Research on vibration response characteristics and separation deformation law of fruit-branch system

Abstract

Forest fruit harvesting is carried out through two ways: manual harvesting and machine harvesting. Mechanical vibration will become the future development trend because of the high harvesting efficiency and short picking cycle of this method. However, appropriate vibration frequency, vibration amplitude, and action time are required to improve the fruit harvesting rate. At the same time, it is ensured that the vibration type forest fruit harvesting machine is in the harvesting process to minimize the damage to the fruit trees. The vibration frequency and amplitude of the existing vibration harvesting machine are relatively single, and the result of energy transfer loss is extensive fruit tree damage. Therefore, this study proposes a branch-stalk-fruit of apple as a base system. The article investigates the vibration mechanism and separation deformation law of apple tree branches through dynamic tests and simulations. Through experiments, it was found that when the vibration frequency is 3 Hz and the vibration amplitude is 20 mm, the maximum separation force experienced by the apple is 18.71N, greater than the binding force between the stem and the branch, and can achieve fruit shedding. This study provides some theoretical insights into the efficient mechanical vibration harvesting of apples.