Title: Design and characteristic parameters of vibrating potato digger for small farms

Authors: Toure Pemignan Alain Joel; Wei Sun

Addresses: College of Mechano-Electronic Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China ' College of Mechano-Electronic Engineering, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, China

Abstract: Using a 3D model of the designed potato digger, numerical analyses based on FEM and SPH models, as well as a Box-Behnken experimental design, found that the digging resistance of the digger shovel was significantly reduced at high amplitude and frequency and low velocity. Furthermore, as the acceleration of the digger screen is a good indicator of separation efficiency, kinematic studies showed that for an oscillation period, the direction of the normal acceleration of the screen was downward and its intensity was higher than that of the gravitational acceleration. The field test results showed that the designed potato digger met the requirements of national and industry standards with average productivity of about 0.085 hm²/hr. In addition, the average digging resistance measured was low with a value of about 385 N and the separation of the potatoes from the soil was normal, leaving the potatoes at the back.

Keywords: potato digger; vibrating shovel; separation screen; digging resistance; separation efficiency; vibration parameters; screen acceleration; numerical simulation; response surface method; RSM; finite element method; FEM; smooth particle hydrodynamics; SPH.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSPR.2023.132509

International Journal of Student Project Reporting, 2023 Vol.1 No.3, pp.203 - 231

Received: 02 May 2022
Accepted: 30 Oct 2022
Published online: 25 Jul 2023 *

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