Parameter optimization for a scraping-rotating-brushing dehilling machine using EDEM

The eastern foot of Helan Mountain in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region stands out as one of the prime grape-growing regions in China. Owing to the dry, cold, and windy winter climate of the region, it is common practice to cover grapevines with soil and form ridges for winter protection. These soil ridges are cleared in the subsequent spring to allow grapevines to grow unhindered. However, conventional dehilling machines often demonstrate a low soil-clearing rate, leaving a significant amount of residual soil behind. This inefficiency necessitates labor-intensive manual soil removal processes. To address this challenge, a scraping-rotating-brushing dehilling machine was designed. The discrete element method (DEM) was utilized to determine the optimal structural parameters for the critical components, including the scraper, rotary blade, and flexible brush. DEM models were constructed for the scraper alone, the scraper-rotary blade combination, and the scraper-rotary blade-brush combination to simulate their respective working processes. Through simulation analysis, the optimal combination parameters of the physical prototype were obtained. Field experiments were conducted to measure the clearing rate of the scraping-rotating-brushing dehilling machine, revealing an extremely low relative error of just 0.05% between the DEM simulation results and the field test outcomes. This confirms the accuracy of our DEM model. The success of the DEM model implementation highlights its potential in the design and development of grape soil-clearing machinery. This innovative approach not only reduces the cost associated with prototype development but also provides reference for the research and development of other related agricultural machinery.