The Design and Experimental Validation of a Biomimetic Stubble-Cutting Device Inspired by a Leaf-Cutting Ant’s Mandibles

Abstract

Under the conditions of conservation tillage, the existence of the root–soil complex greatly increases the resistance and energy consumption of stubble-cutting blades, especially in Northeast China. In this research, the corn root–soil complex in Northeast China was selected as the research object. Based on the multi-toothed structure of the leaf-cutting ant’s mandibles and the unique bite mode of its mandibles on leaves, a gear-tooth, double-disk, bionic stubble-cutting device (BSCD) was developed by using a combination of power cutting and passive cutting. The effects of rotary speed, tillage depth, and forward speed on the torque and power of the BSCD were analyzed using orthogonal tests, and the results showed that all of the factors had a large influence on the torque and power, in the order of tillage depth > rotary speed > forward speed. The performance of the BSCD and the traditional power straight blade (TPSB) was explored using comparative tests. It was found that the optimal stubble-cutting rate of the BSCD was 97.4%. Compared with the TPSB, the torque of the BSCD was reduced by 15.2–16.4%, and the power was reduced by 9.2–11.3%. The excellent performance of the BSCD was due to the multi-toothed structure of the cutting edge and the cutting mode.