Disc Type Furrow Openers Research Articles

Effects of the disc and tilt angle of a single disc-type furrow opener of a no-till seeder onresidue distribution and the furrow profile

Effects of the disc and tilt angle of a single disc-type furrow opener of a no-till seeder onresidue distribution and the furrow profile

Optimization and Design of Disc-Type Furrow Opener of No-Till Seeder for Green Manure Crops in South Xinjiang Orchards

For the issues of the poor stability of the furrow opener depth, large soil backfill depth, and inconsistent furrow shape on a no-till seeder for planting green manure between rows of orchards in South Xinjiang, a double-disc, corrugated furrow opener is designed. This paper analyzes the law of soil movement between corrugated double-disc and traditional double-disc furrow openers using the discrete element method (DEM) and concludes that the corrugation width and number of corrugations on the corrugated double-disc furrow opener are the primary factors affecting furrowing operation. When the number of corrugations is sixteen, the forward speed is six kilometers per hour, and when the corrugation width is seventeen and a half millimeters, the simulation operation parameters are optimal. The soil-bin validation experiment results are as follows: Under the condition of an 80 mm furrow depth, the stability of the average furrow depth is enhanced by 3.54%, the working resistance and the average disrupted soil area are increased by 26.16 N and 220 mm2, respectively, and the backfill depth is decreased by 10.98 mm. The operation effect of a double-disc furrow opener with corrugated discs is enhanced by the high stability of the furrow depth, low working resistance, and small backfill depth. This study provides a theoretical foundation for the design and optimization of the furrow opener components of a no-till seeder for planting green manure between rows of orchards.

Discrete element method simulation of disc type furrow openers in paddy soil

For granular materials, discrete element modeling is one of the best computer tools to simulate their behavior and interactions. A field experiment was carried out to evaluate the performance of disc furrow openers in paddy soil. Discrete element simulation was done to develop a 3D DEM model for notched, toothed and double disc furrow openers using EDEM software. Hertz Mindlin contact model with bonding was applied for simulation to fulfill the obligations of the soil moisture and bonding between the cohesive particles. Simulated and field experimental data were compared to determine the applicability in the different working conditions. The results of the simulation validated the applicability of the Hertz-Mindlin contact model with bonding to simulate the no till paddy soil using an extremely narrow tillage tool. The calibrated value of normal and shear stiffness was 5×107 N/m, and the calibrated value of bond normal and shear strength was 3×107 Pa. The relative error (–1.7% to 20.6%) for the double disc furrow opener was lower as compared with that notch typed (29.2% to 44.4%) and toothed type (31.5% to 45.9%) furrow openers. Keywords: soil tillage, discrete element method, discrete element modeling, furrow opener, paddy soil DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20201304.4800 Citation: Ahmad F, Qiu B J, Ding Q S, Ding W M, Khan Z M, Shoaib M, et al. Discrete element method simulation of disc type furrow openers in paddy soil. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2020; 13(4): 103–110.

Discrete element method simulation of disc type furrow openers in paddy soil

Discrete element method simulation of disc type furrow openers in paddy soil

Comparative Performance of Various Disc-Type Furrow Openers in No-Till Paddy Field Conditions

Different furrow openers are required to be evaluated for their suitability to manage rice straw for direct planting of wheat in paddy fields. This study was carried out to assess the straw-cutting ability and draft requirements of four different disc-type furrow openers (notched, toothed, smooth-edge single disc, and double disc) in no-till paddy fields. The openers were attached to an in-field traction rig equipped with S-type load cells, and tested using three operating depths of 30, 60, and 90 mm, and three traveling speeds of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 m s−1. Vertical and horizontal forces acting on the openers were observed using LabVIEW software based data acquisition system. The results of this study indicated that the furrow opener type, operating depth, and speed significantly influenced the horizontal and vertical forces, as well as straw-cutting ability of the furrow openers. The highest draft and vertical force were noted for double disc-type furrow openers. The mean straw-cutting efficiency of notched, toothed, and smooth-edge single disc and double disc furrow openers were 12.4, 46.2, 11.4, and 78.5%, respectively. The double disc furrow opener (DD) produced the lowest level of hair-pinned straw and had the highest straw-cutting efficiency with a value of 88.6% at 90 mm operating depth, and therefore had the best performance in comparison with other furrow openers.

