Modelling of soil-tool interactions using the discrete element method (DEM)
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Date
2016
Authors
Murray, Steven
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Abstract
Soil disturbance and cutting force are two of the most common performance indicators for soil-engaging tools. In this study the interaction of two soil-engaging tools (a disc opener for fertilizer banding and a hoe opener from an air drill) with soil were modeled using Particle Flow Code in Three Dimensions (PFC3D), a discrete element modeling software. When comparing the disc model to the experiment results, the relative error was 11% for the average soil throw, 1.9% for the average draft force, and 51% for the average vertical force. Results from the soil-hoe model showed a relative error of 15% between the simulated soil throw and the measured one. In conclusion, both the soil-disc and soil-hoe models could simulate the selected soil dynamic properties (except for the vertical forces of the disc opener) with a reasonably good accuracy, considering the highly variable nature of the soil.
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Keywords
Hoe opener, Disc opener, Discrete element method, Soil-tool interaction