Exploring Resistance Reduction of Subsoiling Through Sandfish (Scincus scincus) Inspired Sinusoidal Locomotion

Abstract

Highlights Biomimetic design, inspired by sandfish locomotion, decreased subsoiling resistance. Penetration tests and simulations showed bioinspired tines outperforming traditional ones in resistance reduction. DEM-MBD co-simulation effectively modeled the sandfish's movement, revealing the mechanisms of soil interactions. Simulations confirmed that sinusoidal subsoiler movement significantly reduced soil resistance. Abstract. This study addresses the issue of high resistance and low efficiency in subsoiling operations by employing a novel method inspired by the unique locomotion of the sandfish (scincus scincus), aimed at reducing forward resistance. The unparalleled adaptability of the sandfish in navigating granular media, such as desert sand, offers valuable insights for enhancing agricultural machinery. This research employs sandfish’s movement principles to propose innovative strategies for improving subsoiling efficiency. A sandfish inspired prototype, created through reverse engineering, served as the basis for the analysis. The models of both traditional (T-S) and bioinspired (B-S) subsoiler tines for comparative assessment were developed. The EDEM simulation model’s performance was calibrated using soil penetration tests and integrated with multibody dynamics (MBD) to analyze the sandfish’s variable locomotion in sandy soil. The impact of linear and sinusoidal locomotion at velocities of 0.8 m/s, 1.0 m/s, and 1.2 m/s on resistance and soil disturbance were investigated and contrasted. The congruence between measured and simulated resistance-depth curves for T-S and B-S models was desirable, with maximum resistance errors of 2.54% and 2.47%, respectively, confirming the simulation model’s accuracy in predicting mechanical interactions. A comparison of characteristic angles validated the close correlation between simulated and actual sandfish locomotion in soil. Stress analysis during soil locomotion of the sandfish head indicated a 25.1% reduction in resistance with sinusoidal motion compared to linear motion. At the specified velocities, sinusoidal locomotion of the subsoiler tine showed resistance reductions of 6.75%, 7.39%, and 9.40%, respectively, relative to linear locomotion. The mechanism of resistance reduction in sinusoidal locomotion was further verified through soil compression force analysis, supporting the adoption of sandfish-inspired sinusoidal behavior as an innovative approach to enhance efficiency in agricultural practices. Keywords: Bioinspired design, DEM-MBD simulation, Sandfish (Scincus scincus), Sinusoidal locomotion, Subsoiling.