New technical solutions for modernization of designs of four-row clonal potato planter

The results of modernization of clonal potato planters are presented to improve the mechanism for adjusting the pitch of planting, which determines the distance between tubers in a row and the density of planting of germinated tubers regardless of the operating conditions of planters and soil-climatic zones of potato cultivation. The design of a variable-speed unit for stepless adjustment of the step and planting density is proposed.

Development of a Double Row Tractor Operated Yam Minisett Planter

Drudgery in manual yam minisett planting was identified as a major constraint facing yam cultivation in Ghana. The main objective of the study was to develop a double row yam minisett (DRYM) planter using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). A potato planter was adopted and modified to suit the design of DRYM planter. The main task was to perform 3D modeling of the planter major components using FEA method. Analysis of systems (ANSYS) software was used for FEA. Minisett and soil physical properties were factored into the design processes. Total deformation and equivalent (Von-Mises) stress were 0.442 mm and 7.37 MPa for hopper; 0.01 mm and 9.18 MPa for ridger bottom and that of furrow opener were 1.8-0.6 mm and 6.27 MPa, respectively. Maximum total deformation and equivalent (Von-Mises) stress were below material specification of 50 mm and 250 MPa for structural steel, and 20 mm and, 440 MPa for mild steel, respectively. The study concluded that the entire design was within the material property and permissible stress limits of the materials used. Yam planter development will enhance farmer satisfaction.

Investigation of the Force Vectors Acting on the Potato in the Clamping Finger Type Dosing System of a Potato Planter

The operational accuracy of the dosing system of the potato planting machine influences the planting plant spacing, and indirectly the crop yield. The operating accuracy depends on the design of the dosing system, its kinematics and the forces acting on the planting tubers. This dissertation presents the force vectors acting on the potato in the dosing system of the guided clamping finger type potato planting machine and their spatial motion during the dosing process. Examination of the vectors reveals the improved possibilities of tuber fixation.

Design and Experimental Research on Soil Covering Device with Linkage and Differential Adjustment of Potato Planter

When the potato planter works on sloping field, it will cause problems such as poor film mulching quality due to the difference in volume of soil covering both sides of the discs and the inconvenient adjustment of the soil covering disc. The soil covering device with linkage and differential adjustment was designed to improve the mulching quality. The main research content includes explaining the structure and principle of the soil covering device and analyzing the structural parameters of the adjustment mechanism. The field experiment was completed to verify the performance of soil covering device, which takes the stability coefficient and uniformity coefficient of the volume of covering soil as factors. The result shows the following: (1) The volume of covering soil changes exponentially with the angle of the disc through data fitting, which can standardize the angle of covering disc; and (2) when the angle of disc is 30° and 60°, respectively, the uniformity coefficient of volume of covering soil is lower than 1.4, which has premium soil covering quality. When the angles of the discs on both sides differ greatly, the stability coefficient of volume of covering soil is 0.41, which can meet the requirements of the mulching quality of potato planter. This research provides the technical support for high-quality potato planting.

Some Physico-Mechanical Characteristics of Potato Tubers Used as Seed for Development of Potato Planter

Agriculture mechanization plays very important role for horticulture crops. Role of machineries is increasing day by day. In order to compensate for labour scarcity, reduce labour drudgery and time consumption in manual or traditional sowing of potato tubers, a prototype was designed on the basis of various mechanical properties of potato tubers and the prototype was evaluated in the field. The potato tubers taken were divided into three categories i.e., round, oblong and long-oblong. Different mechanical properties of potato tubers were used for designing different lead units of the potato tubers planter which is used for direct planting of potatoes in prepared seed bed.

