
Bo Sun1,2, Shizhong Wei3,4, Xinwu Du5
1School of Mechatronics Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, Henan, China. sunbo2020@haust.edu.cn.
Scientific Reports
|June 26, 2026
Summary
This study quantifies ploughshare wear zones using a soil-ploughshare model. Increased tillage speed and depth worsen wear, while a steeper penetration angle reduces it, offering insights for optimizing agricultural tools.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Engineering
- Soil Mechanics
- Tribology
Background:
- Ploughshare wear is a significant factor affecting agricultural machinery performance and longevity.
- Understanding wear zone formation under varying tillage parameters is crucial for optimizing tool design and maintenance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the formation and spatial expansion of ploughshare wear zones under different tillage parameters.
- To investigate the effects of tillage speed, depth, and penetration angle on wear distribution.
- To develop a zonal quantification method for wear assessment.
Main Methods:
- Established a soil-ploughshare interaction model using the discrete element method (DEM) coupled with the Archard wear model in EDEM 2024.
- Divided the ploughshare working surface into cutting, bearing, and diversion zones based on geometry and soil contact path.
- Constructed indices like time-averaged high-wear area proportion, zonal expansion coefficient, and wear area development index (WADI).
Main Results:
- Ploughshare wear exhibits time accumulation and spatial nonuniformity, initiating at the lower cutting edge and expanding along the soil particle sliding direction.
- Increasing tillage speed (1.25 to 2.00 m/s) and depth (125 to 200 mm) significantly increases the overall high-wear area proportion.
- A higher penetration angle (30° to 75°) reduces the overall high-wear area proportion, despite increased load fluctuations.
Conclusions:
- Tillage speed and depth promote wear expansion by increasing particle velocity, scouring frequency, soil contact volume, and area.
- Penetration angle suppresses wear development by altering contact characteristics and soil flow paths.
- The zonal quantification method provides a basis for optimizing wear-resistant structures and matching tillage parameters for improved ploughshare longevity.
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