Innovated design,‎‏‎ simulation and ‎evaluation of potato ‎harvester ‎excavation and separation conveyors

Authors

  • Ibrahim Issa Mohamed Issa 1. Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China 3‎. Research Center on Mechanization Engineering of Chinese Medicinal Materials in Yunnan Universities, Kunming 650500, China
  • Zhaoguo Zhang 1. Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China 2‎. Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China 3‎. Research Center on Mechanization Engineering of Chinese Medicinal Materials in Yunnan Universities, Kunming 650500, China
  • Wael El-Kolally 4. Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (AEnRI), Agricultural Research Center (ARC), 256 Dokki, ‎Giza, Egypt 5. Solar Energy Research Institute, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
  • Fa’an Wang 2‎. Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China 3‎. Research Center on Mechanization Engineering of Chinese Medicinal Materials in Yunnan Universities, Kunming 650500, China
  • Yuan Wang 2‎. Faculty of Modern Agricultural Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China 3‎. Research Center on Mechanization Engineering of Chinese Medicinal Materials in Yunnan Universities, Kunming 650500, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25165/ijabe.v18i2.9164

Keywords:

potato harvester, multi-stage separation conveyors, agricultural machinery, excavating mechanism

Abstract

To address problems encountered in current potato harvesting machines in hilly and ‎mountainous ‎areas, such as potato damage, poor adaptability, low operational efficiency, and ‎the inability of ‎‎traditional harvesters to meet the requirements in these ‎areas, a new potato ‎harvester equipped with excavation and ‎a multi-stage separation conveyor‎ was developed by using design and ‎simulation programs as an innovative way to identify the best operating factors. SolidWorks ‎Software was used to design an excavation and ‎a multi-stage separation conveyor. ANSYS ‎Workbench ‎‎machine ‎static structure analyzed stress, strain, and deformation. The working process of soil ‎and tuber ‎separation ‎was tested and kinematically analyzed by EDEM-RecurDyn and a 5F01M camera. A field ‎‎experiment was ‎also conducted on the machine under several factors: working speed (W)‎, ‎‎excavation depth (D), ‎vibration intensity level (V), and conveyor inclination angle (N)‎‏.‏‎ ‎The ‎quadratic regression orthogonal rotating combination experiment tested four factors with five ‎levels.‎‏ ‏The results of the ‎non-load ‎experiment showed that the lowest ratio of impurities ‎was at the linear speed level (Q3, ‎S5, ‎O3) for the first and second separation conveyor and the ‎side conveyor, respectively. The results ‎‎of the field experiment showed that the optimal parameters were the working speed of 1.05 m/s, ‎‎the digging depth of 180 mm, and the vibration force Ⅱ ‎inclination angle on the screen surface of ‎‎22 ‎degrees, which gave the highest potato lifting rate of 98.8%, and the bruising ‎rate was 1.37%. The ‎damage rate was 1.43%, superior to national industry ‎standards.‎ With its exceptional ‎performance, the machine can effectively meet and solve the challenges of harvesting requirements, making it a ‎valuable tool for the industry.‎ Key words: potato harvester; multi-stage separation conveyors; agricultural machinery; excavating mechanism DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20251802.9164 Citation: Issa I I M, Zhang Z G, ElKolaly W, Wang F A, Wang Y. Innovated design, simulation and evaluation of potato harvester excavation and separation conveyors. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2025; 18(2): 132–145.

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Published

2025-04-25

How to Cite

Issa, I. I. M., Zhang, Z., El-Kolally, W., Wang, F., & Wang, Y. (2025). Innovated design,‎‏‎ simulation and ‎evaluation of potato ‎harvester ‎excavation and separation conveyors. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 18(2), 132–145. https://doi.org/10.25165/ijabe.v18i2.9164

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 2 (2025): IJABE

Section

Power and Machinery Systems

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