Flowing interaction between cutting edge of ploughbreast with soil in shifting tillage operations

Abstract

Ploughbreast is the crucial soil-engaging component of horizontally reversible plough (HRP). Its biggest merit, compared to conventional ploughs, is to enable the ploughbody to perform alternative and shifting tillage operations with high speeds. A major technical challenge in the aforementioned operation is violent flowing interaction between soil and ploughbreast. This flowing interaction may result in severe wear rate on the ploughbreast, particularly along its cutting edge, i.e. ploughshank, thereby reducing the tool life. The objective of the present paper is to evaluate influences of the flowing interaction on the ploughshank by studying interaction force, wear rate and their correlation. The interaction forces were predicted using a numerical calculation with finite volume approach in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. The wear rates were measured using scanning electron microscope (SEM). There were very good qualitative agreements between numerical and experimental results that either the maximum force or the most severe wear rate appears at the same section and has a direct relationship with the Tillage speed and tilling depth. Closer examination of the calculated and measured confirms that the more violent sliding & rubbing, the greater stress gradient and the larger abrupt stress cause the more severe wear rate along the ploughshank.

Keywords

• flowing interaction
• ploughshank
• shifting tillage
• cfd
• sem