Search Results (5)

To address longstanding challenges in sea buckthorn harvesting—such as the absence of effective harvesting principles, inefficient traditional manual and semi-mechanised methods, and rising labour costs—this study developed a self-propelled harvester equipped with a reciprocating cutter. The harvester featured an optimised double-support reciprocating cutter driven by a swing ring mechanism, with its kinematic parameters and cutting speed determined through analytical analysis. A coordinated transport system, consisting of an arc-shaped branch dial wheel, a conveying device, and a hydraulic system, was also designed. Field experiments were conducted employing a three-factor, three-level Box–Behnken design of Response Surface Methodology (RSM), which enabled the establishment of a predictive mathematical model for harvesting performance. Numerical optimisation via the model yielded the optimal operational parameters: harvesting forward speed of 0.6 m·s⁻¹, a cutting speed of 1.2 m·s⁻¹, and a conveyor belt linear speed of 0.8 m·s⁻¹. With this parameter combination, the missed cutting rate was 6.72%, fruit breakage rate 4.06%, and conveyor failure rate 7.79%, all meeting mechanised harvesting standards. This research provides the essential theoretical foundation and technical solutions for harvesting equipment in the sea buckthorn industry, accelerating its mechanisation process. Full article

To address the issues of low efficiency, high cost of manual harvesting, and the lack of mechanized harvesting technology and equipment for high-stem Chrysanthemum coronarium, a self-propelled orderly harvester was designed to perform key harvesting operations such as row alignment, clamping and cutting, orderly conveying, and collection. Based on the analysis of agronomic requirements for cultivation and mechanized harvesting needs, the overall structure and working principle of the machine were described. Meanwhile, the key components such as the reciprocating cutting mechanism and orderly conveying mechanism were structurally designed and theoretically analyzed. The main structural and operating parameters of the harvester were determined based on the geometric and kinematic conditions of high-stem Chrysanthemum coronarium during its movement along the conveying path, as well as the mechanical model of the conveying process. In addition, a three-factor, three-level Box-Behnken field experiment was also conducted with the experimental factors including the machine’s forward, cutting, and conveying speed, and evaluation indicators like harvesting loss rate and orderliness. A second-order polynomial regression model was established to analyze the relationship between the evaluation indicators and the factors using the Design-Expert 13 software, which revealed the influence patterns of the machine’s forward speed, reciprocating cutter cutting speed, conveying device speed, and their interaction influence on the evaluation indicators. Moreover, the optimal parameter combination, obtained by solving the optimization model for harvesting loss rate and orderliness, was forward speed of 260 mm/s, cutting speed of 250 mm/s, and conveying speed of 300 mm/s. Field test results showed that the average harvesting loss rate of the prototype was 4.45% and the orderliness was 92.57%, with a relative error of less than 5% compared to the predicted values. The key components of the harvester operated stably, and the machine was capable of performing cutting, orderly conveying, and collection in a single pass. All performance indicators met the mechanized orderly harvesting requirements of high-stem Chrysanthemum coronarium. Full article

Based on the single-crank linkage mechanism and the double-pendulum rod mechanism, herein, a reciprocating swing single-blade cutting device is appropriately designed for the needs of GLVs’ planting and cutting operations. It can effectively solve the existing double-blade cutting device’s in-soil operation issue, where clods of soil and stones adhere to the upper and lower cutting blades, resulting in problems such as excessive wear and blade fracture. Using ADAMS, a virtual model of the cutting device is established, and a kinematic analysis of the cutting process is performed to accurately determine the cutting trajectory curve and the mathematical model of the cutting rate. The single-factor test and quadratic regression orthogonal combination test are designed to investigate the influence of the test factors, including crank length, crank rotation speed, and forward speed on the repeated-cutting rate and the miss-cutting rate. Comprehensively considering the stability and reliability of cutting, power consumption, device design, and processing difficulty, the optimal operating parameters of the cutting device are obtained as crank length 19 mm, crank rotation speed 650 r/min, and forward speed 0.5 km/h. On this basis, the fitted regression equations of the repeated-cutting rate and the miss-cutting rate are established, the miss-cutting rate and the repeated-cutting rate under the optimal parameters are 1.519% and 28.503%, and the corresponding errors with the simulation values are obtained as 11.36% and −0.45%, respectively, which verified the validity of the fitted regression equations. In the present investigation, the motion behavior of the single-blade cutting device is methodically examined for the first time, and the cutting motion rules of the cutter are illustrated. The research results aim to provide a fairly solid theoretical basis and practical reference for the optimization design of the in-soil cutting device of GLVs’ orderly harvester. Full article

The high damage rate of mechanical cutting and low harvesting efficiency of stem mustard is a major constraint to the sustainable development of its industry. In this study, a reciprocating cutter device tailored for stem mustard was designed for stem mustard under special growing conditions in southwest China. A reciprocating cutter model was developed based on ANSYS/LS-DYNA. Parameters considered include cutting height (X₁), angle of incision (X₂), forward speed (X₃) and single run displacement (X₄). Cutting force (F) and cutting power (P) were identified as evaluation metrics. A multifactor quadratic regression model was developed for the orthogonal combinatorial testing procedure using the Box–Behnken design methodology. Cutting force and cutting power obtained by applied derivation of regression equations were 41.4 N and 36.756 W, respectively. Response surface methodology and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine the optimum operating parameters of the cutting tools used for machining, which were determined to be X₁ = 1.45 mm, X₂ = 12°, X₃ = 0.5 m/s and X₄ = 93 mm. The maximum cutting success rate of 94% and the minimum damage rate of 6% on stemmed mustard under the optimum combination of cutting parameters were verified through several field trials. The results of this study provide valuable technical insights into the optimal design of harvesting equipment for stem and leaf mustard to improve the success rate and reduce the damage rate. Full article

In this paper, a garlic combine harvester machine was designed and some influential parameters of the machine were optimized. The working parts of the machine mainly consisted of a reel, a reciprocating cutter, a seedling conveyor, a profiling depth-stop device, a digging shovel and a lifting chain. Each part had unique structural parameters and motion parameters, as different parameters would deeply affect the performance of the machine. A logistical regression algorithm was utilized to analyze the working speed of the reel, the digging depth of the reciprocating cutter and the lifting speed of the lifting chain. This paper also discussed the influence of these three functions on the damage rate based on the collected data when harvesting garlic. Specifically, each function was tested 60 times for collecting data. The experimental results showed that the order of influence of the three functions on the damage rate was the digging depth, working speed and lifting speed. Moreover, the lowest damage rate was 0.18% when the digging depth was 100 mm, the working speed was 1.05 km·h⁻¹ and the lifting speed was 0.69 m·s⁻¹. A validation test was taken out based on the three functions of the analysis results, and the damage rate was 0.83%, which was close to the analysis results, and proved that the analysis results were accurate and meaningful. The research results are beneficial to the development and application of the garlic combine harvester. Full article