The Lobe-Type Agitator Parameters of the Seed-Metering Unit in the Seed-Fertilizer Drill Justification

Abstract

Livestock products are the most important component of the actual total volume of farm produce. A reliable fodder base is required to increase their quantity and quality. The most part of the natural forage lands of the Republic of Kazakhstan is located in areas with insufficient water availability and low soil productivity. When they are used intensively, they are thinned and degraded. Their restoration and improving is possible if effective technologies and technical means are effected. However, the existing methods for improving and restoring forage lands and the technical means for their implementation are not adapted to the natural­climatic and agrobiological features of the zone of Central and Northern Kazakhstan, which feature insufficient moisture supply and low productivity.The main indicator of the effectiveness of the use of fodder crop seeds is their uniform distribution in the soil. However, most of them, due to their poor flowability, form dome structures of different sizes in front of seeding openings, which hinder the seeding process. To increase the flowability of such seeds, they are mixed with sand, sawdust, fertilizer and other materials. However, during the operation of seeders, the mixture is stratified according to its specific gravity. (The research purpose) is to develop a lobe­type agitator, which prevents the formation of a dome over seed holes. (Materials and methods) Theoretical studies have been carried out using the methods of classical and applied mechanics, as well as special sections of higher mathematics. (Results and discussion) The authors have experimentally confirmed the main parameters of the agitator and its resistance to movement in a seed medium. Experimental studies have been carried out on the basis of GOST 31345­2007. The studies have confirmed that a four­lobe agitator with an external radius of 0.06 m and an inclination angle to the plane of rotation 20°, mounted on the fertilizer drill SZS­2.0, has shown a total resistance of 3,042 kg with a design value of 2.925 kg. (Conclusions) The obtained results can be offered to the designers and developers of machines of the considered type when calculating and designing their working elements.

Keywords

• forage grassland
• hayfields and pastures
• sowing unit
• lobe-­type agitator
• seed material
• seed drill