Abstract
Simulation analysis and parameter optimization are performed for the loading and mixing devices of a self-propelled total mixed ration mixer. To reveal the three-dimensional movement of silage material under the action of the loading cutter roller, the latter is modeled using SolidWorks software. ANSYS/LS-DYNA software is used to simulate the process of silage cutting, which is modeled using smoothed particle hydrodynamics coupled with the finite element method. The cutting force and power consumption are simulated, and the behavior of the equivalent strain of the silage is determined. The results showed that silage was broken up mainly by extrusion and shear force due to the loading cutter roller. The power consumption according to the simulation is consistent with the value from an empirical formula, confirming the validity of the proposed modeling method. To study the mixing performance and obtain the optimum parameters of the mixing device, the Hertz–Mindlin model is used for the interaction between material particles and mixing device. A three-factor, five-level method is used to optimize the mixing performance. Material-mixing time, loading rate, and auger speed are chosen as experimental factors and mixed uniformity as an evaluation index. It is found that auger speed and material mixing time have significant effects on mixing uniformity. These results provide reference values allowing the analysis of the crushing of silage and selection of the optimum parameters for mixing performance.
Highlights
A total mixed ration (TMR) is a nutrient-balanced diet based on the physiological needs of ruminants at different growth stages. e formula for a TMR is designed by animal nutrition experts and includes roughage chopped to an appropriate length, concentrates, and various additives that are fully mixed in certain proportions [1,2,3]
The finite element method (FEM) is used to model and calculate the small-deformation zone in the cutting area of silage material and Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is used to model and calculate the large-deformation zone where the mesh is prone to distortion. is combination improves calculational efficiency while ensuring the accuracy of the simulation results, maximizing the advantages of both algorithms [20, 22]. e interaction between the granular silage materials and the rigid components of the cutting machinery is modeled using the discrete element method (DEM), which is a numerical simulation method for discontinuous medium problems [23,24,25,26,27,28,29], based on the dynamic relaxation method combined with Newton’s second law for various constitutive relations
According to the material properties in a local silage pit and data from the literature [39], the silage density is taken as 420 kg m−3, the friction angle as 34°, the shear modulus as 21 MPa, and the cohesion as 6.2 × 10−3 MPa, while the other parameters of the silage material are set according to the default values of ∗MAT_173 in ANSYS/LS-DYNA 971. e whole simulation model consists of three parts: the loading cutter roller, the inner silage (SPH), and the outer silage
Summary
A total mixed ration (TMR) is a nutrient-balanced diet based on the physiological needs of ruminants (cattle, sheep, deer, etc.) at different growth stages. e formula for a TMR is designed by animal nutrition experts and includes roughage chopped to an appropriate length, concentrates, and various additives that are fully mixed in certain proportions [1,2,3]. A coupled SPH-FEM algorithm is proposed that provides a new and effective method for studying the interaction between silage material and a loading cutter roller. In this approach, the FEM is used to model and calculate the small-deformation zone in the cutting area of silage material and SPH is used to model and calculate the large-deformation zone where the mesh is prone to distortion. E work in this paper is based mainly on the finite element software ANSYS/LS-DYNA, using an SPH-FEM coupling algorithm to simulate the cutting of silage material by the loading cutter roller. E DEM software (EDEM) is used to simulate the material mixing process of the mixing device, explore the motion of material particle groups in the bin, and analyze the influence of material mixing time, loading rate, and auger speed on the material mixing performance. e results are expected to provide some guidance regarding the optimal combinations of the material-mixing parameters
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