Design and Research Sowing Devices for Aerial Sowing of Forest Seeds with UAVs

Abstract

Modern unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) can be effectively used for aerial sowing of forests. A feature of aerial sowing is the possibility of rapid reforestation at low costs, which is extremely important in the current environmental situation. The purpose of this study is to develop a set of sowing devices intended for use with UAVs. For this, the metering devices and seed distribution devices were analyzed, used on the UAV or having prospects for such use. The existing studies of metering devices, implemented by numerical methods, are analyzed. Further, the synthesis of eight different designs of sowing devices in the 3D CAD was carried out and their comparative assessment was completed in terms of mass and a set of technological parameters. Based on its results, a sowing device was selected that is most suitable for a specific given technology. Discrete Element Method (DEM) was used to simulate the workflow: imitation of loading of the sowing device, study of work in various modes, study of the process of impact interaction of seeds with the soil environment. The complex of developed sowing devices can provide sowing of almost any type of forest seeds within the framework of various technologies and soil climatic conditions.