Influence Mechanism and Optimal Design of Flexible Spring-Tooth Reel Mechanism for Soybean Pod-Shattering Reduction
As a vital oil and cereal crop in China, soybean requires efficient and low-loss harvesting to ensure food security and sustainable agricultural development. However, pod-shattering losses during soybean harvesting in Xinjiang remain severe due to low pod moisture content and poor mechanical strengt...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Agriculture |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/13/1378 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849319636978368512 |
|---|---|
| author | Yuxuan Chen Shiguo Wang Bin Li Yang Liu Zhong Tang Xiaoying He Jianpeng Jing Weiwei Zhou |
| author_facet | Yuxuan Chen Shiguo Wang Bin Li Yang Liu Zhong Tang Xiaoying He Jianpeng Jing Weiwei Zhou |
| author_sort | Yuxuan Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As a vital oil and cereal crop in China, soybean requires efficient and low-loss harvesting to ensure food security and sustainable agricultural development. However, pod-shattering losses during soybean harvesting in Xinjiang remain severe due to low pod moisture content and poor mechanical strength, while existing studies lack a systematic analysis of the interaction mechanism between reeling devices and pods. The current research on soybean harvester headers predominantly focuses on conventional rigid designs, with limited exploration of flexible reel mechanisms and their biomechanical interactions with soybean pods. To address this, this study proposes an optimization method for low-loss harvesting technology based on mechanical-crop interaction mechanisms, integrating dynamic simulation, contact mechanics theory, and field experiments. Texture analyzer tests revealed pod-shattering force characteristics under different compression directions, showing that vertical compression exhibited the highest shattering risk with an average force of 14.3271 N. A collision model between the spring tooth and pods was established based on Hertz contact theory, demonstrating that reducing the elastic modulus of the spring tooth and increasing the contact area significantly minimized mechanical damage. Simulation verified that the PVC-nylon spring tooth reduced the maximum equivalent stress on pods by 90.3%. Furthermore, the trajectory analysis of spring-tooth tips indicated that effective pod-reeling requires a reel speed ratio (Δ) exceeding 1.0. Field tests with a square flexible spring tooth showed that the optimized reel reduced header loss to 1.371%, a significant improvement over conventional rigid teeth. This study provides theoretical and technical foundations for developing low-loss soybean harvesting equipment. Future work should explore multi-parameter collaborative optimization to enhance adaptability in complex field conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d4d69c05a4f64d23a1af40ede26946ba |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj-art-d4d69c05a4f64d23a1af40ede26946ba2025-08-20T03:50:21ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722025-06-011513137810.3390/agriculture15131378Influence Mechanism and Optimal Design of Flexible Spring-Tooth Reel Mechanism for Soybean Pod-Shattering ReductionYuxuan Chen0Shiguo Wang1Bin Li2Yang Liu3Zhong Tang4Xiaoying He5Jianpeng Jing6Weiwei Zhou7College of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, ChinaXinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, Shihezi 832000, ChinaXinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, Shihezi 832000, ChinaXinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, Shihezi 832000, ChinaCollege of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, ChinaCollege of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, ChinaCollege of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, ChinaCollege of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, ChinaAs a vital oil and cereal crop in China, soybean requires efficient and low-loss harvesting to ensure food security and sustainable agricultural development. However, pod-shattering losses during soybean harvesting in Xinjiang remain severe due to low pod moisture content and poor mechanical strength, while existing studies lack a systematic analysis of the interaction mechanism between reeling devices and pods. The current research on soybean harvester headers predominantly focuses on conventional rigid designs, with limited exploration of flexible reel mechanisms and their biomechanical interactions with soybean pods. To address this, this study proposes an optimization method for low-loss harvesting technology based on mechanical-crop interaction mechanisms, integrating dynamic simulation, contact mechanics theory, and field experiments. Texture analyzer tests revealed pod-shattering force characteristics under different compression directions, showing that vertical compression exhibited the highest shattering risk with an average force of 14.3271 N. A collision model between the spring tooth and pods was established based on Hertz contact theory, demonstrating that reducing the elastic modulus of the spring tooth and increasing the contact area significantly minimized mechanical damage. Simulation verified that the PVC-nylon spring tooth reduced the maximum equivalent stress on pods by 90.3%. Furthermore, the trajectory analysis of spring-tooth tips indicated that effective pod-reeling requires a reel speed ratio (Δ) exceeding 1.0. Field tests with a square flexible spring tooth showed that the optimized reel reduced header loss to 1.371%, a significant improvement over conventional rigid teeth. This study provides theoretical and technical foundations for developing low-loss soybean harvesting equipment. Future work should explore multi-parameter collaborative optimization to enhance adaptability in complex field conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/13/1378soybean harvestingpod-shattering lossreel optimizationspring toothHertz contact theory |
| spellingShingle | Yuxuan Chen Shiguo Wang Bin Li Yang Liu Zhong Tang Xiaoying He Jianpeng Jing Weiwei Zhou Influence Mechanism and Optimal Design of Flexible Spring-Tooth Reel Mechanism for Soybean Pod-Shattering Reduction Agriculture soybean harvesting pod-shattering loss reel optimization spring tooth Hertz contact theory |
| title | Influence Mechanism and Optimal Design of Flexible Spring-Tooth Reel Mechanism for Soybean Pod-Shattering Reduction |
| title_full | Influence Mechanism and Optimal Design of Flexible Spring-Tooth Reel Mechanism for Soybean Pod-Shattering Reduction |
| title_fullStr | Influence Mechanism and Optimal Design of Flexible Spring-Tooth Reel Mechanism for Soybean Pod-Shattering Reduction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influence Mechanism and Optimal Design of Flexible Spring-Tooth Reel Mechanism for Soybean Pod-Shattering Reduction |
| title_short | Influence Mechanism and Optimal Design of Flexible Spring-Tooth Reel Mechanism for Soybean Pod-Shattering Reduction |
| title_sort | influence mechanism and optimal design of flexible spring tooth reel mechanism for soybean pod shattering reduction |
| topic | soybean harvesting pod-shattering loss reel optimization spring tooth Hertz contact theory |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/13/1378 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yuxuanchen influencemechanismandoptimaldesignofflexiblespringtoothreelmechanismforsoybeanpodshatteringreduction AT shiguowang influencemechanismandoptimaldesignofflexiblespringtoothreelmechanismforsoybeanpodshatteringreduction AT binli influencemechanismandoptimaldesignofflexiblespringtoothreelmechanismforsoybeanpodshatteringreduction AT yangliu influencemechanismandoptimaldesignofflexiblespringtoothreelmechanismforsoybeanpodshatteringreduction AT zhongtang influencemechanismandoptimaldesignofflexiblespringtoothreelmechanismforsoybeanpodshatteringreduction AT xiaoyinghe influencemechanismandoptimaldesignofflexiblespringtoothreelmechanismforsoybeanpodshatteringreduction AT jianpengjing influencemechanismandoptimaldesignofflexiblespringtoothreelmechanismforsoybeanpodshatteringreduction AT weiweizhou influencemechanismandoptimaldesignofflexiblespringtoothreelmechanismforsoybeanpodshatteringreduction |