Analysis and Design of Operating Parameters of Floor-Standing Jujube Pickup Device Based on Discrete Element Method

Abstract

In view of the problem whereby the floor-standing jujube pickup device designed by the research group has a large resistance when the comb teeth (CT) enter the soil, the strip brush can easily bend, and the operation effect is poor. In this paper, the structural parameters of the CT and bar brush in the mechanical floor date-picking device are determined by theoretical analysis. EDEM software was used to establish the discrete element simulation model of the floor-standing jujube soil–jujube pickup device. According to the simulation results, it is determined that the angle of the CT entering the soil (ACT) can change freely within 30–33° and meet the operation requirements. Through the single-factor test on the pickup rate of jujube and the soil hilling quantity, it is determined that the value range of the CT working speed (CWS) is 0.2–0.4 m/s, and the value range of the CT entering the soil (DCS) is 5–45 mm. Simulation and field verification tests were carried out on the determined operation parameter range. It was found that when the CWS was 0.2 m/s and the DCS was 5 mm, the pickup rates in the simulation test and the field verification test were 84.17% and 91.23%, respectively, and the relative error was the largest but not more than 8%. The result shows that the operation parameters and range determined by the discrete element method were reliable. This study is expected to provide the working parameter basis for the subsequent design of a floor-standing jujube pickup device.