Application of anti-adhesion structure based on earthworm motion characteristics

Abstract

In the field of agricultural machinery, soil adhesion is a global technical problem that continues to be solved. Reducing soil adhesion is one key issue to improve the operational quality of agricultural machinery. The traditional methods are defective, while the bionics approach can be a reference. Here we extracted and analyzed the surface features of earthworms from the motion perspective, and revealed the laws about how the curvature radii of earthworms changed at three states (stretch, motionlessness, contraction). Based on the characteristics of earthworm motion, we designed the anti-adhesion structure of a press roller. Then the performance of the anti-adhesion structure was experimentally studied, the soil mass adhered was measured. The results showed that the optimal combination of the factors were rubber bulge height = 16 mm (h2) and load = 450 N (F1). To find out why, we compared the surface features at the head and body of earthworm with that of the rubber bulge of the press roller. We found the press roller with the rubber bulge (h2) has the smallest soil mass adhered. Meanwhile, theoretical analysis was carried out to reveal the anti-adhesion mechanism of the rubber bulge structure. Field experiment showed the press roller with rubber bulge structure had a soil mass adhered 37.62% lower than the press roller without such structure. The bionics approach had been such a candidate for reducing the soil adhesion of agricultural machinery.