A New Approach for Determination of Seed Distribution Area in Vertical Plane

The objective of this study was to develop a new method to evaluate the seed distribution area in vertical plane and compare it with the other methods. For this purpose, the different calculation methods of seed distribution area namely, standard deviational ellipse, voronoi polygons with delaunay triangulation, integral method, and developed one, the concave hull algorithm was considered and compared in this study. Three different types of no-till seeders equipped with hoe (NS1), single disc (NS2) and winged hoe (NS3) type openers were used and operated at three different tractor forward speeds (0.75 m s-1, 1.25 m s-1 and 2.25 m s-1). According to the results obtained from the study, it was found that the newly developed seed distribution evaluation procedure, concave hull, provided the smaller area values of the distributed seeds as compared to others. The influences of seeders were tested and it was found that the no-till seeder which has disc type furrow opener spread the seeds into larger areas. However, maximum variations of sowing depth values were observed at the no-till seeder with single disc furrow opener. Increasing tractor forward speeds resulted in an increased variation of sowing depth

Peformances of various furrow openers, covering components, and forward speeds of no-till seeders for sowing of winter wheat

ABSTRACT In the no-till method, seeds are placed in rows opened by furrow openers that can work under stubble field conditions, and are covered with soil and plant residue using covering components. Furrow openers and their properties are extremely effective in sowing seeds at certain depths and intra-row distances for various emergence and growth conditions. The performance of furrow openers depends on the sowing depth uniformity, the inter-row and intra-row seed distribution uniformity and the percentage of seed emergence. The purpose of this study is to determine effects of no-till seeders with different furrow opener types, covering components and forward speeds on certain important physical properties of the soil, stubble and seed distribution, and seed emergence of winter wheat. Three different types of no-till seeders; disc (NS-1), narrow hoe (NS-2), and chisel type furrow openers (NS-3), two different types of covering components; chain and spring type, and two forward speeds; FS-1 (2.7 km h -1 ) and FS-2 (5.4 km h -1 ) were used to achieve the purpose of this study. The no-till seeder with a disc type furrow opener achieved better stubble distribution on the soil surface, seed distribution, and percentage of seed emergence in comparison to no-till seeders with narrow hoe and chisel type openers. The best coverage rate of stubble on the soil surface, seed distribution, and percentage of seed emergence were obtained at a forward speed of 2.7 km h -1 . While the spring type covering component increased the inter-row and intra-row seed distribution uniformity and percentage of seed emergence in comparison to the chain type covering component, it decreased the mean emergence time.

Seeding performances of no-till seeders equipped with different furrow openers, covering components and forward speeds for winter wheat

Doğrudan ekim yönteminde, tohumlar anızlı tarla koşullarında çalışabilen gömücü ayakların açtığı çizilere yerleştirilir ve kapatıcılar tarafından üzerleri toprak ve bitki artıkları ile kapatılır. Tarla filiz çıkışları ve bitki büyüme koşulları incelendiğinde, gömücü ayak tipi ve özelliklerinin tohumları belirli ekim derinliğine ve sıra üzeri mesafeye yerleştirmede önemli derecede etkili olduğu anlaşılmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, farklı tip gömücü ayaklara ve kapatıcı düzenlere sahip doğrudan ekim makinalarının kışlık buğdayda, farklı traktör ilerleme hızlarında kullanılmasının önemli bazı toprak fiziksel özelliklerine, anız dağılımı ve tarla filiz çıkışlarına olan etkilerini belirlemektir. Bu amaçla, diskli (NS-1) ve dar çapa (NS-2) tip gömücü ayaklara sahip iki farklı doğrudan ekim makinası; zincirli (CC) ve yaylı (SC) tipten oluşan iki farklı kapatıcı ile 0.75 m s-1 (FS-1) ve 1.5 m s-1 (FS-2)’ten oluşan iki farklı traktör ilerleme hızında kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre; diskli tip gömücü ayaklara sahip doğrudan ekim makinası ile ekim yapılan parsellerde, dar çapa tip ayaklara göre daha iyi anız dağılımı ve daha yüksek tarla filiz çıkışları elde edilmiştir. Tarla yüzeyinde en iyi anız kaplama oranı ile en iyi tarla filizi çıkışları 0.75 m s-1 traktör ilerleme hızında elde edilmiştir. Yaylı tip kapatıcı, zincirli tipe göre daha iyi tarla filiz çıkış oranı ile daha kısa çıkış zamanının elde edilmesine yol açmıştır.

