Design and Experimental Evaluation of a Form Trimming Machine for Horticultural Plants

Mao Li,Chengming Luo,Lina Ma,Muchang Huang,Yang Song,Wangyuan Zong

doi:10.3390/app11052230

Mao Li, Chengming Luo + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052230

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Abstract

Form trimming is an important practice in horticulture. Currently, handheld trimming tools are the most commonly used in China, which presents certain disadvantages including high human labor input, low productivity and inconsistent performance. In this work, a wheeled form trimming machine was designed for shrub plants with the aim of reducing labor input, increasing efficiency and improving trimming performance. The machine was mainly composed of three parts: a supporting frame, a rotary base and a knife system. The design and construction of the key components of the machine were introduced. The knife system was a combination of multiple cutter units with reciprocating motions. The number of units and their connecting angles could be adjusted to realize different trimming shapes. The knife system was carried by the rotary base and could realize 360° rotations to cut the plants into a desired form. Experiments were performed to determine the optimal working parameters (cutting frequency of the cutter unit and rotating speed of the rotary base). The similarity between the plant profile after trimming and the profile of the knife system and the consumed time in each operation were chosen as two evaluation indexes. Results showed that when the cutting frequency was 16.7 Hz and the rotating speed of the rotary base was 13.5 r/min, the trimming operation could be completed by two circles, and the time consumption was 8.89 s. Furthermore, to test the adaptability of the machine, five different shrub plants were chosen and trimmed by the machine, and results showed that the overall similarity was above 93%. Therefore, the form trimming machine developed could meet the requirements of shrub trimming in horticulture with desirable precision and adaptability.

Highlights

The green area per capita is an important index of the living environment and quality of life in a city
The knife system was carried by the rotary based and could perform 360◦ rotations under its driving
Under the highest speed 1000 r/min, the cutter unit could cut off 4.5 mm branches in one run, while branches thicker than 5 mm were too strong for the cutter unit

Summary

Introduction

The green area per capita is an important index of the living environment and quality of life in a city. According to the report “Global Urban Land Composite and Expansion” from the National Remote Sensing Center of China, the green area per capita in cities increased from 23.14 m2 in 2000 to 40.47 m2 in 2020 on a global scale [2]. The superfluous or dead/diseased branches, twigs, leaves, and buds of horticultural plants need to be cut off on a regular basis. This practice is important for keeping the beauty of the landscape, promoting a healthy growth and adjusting the blossoms of plants [3,4,5]

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