Simulation and Experiment of Sieving Process of Sieving Device for Tiger Nut Harvester

Abstract

In order to realize mechanized and efficient harvesting of tiger nuts, study the efficient screening technology of beans and soil in a mechanized harvesting operation and improve the harvesting operation efficiency of crawler-type tiger nut harvesters, a theoretical analysis of the motion process of detritus particles on a sieve surface was conducted to determine the main factors affecting the motion of the particles on the sieve surface. A numerical simulation of the sieving process using the discrete element method was conducted to improve the screening efficiency of tiger nuts. The transport law of the debris particle population was analyzed from different perspectives, such as the average velocity of particle motion, particle distribution rate, screening efficiency and loss rate. The effects of factors such as screen amplitude (SA), vibration frequency (VF) and inclination angle (IA) on the sieving performance of the tiger nut threshing and screening device were investigated. The results show that sieving performance evaluation indexes, such as the average speed of particle movement, particle distribution rate, screening efficiency and loss rate, are non-linearly related to the factors of screen amplitude, vibration frequency and screen inclination angle; the effects of amplitude and frequency on the distribution particle size are consistent and show a gradual increase, with the distribution particle size reaching 3.32 mm at an amplitude of 14 mm and 3.46 mm at a frequency of 22 Hz. In the sieving process, the average velocity of the particle population decreases gradually along the direction of motion, and the influence of each factor on the average velocity of the particle population in the motion of the detritus is similar, all showing an increasing trend. This study can provide a reference for exploring the transport law of particles and the efficient screening technology of tiger nuts. Field harvesting tests showed that the screening efficiency and loss rate were 92.87% and 0.83%, respectively, at a screen amplitude of 14 mm, a vibration frequency of 10 Hz and an inclination angle of 2°, and the test results corresponded to the simulation results and met the design requirements of the tiger nut harvester. This study can provide reference for the investigation of the particle transport law and efficient screening technology for tiger nuts.