Numerical optimization and experimental validation of a five-link mechanism, potato planter

Covering with plastic film in fall and planting through the film in spring is an effective drought-resistance, potato-cultivation method. To achieve proper under-plastic-film, hill-drop potato seeding, the geometry of an existing five-link planter mechanism that is driven synchronously by two cranks rotating in the same direction has been refined through bivariate plots and numerical optimization. For this purpose, novel quantitative measures of the geometry of the crunode portion of the dibber-tip path have been introduced. The prototype planter mechanism described in detail elsewhere has then been configured according to the three optimum kinematic solutions obtained, and field tests have been carried out. All three configurations satisfied the imposed agronomic requirements of potato planting through the plastic film, with one setup performing better than the other two, and then a previously reported solution obtained through manually conducted optimization.

IMPROVEMENT OF THE STRUCTURAL LAYOUT OF POTATO PLANTERS’ COULTER GROUP

Structural layouts of coulters and their groups in potato planters are justified in the article based on the morphological features of the potato plant, its requirements for growing conditions and ensuring the quality of the planting process. The purpose of coulter groups is to form a bed for placing tubers with a loose layer of soil in 5-8 cm and sealing them with loosened soil to a certain depth. To substantiate the type of potato planter coulters that meet the requirements for potato growing conditions to the maximum extent possible, optimize the parameters of coulter groups that automatically ensure the stability of the coulter travel depth when imitating irregularities of the field microrelief. A comparative analysis of the impact on the soil of the most common anchor coulters with a blunt angle of soil entry and a sharp angle with an individual floating suspension is given, and indicators of the quality of their operation are described. It was found that coulters with an individual floating suspension and an acute angle of soil entry meet the requirements for potato growing conditions to the maximum extent possible. In order to ensure travel stabilization of such a coulter at a given depth when imitating field irregularities, a version of the coulter group has been developed that provides automatic correction of the coulter's angle of attack when changing its travel depth. Experimental studies have optimized the parameters of the coulter suspension that ensure automatic imitation of field microrelief irregularities up to 20 cm deep within the initial requirements for potato planting machines. Coulters with an individual floating suspension and a sharp angle of soil entry most fully meet the requirements for potato growing conditions to the maximum extent possible. A coulter group with a suspension aspect ratio of 150:200:400:400 cm and an acute angle of coulter entry into the soil provides automatic maintenance of the set coulter travel depth within the initial requirements (±2 cm) for irregularities in the field microrelief of up to 200 mm. In this case, the bottom and walls of the furrow are not compacted.

Optimization and Testing of Seed Box Parameters of Potato Planters Based on Seed Potato Group Motion Simulation

HighlightsThe structural parameters of the seed box of a cup-belt potato planter were optimized.The arching phenomenon of seed potato in the reseeding box was reduced.The qualified rate of cup-belt potato planters in field operation was improved.Abstract. To solve the problem of missed sowing caused by the arching phenomenon of seed potato in the reseeding box of a cup-belt potato planter, this study used the discrete element method to analyze the seed potato movement in the seed box. The analysis revealed unreasonable structural parameters of the seed box. Therefore, the discrete element method was used to optimize the structural parameters of the seed box. First, the structural parameters of the seed box were analyzed by single-factor analysis, and then quadratic rotation orthogonal combination simulation tests of three factors and five levels were performed. Two evaluation indexes were established to evaluate the flow performance of the seed box: the amount of seed taken minus the amount of seed replenishment (CD), and the coefficient of variation of the average seed-population velocity in the reseeding box (CV). The best factor combination was found through optimization. With a 42° inclination angle of the bottom surface of the seed box (a), 145 mm reserved height of the seed isolation baffle (h), and 100° inclination angle of the seed isolation baffle (ß), the CD was 2.622 grains, and the CV was 22.887%. With these parameters, the mobility of seed potato in the reseeding box was good, and there was no arching in the reseeding box. To verify the accuracy of the optimized results, a cup-belt potato seeding test bench was built to conduct verification tests. The bench test verified the rationality of the model and the optimized parameters. Field tests showed that the arching phenomenon in the reseeding box was solved by optimizing the structural parameters of the seed box. The purpose of improving the sowing performance of the cup-belt potato planter was achieved. Keywords: Agricultural machinery, Discrete element method, Parameter optimization, Potato planter, Seed box.