The Design and Experiment of Vertical Variable Cavity Base Fertilizer Fertilizing Apparatus

Abstract

A vertical variable cavity organic fertilizer and compound fertilizer apparatus were designed according to tobacco farming requirements to overcome issues of unstable fertilizer discharge and blocking in the fertilizer disk of an existing fertilizer apparatus. The structure and working principle of the fertilizer apparatus were described. Combined with the principle of anti-arch and the requirements of fertilizer application, the structure size of the fertilizer apparatus was determined. Using the opening degree and rotational speed of the fertilizer disk as the test factors and the fertilizer rate and variation coefficient of fertilizer application rate as the indices, the EDEM was used to conduct the single factor test and obtain the appropriate rotational speed range. The results indicated that the variation coefficient of the fertilizer uniformity apparatus was 0.96–5.22% under different rotation speeds and fertilizer disk openings, which satisfied design requirements. The orthogonal experiment explored the interaction between rotational speed and the opening. The influence of the opening adjustment on the fertilizer application rate and the coefficient of variation of uniformity were greater than the change in fertilizer disk speed. The bench and field tests aligned with the simulation test. These findings provide a reference and theoretical basis to design a fertilizer apparatus.

Keywords

• discrete element simulation
• fertilizer apparatus
• fertilization stability
• variable cavity fertilization