The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mech. Eng.
Sec. Biomechanical Engineering
Volume 11 - 2025 |
doi: 10.3389/fmech.2025.1535013
Parameter optimization of the notched blade spiral fertilizer discharger for pineapple orchards based on DEM
Provisionally accepted
Guoqiang Dun 1*
Quanbao Sheng 2 Xinxin Ji 2* Hailiang Li 3* Chunyu Ma 2* Xinming Li 2* Haitian Sun 3* Luhan Wang 2* Chao Ma 2* Zhenzhen Yu 4*
Hongxuan WANG 3- 1 Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Equipment Engineering Laboratory, Harbin Cambridge University, Harbin, Jilin Province, China
- 2 College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- 3 South Subtropical Crop Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit Biology, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China
- 4 School of Mechanical Engineering, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China
In order to improve the fertilizer-discharging uniformity of the traditional spiral fertilizer distributor and achieve precise and controllable fertilization, based on the agronomic characteristics of fertilization in pineapple orchards, a notched-blade spiral fertilizer discharger with the mechanism of discontinuous-blade sliding-cutting and pushing-pore fertilization is innovatively designed. Based on parametric modelling and determining the volume of fertilizer accommodation of the spiral, the theoretical fertilizer-discharging amount of the fertilizer discharger is determined in combination with theoretical analysis. The main factors influencing the fertilization performance of the spiral fertilizer discharger are analyzed using theoretical calculation formulas. The discrete element method is used to simulate the fertilizer-discharging process. By comparing simulation experiments, it is determined that the notched-blade spiral fertilizer discharger has better uniformity than the traditional one. The effects of the number and shape of periodic notched blades on the fertilizer-discharging uniformity are analyzed through single-factor experiments. The L9(3⁴) orthogonal table is adopted for conducting orthogonal simulation tests.The test results show that the primary and secondary order of the influence of test factors on test indexes is blade notch shape and periodic blade notch number. When the blade notch is a sector, and the periodic blade has three notches, the fluctuation coefficient of fertilizer discharge uniformity is 27.01%.The results of the bench test show that the uniformity fluctuation coefficient of the notched blade spiral fertilizer discharger is 27.42% when the rotating speed is 60r/min. The experimental and simulation values are consistent.Moreover,the fluctuation coefficient of the spiral fertilizer discharger is reduced by 64.86 percentage points compared with that of the spiral fertilizer discharger under the same conditions. Moreover, the fluctuation coefficient of the notched blade spiral is 64.86% lower than that of the spiral fertilizer discharger under the same conditions. Based on different rotational speeds, the fitting curve of fertilizer discharge is y=2.02x+23.02. The fertilizer discharge can be controlled by adjusting the rotating speed. It improves the controlled accuracy and uniformity of fertilizer application and achieves the goal of green and sustainable development of the pineapple industry in the tropics. The research results can provide a reference for designing and optimizing spiral fertilizer dischargers.
Keywords: Agricultural machinery, DEM, fertilizer discharger, uniformity of fertilizer discharge, notched blade
Received: 01 Dec 2024; Accepted: 22 Jan 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Dun, Sheng, Ji, Li, Ma, Li, Sun, Wang, Ma, Yu and WANG. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Guoqiang Dun, Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Equipment Engineering Laboratory, Harbin Cambridge University, Harbin, Jilin Province, China
Xinxin Ji, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
Hailiang Li, South Subtropical Crop Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit Biology, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China
Chunyu Ma, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
Xinming Li, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
Haitian Sun, South Subtropical Crop Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit Biology, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China
Luhan Wang, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
Chao Ma, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
Zhenzhen Yu, School of Mechanical Engineering, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, China, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.