Effect of Operating Parameters on the Mulching Device Wear Behavior of a Ridging and Mulching Machine

• Published in: Lubricants Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 19
• Main Authors: Zhao, Qinxue, Dai, Fei, Shi, Ruijie, Zhao, Wuyun, Xu, Pengqing, Deng, Huan, Pan, Haifu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.01.2024
• Subjects: Abrasion; Agricultural machinery; Agricultural production; Cladding; Conveyors; Design of experiments; Design optimization; Discrete element method; Duopoly; Equipment and supplies; Farm equipment; full-film duopoly; Impact wear; Machine parts; Mathematical models; Mechanical properties; Mechanical wear; Mulching; mulching device; mulching process; parameter optimization; Parameters; Sand; Sand & gravel; Simulation; Sliding friction; Soils; Testing; Three dimensional models; wear; Yield stress; China
• ISSN: 2075-4442; 2075-4442
• DOI: 10.3390/lubricants12010019

To conduct an in-depth investigation of the impact of various operating parameters on mulching device wear during the operation of full-film dual-row ridging and mulching machine mulching, this paper employed EDEM software to create a 3D discrete element model of how a mulching device interacts with the soil on the seed bed and simulated the dynamic process of the interaction between the mulching device and the soil during the mulching operation. We analyzed the cladding wear process between the cladding device and the cladding sand particles, and two areas of impact wear on the overburden conveyor housing and areas of wear on the chute deflector scratches were detected. A three-factor, three-level Box–Behnken experimental design approach was used, with mathematical modeling of the relationship between the scraper conveyor lifting line speed, seed bed cover, scraper spacing, and wear of the cover device, finding the optimal combination of operating parameters for mulching devices. The results of the simulation test indicated that the mulching device experienced a minimum wear of 0.958 × 10−3 mm at a lifting line speed of 0.7 m·s−1 for the scraper conveyor, a mulching volume of 2.55 kg·s−1 for the seed bed, and a scraper spacing of 98 mm. The results of the field trial validation showed that, in a comparison between simulated wear parts and a mulching operation prototype of the same two wear parts, the established discrete element model appeared reasonable concerning the structural parameters, with a feasible abrasion mechanism process of sand particles on the soil-covering devices, demonstrating the model’s reliability and validity. It can serve as a guide for optimizing the design of mechanized full-film dual-furrow seed bed mulching operation.