Sesame Hill Dropping Performance of a Vacuum Seeder for Different Tillage Practices

The purpose of this research was to examine the performance of a modified vacuum seeder for hill drop sowing of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) following wheat (Triticum aestivum) for no-till and reduced tillage farming. Tests were conducted during the growing seasons of 2008 and 2009 in the Bati Akdeniz Agricultural Research Institute's fields in Antalya, Turkey. A fluted coulter and double disc-type furrow opener were mounted on each unit of a common vacuum seeder. A seed plate modified to achieve hill-dropping of seeds was used in the metering mechanism of the seeder. Mean plant number per hill, coefficient of variation of plant number per hill, mean hill distance, coefficient of variation of hill distance, scattering distance ratio along the length of the row, sowing depth uniformity, and percent emergence of seeds and of hills were determined. Uniformity of hill spacing obtained from no-till plots was lower than from reduced and conventional tillage plots. Treatment effects were compared for three sesame seed varieties. No-till decreased the percent emergence of both seeds and hills for all varieties.

Performance of a modified precision vacuum seeder for no-till sowing of maize and soybean

The purpose of this research was to examine the performance of a modified precision vacuum seeder for no-till sowing of maize ( Zea mays L.) and soybean ( Glycine max L.) following wheat ( Triticum aestivum). A wavy-edged disc and side gauge wheels were fabricated and mounted to each unit of a common precision vacuum seeder (with a hoe opener on one row unit and a double disc-type opener on another row unit) and used to sow at three forward speeds (1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 m s −1). Multiple index, miss index, quality of feed index and precision of the distribution of the seeds along the length of the row, sowing depth uniformity, mean emergence time and percent emergence were determined. Sowing depth uniformity, mean emergence time and percent emergence of both maize and soybean seeds were decreased and precision of the distribution of the seeds along the length of the row was increased as a result of increasing forward speed. The distribution of the seeds along the length of the row, sowing depth uniformity and percent emergence of the seeder equipped with the double disc-type opener was better than the seeder equipped with the hoe-type opener. The precision of the distribution of the seeds along the length of the row for forward speeds of 1.0 and 1.5 m s −1 experienced in this study was well below 29%, and therefore is acceptable for both maize and soybean seeds. The modified precision vacuum seeder generally performed best using the double disc-type furrow opener at the forward speed of 1.0 m s −1, based on the distribution of the seeds along the length of the row, sowing depth uniformity, and percent emergence.

Performance of a No-Till Seeder Under Dry and Wet Soil Conditions

No-till sowing of second crops into dry soil (i.e. before irrigation) results in significant savings in time compared to no-till sowing into wet soil. Sowing into dry soil can also result in the earlier harvest of second crops. Seed placement accuracy is critical with no-till sowing into dry soil and there is little research on the seed placement accuracy of no-till seeders under dry soil conditions. The performance of a no-till seeder, equipped with a double disc-type furrow opener, was investigated under dry and wet soil conditions using maize (Zea mays L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), and soybean (Glycine max L.) seeds sown following wheat (Triticum aestivum). The experiments were carried out on soils covered with two different crop residue levels.